Feather Pendant: Over-priced and Easy (Most Likely) to DIY

I'm sorry, but why on earth would someone pay $2,295.00 for this light fixture? I haven't tried it, but I bet I could make the shade for less than $100.

The base is only chicken wire.

And cording was attached on the top.

My supplies list would look like this:

• Old, ugly, bare chandelier
• Spray paint
• Washer-top lamp ring
• Plain bottom lamp ring
• Chicken wire
• Feather boas
• Small rope cording
• Large rope cording
• Fine gauge wire (for assembly)
• Hot glue and gun

As I said, I haven't done it, and I just barely found this light fixture here, but I imagine that assembly would go like this:

1. Clean and spray paint old, ugly chandelier. Let dry.
2. Cut chicken wire to fit around the lamp rings, and produce the desired height. (Washer-top ring is the top.)
3. Build frame by wiring chicken wire to lamp rings.
4. Attach feather boas to frame with wire.
5. Hot glue rope cording around the top edge.
6. Fit washer-top ring around your freshly painted chandelier.
7. Install in ceiling.

So, really, why oh why would anyone pay $23k when they could make it for a fraction of that cost? Does anyone have any thought on improvements/problems with my DIY plan?

Original found at http://www.jaysonhome.com/lighting/chandeliers/emma-feather-pendant.html, and pictures used found here http://abodelove.blogspot.com/2011/04/feather-pendant.html. Thank you internet!

Coffee Filter Pendant Tutorial

As promised in this post, here is how I created my coffee filter pendant light.

Supplies:

• Paper Lantern
• Coffee Filters*
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Eraser-less Pencil or Wooden Dowel Rod**
• Favorite movie, series, book on tape, or radio station***

*Buy about twice as many as you think you need. The 18" lantern above took about 1000 coffee filters!

**For the purpose of this tutorial, I will only be referring to a pencil.

***Making one of these can take a while (depending on how big your lantern is), so do yourself a favor and don't skip this one!

Step 1: Warm up your hot glue gun while you turn on your favorite listening media and assemble your lantern.

Step 2: Grab your pencil or dowel rod and stick it in the middle of a filter. (I usually hold the filter in the palm of one hand and place the pencil with the other, but I needed a hand free to take the picture.)

Step 3: Fold the filter over the pencil and loosely hold in place as shown below. Put a dot of hot glue on the filter over the end of the pencil. 

Step 4: Stick the glued end on the lantern and hold in place using the pencil. Count to 12-30, until the glue has cooled, then pull or twist the pencil off. Sometimes you need to stick your other hand (the hand that's not holding the pencil) inside the filter and put a finger on the back side of the gluing spot to make sure you get good adhesion. (I hope that made sense.)

Step 5: Get comfortable and just keep gluing. I like to work around, following the spiral of the bamboo supports, to keep my spacing even. And speaking of spacing, space the filters 1"-2" apart. There are five reasons to do this. 1) The light will be able to shine through the finished shade easier, 2) it will need fewer filters, 3) it will be easier to keep adding filters (they push against each other as you continue to add more), 4) it will go a lot faster, and 5) because of number 4, you will hate yourself if you don't. Since we're all about loving ourselves here, do yourself a favor and space the filters loosely. Also, stagger them from row to row to achieve a more even look.

As you continue to add filters, the gaps will fill in and it will look great. Here's what mine looked like after about twenty minutes.

This is what it looks like after Lion King and Lion King 2: Simba's Pride.

We're making progress, ladies and gents!

Lamps, Glorious Lamps

Lamps. Yes, that's right. You heard me. Lamps. Today we are talking about lamps. Specifically this lamp.

I have wanted lamps like these since I first saw them ten years ago. Last week I finally got them! *squeal of delight*

I purchased the shades on clearance at Sears months ago for $6 a pop. I waited on the bases until I decided to just buck up and pull the trigger. At $30 a piece at Target, it felt like a lot.

Target Home® Mix-and-Match Lamp Base - Medium

But then you look at the alternatives; and, all of a sudden, $30 doesn't seem so bad. For instance, this lamp from Joss & Main. It's part of the Ore International collection (don't quote me on that) and retails for $129.95.

Joss&Main Crystal Table Lamp 

Or this lamp from Lamps Plus for $149.99.

Lamps Plus Stacked Crystal Sphere Table Lamp

Yep, $30 isn't so bad. Seriously, can you tell a huge difference between these and the designer ones?

A Little on Light

When we built our house two years ago, the builder decided in their infinite wisdom (and tight purse strings) to fill our home with what I call "mushroom lights."

*Shudder* I despise mushroom lights. In fact, I can sum up my basic philosophy on lighting with, "Mushroom lights: bad. Nearly anything else: good."

I wasn't terribly fond of the light they put in the breakfast nook either, but at least it was tolerable.

I am slowly fixing these affronts to the lighting industry.

I replaced the light in the breakfast nook with a coffee filter pendant. (You can see one version of how to make this light here, but I did mine slightly differently. Writing up a tutorial on how I did mine is on my to do list.)

And the parlor didn't come with a light--at all. The original house plans only had one switched outlet for a lamp in that room. Are you kidding? So we had the builder install the wiring for a ceiling light. After staring at the empty ceiling for two years; fruitlessly searching stores and the internet for a light the right size, style and price; I came up with a way to construct my own drum shade. (Writing up a tutorial for it is on my to do list as well.) I wasn't sure if it was going to stay in the parlor or if I would finally find something to buy that I liked, but it has really grown on me, so I'm going to shorten the chain and leave it for the next several years.

The dining room is another matter. As I mentioned in this post, I haven't even started on the dining room. It currently looks like this. Much more office/greenhouse than dining room.

See that light fixture? 

Yeah, I'm not a fan. I am planning on replacing it with one of these beauties one day. I'm waiting for a sale price to agree with my allowance. There is also a version that Z Gallerie makes, which is less expensive, but it just doesn't rock my socks like the this one does.

I could go on (and on and on and on) about what fixtures I would like, but this is enough to be getting on with.

Did you recently replace a light fixture in your home? Any fixtures on your wishlist? Do you share my distaste for mushroom lights? Leave a comment and tell me about it.