DIY Chandelier?

Our bathroom renovation is almost complete (I will share more pictures this week!)!  One thing that needs SERIOUS updating is the horrendous track lighting that takes outdoor flood lights.  

(don't worry - those dated globe bulbs are gone-zo!)

The door swings directly under the junction box to the fixture which means we only have around 7 1/2" of clearance for a ceiling fixture.  I really don't care for track lighting and would like something a little different.  Something crystal.

I would love something like this, but that something would be longer & narrow and NOT $1,500.

I have a ton of crystal chandelier strands leftover from our dining room fixture and think this is something that I could manage to DIY.  The biggest challenge will be finding/making a frame to hang the crystals from & I am not really sure where to start with that...

Research begins...NOW!

Great Lamps, Great Price

I was wandering the home aisles at Target today and came across these great, statement making lamps.  Similar to much more expensive alternatives at Crate & Barrel, I suggest picking up two of them to bookend your bed or sofa!

I've done a couple of rooms using similar cool jewel tones recently & these would be right at home on the design board.  They're $20 each - what a steal!

Keep Looking!

My friend sent me an email with a chandelier that she liked from Pottery Barn.  She didn't like the $300 price tag (understandable!), so she asked me if I could find something similar.

Imagine my surprise when, 5 minutes of googling later, I came across it's (much cheaper) doppelganger!  Just another lesson to all of you out there: if you see something, start searching!  More than likely the product will exist somewhere else and, oftentimes, cost less.

Pottery Barn:

While the styling may not be as pretty as PB, this light from Overstock is:

She happily snapped it up for over $100 less!

Have you seen any home doppelgangers lately?

New Use for Ball Canning Jars!

click on image for sourceVintage Ball canning jars seem to be all the rage in wedding table decor lately.  I've read many, many, many stories of brides scouring the internet & antique markets in order to have these lovlies grace their tables. 

I thought of all of you when I came acorss this the other day.

I have always been partial to the blue variety, which are harder to come by, but are oh-so perfectly vintage  (side note: I considered using these for our Ohio home reception, but the $30/each price tag at the Chicago Antique Market changed my mind FAST).  I can picture a grouping of three of these pendants in a number of different styles of kitchens, from Quirky/Modern to Beachy Whitewash. 

Conant Lighting has an entire section of Repurposed lighting, but at $185 each, these aren't for all budgets.  I've now seen similar listings for these elsewhere, but I love this one because the bottom has been removed.  The whole jar doesn't do it for me...it's almost too crafty...but I imagine that this could be a relatively simple DIY project for someone with knowledge of how to put a light together (that person is not me, unfortunately).  My friend Mrs. D'orsay posted tips on removing the tops of wine bottles, so have at it!

So brides & fellow Ball jar lovers, is this something you'd be willing to try?  Could you see these hanging over your kitchen island?  If so, and you decide to do it, send me pictures & I'll post them here!

~kristin