Hallelujah. I made something.

It’s amazing what happens when I prioritize instead of fussing about how many blog posts I should get up in X number of days. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all of the comments, support, compliments and criticism on Monday’s post. I hope I didn’t sound too whiny. I really am thankful to be staying home with my kids.

So now onto something fun – a mobile I made for Mabrey’s room.

After I ‘finished’ Mabrey’s room, I thought it was missing a little something. The changing table side of the room needed a pop of color and I thought mimicking the ombre wall art would be a nice touch. I envisioned a colorful ombre fabric chandy.

I bought four fabric quarters from JoAnn’s for $2 each and an embroidery hoop from Michael’s for 25 cents. Actually it was only half of an embroidery hoop. The part with the tightening screws was missing but I didn’t need it, so I kindly asked the manager if there was anyway she could come down on the price. She asked if 25 cents would work and I almost hugged her. Seriously? What can you buy for 25 cents nowadays?

In all, I had less than $10 wrapped up in this chandelish mobile.

I chose off white, pink, coral and raspberry fabric quarters. All but the pink had subtle patterns. I used the bottom of a plastic cup to trace circles onto the reverse side of my fabric with a pencil.

Then I cut out the circles with fabric scissors. I don’t know how many there were but it took me a while. It was quite therapeutic. You could probably DIY an easier version with paper circles but I wanted something soft and fluttery.

I tied two pieces of fishing line perpendicular to each other across the embroidery hoop so I would have something in the middle of the hoop to tie my center circle strands onto.

Then I used my sewing machine and white thread to sew the circles into various length ombre strands. FYI – This would be a great project for someone just learning to sew on a machine.

I started on the outside of my mobile, sewing and hanging the shortest strands first. I wanted the center of my chandy to be the longest. To hang the strands, I tied the long lead thread at the top of the strand {near the white} around the hoop. Easy.

I would make a few strands, tie them onto the hoop then hold it up to see how things were looking. It was very spontaneous.

Once I liked how the outer layer was looking, I began adding longer strands to the center of the hoop via the aforementioned fishing lines.

This is where it started to fill in nicely and I could see it taking shape.

I kept going until it was nice and full. {Notice the center strand is the longest.} Then I tied more fishing line onto the finished hoop to hang it.

This is what it looked like from above. I trimmed up the stray threads and fishing line to clean it up a bit.

I had a few fabric circles leftover and saved them for another little project. TBA.

Mabrey was napping when I finished. I hung the mobile on the wall sconce above the sink to make sure I liked it. I LOVED it.

When Mabrey woke up, I hung the mobile from the ceiling in her room with a piece of double-sided 3M adhesive tape. That stuff is sticky! It’s white and blends right into the ceiling.

It’s the perfect pop of fun color for the dark corner. I love how the reverse sides of all the different fabrics give the chandy an added dynamic. Instead of four defined tiers of color, there’s a more random and soft ombre effect. I left the hoop natural and like the way it picks up on the mirror’s oak frame and woven basket. You could easily paint it or wrap it in ribbon for a more polished look.

Mabrey noticed it right away during her next diaper change. I imagine this is what it looks like to her from below.

It reminds me of confetti. But bigger. And less messy.

It feels good to be DIYing again. Hopefully, there’s more where that came from.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Melanee who just purchased a new house and needs to lighten it up!

I’ve been on a lighting kick recently. We’ve yet to find ‘the one’ for our master bedroom. But that’s okay. The hunt is half the fun. That’s why when Lamps.com contacted me about a reader giveaway, I was game. Seriously. Does anyone else spend way too much time browsing lighting fixtures online? Be honest. That’s what I thought. Prepare to waste some time being wowed by  inanimate {yet glowing!} objects.

From table lamps to living room ceiling lights to ceiling fans, Lamps.com has a wide variety of styles to choose from. On top of that, the bulb{s} required for your new light are shipped to you FREE along with your purchase. How cool is that?! Could you use some more light in your life? Great! See entry details below.

PRIZE: $150 gift card to Lamps.com

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a U.S. shipping address. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “LIGHTEN UP!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Thursday, September 20th at 9:00 p.m. EST. One random winner will be announced Friday, September 21st.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: What/who do you need to lighten up on? Sweet treats? The kids? The impossible task of keeping your house spotless? I’ll go first. I think I need to give my kids a break. Does it really hurt anything if Everett wears five costumes in one day? Or if Layne  takes ten minutes to brush his teeth? No, really it doesn’t.

Don’t forget to follow Lamps.com on Twitter!

images: Lamps.com

Now that the master bathroom is done {from a renovation standpoint}, we’ve made a shopping list of what finishing items are left to purchase. One item on the list is a ceiling light for the master bedroom. I thought it sounded like a fun item to start with. More fun than register covers, that’s for sure.

{view of master bedroom from master bathroom}

Yes, I finally got around to deep cleaning all the bedrooms over the weekend. No more construction dust! We can actually see out the windows now, too. More details on that coming in a separate post. Back to the lighting issue…

So far the rest of the Underdog’s lighting is simple – even industrial. In the bedroom, though, I’m thinking of something a little more dreamy. But still simple. Since we’ve been frugal with our lighting options elsewhere, I’ve set the master bedroom ceiling light budget at $200. Not outrageous but I consider it a splurge for us. {The cost of the boys’ bedroom, nursery and dining lights was less than $80 total.} I’ve just started browsing and put together a roundup of my favorites to date. Of course, I may end up buying a light that’s not even on this list but I thought I’d share my search for those of you who are curious about my thought process.

1 – Dandelion Chandelier {$200} This chandy features thin brushed steel wire wound into a sphere. I like the feathery texture and think it would put off a warm glow when lit.

2 – Star Chandelier {$196} Twinkle, twinkle little star. I imagine the rays of light and shadows this starlight puts off are amazing.

3 – Golden Bronze Criss-Cross Pendant {$200} The mix of bronzed metal, fabric shade and crystals is unique. I especially like the ‘X’ pattern of the metal.

4 – Capiz Pendant {$70} This shimmery chandy may look familiar. I hung it in the master bedroom of our previous home and it stayed there with the sale of the house. It’s the least expensive option I’ve found so far but a lighting kit has to be purchased separately as the chandy doesn’t include one. As much as I dig it, I kinda feel like ‘been there done that.’ It would totally work but I’m itching to switch things up. I don’t want the Underdog’s decor to be a reproduction of our last home. Still, it’s a great piece.

5 – White Cloud Pendant {$150} Sleeping under this cumulus-like pendant would feel like sleeping under the open sky. It has a very organic aesthetic that I’m lovin’ too.

6 – Zig Zag Acrylic Pendant {$177} This is probably the most modern option I like. The frosted acrylic zig zags are arranged in a way that gives the light a woven appearance. This pendant is also one of the smaller options so I’d have to double check measurements before saying ‘yay’ or ‘nay.’

A few other thoughts I have about lighting for the master bedroom…

• The placement of the bed will be beneath the window seen above, directly across from the bathroom. That means the centered ceiling light will hang just above the foot of the bed so a hanging pendant/chandy will work – as opposed to a flush mount light – since there won’t be anybody walking around under the light.

• The wattage of the ceiling light doesn’t have to be super powerful. For one, I like a dimly lit bedroom. Second, I really want to hang two wall sconces bedside for reading. HH and I are both bedtime readers. Between the ceiling light and two wall sconces {not to mention mounted lights in the closet}, I think the lighting will be sufficient for what we need. Ambience.

How does Handy Hubby feel about the possibilities? He likes them all – some more than others. Like with any other decorating decisions, he’s leaving the search up to me. I narrow the options down, show them to him and then we make the final decision together to ensure it’s something we can both live with. Over the years, we’ve found this is the best way for us to make home decor choices together.

Narrowing down the possibilities to a select few is key. HH isn’t good at making decisions when there’s a huge playing field to choose from. {Unless you’re talking about girls, that is. He did make a pretty good choice on that one. Ha!} For example, HH has been looking for a new pair of shoes for months now. Zappos has him corn-fused with their huge selection. He’s easily distracted.

What about you? Any lighting purchases recently? Any in your future? Any thoughts on bedroom lighting? Any other ideas on how to make joint decorating decisions?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

My latest Ideabook is up over on Houzz today. This month I featured a slew of chandeliers that can be used in various settings. I really believe that switching out seen-better-days fixtures or builder stock lighting can make a world of difference in any house. Here are a few of the lights I featured…

In my relatively short {going on 9 years now} homeowner’s life, I’ve lived in 2 homes.  Two completely different homes.  Our first home was small, cozy, old, and required a lot of work.  Our second home, the one we currently live in, is large, open, new, and pretty much maintenance-free. Still, I find that every home has little quirks to it.  You know, little ticks that make it different and/or difficult to work with.  And just because a house is new doesn’t mean it’s void of these traits.  Take my home, for example.

1.  Shaky chandy. I love the capiz chandelier we installed over our open dining area.  It’s shiny, textural, moody when lit, and even a tad feminine.  It’s also noisy at times.  You see, the chandelier is hung from the ceiling right below my son’s bedroom.  If things get rowdy up there {i.e. jumping on the bed, kids’ gymnastics, wrestling with brother, etc}, the movement causes the chandy to shake. When all those rectangular capiz shells get to rattling all at once, the light morphs into a sort of wind chime.  It’s not overly loud but definitely noticeable.  It always reminds me of the opening scene in Mary Poppins {one of my all-time favorite movies!} where Admiral Boom fires the cannon causing pictures frames and vases to clatter.  In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, see the clip here.  Our laundry room is on the second floor of our home also, and I use a front-loading washer that spins at high speeds.  When it’s on its spin cycle, this sends our dining chandelier into a rattling frenzy too.  Luckily, the washer only spins for about a minute, so it’s not awful.  In fact, I’ve come to like our chandy when it shakes.  It’s a good way to tell if my boys aren’t in bed at night sleeping soundly like they’re supposed to be.  It’s a signal that my load of laundry in the washer is just about ready to be transferred to the dryer {I find those beeping and buzzing end wash cycle options annoying and always mute them}.  And it gets me reminiscing about my favorite movie as kid.  Now if only I could snap my kids into shape like Mary Poppins does Jane and Michael…

2.  Y marks the spot. Obviously a builder {not a designer} chose the flooring finishes in our spec home.  And while I don’t particularly like any of them, what disturbs me the most is the way the builder joined them all.  There’s a landing strip of hardwood that runs the length of our entry hallway back to the main living area.  There, it dead-ends into a point where it’s met by carpet on one side and vinyl on the other.  Have you ever seen anything more absurd?!  Replacing the flooring on the first floor has been on our to-do list since day one, but because all of the flooring was in good shape we put this costly project way down on the bottom of the list and just lived with it.  As you can see, this area has become somewhat of a play area.  The harder floors {wood and vinyl} are where my kids end up when they put together floor puzzles, build with wooden blocks, and drive their cars.  The softer floor {carpet} is where the kids sit to play with Legos/Knex, read books, and lay out their alphabet and number cards.  So while I haven’t ever liked the look of this strange flooring intersection, it has served my kiddos well.

3.  Lost in the mail. There’s a slightly different application of the phrase ‘lost mail’ at our house. We have a storm drain located right below our mailbox, so if we drop anything when checking the mail it usually ends up about 4 feet below the ground.  I don’t know how many times Handy Hubby has had to lie in the road to stretch his arm down into the drain to retrieve lost mail.  He’s the only one in our household who can reach that far.  The kids think they’re pretty lucky though.  We let them off the check-the-mail hook when we realized they were regularly dropping mail into the drain. Your Honor, the reason I didn’t show up for jury duty was because my son dropped the summons letter into the sewer. That probably wouldn’t go over too well.

4.  Blue light special. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but that one glass globe is different than the others.  These lights hang over my sink in the master bath.  Obviously, someone broke the matching shade during installation and replaced it as best they could.  But the understudy shade has a slight blue tinge to it that is just enough to draw my eye upwards every time I’m in there.  I should just get over it.  Or replace the entire light.  But that would cost money and, really, I’m the only one who notices.

5.  Off means on. I was so excited when we moved into this house to have a laundry room on the second floor.  I still am.  It keeps all the dirty laundry and clean, unfolded laundry piles out of the main living areas.  I was also excited {and still am} about our front-loading washer.  It uses so much less water and detergent AND does a way better job of washing our stuff than the top loader we had in our first home.  However, when we first moved in, hauled our washer upstairs and hooked it up, it wouldn’t work.  I kept getting an error message.  The washer was still under warranty so I called the manufacturer who sent a technician out to have a look.  Turns out, the plumber installed the cold water switch bass-ackwards.  So, while I was trying to run a cold water wash, I turned the cold water switch to the ‘on’ position {which was actually the ‘off’ position} but the washer wasn’t getting any water.  Hence, the error message.  Ever since, I just remember that off means on for the cold water shut-off valve.

6.  Loft or landing? I’ve always had trouble with this little area.  It’s located just off the staircase on the second floor.  It’s too small to be considered a loft room and too big to be your average landing.  So what do I use it for?  Folding laundry, naturally.  {If you look closely, you can see the oval indentation of a laundry basket in the carpet in the bottom right corner.}  The laundry room is right off this area, so I dump freshly dried clothes onto the floor, plop down and fold away.  I had visions of painting the stair railing/spindles and adding a large built-in, L-shaped bench with cushions and storage to form a quiet little reading nook.  But my preschooler is quite the daredevil and I don’t trust his fearlessness.  As soon I envisioned the bench, a vision of Everett climbing up onto the bench and falling over the railing quickly followed.  Needless to say, this project never panned out.  It would have been a nice idea for kid-free home.

7.  Where bugs go to die. I love the open, two-story foyer.  There’s a window up high that lets in tons of natural light and keeps the entry and upstairs hall feeling bright.  But, seriously, how does a homeowner go about regularly cleaning a second story window with no floor immediately beneath it?  My solution?  Don’t.  Don’t worry about it.  In complete and utterly embarrassing honesty, I have cleaned that window once in the three years we’ve lived here.  {See that death-defying act here.}  Sure, I could hire someone to clean it.  But, again, that costs money.  And I’d rather have a new design book and dirty window than a clean window and no book.  Know your priorities people.

So those are the few quirky ticks that this house adds to my already quirky life.  When I lay them all out there like that, I’ll admit they aren’t that bad.  {Much better than the basement that regularly flooded in our first home.}  Still, they make me twitch a little.

Does your home have any peculiar areas, tricks, or nuances to it?  A section of floor that squeaks every time you walk on it?  A problem spot that you haven’t quite figured out how to address but instead just live with it?  A furnace that needs a good kick sometimes?  An odd corner that you’ve turned into something beautiful?  Share!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I received an email from Candice in North Carolina who had recently pruned some trees in her backyard and was wanting DIY ideas for the branches she’d trimmed off.  I love incorporating natural elements into home decor.  Who doesn’t love free material found right outside their door?  I think any of these branch projects would be fun to try in the home.

Jewelry Tree

Screw the end of a smaller branch into a square, stained piece of wood and adorn it with necklaces, earrings and bracelets.  It makes for a pretty display and a quick jewelry go-to in the morning.

Paper Cherry Blossoms

Fold tissue paper into petite blossoms and tape onto bare branches.  Place floral branches in a vase and display on an entryway table, dining table or buffet.  {Here’s a great tutorial.}  I did something similar here.

Wall Art

Paint branches to color of choice and then hot glue ends onto the backs of 2 painted & parallel 1″x2″ boards.  Arrange branches loosely for a sculptural effect and hang on the wall.

Whimsical Chandelier

Spray paint an existing chandelier white along with a mass of thin, flexible branches.  Cover the chandelier in branches using clear or white zip ties and string to secure them.  {Steer clear of light bulbs.}  Follow the lines of the original chandelier to keep the form looking chandy-ish.

Stick Starburst

Cut straight branches into smaller sections and hot glue around a mirror.  Find a good tutorial here.

Rustic Frame

Attach branches to an existing mirror or picture frame with hot glue.

Bold Accent

Spray paint a single, large branch with an interesting form a bright, bold color like red.  Simply prop or lean it in a vignette for a quick and temporary splash of color.

Affordable Pendant

Hang industrial lights from a single branch for a simple dining pendant light.  Read more about this project here.

Of course, you could always plop branches into a vase and be done with it but I thought these DIY ideas were worth mentioning.  I hope that they inspire Candice to ‘branch out’ and find a creative way to use the branches from her yard.  Do you have any branch decor ideas to share too?

images:  1) Rian Rae 2) Kristin Sutcliffe for Bloesem Kids 3) Wood Railing 4) Collier West 5) Citified Country Girl 6) CBK via Amazon 7) Evan Thomas for Apartment Therapy 8 ) Anna-Malin Lindgren for decor8

I can’t take any credit for today’s Christmas decor project.  I totally stole the idea from Belinda over at The Happy Home.  What was the idea?  Well, basically I saved up a bunch of toilet paper tubes {and a few paper towel ones too} and created a wintry hanging centerpiece.

Pretty clever idea, huh?  You can get the full tutorial here.  Here’s a picture story of me making mine. {I used leftover paint from our powder room to make the gray ones and on-hand gloss white paint for the white ones.  Instead of a peg or toothpick, I just put 2 fingers into the tube to rotate it.}

Originally, I hung the glittery chandy above our kitchen island with masking tape.

But our ceilings are textured matte plaster and the bigger tubes {the paper towel tubes} fell down after a few days.  The smaller ones were fine but I decided to move them all together.  I tied them to our dining chandy.

I think next year I’ll stick to just the toilet paper tubes {the smaller ones} and hang a whole bunch above the island for bigger impact.  But, for now, I’m mesmerized by these shiny beauties.  They reflect the light and glisten so beautifully.  Oh, and did I mention I made them for FREE? That’s right, I didn’t spend a dime.

I hope you’re getting a few ideas for inexpensive Christmas decor here on H*T this week.  If anything, you should know by now to check out The Happy Home and to hang a bunch of stuff around your house with fishing line.  {Handy Hubby got clotheslined the other night by our floating Christmas tree words when he went to unplug the lights.  Hehe.} I still have a few more Christmas-y posts to share with you {like where the heck are the stockings?!} so check back soon!

FYI – See what else I’ve done with salvaged toilet paper tubes here.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

To keep an open floor plan {especially longer, narrower spaces} from resembling a dark and dingy bowling alley, natural and artificial light sources are necessary.  As with any room, lighting can make or break the deal.

LOTS OF LIGHTING

To let in as much natural light as possible, try curtains that can be drawn open during the day to drench your interiors in sunlight.  Maybe shades are more your style?  Make sure they’re retractable.  I tend to steer clear of sheers as I feel they filter natural light too much.  Here’s a great example of an open space benefiting from all that natural light has to offer.

While all the window treatments in an open space need not be the same in each zone, they should be cohesive.  Consider how the window coverings look from different zones.  {This kind of goes back to selecting a cohesive color scheme.}  In spots that receive unwanted direct sunlight, come up with a way to temporarily block it out when desired.

When the sun goes down or when natural light alone isn’t cutting it, artificial light sources may be used.  This includes recessed lighting, track lighting, table lamps, pendants, ceiling fans with lights, floor lamps, chandeliers and sconces.  For open floor plans, I particularly like recessed lighting, pendants, chandeliers and a few lamps.  Just like an area rug, lighting can define a zone within an open space.  Kitchens and family/living rooms are great places for recessed lighting as it reduces the need for furniture or floor space required to house lamps.  Pendants and chandeliers are wonderful choices for open kitchens and dining areas. Placed just above an island or dining table, they automatically give the space below presence and make floating furniture look like it ought to be there.  When used in combination with a dimmer switch, pendants or chandeliers can add tons of ambience.  {Handy Hubby installed a dimmer switch on our dining chandy.  We dim it at night and it puts off a lovely, soft glow…almost like candlelight.}  As far as lamps go, 1 or 2 – maybe 3 in a larger room – scattered around a family/living room is plenty.  {If you need more light, try recessed lighting or a ceiling fan with a light on it overhead.}  The problem comes when trying to figure out where to place lamps in an open space.  Corners are good as long as there is a chair/sofa to anchor the lamp.  Obviously, you don’t want a lone floor lamp standing by itself in a corner.  And by “corners are good” I don’t mean stuck back deep into a corner.  Any furniture/lamp should sit out a bit from the corner…remember you’re bringing the furniture into the room if possible.  Floating sofas, sectionals and chairs in need of a task lamp can pose a problem. Under some circumstances, an outlet may not be easily accessible.  You may be able to plug the lamp into an extension cord and run it under the furniture or rug to a nearby outlet.  Please be sure it’s not a tripping/child safety issue though!  {I have the 2 floor lamps in our living room plugged into an extension cord that runs under the sofa to an outlet just behind a curtain.  It’s out of traffic’s way and nearly invisible.} Another option is to install a floor outlet.  This is easy to do if a basement or crawl space exists under the proposed spot for the new floor outlet. {I would love to install a floor outlet in our family room beneath our sectional.  Maybe a future DIY project?}  I think some people would be very turned off {pun intended} by this solution thinking, “What if I ever move my furniture?”  Proper placement of the outlet would be key but very doable.

Enough talk.  Let’s walk the walk.  Here are a few pendants being used to establish open dining areas.  Notice the shapes of the pendants…they don’t always match the shape of the dining table. Also pay attention to the different types of window treatments used to let in natural light.

In this kitchen/dining combo, a trio of shiny metal pendants hangs above the island while a lighter, softer pendant lights the dining area.

This is one of my favorite open dining areas.  1 large pendant + flowing curtains hung high and wide + textural light filtering shades = an airy place to chow down.  Mmmmm.

How about some recessed lighting?  Check out this open living space.  With ample recessed lighting in the living area, the designer chose to forgo lamps.  A chandelier defines the dining area. Sometimes just a pendant or chandy above a dining table is enough to ground the area, negating the need for a rug.

Here’s a look at a long, narrow space nicely divided up into zones.  {See the dining area beyond the sofa?}  I think the placement of the floor lamp is perfect.  It provides task lighting for sofa sitters but isn’t too far out into the room that it requires an extension cord or floor outlet.  If you look closely, there is also track lighting above the quad of black and white photos in the dining area.

Arc lamps can be a practical choice in an open living space.  The base can sit over to the side of the room {in reach of a wall outlet} while the light source hangs out and over the seating area.

Finally, a few rooms that have a mix of light sources employed to make for an open and bright space.  See if you can pick out all the light sources.

I hope this sheds some light {sorry, I couldn’t help myself} on how to keep open spaces feeling bright and airy.  Tomorrow I’ll be back with this series’ final post that will focus on one living space that uses all of the tips I’ve mentioned this week.

images:  1) Jennifer Worts via DecorPad 2) Traci Kearns for Southern Living 3) Lynn Morgan via Cococozy 4) Sarah Dorio photography via DecorPad 5) Candice Olson via Hooked on Houses 6) DecorPad 7) Wayne Vincent photography via DecorPad 8) Lynda Reeves and Michael Graydon photography via DecorPad 9 & 10) Candice Olson for HGTV

A regular H*T reader contacted me after seeing the mood board I put together for Scott and Robyn’s basement.  Michelle was wanting help with an inexpensive bedroom makeover.  And being that I like to pretend I’m an interior designer, I happily accepted Michelle’s request.  Currently, her bedroom looks like this…

It’s not a bad room to begin with at all.  Did you notice the floors?  And that upholstered headboard was a DIY project that Michelle and her husband completed together.  Michelle was wanting ideas for paint color, bedding, window treatments {well, door treatments I guess} and accessories.  After seeing my fandelier, she also wanted to incorporate the World Market pendant light into her room. Michelle asked that all the furniture stay {a bookcase also resides in her bedroom but is not shown above} but said that the sewing table and/or bookcase could be painted.  She was also looking to make the sewing table into more of a desk instead of a stand-alone piece.  After reviewing several pics of inspiration rooms that Michelle sent my way, I gathered that she was leaning towards a light, mostly neutral palette with a soothing feel.  In her original email to me, I also learned that Michelle likes a mix of crisp white and contrasting mocha with hints of green.  Taking all of that into consideration, this is what I came up with for Michelle’s budget-friendly room makeover…

I’m suggesting that Michelle paint her walls Dolphin Fin {by Behr, Home Depot}.  It’s a slightly tan-y gray.

Here’s a living room painted in Dolphin Fin so you get the idea…

{image courtesy of Alaina Kaczmarski}

For a fresh fix, clean white bedding {you can find it just about anywhere!} will instantly lighten all the dark furniture.  I found a few geometric print pillows along with a leafy green lumbar pillow to add interest.  The good news is they’re on sale for less than $13 each!  A white round mirror above the headboard will add in some curves.  {Frugal hint:  find any round mirror at Goodwill and spray paint it white.}  Spray painting the bedside lamps’ bases white will help to lighten things up, too.  The World Market chandelier is going to be the WOW! in this bedroom.  A furry sheepskin rug alongside the bed will add texture.  To keep all the furniture from looking the same, I suggested that Michelle paint her sewing desk green {similar to the one shown here} and her bookcase white.  Sliding up a white chair and hanging a DIY linen pinboard {like this} will further help the sewing table to act as a desk.  Those vertical blinds on the patio sliders have got to go!  I can’t wait to see how large and bright those sliding doors look when topped with a dark {either black or rubbed bronze} curtain rod and long, flowing white curtains.  Opening up that wall by hanging the window treatments high and wide around the patio doors will really have a huuuuuge impact.  {That’s one before-and-after I can’t wait to see!}  Finally, accessorizing with woven baskets, white ceramics and greenery {I had to throw in an orchid} will really bring some ease and life to the bedroom.  I dig these Jonathan Alder birds but really any cutesy piece found at Goodwill could be spray painted white for the same effect.

So, that’s how I would tweak Michelle’s bedroom without breaking the bank.  I was happy to hear that Michelle is excited about her mood board and actually has many of the items I suggested {rug, baskets, plants, white pots, etc} in her home already.  We must be on the same wavelength.  I know she isn’t in a hurry to tackle her bedroom makeover head-on, but when she does do it I sure hope she shares some pictures!  Pretty please, Michelle?

While my master bedroom makeover is in the works, I’ve had several requests for a tutorial on how I switched up my builder boring ceiling fan from this…

…to this…

I got hooked on this chandelier a few weeks ago after Young House Love featured it in one of their mood boards.

It was the perfect solution to dressing up my bedroom ceiling fan!  The description said it did not include a light source but I was sure I could fenagle a way to attach it to my existing ceiling fan and still use the lights from the fan as a light source.  Therefore, I did not purchase a corresponding wire and light kit with the chandy.  Just the chandy.  Once the chandelier arrived, I simply removed the globe light from our fan.  Sorry, I don’t have any pics of this step {Handy Hubby was at work and not able to capture me in action} but all it involved was unscrewing the finial from the bottom of the globe and removing a few teeny screws.  I left the light source attached to the fan.

I was a little concerned about the fan being able to handle the weight of the chandy but once I removed the globe light I was happy to discover the chandy actually felt lighter in my hand than the globe light.  So, no problemo there!

Now for the fun part.  Where I stand with my hands on my hips and stare at the naked fan light for about 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do next.  {Really, I had no plan but I was sure I could concoct something.}  Suddenly, it hit me.  ZIP TIES.  I ran out to the garage and grabbed a few small zip ties from Handy Hubby’s stash.  I brought ‘em upstairs and was excited to find that they fit around the existing metal piece that had previously held the globe light in place.  I removed the light bulbs from the fan and held the chandy up.  The center metal ring of the chandelier slipped perfectly up and over the cord string that adjusts the brightness of lighting.  To secure the capiz chandelier in place, I just used 2 zip ties on opposite sides of the fan and looped them each around the metal fan connector & the chandelier’s metal ring frame.  Once the chandelier was installed, I realized the original 60W bulbs weren’t going to fit anymore.  No worries.  I brought out two 40W candlebra bulbs from storage and they fit just right!  Given, they do not put off as much light as the 60W bulbs but I prefer the dim ambience they provide in a bedroom setting.

So, are you confused?  Too many words to compute?  Maybe some pictures will help.

{You can’t see the light bulbs from the ground.}

The candlebra-sized bulb fits perfectly above the circular metal framework of the chandelier.

Looking up from below…

The pull chain is still accessible…

So, that’s how I ‘made it work’ in the words of Tim Gunn…for less than $100.  The chandelier could be easily removed if we ever move and want to take it with us which means renters could benefit from this upgrade as well…it’s not permanent.  Some of you have asked about the capiz shells clinking when the fan is on.  The chandelier does not make noise but we don’t turn our fan on anything higher than the MEDIUM setting because our ceiling fan has always been off balance {even after several attempts to balance it ourselves}.  I’m not sayin’ this is how you should hang a fixture from your fan but it worked for me with great results.  Please check with a licensed electrician if you have any questions or problems beyond aesthetics with your ceiling fixtures!