DIY Pottery Barn Mia Faceted-Crystal Flushmount/ Refab a Boob Light

We all have those blasted boob lights. I have 4 that I wanted to replace, but with my low ceilings, I needed something close to the ceiling. As I was shopping the Pottery Barn website, I came across the Mia Faceted-Crystal Flushmount Light. It was lovely, but for $129 a piece, I'd be shelling out way more than I could stomach for 4 of them, even if I waited for a sale.

As I was admiring it, I noticed it was constructed very similarly to the boob lights I already had. I had a long string of acrylic crystals left over from redoing my dining room light, so I decided to DIY!!

Materials used:
Boob light
Can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint
Nail and Hammer or Dremmel tool with metal drill bit
String of acrylic crystals (affiliate link)
Measuring tape
Optional: yarn or string to help measure circumference
Optional: Sharpie


There's a small piece that screws on the bottom and holds up a metal circle that the dome rests on. Once I removed the glass dome (setting aside for a bird bath), I was able to remove the light from the ceiling and start putting holes in the outer edge to hold the end of each crystal strand.

First I removed he reflective foil.

One of my lights had some glue that needed to be goo goned. Then I taped the inside of the light socket so I could spray paint the bolt and socket oil rubbed bronze to match the rest of the fixture.

Looks good, but I should have waited to paint it after I drilled the holes. I wound up getting metal dust stuck in the freshly dried area and had to repaint to cover some scratches made.

I wanted to make 2 rows of 24 holes. (The holes would be across from each other to loop the wire strands through. I used a piece of string to measure the circumference and divided it by 24. I decided to round up and space the holes 1.25" apart, which made only 20 holes, but I figured it would be sufficient.

I made a piece of yarn 1.25" and used a Sharpie to mark where my outer holes would be.

I used a Dremel tool to make most of the holes, but near the end of the project, my bit was getting really dull and I ended up using a nail and hammer.

It worked a little easier and the holes were less messy.

For my second light I used solely a nail to make all the holes and it went super fast.

Next I needed to put holes in the metal circle.

I traced it on some paper to help figure out spacing and then imitated it with a Sharpie on the metal. I started with evenly putting dots for a pentagon (black dots). Then put a dot in the middle of each of those sections (red dots). And then put another dot in the middle of those sections (blue dots).

I separated my crystal strand into strings with 6 crystals. 

I attached all the crystals to the small circle first.

Then I slipped it on the metal rod and started attaching around the outside.

When I was done, I screwed on the end piece, flipped it over and had a pretty looking light!

This one has crystals all the same size

This one has crystals of varying size

I love the way the light reflects the crystals.

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Repurpose an Old Entertainment Center into a Custom Hutch and Trash/Recycle Center

My kitchen is in need of two things: more upper cabinets and a place to hide our trash and recycling cans. This space is the only place are I have to put more storage.

I started designing plans for an L shaped hutch. I was going to build it from scratch until...

I found this beast at DI. I thought maybe I could cut and sand and repurpose it into something to fit my space. It was laminate (which I normally avoid for refurbishing projects), but the finish was so thick I knew I could sand it down enough to get a decent paint job.

I started by taking apart the entire thing removing cam locks and dowels and labeling every part with masking tape.

All taken apart

I wanted to have two separate pieces - a tilt out trash can/recycling cabinet and a hutch with cupboard doors. The two long side pieces would need to be cut, so the top hutch would be separate.

Measuring my trash cans, I knew I'd need to build cabinet doors for the tilt out portion.

I placed the doors on the bottom piece so I could figure out where to cut the board and find out how wide and deep I'd need the trash/recycle portion to be.

Once I cut it down, I added the front and back pieces to make the bottom platform. I drilled all the pocket holes with my Kreg Jig since I wanted to paint before ultimately putting it together.

Since laminate doesn't always wind up with a smooth edge when it's cut, I wrapped masking tape around where I needed to cut and then drew on the tape my cut line.

The parts that I knew would be inside and hidden I didn't spend as long sanding.

I filled some of the holes with DAP Plastic Wood Filler. I needed something that would harden and be sandable and it worked great.

Once I wiped down everything down, I used 2 coats of primer and two coats of semi-gloss paint, sanding in between each layer.

We've been using this bottom part while I got the hutch portion completed. I've been searching everywhere to find hinges that were long enough to take the trash cans out without having  the tilt out doors falling to the floor whenever they were opened. My husband suggested just putting a piece of wood on each side at the bottom as a stopper, so the doors physically wouldn't open further than I wanted.

   

Works perfectly!

Now onto the hutch. I started sanding two of the doors and the two outside pieces. I decided to make this the same depth as the cabinet it would be sitting next to.

I placed the doors and outside cabinets together to figure out how wide to make the top and bottom pieces. I drilled pocket holes and then sanded, primed, and painted.

 I decided to add a shelf in the middle and had a finished shelf from the "as is" section of IKEA. I just cut it down to size and added pocket holes.

I had some left over bead board from my Entertainment Center project that I wanted to add to the back. They weren't long enough to cover the entire back, but I was able to cover the bottom to the shelf, which should work fine and allows me to mount the top to the wall more easily anyway.

I put together the bead board tongue and groove pieces and painted them on my table.

Then I was able to just nail them in place.

 

I added a 1x2 to the bottom of the hutch and a scrap board across the back of the top to give it more stability.

The hutch is attached to the trash/recycle piece using pocket holes and it's also attached to the wall.

About halfway through this project I wish I would have just built it from scratch, but I wanted to see it through. At least I saved something from going to the dump.

Update 12/27/14: I added crown molding to the top. It really gives it a finished look and matches the rest of my cabinets.

Linking up to Catch as Catch Can 195:  

and Remodelaholic January Link Party

Faux Columns on Corners

I have this plain hallway that I wanted to dress up with some faux columns

I started with some 5.5" MDF and then sent it through the table saw with the blade at 45 degrees so the two corners would meet at a corner.

Then I marked where I needed to cut the baseboard with my muli-tool

Then I used my compressor and nail gun to nail the MDF to the wall and added some narrow corner moulding on all three sides. I also put some 1/4" wood on the top as sort of a topper.

The corner moulding is 3/4" wide, so I measured where the baseboard and crown would be and then added 3/4". I cut some 1/4" pieces of plywood to put at the top and bottom with that measurement so there would be 3/4" all the way around once the baseboard and crown were on. I measured the baseboard and drew on the baseboard where I needed to trim with the multi-tool and chisel.

Then I nailed it in place

 

I cut and put the crown in place, filled with filler, sanded, and caulked all around the whole column.

After I taped it off, it took two coats of primer and two coats of semi-gloss bright white paint (sanding in between coats).

Ta-da!

Making Cabinet Doors Using a Kreg Jig

Cabinet doors! I made these with 1/2" birch plywood for the middle and 1x3s for the frame. I've made cabinets before with 1x2s and they often crack when I screw them together since they're a little too thin.

Once I drilled all the pocket holes with my Kreg Jig, I laid them all out back side up to screw together.

Since the middle piece is 1/4" thinner than the frame pieces, I put a piece of 1/4" plywood under it so the back is all flush while drilling in place.

Ta-da! I'm turning these into tilt out cabinets to hold trash and recycling cans, so I also added some 1x12s to the back.

 

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