All Lit Up

I have been working up a storm around the house. I think with fall and winter coming (ugh...) I'm starting to "nest" and tidy up/spruce up our home.

I've been thinking/planning/preparing a new project that I'm so excited about. I love lamps, so when I saw a DIY pendant lamp article in a craft magazine recently, I nearly flipped my lid. Here it is... drumroll, please:

At Night

And in the light of day.

Here's how I did it:

1.) At Containerstore.com I bought two slatted bamboo wastebaskets (for over $50--ouch, but well worth it)

2;) Once the wastebaskets arrived, I measured a pendant lamp socket I had from another lamp and went to the hardware store and bought a hole saw attachment in the appropraite size for a mere $7

3.) I took one bamboo wastebasket, drew a perfect "X" on the bottom (which will actually be the top of the lamp) to find the center. I attached the hole saw to my drill and carefully drilled a perfect circle through the wood.

4.) A little light sanding made the hole smooth, and my light socket fit perfect.

5.) With a hand saw, I cut off the very bottom of the second wastebasket (which will become the bottom of the lamp) and sand the cut parts smooth.

6.) After a little brainstorming, {I determined the lamp was too heavy to hang directly from the cord of the light socket} I devised a simple hanger for the lamp. I returned to the top part of the lamp and drilled two small holes relatively close to each other, with a drill bit, on either side of the larger hole cut for the socket.

Next, I cut two long lengths of sisal twine and threaded one through each set of small holes. With several knots joining all the pieces of twine, I had a hanger for my lamp.

7.) I lightly sanded the "top" of each wastebasket and spread wood glue evenly over each half. After being lined up perfectly, I weighed it from the top with a heavy book and let it dry overnight, hoping the cats wouldn't knock it over.

8.) I couldn't wait to get up the next morning and hang my fabulous lamp!

I really can't believe how easy this project was. The hardest part was shelling out the $50 bucks for the wastebaskets. I wish I would have photographed each step, but didn't know it would turn out so well.