When Britt from A Penny Saved sees something she loves, she ALWAYS comes up with a genius way to DIY saving money and always coming up with something better than what can be purchased in a store. Check out her latest creative solution:
Candlestick + Pot Lid = $9 DIY Schoolhouse Light Fixture!
Isn’t it cool? For $9? After just a few hours of work it is hanging in our laundry room!
I knew I wanted a schoolhouse fixture in this room, but there was absolutely no way I could drop that kind of money on something that I might be able to make for much less. So I went to Home Depot and browsed their lighting section, looking for inspiration. I found the all the pieces I needed to put together a DIY schoolhouse fixture, but then later I found this gorgeous globe at ReStore and it was just too big to use with any of the parts I had picked up earlier.
So I scrounged around the house and found a pot lid that fit perfectly over the top of the globe. And then I found a candlestick that had a nice shape to it & disassembled it so I could use just the base.
I had my husband remove the handle from the pot lid and drill a hole through both pieces so that it could be wired for a light. He threaded a hollow bolt through the middle to hold the two pieces together and to attach the socket.
I spray painted everything oil-rubbed bronze to match the other fixtures in our laundry room.
We drilled three holes in the bottom of the fixture (in what was formerly the pot lid) and threaded screws through them to hold the globe on.
And then it was just a matter of hanging it. For a really far-fetched concept, this turned out to be a very smooth, easy project.
Here’s the run-down on the costs:
globe – $5 at ReStore
socket – $2 at Home Depot
swag hook – $2 at Home Depot
We had the candlestick, pot lid, chain, wire, screws, paint, and canopy cover lying around, so we did save by using what we already had. (You end up with a lot of spare parts when you mess around with light fixtures as much as I do!)
Genius, right? $9?!
Holy cow, Britt! Another amazing DIY idea! Thank you for sharing!
That is brilliant! I don't think I would have ever thought of that!
Wow! Genius, is right!
That is the craziest thing I've ever seen!!! Good thing you labeled the pot lid, Britt, or I would have never known it was under there!!! You are awesome!!
Very, very clever! I love the way it turned out!! Thank you for sharing!!
Thats amazing, I thought the first image was the actual school house light fixture. Looks great!
holy cow. i am dying!! love that and the paint color. reeediculous.
That is fantastic! I am in the middle of building a home and we are getting ready to put in lighting, I'll have to remember this!
Wow, I would have never thought of that!! It looks great!!
Super clever — looks great!!
That is awesome!
That is brilliant!
Wow! I thought the picture was the inspiration, not the homemade fixture! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
That is SO cute! And so doable. I love projects that can easily be done by your average Jane. Thanks for posting this.
Forget Valentines- this is what makes the heart race! I love it!! Great job painting it- and who would have thought- a lid to a pot?? 😉 Genius…
All these genius people that can make something out of nothing. I so wish I had talent like this. This is a great idea!
Absolutely amazing! I saw the photos of the parts, and I'm still having trouble believing it. laurie
I saw this exact globe at the local thrift store yesterday for $1.50. I immediately thought of your post and if I might be able to pull something similar off. Who knows. Maybe.
Totally GENIUS!!
Just came over to tell you I am having a fabulous Le Creuset cookware GIVEAWAY worth $66.95!!!
For details see:
http://birdcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-celebration-and-le-creuset.html
And good luck!! 🙂
AMAZING
Cheri
I am awe-struck! Unbelievably smart. What vision Brit had.
holy crap. That is the reason I love these blogs. good job!
Seriously genius! It looks a-mazing! Good job!
Just found your blog – have you ever painted the globe part of a light fixture? Cause I want the kind that has the black lines around it, but am too cheap to buy them at $75 bucks for the globe, then the fixture….
Hi Stephanie. No, I haven't but I think it'd be okay. I don't think the cover/globe actually gets too hot. That would be my only concern. Is there a way to test it first? Leave the light on for a few hours and feel how hot/cool the globe is. Good luck! Hope it works out for you and you'll send pics! 🙂
Roeshel