Let there *B light

I like a challenge,

And earlier this year, I was challenged by not wanting to pay $500 for one of those industrial edison lights, but still wanting one soooooo badly.

So I went to work on one of the lights that was left by the previous owner of the home, armed with a $15.00 basket I purchased at a second hand store.

This is the before picture of the light...

(I do have to divulge that my family is full of electricians, so I have a little bit of a base knowledge of lighting) PS before you ever do ANYTHING with lights, make sure you turn off the breaker!!!!

This is the basket I purchased from a local shop...

Drill 2 holes in it for the 3 lights and voila!

I unwired the lights from the existing chandelier and pulled the wire through the newly drilled holes (unwiring was a bit difficult, but not impossible to do. at that point the light it out of the ceiling so you can't hurt it!)

This next part you may need some help with if you haven't done electrical wiring before, but basically, you need to restrip the ends of the wire so they are exposed, and then wrap them, and the ground copper wire, back onto the light fixture box. When I first took the light down I labeled the wires so I knew which one went back to which light box wire.

Here comes the fun part...after you rewire and hang it all back up, turning on the breaker and praying to god that it lights!!! 

Final product!!! What I shockingly crafty B* I've become... :-) Thanks mom & dad.  PS the pot rack in the back was also installed in the process - from IKEA! Super cheap, space saving, and looks great. Not cheaply made at all. Heres another pic...

Hap B* Crafting all!!! 

<3 B*

Merry B*s Pinterest party

Our girlfriend Cassie hosted the cutest holiday Pinterest party yet. She is definitely a B*, no doubt about it. 

We also learned Katie loves mason jars and glitter... But honestly, who doesn't?!!

After a gift exchange, and a few moments where the majority if us thought I win ten thousand dollars (yes, I was a victim of a fake scratch off) we finally got to the crafting...

So the theme this time was wreaths; and we all had a different vibe...

Hap-B*-holidays

Ribbon makes all the difference...

check out these two holiday decorations made with ribbon...

I NEVER know what to do with my holiday cards, and every year I contemplate some elaborate ridiculous craft. Little did I know I was COMPLETELY overthinking it.

Ribbon wrapped door + clothespins = holiday sanity

Unfortunately, I have to say i stole this from my bestie Katie Charney... but it was such a good + easy idea i couldnt pass it up!

PS. It's easy to achieve the multi ribbon look. Just keep creating bows on top of one another...and voila.

Next ribbon craft...super easy too!

I found this ribbon at Michaels---what an awesome tree trimmer

Finally--- this isn't ribbon but its close, right?  It comes in a strand at least...

Centerpiece!!!!!

Cake plate tiers + Candles + strands or berries = a warm and natural holiday centerpiece

Huh, its Funny. The only time I've ever used my cake plates is for this craft.

Cut me some slack, I'm a crafter not a cook. That's why I married an italian :-)

Happy December ya'll! Its the birthday month of the B* so I give everyone permission to celebrate for me :-)

Let-her-B* update

Finally drank enough wine to finish the L!

Finished product...

Let-her-B*

Oh yes. We like wine. 

Andddddd we finally decided to do something productive with it!!! 

A few wooden letters from michaels and a couple (hundred) of bottles later, we had some very expensive home decor!

Jamie decided to go a different route and wrapped her letter in ribbon. It turned out awesome! She only needed to do a few custom cuts to make it fit the A correctly. 

Katie was the only one to finish her wine letter---looks like Heather and I have to drink some more wine. Oh Darn. 

Good job Crafty B*s!!! Mama B is so proud. 

PS. A little golden nugget for wine cork collectors out there: for those bottles you drink on special nights, write the date and event on the cork! I did this a while ago and while rounding up my corks found the cork from the bottle of wine we drank the night we were engaged. Check out the cork on the bottom right of the L---you can see 12-18-10, and on the side it says "engaged!" 

Happy corking

<3 B*

The singer sewing drawers

A few of the girls and I had a wine and craft night last week. It was a blast and ill be blogging about it soon don't you worry---but while we were there I made a self-realization. I'm a hoarder. Not so much an A&E hoarder, but I save things (others may call it junk) and store them because I know at any moment inspiration could strike...And the bolt of inspiration struck hard this weekend. Singer sewing machine style. 

So we bought an old singer a while ago and used the legs to make a vanity in the powder room.

When we took it all apart, I saved the pieces and parts. Of those parts were 4 drawers that I knew would make something great one day...

So first---ever have one of those frames that doesn't have a stand on the back? I was having this same dilemma when (ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!) I thought maybe I could use one of the drawers to prop it up. A little potpourri to fill in the gap anddddd... 

Watch-out----this crafty B* is on fiya!!!

The next one was inspired by all the Pinterest coffee bars I've been seeing lately. Why not use the drawers as shelves? Then hang the mugs below them? Oooooh, then even line the drawers with some scrapbook paper I had lying around? Yes, yes, this will be good. 

Step 1: glue the scrapbook paper into the bottom. I over estimated the amount to cut and then used a razor blade to trim the excess. 

All finished and lined with paper. 

Step 2: add the hanging hardware to the back and cup hooks to the bottom (both daily found at Home Depot)

Step 3: Hang away and accessorize!!!

<3 B*

Mason Jar lights ---> I'm obsessed.

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts lately! 

I've been traveling for work but finally, after 5 weeks, I'm home. 

And take one guess what I did all day Sunday...caught up on Pinterest and crafting!!!! I was deprived!!

So Sunday I took on the lights in our upstairs bathroom. They were originally a silver/metal color and had some ugly glass shades. I've been contemplating their re-design for weeks and finally was inspired. Sorry guys. I promise I'll get better with the before shots. I just get so excited I start before I can think to take one!!!

A little leftover paint and I was in business. 

A little wire and twine allowed me to hang the jars from the screws. I used hot glue for the twine to get them to stay and keep the right length. 

 

The  final shot...

 

Below was another project of mine... I wrapped the old sconces with burlap and batting and just used hot glue to bring it all together. I lucked out with the mason jars fitting the sconces...but what an improvement!!

<3B*

Cruel cruel summer, but what a sweet sweet ceiling. Office Transformation part Uno!

Like the song says---it's been a cruel summer. And Jason and I have been cruelly busy. But I finally---after weeks---have a second to sit and post some new things for you guys.
I decided to start letting you all into our home, and the chaos that is all of my ongoing projects :-)

I've been working on the office for --- I guess I can say almost a year because we've almost been here for one. It started when we moved in. That very day, we ripped out a cheap old bookshelf from the wall, which left gaping holes in the plaster where the shelf had been attached, and a large chunk of baseboard missing.
A few months later, I finally patched the wall, and a month or two later my husband and father added the baseboard.

The rest of the walls had blue paneling on them. So in a flash of genius from mi madre, we decided to add chair rail, and paint the bottom portion of the paneling white to look like wainscoting.

To cover up the paneling on the top. I decided to spackle in the paneling grooves, and add wallpaper on top. This is what im leaning towards at the moment...

Then we had to tear down all the drop ceiling and get the bathroom leak fixed (you can see the waterspots above.)

Today, I finally added in some of the new ceiling.

I've literally had this ceiling for 6 months. It was the first thing I picked out when we realized it'd be best to keep the drop ceiling because of the old bathroom above the office.

Can't wait for the big reveal!!! More to come soon... 
<3*B