What do you do when you want a home that looks straight out of House Beautiful, but your budget is more in line with Target pricing? You get crafty! During a recent sample sale I scored an oversized dome light for just $10 bucks, the issue? It was a hideous shade of aqua! Instead of passing on the deal, I decided to put my art degree to good use and reinvent the lighting. A couple of coats of paint (and a lot of lessons learned) later, it's the crown jewel of our dining room.

My first course of action was to wash the light and shorten the massively long cord to a more reasonable length. To do this, I unscrewed the closure at the crown (where the light connects to the ceiling) and pulled it through to my desired length. I then tightened the screw back up, cut the cord about 6" away from the crown, and used wire strippers to clean off about 1/2" inch of the cord for mounting.

There was a lot of trial and error with this project. I first tried painting the light with gold metallic paint, ignoring everything I know about painting (i.e. prime the surface before painting). It peeled off almost immediately. I then tried using DecoArt's Metallic Lustre Wax Finish first, followed by the gold paint and this stuck much better. The paste hardens really quickly, creating a seal.

It did not however look like a real metallic fixture....Back to the drawing board.

I finally caved and decided to go the spray paint route, using the metallic wax finish as a top coat. This gave it the burnished brass look I was looking for. Finally I cut off the worn out fabric casing on the cord and carefully wrapped it in electrically tape, keeping it the original black.

So, a couple of notes for those wanting to attempt this at home:

1. Prime your surface first
2. Spray paint will give the smoothest, more finished look
3. I highly recommend DecoArt's Metallic Lustre Wax Finish as a sealant. It dries rock hard and looks divine
4. Thin the wax finish with water before applying, a very small amount will do. This will allow the spray paint undercoat to partially show through
5. Polish the finish after it dries. The more you polish, the shinier it will become

I'm very happy with the results and will be on the hunt for more thrifty light purchases in the future. It only gets easier with every project, right? right...? - b. 

Raise your hand if you spend your weekends working on an endless list of home projects? No? Must only be me then. Lately I've been tackling some of the smaller annoyances on my list, along with one really big project (see project 3). I like to think that together they make a bigger overall impact. Here are 3 to-dos I'm very happy to have crossed off the list - 

Project 1: Replacing mismatched door handles (sort of)

Fun fact, all of the door knobs in our house were different styles and finishes, no two were alike. Kind of like snowflakes, but unlike snowflakes I was not a fan of this unique quirk. The issue with immediately going out and buying new door knobs, was the fact I want all of the features in the hall and foyer to be aged brass, and the features in the second floor rooms to be brushed nickel. What to do?

We have 4, non-closet, interior doors - 2 bedroom doors, 1 basement door, and 1 bathroom door. The bathroom obviously needs to lock, but the other doors were a little unnecessary. So, I bought 2 Schlage Georgian Privacy Knobs (1 stain nickel / 1 aged brass), and 2 Schlage Georgian Passage Knobs (1 stain nickel / 1 aged brass).

I took the knobs apart and created my own version of mismatched doorknobs - The interior knob is the Schlage satin nickel, and the exterior knob is Schlage aged brass. I'd like to think they're a little more tasteful than our original scenario though.

Project 2: A temporary heating grate update

Next on the list was a rather large and ugly intake vent in our living room. It was rusty, beat up, and an all around eye sore. I don't have the budget to upgrade it yet, so I scrubbed it down, and gave it a good coat or two with Rust-Oleum Spray Paint.  It's not perfect, but it looks a lot better and will keep me from wanting to rip my hair out every time I open our basement door.

Project 3: Stripping the staircase

Our biggest renovation project to-date has been the staircase. We've spent the last month slowly (slowly) stripping the steps, sanding them, repairing the banisters, and testing paint colors. The detailed woodwork has been revealed and it made the entire effort worthwhile. We thought we were sold on a paint color, and then I started testing shades on the wall and realized I don't at all. I'm looking for an almost black blue, but the lighter walls are making it read navy not black. Back to the drawing board... - b.

We're still a long ways off from our bathroom reno, but that hasn't stopped me from dreaming of what the space will one day look like. Right now it's a pretty standard out-of-the-box design, slapped inside a 1920s house. My plan is to resurrect some of the original character of the home in the design, with vintage inspired features and accents. 

The crowning jewel will be the clawfoot tub, and everything else in the room will take it's cues from this element. Layer in creamy subway tile, a delicately patterned floor, and you're on your way to bathroom gold. I'm still vacillating between white and black grout, but luckily I have time to decide on all that.

Next to the tub, the sink is probably the next most important thing to decide on. Recently console sinks have caught my eye, and I think the right style will complement the tub perfectly. They feel really timeless and the extra space under the sink will be a perfect spot to put a basket full of towels or extra amenities for guests.

And because no room in my house will be without a healthy dose of color - I'm thinking a lush floral wallpaper will set off the creamy whites in the room beautifully. I love the eclectic feel of this mood board and hope that when the time comes we can accomplish something close to this vision. -b.

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image sources: inspiration - here | border tile | subway tile | floor tile | wallpaper | sink | basket | soap dispenser