Friday, March 4, 2016

The difference is jarring

 There was nothing fundamentally wrong with this light fixture in the guest bathroom,
but it was looking a little too Home Depot-y 
for my current aesthetic (yes, I watch too many design shows),
which is veering toward the eclectic side of things.


Besides, what's not to love about a mason jar?
Anyway, I saw a few Pinterest postings which showed jars 
being used in existing light fixtures, and I got inspired.


First I removed all the old glass shades from the bathroom fixture. 



 The collar thing that held up the shade
would soon be holding up a mason jar lid instead.



 I drew a circle on the lids to match the size of the collar.



 Then I had to figure out a way to cut out the circle.
A hammer and chisel sort of worked...



 ...but an old pair of goat hoof trimmers worked better.



Then I pushed a collar into a lid...



 and screwed the whole thing onto the fixture. 
So far, so good!



 Then I screwed the jar into the lid and everything fit and tightened up just like magic!



 Then I took it all apart because I forgot to screw in a bulb first. 



 Speaking of bulbs, I used the frosted LED kind. 
I learned through trial and error with the mason jar fixture in the sunroom
(purchased on Etsy...without a bulb)
that various other types of bulbs throw off way too much heat 
and the jar gets burning hot, unlike the LEDs which stay cool.



Much less Home Depot-y and much more me. 









35 comments:

  1. You know, just for giggles, you could find some old, mismatched jars with the same opening size. Who says they have to all look alike? I have a few that have air bubbles in them, kind of like old windows with wavy glass. Presto, new look whenever you want. Mix and match.

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  2. I like it! You are an inspiration. I need to change out a light fixture in my den, and I am putting it on my to-do list. Thanks for the nudge I needed.

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  3. LOL... nope, can't say I'm with you on that one... but I love your DIY projects...

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  4. Now that idea is way too cool Carson! Both bathrooms in my tiny cabin have those Home Depot-y fixtures, so I'm thinkin' it's time for a change. 😊

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  5. I love it! Definitely an improvement non the old light fixture.

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  6. That is awesome. Love it.

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  7. Excellent idea. And to change it up, you could paint the lids occasionally. Black, Silver, Turquoise. Nice

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  8. Looks great. Love it. Good job!

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  9. Very clever and I see you are a lefty. Love your animals. Been reading a long time but first time to comment.

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    1. I'm only a lefty when staging pictures because I have to use my right hand on the camera shutter.

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  10. I love the idea of the mason jars. We find tons of old ones, blue, green. One of those retro type electric lights would look cool in there.

    Peace, love, and farming.

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  11. Pretty clever, and definitely not Home Depot. Would like to see a shot of the mirror and its rather intriguing frame.

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    1. Thanks for the blog post idea - next week, an explanation of the mirror frame.

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  12. Awesome! And yes, who doesn't love a mason jar.... Especially when filled with wine :-)

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  13. I LOVE IT... truly I do.... thanks for the tutorial.

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  14. I like the part where you forget to screw in the light bulb first. *muffled laughter* It's so...me!
    Very cool. ~Auntie Em~

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    1. It was more like *muffled cursing* on this end.

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  15. Hmmm ... now if those jars could just hold teeny tiny little goldfish ... or maybe some of those 'Sea Monkeys' they used to advertise in comic books when I was little. ;)

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    1. Great idea but I've got enough mouths to feed. But now you've got me thinking terrariums.

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  16. Looks great! And still bright enough to put make-up on...
    Ethel

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    1. You still didn't get that memo about make-up being unnecessary in the middle of nowhere?

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  17. I like that! Very creative, Linda.

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  18. LOL wenpad. Yes, how about those blue vintage jars---except blue light over a mirror may not be the most flattering effect. Gonna have to get me some goat hoof trimmers.

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  19. OMG! That is ultra cool. I love it. Have a wonderful weekend Carson!

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  20. I love this! And I have never seen goat hoof trimmers used on HGTV before so you're clearly on to something here :)

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  21. Michelle from Vancouver3/4/16, 9:37 AM

    Love it

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  22. I love it - it looks so warm and rustic. I liked the light fixture before, but I love it now. :-)

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  23. Very clever! Looking good.

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  24. Well done, Carson! 👍🏼👍🏻👍🏽

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  25. I've recently gone totally gaga for Edison bulbs! Now, I wonder if they would get too hot for a mason jar?

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  26. An American in Tokyo3/6/16, 5:01 PM

    I love it!!!
    And you even showed us how to make them! =)

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