DIY $17 Light fixture

I really wanted a light fixture to put over my breakfast nook/coffee bar area but the rules were it needed to be cheap and since there is no previous fixture there I needed to be able to plug it in versus trying to cut a hole in the ceiling and wire it myself (which I know nothing about). I found this one pinterest  http://imgfave.com/view/1272606 a while back and decided it was perfect! Ikea sells the perfect cord kit for this but I found a really nice one for $12 (including shipping) with a super long cord on amazon and it was going to be much cheaper than driving the 2 hour round trip to Ikea so I ordered it and it arrived in 3 days. I picked up a playground ball at the dollar store for $1, the glue came from the craft section at Walmart for $1.50 and the twine came from the hardware section at Walmart for $1.97. Total costs of all supplies was under $17.

This is the cord kit I ordered: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AK7OP6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

First step is mark off your ball with a circle big enough to fit your fixture and it's light bulb through.

Next I poured some of the clear glue onto a paper plate. I dipped my fingers in the glue and as I began wrapping the twine around the ball I ran it through my fingers so the twine could get coated with the glue. You should start with the area around the circle so that you can define it. Once the circle area is done just start wrapping the whole ball making sure to avoid starting any particular patterns from forming. The more chaotic the better :) The twine doesn't need to be soaked with glue at this stage it just needs to be a little tacky enough for the twine to stay put while it dries.

No worries if you cover your circle area because you can cut the over lapping strings later. It needs to dry for several hours or over night.

Once it's dry I started putting a second layer of twine on, just enough to cover any larger gaps I may have left. I also began saturating the twine with glue so that it would be dry nice and hard and keep it's shape perfectly. Take the glue and put a line on each section of twine and then rub it in with your finger. This step takes awhile (like 2 days really) because as you complete a section you need to let it completely dry so that you don't flip it around to a side that's tacky and risk messing up your work.

 

Now that it's completely dry cut any twine you had over lapping the circle area. I put another layer over the circle area to cover any loose ends I had. Thirty minutes after that I popped the ball and let it deflate. Very carefully pull the flattened ball out through your circle. Install your fixture by running the plug in part and cord through the circle and out through the top. Try and keep it right in the center as best as you can. The light cord kit came with a hook so now all you have to do is figure out where you want it and hang your light. Since it has to be plugged in make sure you place it near an outlet.

TA DA!!!!!!!!!

 

              I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I have decided though that it needs to be bigger so I am going to move this one some where else in the house and use one of the larger balls to do it all over again :) What do you think?


(PS I am in no endorsed by Walmart or any other brand mention in this blog)