mouse hat

chandeleer

http://www.lindseyadelman.com/img/makeit/4/files/instructions4-6.pdf

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/01/make-your-own-chandelier.html

PARTS LIST:

From grandbrass.com: A. 1 plug - item # PL183PBK B. At least 12 feet of wire (2 feet + the distance between the closest

plug and the lamp) - item # WI18POG C. 1 brass loop - item # LO111 D. brass pipes, various lengths:

2 brass pipes - item # PIBR07-0X8 3 brass pipes - item # PIBR03-0X8 1 brass pipe - item # PIBR05-0X8 3 brass pipes - item # PIBR06-0X8 2 brass pipes - item # PIBR04-0X8

E. 3 nuts - item # NU430 F. 1 cluster body - item # BOLG3 G. 3 brass swivels - item # SV140 H. 2 coupling bodies - item # NE449NP I. 5 sockets - item # SO10045 J. 5 tubular bulbs - item # BUET10C40 K. 1 globe bulb - item # BUEG16C40 L. 5 slip rings - item # SR0-3/8 M. 5 brass cups - item # CU578 N. 3 brass cluster bodies - item # BOT2

2 steel nipples - item # NI0-1/2X1/8 (not shown on the diagram)

1 brass reducer - item # RE1/8FX1/4MS (not shown on the diagram) O. 2 plug buttons – item # FI1/8PLUG

From amazon.com: P. 1 twin socket adapter

From mcmaster.com: 1 box of wire connectors - item # 7108K32 (not shown on the diagram)

10 feet of white wire - item # 7587K138 (not shown on the diagram) 10 feet of black wire - item # 7587K133 (not shown on the diagram)

1 black electrical tape - item # 76455A21 (not shown on the diagram) 1 wire stripper - item # 7660K14 (tool not shown on the diagram)

light bulb

what you need:

40 or 60 watt filament light bulbs – Edison reproduction bulbs are some of our favorites because of the great shapes and quality of light, and are available at specialty lamp supply stores or houseofantiquehardware.com

lamp sockets – we used simple porcelain sockets much like those found on antiquelampsupply.com

lamp cord – you can use plastic covered cord (the least expensive, found at most hardware stores, and some can be bought with attached plugs to simplify the process) we used a rayon fabric covered cord found at specialty lamp supply stores or antiquelampsupply.com

wall plugs – a variety may be found at hardware stores – we used white Bakelite plugs much like the styles found on antiquelampsupply.com

wire cutters

needle nose pliers

screwdriver

what you do:

1. determine the length of cords you would like and cut your cord into equal pieces (or different lengths depending on your design). we decided to do several 12’ cords that can be plugged in and hung over a bookshelf or from hooks on the ceiling. note: the cord that we used has three wires inside of it. depending on the thickness of the cord that you use, there will be either two or three color-coded wires wrapped inside of the plastic or fabric outer covering of the cord. in this case, our lamp socket had 3 terminals (the place where you attach the wires, it is essentially a screw, also color coded), including a copper screw for the hot (black, red or yellow) wire, a silver screw for the neutral (white) wire and a third for the ground (green or green stripe) wire. for this amount of wattage the ground is not necessary. our wall plug had only the first 2 terminals so in this case you can attach the third ground wire with the white (neutral) wire to the silver screw.

2. take apart the wall plugs and lamp sockets with the screwdriver and thread the cord through the hole on the top part of each (this sounds more complicated, but often the plugs and sockets will come with a visual how-to for this).

3. cut a bit of the rayon fabric covering on the cord back so that you can get to the wires.

4. separate the wires and remove the insulation from the copper wire with the wire cutters by gently cutting through it and then pulling the insulation off. you should leave at least ½” of the un-insulated copper wire exposed. twist this copper wiring a bit so that it stays together.

5. using the needle nose pliers you will then wrap each length of exposed copper wiring clockwise underneath the proper terminal screw’s head in the wall plug.

6. once the wires are secure, screw the plug back together.

7. for the lamp sockets, do the same as you did with the wall plugs. there is often an additional ground terminal and the ground wire is noted with a green stripe.

8. once the wires are secure, screw the socket back together.

9. choose your favorite bulbs, and you are done!

we plugged them in to an outlet that is connected to a light switch, making it easy to turn them on and off. you can, however, buy a switch that can be plugged in to an outlet to be able to more easily turn the lights on and off.

Read more at Design*Sponge http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/04/diy-project-filament-lights.html#ixzz1GnC3r2i0

snowflake garland

Snipping paper snowflakes is my all time favorite holiday craft, best practiced while listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas on repeat. When you swap out the usual printer paper for paper doilies, the resulting snowflakes look extra lacey and ephemeral. String them together with clear fishing line and your suddenly transported to a winter wonderland not usually experienced by a short on time/short on money holiday decorator like myself. -amy m.

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

What you’ll need:

– paper doilies in several sizes

– small, sharp scissors

– fishing line

1. Fold doily in half and then half again.

2. Fold in half one more time, so doily resembles a slice of pie that is 1/8 of the size of the original size.

3. Go wild snipping designs into your snowflake, making sure to entirely cut off the folds on either side. If you need more help, this site is really helpful for novices.

4. Unfold and iron. Cut a length of fishing line and weave across each snowflake to create a garland.