I’m still on a high after the fabulous DIY Talent Parade. Seriously, I think the Rose Parade needs to watch out because y’all have some fabulous talent! There were so many amazing projects, it was hard to pick just a few of my favorites.

To start off the highlights, I present to you this colorful living room makeover by Yanet from 3 Sun Kissed Boys. I love how she nailed the color palette when she decided the word for the room should be cheery:

Plum Doodles wowed us with this standard vanity makeover by painting the toe kick black and adding legs and a skirt. Check out here step by step tutorial: Read more

Look up there! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait…it’s Madigan Made! That’s right, Shannon from Madigan Made is here and she leads a double life. She’s the Clark Kent of the blogging world. By day, Shannon is a pharmacist and by night she moonlights as a creative magician and blogger.  This creative genius casts magical spells on ordinary objects and turns them into extraordinary home furnishings and décor.

One thing I love about Shannon is that she never fails to amaze me with her transformations. They are always fresh ideas and the fact that she has the energy to complete DIY projects and hold a full-time job leaves me speechless. Check out just a sampling of her projects.

And now I see some sparks glowing in the distance. They are moving towards us at warp speed, which only means one thing…Madigan Made is in the house! Read more

industrial style light DIY

TGIF, TGIF, TGIF!  Can you hear the crowd chanting? Yup, it’s Friday and today we have a real powerhouse of a DIYer in the Talent Parade. Here comes Gina with her baton in hand, she has the crowds on their feet and they are ready for a super transformation.

Before she gets to the grandstand, let me tell you about Gina and her blog: The Shabby Creek Cottage. Gina has single-handedly transformed her mobile into a beautiful cottage space for her family to live in. Seriously, you would never guess that this was a mobile home would you?

Gina’s home is one of my favorite online homes. She uses aquas and whites to create stunning magazine worthy rooms. She is ultra creative and always amazes me with her ability to design unique decor and furnishings.

But here comes that Queen of Transformations herself, so direct your attention to the parade route.

Hi! I’m Gina from The Shabby Creek Cottage – my blog where I share the adventures of transforming our shabby little cottage by the creek. I’m so excited to be hanging out with Brittany today – in real life (at SNAP) and here on Pretty Handy Girl – it’s truly an honor!

lighting before photoThis little light over our kitchen sink was a case of budget over beauty. I dreamt of one of those delicious Anthropologie lights, oozing with quirky style. However we had about $20 instead of $200, so we bought a Home Depot pendant and put a bucket on it – cute, but not quirky.

Anthropologie inspired light fixture I channeled my inner Pooh Bear, and did a little thinking. What did I have that would be me? Quirky, farmhouse, vintage inspired me? Then I remembered the roll of chicken wire I bought for $1 at my local Habitat Restore. Jackpot. The only tool I used was a pair of side cutters.

Chicken Wire Pendant Light Tutorial I cut a piece of the wire off the roll, about 10 inches by 12 inches. Cutting on the lines, I tried to keep the long twisty parts between the “combs” as long as I could to make the next step easier. I cut from the finished outer edge, so it could be the bottom of my shade.

how to make a chicken wire light I lined up the full first full roll of combs on each side to make a cylinder. I took the long twisty pieces where I cut, and wrapped them around the ones on the other side.

chicken wire light tutorial Once my cylinder was secure, I carefully started making a dome by pushing the unfinished edges towards the center. Kinda smush it with your hands to get the shape better.

industrial style light DIY You’ll need to make the hole in the middle work around the sleeve for the light bulb, which is kind of trial and error. Just take the coupler off that holds on the shade, then slide on the chicken wire and replace the coupler.

IMG_3304 You can make it look like a cloche, or smush it all wonky and make it more distorted – totally up to you.

chicken wire pendant light

A 10 minute DIY makes my Anthropologie lovin’ heart flutter…

IMG_3303

It might not be so cute anymore, but it sure is a bucket load of quirky.
Thanks, Brittany, for letting me share my tutorial today!

Seriously, that pendant light is adorable and Gina makes it so easy to replicate! I’m off to reclaim some wire from the chickens. Wait, I don’t have chickens, guess I’ll be heading over to Home Depot.

How are you enjoying the parade this week? Are you ready for more DIY Talent next week? Come back on Monday to see who’s marching down the street. And don’t forget to join the parade with your own talent on Friday with a special DIY Talent Link Party.

How to Swag a Light Fixture

 

Do you have a chandelier that is a little “off” in your dining room? Do you curse the electrician that didn’t bother to think about centering a hanging light fixture? Yeah, me too! I  had this problem in our laundry room.

Granted, “most people” don’t hang chandeliers in their laundry room, but I wanted to do it. Except there was one problem. The confounded light fixture box was no where near centered on the room or the washer and dryer. Grrrr. Read more

How to Add an Outlet Extender

 

Today I am going to show you How to Add an Outlet Extender. On Monday I showed you how easy it is to install the Flow Wall panels. The only thing that will slow you down is if you run into a light switch or an outlet. But, that’s easily remedied by cutting a hole in the material.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Difficulty: Easy, but will require using some power tools and turning off the electricity.

Read more