Well, today is the last day of my forties…why does that sound so much more younger than 50′s? I have a spectacular birthday of festivities planned thanks to my wonderful family. I am sure I will get used to being 50, but it sure doesn’t sound so great right now. My sister told me this weekend that I looked 43. Years ago I would of gasped at that comment, took it as an insult, but now, it sounded pretty darn good when she said that. Thanks Cin.
I ended my 40′s doing something I always wanted to do. It is really nothing huge, like going sky diving or something, but I felt more empowered after doing it. What is the big accomplishment? You are going to laugh, but I hard wired a light fixture all by myself! {well my sister held the light fixture for me while I wired it, so I did have a little help} But I wasn’t electrocuted and the light even works! {I did tell my sister who was very, very against me doing this task on my own, that if I was electrocuted, I would probably be remembered as dying young cause I was still in my 40′s, LOL luckily that didn’t happen}
I fell in love with these two empire style beauties at a vintage store in Ocean Beach
I couldn’t believe there were two of them, and they had the vintage glam look to them that I was looking for at the river house in the “FUN” room
They were the plug in style fixtures, but I knew I could cut the cord and hard wire them {well, I knew it could be done but I had never done it before} So I convinced my sister to go out to the river house with me for 3 days to work on the “fun” room.
When I told her that I had planned on doing the wiring myself on the hanging lights, she was not on board with me. But she stood by my side as I carefully took down the old fixtures, cut the cord off the new fixtures and wired them to their new location. Ok, to be truthful, the first light I hung didn’t work. We even changed out the light bulb, thinking it must be a bad bulb and not my electrical work, but that didn’t work. So I took down the fixture and low and behold the wiring had slipped out of the wire nut. From there on I made sure the wires were put on a lot more tighter and secure, and ta da! They worked!
Here are the before hanging light fixtures, just to jog your memory
Of course in all my excitement of now being an accomplished electrician {cough, cough} I forgot to take a picture during the day. But wow, these beauties are stunning in the room, and they give off the funnest shadows on the walls at night {ha, ha, get it? FUN shadows?}
I seemed to be on a roll attempting stuff I would normally have my husband or hire someone to do these last days of my forties. I went out and bought all the components at Home Depot to make this rod and bracket that I had seen on Show and Tell
The only problem was, they only sold the galvanized steel pole in a 10′ long piece and I needed 9′ 6″. Home Depot does not cut galvanized steel for you. So what is a girl to do? Take out the hack saw and use those 40 something muscles that I have been working out 3 times a week and cut, cut cut. Oh my GOSH! Cutting galvanized steel is so dang hard! I could never make it as a lumber jack. Then to top it off, I miss cut the pipe and had to go back and chop another 1/2″ off a second time. What a work out that was. Since I didn’t have any clamps to hold down the pipe, my sister was my trusty assistant and held the pipe for me as I huffed and puffed that skinny blade through the steel.
This rod and brackets were so simple and inexpensive to make! {well, not including cutting the pipe which was hard} I got all my supplies in the electrical department, a flange to attach to the wall, and an elbow for the rod holder. Both components came threaded, which meant I only had to screw them together. Can’t get any easier than that! Using 1″ galvanized pipe eliminated having to use a center bracket, it is solid as a rock. I tried to finish sewing the curtain while I was there, but unfortunately I ran out of time.
I also switched the box spring to a low profile one. Having the bed lower really shows more of the headboard now
I picked up a grey 15″ drop box pleated bed skirt at Target, and then just cut off the excess fabric I didn’t need and used iron on hemming tape for the hem {I did iron the bed skirt, but evidently my ironing skills aren’t one of my strong traits}
Slowly but surely this room is coming together. Which is kind of like how I feel right now, slowly getting used to being 50. I just have to remember to keep this picture in my mind when I think I am getting old
