Light it up

I've once again let my blog sit untouched for way too long. While some of it is pure laziness, it's also due to the fact that I haven't had much to write about, or time to write about the things I do think up, and also because I've been attempting to at least be a little productive in the evenings when I get home from work. It's a struggle to want to do much of anything now that it's getting dark out far earlier than I would like, but once in awhile I get random bursts of energy and decide to do things like add organized drawers to the space under the bathroom sink or clean out my sock drawer like I did last night. I know, I know, I'm getting really bold doing things like throwing out old socks!

So, in an effort to have something real to blog about, I'm thinking about trying out a DIY pendant light for the entryway. I'm sure I've mentioned the hideous light that hangs there currently, and now every single one of the 4 bulbs has finally gone out after 2 long years. While we could obviously just buy new bulbs, we both agree that the fixture could use an update, so we've been casually looking around for something without much luck. Seeing as the dining room's West Elm capiz chandelier is sort of a statement piece, I don't want anything too bold in the hallway, but I also don't want anything boring. Considering I'm cheap, and I'm feeling crafty, I just might try something like this -

From MadeByGirl

Gorgeous, huh?

I would definitely scale down the overall size of this for our purposes, but it looks insanely simple - not to mention insanely expensive. I've seen hemp colored versions of this for hundreds of dollars at places like Pottery Barn!

These felt covered Ikea pendants seen on Design Sponge DIY are also pretty incredible looking, and would be a nice balance to the dining room fixture, but I'm afraid neither version would give off much light and I like my rooms BRIGHT -