turn the light...

most pictures I've taken or have in my archives are worth a thousand words, some of the ones dearest to my heart more, this one is just worth one.  This is the first switch for some lights downstairs, tonight I picked up some wire to run the other switch leads.  Tomorrow I hope to get some more things knocked out down there, if you are around or need something to do, just come on by and give me a hand.  Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of the 'light painting' studio, I know plenty of people want to come back and get more pictures.  What do you think the switches were for? to turn out the lights, not turn them...  well you get the idea.  Hope you had a good friday!

new moon

And you thought I was talking about that vampire movie. This weekend my good buddy helped me out with some wiring in the basement, most of which will be featured in a future post.  Part of the changes that were made allowed us to reroute the wiring for the pole light near the curb. This light hasn't been working properly since I arrived here.  Since it was a beautiful day outside we took some time to get the light working. After some trial and error we got everything operating and the old skool globe is back on!  The photocell even still works.  Of course we popped a CFL bulb in for some energy efficiency.  Now when you come down the street you will know to hang a left at the moon!  Adds a little curb appeal to the old place.  The light is on, I've been waiting for you, so come on over.

lighting change

Well since the fall season is over and we are into the Christmas season a lighting change was due.  So I picked up some red and green bulbs for the front porch to start lighting it up holiday style! These have been up for awhile, totally forgot to post this.  I'll have to get some other decorations up fast!  Christmas is nearly here.

oops.. forgot some light..

Here I go and pull a Brett Favre and unretire the lighting series, just for one day though.  I forgot all about this light because its been up for awhile.  It was installed in the bedroom, I figured one place in the house could have a decent light from the start. This again is a light pulled from storage that was an Ikea purchase.  Provides great light. Unfortunately I had to leave the textured/sunburst ceiling for now, but the light distracts the eye from that a little.  I apologize for the pic, it was taken with the point and shoot, the real camera was packed up and I didn't feel like getting it out. I guess this is the last post in November, wow, Christmas around the corner.

last of the light...

So I believe this is the end of the lighting installment.  The dining area had a classic chandelier.  I thought about painting the brass on it or something to that matter but I thought the style wasn't enough contrast to the new, so I replaced it.  I used another Ikea fixture I had in storage.  This light provides good light straight down for a table and provides a little more intimate atmosphere instead of blasting the whole room with light.  This fixture in combination with the fixture over the bar area gives enough light in the space and provides a nice atmosphere. Click the jump for some images. I hope you liked all the lighting changes. Now onto some more items that are hanging out there that need some attention.

light to the other side...

Some more lighting that was changed was in more inconspicuous areas, such as the hallway and entry.  For these areas the existing fixtures were replaced with a single bulb, flying saucer, from Ikea.  Provides good light and doesn't draw attention to areas that don't really need it.  These fixtures are super inexpensive as well, so if you have an apartment or a house and don't want to go crazy but would like to change out some of the fixtures these really are a good buy.  FYI, when you are out buying your compact fluorescent bulbs check out the displays for the lighting color (at the home improvement warehouses).  They finally are making bulbs in a few different color hues for your preference.  Remember they will look different depending on your paint color as well.  I hope your Thanksgiving went well!  Christmas is right around the corner already!

light is better than darkness...

I mentioned one of the easiest ways to spruce up a place is with some new hardware. Another simple way to make a place feel more modern is by lighting.  And a good place to find some relatively inexpensive fixtures is of course Ikea. Each year they get better and better with selection and styles.  I've had some Ikea fixtures and a few others for quite some time, I bought some for my apartment and have held onto them since. So I cracked open the lighting bins and started pulling out the fixtures.  Above the pseudo bar counter in the kitchen there was a ceiling fan I pulled down.  I mentioned it in a previous post, I attached the image again to illustrate what it was.  To replace that fixture and to bring a little more interest to that part of the kitchen/dining area I have installed a track fixture. I can't begin to describe how difficult it was to install this fixture by myself, the track is kind of stiff and hard to manipulate alone to install.  After awhile the tape was my best friend for the night and did a decent job of holding it in place.  This fixture provides some good light and is a little more aesthetically pleasing to me. Jump = Bunch of Pics

let there be light...

The light in the center of the kitchen was a typical 3bulb fixture with a glass moon cover detailed with brass.  To make it a little more inconspicuous I replaced it with a square acrylic lens fixture, fluorescent and again Energy Star.  This light will only really need to be on when you need some extra light for preparing a fantastic meal or baking some cookies, so I wanted it to blend in when its off.  I'll have some other fixtures in the kitchen/dining area that will grab your attention so I didn't want this light to stand out too much. Pics after the jump of course. Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

light unto my path...

We'll start this little miniseries with the utility lights and move our way up to the more important ones. The light above the sink was an old dual bulb T8 fixture that almost burnt my hand when I took it out. Last thing I need is another scar, besides one from that light wouldn't be as cool of a story as the scars on my arm.  That thing was obviously burning some serious energy.  I replaced it with a dual bulb T5 fixture, Energy Star rated of course. I should have taken a pic for scale between the two fixtures, the T5 fixture is about 1/3 the size, the whole fixture is the size of one of the old bulbs.  Actually provides more light and I'm sure is way more efficient.  Trying to keep it green as I can within a budget.

the light shines in the darkness...

This post is the preview for a series of posts on the lighting changes that will be taking place this week. Its kind of like a PBS special, the same subject with a little piece, each episode, all week long.  Make sure you follow closely to see whats crackalackin!