Candlestick + Pot Lid = $9 DIY Schoolhouse Light Fixture!

 

Isn't it cool?  For $9?  After just a few hours of work it is hanging in our laundry room!  

I knew I wanted a schoolhouse fixture in this room, but there was absolutely no way I could drop that kind of money on something that I might be able to make for much less.  So I went to Home Depot and browsed their lighting section, looking for inspiration.  I found the all the pieces I needed to put together a DIY schoolhouse fixture, but then later I found this gorgeous globe at ReStore and it was just too big to use with any of the parts I had picked up earlier.

So I scrounged around the house and found a pot lid that fit perfectly over the top of the globe.  And then I found a candlestick that had a nice shape to it & disassembled it so I could use just the base.

 

I had my husband remove the handle from the pot lid and drill a hole through both pieces so that it could be wired for a light.  He threaded a hollow bolt through the middle to hold the two pieces together and to attach the socket.   

I spray painted everything oil-rubbed bronze to match the other fixtures in our laundry room.

We drilled three holes in the bottom of the fixture (in what was formerly the pot lid) and threaded screws through them to hold the globe on. 

 

And then it was just a matter of hanging it.  For a really far-fetched concept, this turned out to be a very smooth, easy project.

Here's the run-down on the costs:

globe - $5 at ReStore

socket - $2 at Home Depot

swag hook - $2 at Home Depot

We had the candlestick, pot lid, chain, wire, screws, paint, and canopy cover lying around, so we did save by using what we already had.  (You end up with a lot of spare parts when you mess around with light fixtures as much as I do!) 

I do plan to assemble another fixture with parts found at Home Depot that should be easily replicated, so check back!