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Monday, January 9, 2012

Who Knew? Recessed Converts to Pendant!!

I was so excited when I read Jen's post on her Tater Tots & Jello blog this morning.....all about her new DIY pendant lamps.  I know nothing about lighting and projects with electricity scare me a bit, so I was pleased to see that this solution required no electrician and no wiring!!

She, of course, made beautiful lampshades and added aluminum downrods (which I may do later).  But, I was just thrilled to find out that there are kits that allow you to convert a recessed light to a pendant!!  Who knew??  I was practically grabbing my car keys as I read her blog.

I did climb up on my kitchen cabinet and take a look at my lights before I left though.  ;^)  Turns out, I had what are called "eyeball" lights...which means that mine stick-out from the can.  I took one down and was concerned when I saw that the socket part was in the "eyeball" and did not appear to be able to be removed. 

Undaunted, I went to Lowe's anyway and found the kits.  Then, I found the very helpful and friendly Lighting Dept. manager.  He was able to show me a light just like mine and showed me how it actually contains a socket up inside the can....so my kit would work!  Yippee!



See where the wires are going? 
If you look closely, you can see the socket they are screwed into!


Cord wrapped around fixture.
Each kit is only $20!!  They have quite a few shades to choose from too.  I went with the Alabaster Glass ($6.98 each) to match the light above my kitchen table. 

The instructions tell you to make sure that the extra cord is out-of-the-way...I found that wrapping it loosely around the fixture really helped.


Tighten the cover plate to the ceiling....and you are done.  No more "can" lights!
Including the time it took to gather my tools, open the boxes, and take pictures, the two lights were up in 31 minutes! Not bad for an unplanned project, huh?

I love how they turned out and I think they added a little more elegance to my counter/pass-thru area!

Thanks Tater Tots & Jello for the inspiration!
My new lighting!
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13 comments:

  1. Jen @ tatertotsandjello.comJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:46 PM

    Wow - you are fast!! And the lights look great!!!

    xoxoxoxo
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrea @ Decorating CentsJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:50 PM

    This looks great! Still need to change the recessed light over my island. I'm impressed how fast you work!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The British HomemakerJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:51 PM

    Hiya
    I came across your blog when Jen at tater tots and jello posted on Facebook...I sit in awe at your lights...especially as it wasnt a planned project! Hats off to you!! :)
    Debs

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrea @ Decorating CentsJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    These look great. You work fast. I still need to change the recessed light over my island.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pine Tree HomeJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:54 PM

    I spied these earlier and so am going to run to Lowes this week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michell @ Girl In AirJanuary 9, 2012 at 6:13 PM

    Are you kidding me??? You read a post THIS morning and have already went to the store, recreated it AND blogged about it....WOW!

    and here I just pinned it!

    You rock:-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. amylovesvegasJanuary 9, 2012 at 6:59 PM

    Love the new lights! So glad you shared and showed pics too :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Katie @ Creatively LivingJanuary 9, 2012 at 9:38 PM

    These are fantastic! Great tip!

    If you'ld like to keep linking it up, Tell it to Me Tuesday is open @ Creatively Living.
    http://www.blah2beautiful.blogspot.com/2012/01/tell-it-to-me-tuesday-linky-party-2.html

    --Katie
    @ Creatively Living

    ReplyDelete
  9. Katie @ Creatively LivingJanuary 11, 2012 at 2:26 AM

    Thanks for linking this up to Tell it to Me Tuesday @ Creatively Living!

    Ever since I saw this the other day, I've been noticing the recessed lighting over my table downstairs and thinking about how something else would look better....hmmm! Thanks for the tip!
    --Katie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Christina at I Gotta Create!January 11, 2012 at 10:36 PM

    I didn't know this could be done either and I LOVE it!!! Thanks for en-light-ening us at the Kiss and Tell party over at I Gotta Create!

    ReplyDelete
  11. SusanJanuary 11, 2012 at 11:05 PM

    I first saw these about 4 years ago, right after an HGTV show about putting a chandelier in the bathroom over the tub. Well, I couldn't afford that, but when i saw the pendant lights, I knew it was at least better than the cans. Then I bought two mor for my kitchen. Aren't they great?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tara @ Tales of a Trophy WifeJanuary 12, 2012 at 2:31 PM

    Great job!
    Thanks for linking up.
    tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tara @ Tales of a Trophy WifeJanuary 12, 2012 at 2:31 PM

    Great job!
    Thanks for linking up.
    tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for commenting! I love reading what you think about my projects, recipes, et cetera.