The DIY Not Taken (yet)...

We bought a flipped house.  

I say that like a confession.  My name is Sarah and we bought a flipped house.  Sometimes I feel like we cheated, but as first time homebuyers who were planning a wedding and trying to buy in time for a tax deduction, we just couldn't handle the big stuff.  Like kitchens.  Or bathrooms.  We wanted something we could live comfortably in while taking on projects when we had the time, energy, and cash.

The flippers installed super cheap, ugly overhead lights, so I've been slowly replacing them when the inspiration strikes.

A while back, I bought this light kit to replace the ugly hall light, and it's been sitting on my desk in the office since October...of 2011.  Embarrassing.  My plan was to find some kind of interestingly vessel (basket, etc) to use as the shade.  I was hoping for vintage (or just old), but I just hadn't gotten inspired by anything I saw.

While cruising Target yesterday, I found a great option for a shade.  And at $12.99, it's price just right!  

Except then I got struck by indecicion.  Will it shed enough light?  Is it too ornate?  Ooph.  So I couldn't help myself and went searching the world wide webs.  I loooooove (with many more o's than appropriate to type here) Schoolhouse Electric, but their prices are hard for me to swallow for a house we don't see staying in forever.  So...

How about this instead??

Their version:

Fixture: $119
Shade: $35   
             $154

Or my version:

Fixture: $15
Shade: $35   
             $50

Lighting

Our house has fairly pitiful outdoor lighting.  There's just one in front and one on the side in the back.  The one in the front is made more pitiful by the fact that it's has a sort of yellow, cloudy glass shrouding the light, so it's very dim.  The plan for this afternoon (early holiday release from work!  yay!) is to replace the outdoor lights with this one:

I like the aesthetic and I think it will be much lighter/brighter because it's seeded glass, instead of yellow/antique.  Plus, it's a good deal at about $33/fixture.  More to report once the project is finished.