recycled lamp

Apartment Therapy posted an entry on DIY light fixtures.  This lamp was made using a heat resistant vessel and a store bought wiring kit.  And it’s super cute.

D.I.Y.

Okay, so I’m not exactly crafty.  Honestly, I’d rather buy something already assembled than have to make it myself, but sometimes stores just don’t have what I’m looking for.  For example, I was browsing through design*sponge’s archive of D.I.Y. projects and came across this brilliant idea for jewelry storage.  

Martha Stewart has an even more economical version (pictured below)–I’d just need to invest a little more elbow grease to recreate her design…

 

As for materials, Ikea (again) seems to be the cheapest source for my needs. They have 5″x7″ display boxes for about $4.  I would probably get four and stack them into a grid.

 

 

Then there’s the fun of choosing paper patterns…I love the selection at the Paper Source.  So many of their designs would work in my living room, so it’s going to be hard to narrow my choices down.

 

Of course there’s always Martha Stewart to fall back on.  I thought I hated her, but she’s been a lot cooler since she got out of jail.  Anyway, her craft line has some very cute paper patterns.

 

 

Along with basic screw-in hooks, Home Depot also has a great selection of knobs.  I like the effect of mixed and matched hardware and want to get a variety of designs.

 

 

All in all, I’d probably only spend about $30 on four complete boxes…the only problem is actually getting around to making them…

Gocco!

Ever heard of Gocco? It’s a little Japanese color printing machine you can use on your kitchen table.  Printing on a Gocco uses light bulbs, similar to a photocopy machine, in order to expose images onto a screen. 

In 2005, its parent company, Riso, announced that it would be ceasing production due to low sales in Japan.  I really want to get one, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to replenish my  Gocco screens.  Plus, the light bulbs are only good for one exposure, so those might be really hard to find after a while too.  I wish I had known about this cute little machine sooner!