My Finished DIY Pendant Light ..... (Via Made By Girl)

Hope everyone had a great long Holiday weekend. OMG. Doesn't it seem to pass by so quickly??!  So, last week I posted here about my DIY random pendant for my home. It took a few days, but we finally finished it this weekend. Overall, I'm pretty HAPPY with how it turned out! However, I have to admit, the only 2 things I DIDN'T ENJOY about this project were: 

1. It was time consuming.
2. Some of the wallpaper paste we used dried between the yarn, and we had to remove as much as we could little by little with a toothbrush.

I basically sat there with a TOOTHBRUSH (after we deflated & removed the exercise ball) & brushed some of the paste off! Most of it DID come off, but if you get real close you can STILL see some of the paste. Oh well.... it'll be hanging high enough that it shouldn't be a BIG deal + for only $50 total spent, I'm not going to complain. 

(click on pic for larger images)

We actually decided to bring an ELECTRICIAN (which I recommend you do) in to make the sockets for us (we got 2 made) and he only charged us $15 each! We'll also be calling on him when we decide to hang them up. (The pendant is currently hanging in my guest bedroom so the dogs won't touch it).


If you LOOK CLOSELY, you can also see that we used a 10" piece of curtain rod (painted it white), threaded the wire through the CURTAIN ROD (giving it a cleaner appearance). We placed one canopy inside & another on top and bolted them together, giving it a sleeker look while stabilizing the bulb. 

We'll definitely be making another one, smaller than this one...but next time we're going to try using fabric stiffener & see if it still shows up when dry. Oh & by the way, the YARN WE USED was white, but with the light switched on, it appears a tan color in the photos.




INSTRUCTIONS:


How to make the ball of yarn:
  • blow up a ball or balloon – an exercise ball works well (Walmart has 55cm, 65cm and 75cm if you need large ones)
  • mark a 6-7 inch circle off-center (this is for your hand so you can change the bulb)
  • cover the floor or working area with plastic (it will get real messy)
  • wear disposable gloves (it will get messy, I mean it)
  • rub a liberal amount of Vaseline all over the ball (this prevents the yarn from sticking to the surface once the glue is applied)
  • put wallpaper paste into a large bowl
  • unravel the ball of yarn (we used 360 yards of a medium weight cotton for a 31" ball – use more for smaller spacing) dip it into the paste & saturate it completely – you can work with small amounts to prevent the yarn from getting tangled but it is more efficient to do the whole ball of yarn
  • begin wrapping the saturated yarn around the ball randomly covering as much of the open space as possible without covering the drawn circle
  • once the ball is all wrapped, let it dry at least 24 hours (we placed ours on top of a cardboard box for stability)
  • once dry, deflate ball carefully as much a possible.  Stick your hand through circle space with some scissors and cut it up into manageable pieces (if it is an exercise ball it will have sand in it so careful where you do it). Pull it through the circle opening (the same opening used to change the bulb) very carefully.

Electricals: Hiring a licensed Electrician is recommended on this part



You can either buy a completely made socket kit from Ikea or you can make one. (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60142365) but you will still need the first part below to mount it properly.  Ikea lights are only 60w so they are dim.

Parts needed to make your own:

Make+install it:
  • Cut the two ends off the cord and clip it to the proper length - remember that you need it to hang some inside the Moooi globe.
  • Thread one end through a canopy, then through the top spot on the globe, then through one on the other side. 
  • Screw mount the canopies together with the nuts on the inside of the globe.
  • Pull the loose end through the big hole you left and use a cable stripper to pull off about 1 1/2" of the white outer housing, then strip about 1/2" off each white and black inner wire.  Mount them to the socket, being sure to properly ground it.  Close up the socket properly and drop it back into the globe.
  • Turn off the power to the ceiling mount you are hanging the lamp from.  If not already there, mount the strap (the long bar) in place with the locknut.
  • Test the length of the cord, leaving a few inches for the ceiling canopy.  Strip at least 4" off the ceiling end, and 3/4" off each of the black and white wires and thread them through the canopy and attach them to their matching ends with solder or properly sized twist-on wire connectors (depends on local code).
  • Close up the canopy with the collar-and-locknut provided with the kit.


Let me know what you think so far. Will you be making one for your home? 




 -images by jen ramos

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134 comments

  1. Magnificent!...what a remarkable result for a remarkable job..well done lovely..it looks Ace! x

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  2. wow Jen... so cool. I'm not sure if I would attempt it, but kudos to you for a job well done!

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  3. I've seen how to make these before with the fabric stiffener.
    I'm definitely going to try it out sometime!
    It's the perfect kind of focal point.

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  4. this is beautiful!!

    looks really time consuming but really tempting to make.

    maaaybe in a few months!

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  5. Lovely! The light looks amazing, you should give yourself a little pat on the back.

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  6. Wow....very impressive! I will admire yours because I don't have the patience for such an intense DIY project!

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  7. SIMPLY MEL: Thanks! Yea... you have to have some patience & some help. I hope that when it's finally hanging where its supposed to that I will have forgotten about the parts I didnt enjoy. :)

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  8. LOVE~!!! this is simply AMAZING!! i've always wanted to do something like this but it does seem like A LOT of work!! great job!

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  9. Stunning! It's oh so chic and uber modern. This should get featured everywhere, it's so unbelievably cool! Well done Jen!
    xo
    Kate

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  10. good job jen (and hubby) yall did a great job. looks like a million bucks! I wish i could do it...but dont know that I could.

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  11. this is fabulous! I think I would've abandoned the project halfway through.. haha

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  12. I think it looks fabulous. What a job that was, but it looks so awesome. I think if I was to have one of those in my house, which I would in a heart beat, I would buy one though :) Way too much work for me! But you did a wonderful job on it. I can't wait to see it in it's final resting spot.

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  13. it looks amazing! well done!

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  14. oh that looks great! i'd def second the electrician thing .. i once tried to make a hanging lamp and electrocuted myself.

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  15. OMG!!!!
    THAT is amazing! Will most definitely be doing it at home.
    Would you mind telling me what was the size of the exercise ball that you used?

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  16. It looks fantastic, Jen - bravo! If my apartment had heigher ceilings then I would be making one for sure!

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  17. Great Job! It looks amazing. I might give it a try :)

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  18. Beautiful!! I love it :)

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  19. I am in awe! It look so great, and I can definetly promise you that I will be making one for our hall way.
    I may have to go slightly smaller though.
    Great job, if not to say amazing!

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  20. Looks amazing! You must have a lot of patience

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  21. Jen, it looks wonderful! I am really considering making one (or two) :-)

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  22. This is magnificent! So inspiring, even if I don't end up with a light like this, you've shown me that some lamps are diy-able :p

    Yours is beautiful.

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  23. It's amazing, Jen! I'm completely in love!

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  24. what a fantastic result. I am sune the effort was worth it. I've seen other attempts, and yours is definitly the best. Very well done!

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  25. I can't believe you really made that! The result is nothing short of fabulous! It looks very expensive!!

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  26. Sensational Jen, well done. I think you'll appreciate it even more because it's all hand made by ... you!
    Enjoy x

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  27. It looks amazing. Well done!

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  28. It looks awesome Jen! I see no difference between the more expensive version and your DIY. I'd love to try this with a colored yarn for my son's room. Thanks for sharing!

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  29. Wow! it looks really great Jen! well done, it looks like a lamp purchased in a store...adds some texture to your room too!

    :)
    x

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  30. It looks brilliant, very professional.

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  31. Very cool! Love the finished product.

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  32. Jen, this is the MOTHER of all DIYs. I cannot believe it worked!

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  33. Good work! I'm v impressed!! :D

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  34. All of that hard work totally paid off! It looks fantastic :)

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  35. Wow... it's amazing! It will definitely go on my project to do list, hopefully I'll have the patience for it.

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  36. wow, I absolutely LOVE it! Amazing work. Now I really want to do this myself,I dont have the exercise ball though... Good job!

    Katriin
    http://katriin.teemusk.com

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  37. WOW! This is a work of art, truly! I am so beyond impressed!!!

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  38. getting my hands dirty(always) and light fixtures(lately) are two of my favorite things. i might have to copy this project.
    best
    deborah

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  39. love how it turned out!

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  40. completely utterly impressed! great job :)

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  41. wowooowwwza! that pendant is fab!!! it does look like it was a lot of work!!! is there a tutorial???


    xo

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  42. Love this idea! I'm probably not going to try it, but it looks very awesome!!

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  43. Oh wow, this is mad impressive. Maybe you can make more to sell... : )

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  44. I bought the stuff to make these too. I want to make small 12" ones and put them in our non functioning fireplace.

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  45. That looks great. Now I am in need of detailed directions.

    Tiffany
    Peace, Love and Chocolate

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  46. Love, that such a great idea!

    Lovely greetings...

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  47. Hi Jen!
    I am making one also, my is drying at the moment.
    What I find hard is how to put the electrics in and keep the lamp still in a perfect round?
    I am also going to spray hairspray over it to make it harder.
    I hope it will work..
    x

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  48. Jen, I found you via a link from 'Apartment Therapy'. I love your stuff!

    Just a thought...Do you suppose that you could go over the string (after it has been removed from the form) and cover it with Modge Podge? Or would it just create a limp mess? I suppose that I could try it with a small ball as an experiment. Just a thought...

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  49. LOVEMAKI: Thanks! :) The exercise ball we used was 31". We had to deflate it & then reach inside and cut it to pieces carefully with a scissor once there was no air left. Remember the exercise ball has a sandbag inside, so it's best to do this all somewhere that can be cleaned easily.

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  50. AMAZING! I saw another blogger attempt this project a while back and it was a complete failure! Good job!

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  51. DAILYRUNWAY: exactly...I would not do the electricals yourself...I would hire an electrician, it's very inexpensive in this particular project and worth every cent.

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  52. RACHEL:
    That's a great idea...would look great in a kids room for sure!

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  53. looks freaking fantastic!

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  54. Wow Jen! That is absolutely amazing & gorgeous! Good for you! I wish I had that beautiful piece in my home! Fantastic!
    xo
    Melis

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  55. that is REALLY pretty! You did such a great job!

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  56. This turned out sooo well! Love it.

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  57. Hi, nice to meet you! You are so clever, light looks just like a mooi (sp)My friends have one and they are going to be green you did it(sort of)easily and cheaply! Well done you!I'm going to try a branch hanging horizontally on a light closer to the hols!

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  58. You are awesome! Wow you have such a creative eye and your husband is amazing for helping you! Good job! Keep up the fun tutorials.

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  59. ABOUT LAST WEEKEND: Great to meet you too! :) I can see how some people would be bummed out to see that it could be done so inexpensively..ha!
    :)))

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  60. I've done this with fabric stiffener and it didn't turn out so great! It was a mess and a grand was of time. Hope you have better success with it. The one you made is beautiful!!

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  61. Amazing!! Turned out great! You did a wonderful job :)

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  62. This is awesome! I blogged about it and linked back -- hope that's ok. I'm totally inspired! Now if only I could convince my apartment complex to allow me to adjust the wiring.... :)

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  63. BETH: Aww thanks! YES, of course you can blog about this...just please link back to my blog. :))))

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  64. Wow that is amazing you are so incredibly crafty! Well done!
    xo
    amanda

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  65. WOW! Kudos...I could not take that on. xo

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  66. I can't believe how close it looks to the Moooi light. Just fabulous...I wish this post was around when I was doing my DIY light round up. I might just have to do an update to include this incredible light!

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  67. that's amazing! you are truly inspiring Jen!

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  68. What an awesome statement piece! So hip and cool.

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  69. looks great to me! Will you hang the smaller one with it? I love pendant lighting in pairs.

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  70. It really turned out well. You are beyond creative!

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  71. that looks AMAZING !!! awesome job

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  72. fabulous, absolutely fabulous. great job!

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  73. I ADORE this! You did a fantastic job! I must say I am a bit jealous! lol but so so happy for you!

    Luvs!

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  74. I love your Blog, your work, the pictures.....it is such a inspiration to me. I just created a blog here about brazilian cakes, Have you tried a brazilian cake before?
    Sol Plante
    solplantecakes.blogspot.com

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  75. NAOMI: Even though I agree they look great together..these ones probably wont be.. :)

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  76. That looks great! I'm impressed! I love it when a project comes to an end and you can just sit and enjoy it. It looks totally professional!!

    And thanks for the sweet comment on my kitchen! I'm not sure if it's just a phase or what but I'm loving white kitchens right now. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Looking forward to seeing your transformation!

    simple.beautiful.home

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  77. Like i sad before, i love your DYS lamp.
    I made my own!!! ;)
    Love the result.
    You can see it here.

    http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-lamp.html

    Lovely greetings...

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  78. Just read your "Copy Cat" article and cant believe people actualy do this. They clearly dont have any real talent and can only make money by stealing ideas from other hard working people. I love blogging and find amazing ideas online for my own home, would never dream of stealing other peoples ideas to profit though. Your designs are amazing and at least you can rest easy at night knowing that you dont have to cheat and steal your way through life...because no matter how they look at it, thats essentially what they are doing x

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  79. SOL: Thank you for visiting! :) No, never tried Brazilian cake before....Will check out your blog, or you can send me a slice? Just kidding. :)

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  80. Jen, that is amazing. I am so incredibly impressed!

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  81. This looks incredible!! Nice work. Really.

    How the heck did you get the exercise ball out of there??

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  82. CHRISTINE: Thanks! we deflated it then we reached into the hole (the one we cut out to insert the light bulb) and cut the ball into several small pieces as well as the sandbag the ball has INSIDE!

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  83. This is *AWESOME* I want one righ now!

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  84. Wow, you guys did a great job. I'm not sure if I would have had the patience to make such a lamp.

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  85. wow Jen, this is so cool!!! I can't believe you made it - it looks like ones I've seen for sale. Seriously. I may have to try this out!!

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  86. This is fantastic, very clever
    X
    V

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  87. amazing! i'm interested to find out how the fabric softener works and am posting this project on my new blog about where to shop and what to do instead of shopping at big box stores. http://livebetterwithouttarget.blogspot.com/

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  88. NOTSHOPPINGATTARGET:
    I haven't used fabric stiffener just yet...but i do know that there are some DIY tutorials online somewhere where other people have used it. I may use it to do another one but not until October or so i think... :)
    Will check it out...thanks!

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  89. Get outta here!!! you did such an amazing job! Are you still moving??

    xox

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  90. Wow, it looks so good. I'll definitely make one for our livingroom. It's like that's exactly what I was searching for.

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  91. It looks GREAT. So impressed. Love those fixtures.

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  92. Hey awesome job! I saw the one at DWR in the store window as I was passing by the other day and thought of you....well done!

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  93. Hey awesome job! I saw the one at DWR in the store window as I was passing by the other day and thought of you....well done!

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  94. JULIE: I have yet to see the one at DWR....but will pass by this weekend, hopefully they have it in my town. Thanks Julie! oxox!

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  95. INSPIRE MY HOUSE PRETTY:You're correct.
    Thanks for reading the copycat post. I've heard from many other artists out there when this actually occurred to me and it is a shame people continue this disrespectful practice for profit.
    I don't care if someone makes a design like mine for their home...but when it's to sell for profit, that's a whole other arena. Thank you for your message xoxo!

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  96. BAZAAR OF SERENDIPITY: so far, yes. :)

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  97. Jennnn! Seriously this is insanely great. Super cool!
    xo

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  98. jen. amazing! I tried this one and failed. you make me want to try again!

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  99. NUIT: You can follow my tutorial if you like just email me for it : jen(at) madebygirl (dot) com

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  100. brilliance! I'm still umming and ahhing over whether to do one or not for the dining room. your's is very pro great job! xx

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  101. This lamp is amazing!!! I LOVE it :)

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  102. Jen it looks awesome! You did a great job! I wanna make one now, hehe!

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  103. Love the pendant! I made a similar one during my hallway makeover. But used cheesecloth instead of the yarn. I put a larger hole in the bottom of the pendant so I could save my workout ball!

    http://salvaged-bliss.blogspot.com/2010/09/stairway-to-dustyrose-heaven.html

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  104. SALVAGED BLISS: Wow, you did one heck of a job! I may have to try that...thank you for sharing..left you a message on your blog too! OXOX!

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  105. I can't believe how great it turned out! Check out mine if you want a good laugh:)
    http://modernjanedesign.blogspot.com/2010/09/diy-flop.html

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  106. do u think a balloon would work? I want to make a small one for the entry way that could be white for regualr use and use an orange one for halloween and red for christmas etc.... just pop the balloon instead of deflating? humm

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  107. Thanks for your great tutorial. This was the only lamp hubs and I could agree on for our bedroom...
    So I actually made one! I followed all your instructions except that i saved the ball and I jused an ikea januari lamp kid... I loved the excercise ball idea, because I really wanted it to be completely round!
    You can see mine here:
    http://heim-elich.blogspot.com/2011/06/neue-schlafzimmerlampe.html
    Thanks again and greetings from Germany!

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  108. This is just gorgeous! I can't wait to try it... come on long weekend :)

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  109. Found you on Pinterest, and just attempted to make. It feels terribly heavy. Once dry does it seem lighter?

    allthingsfee@gmail.com

    allthingsfee.blogspot.com

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  110. FELICIA: Yes, it should feel a lot lighter after dry. :)

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  111. Oh, Thank goodness! I was getting worried!

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  112. OMG It Looks Store Bought....LOVE IT !!!

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  113. The best DIY repro I've seen! On a scale of 1-10...how tightly did you wrap the yarn? I'm guessing some force should be used for the yarn to be taut and keep shape, yet too much would compress the exercise ball...

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  114. Planning to try this with red yarn for kids' game room. Need to get wall paper paste. I'm curious, how does yours look now two years later? Did it sag or hold it's shape? Thanks for the tutorial- can't wait to try one with my daughter!

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  115. KRISTIN: Mine is in my las vegas home, but it has stayed in good shape. No sag at all :)
    I think if done right, it will hold up well. Good luck!

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  116. I made something similar to this, but my electricion told me it was a fire hazard and shouldn't be used. I'm so disappointed. Any thoughts on that?

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  117. Realy nice job, I will try to make something similar but the question is what did you use to hold the globe to the cable ? It's look like a white plate but where did you find it ?

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  118. Realy nice job, I will try to make something similar but the question is what did you use to hold the globe to the cable ? It's look like a white plate but where did you find it ?

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  119. Love it! Thanks so much for sharing, and I loved your testimony as well, from one sister to another! God bless!

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  120. I made one , but i used a balloon rather than a inflated ball (i wanted more of a tear drop shape anyway). It is so simple, i read some of the comments and so many people said they couldn't do it or didnt have the patience etc... i cannot stress how simple this is hahaha.. it takes maybe a half hour(depending on how much yarn you use). My friends were in disbelief that i made mine... hahahah.. ps yours looks AMAZING !!!

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  121. I absolutely loved the light the moment I layed my eyes on it, So for the last month or so I have been running different variations through my head. Well last night my creation began. I am making a multi shade of purple one, the first layer is the medium color,I am doing layers drying each in between, instead of the wallpaper glue i am using tacky craft glue, diluted with water so its easier to work with but will still stiffen when dry. I am so anxious to lay down the next color. If it turns out as I planned the cost will be very inexpensive, I have spent under $15.00 and do not foresee that changing, thrift stores and yard sales supplied pretty much everything. cross your fingers and hope for the best.

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  122. Hi, Sorry but I dont quite understand yet why you need the Vaseline on the ball? Dont you NEED the string that was soaked in your choice of "glue" before to STICK to the ball?? Thanks

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  123. I made these years ago but I used a resin bought in a crafting store. I simply used a sturdy ball wrapped it with string and painted it with resin it was very solid. I also used a white cylinder to go around the bulb so as not to have a glaring light bulb. I used a swag lamp kit to hang it. Still hanging in an ex boyfriends home after 20 years and very solid. No mess, that's what I liked about it.

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