As part of my ongoing quest to turn my condo into a home, I've embarked on the most thrilling of tasks - to rid my home of the overhead lights that were here when I moved in (I need to get out more).

The light in my bedroom was a dreaded 'Boob light', and I quickly replaced it with the halogen lamp that I removed from my dining room (it was removed during phase one of the dining room redecoration which occurred 6 months ago - I have yet to move on to phase two). While the halogen light was better than the boob light, it didn't really convey 'bedroom' - more kitchen. Even though I'm still unsure of the ultimate direction of the decor in my bedroom, I know that making it feel like a kitchen isn't quite what I'm going for.

I have to be honest here. When I initially brought it home and tested it by holding up the shade I though it was too big. I then realised that while it might be a smidge on the large side, it was an excellent price, and more importantly, returning it would require schlepping it back to the store on the bus. The lamp stayed.

After a couple of false starts I managed to install the light without getting electrocuted (or burning down the building - yay me!!), and I think it looks pretty good.

Rewiring a lamp like I did in my last post seems quite intimidating, but in reality it's rather simple. All you need is a few supplies and some tools, and in very little time you'll have a lamp that will illuminate your space without the worry of old wiring.

Here's what I used: 

1. This is the most important - unplug your lamp (This is rather obvious, but I'm going to state it anyway). You'll then remove the shade and bulb.

2. Remove the socket's outer sleeve, clip the cord to remove the socket, and then remove the old cord. Throw the old parts away.

4. Add the harp base and then the socket base to the top of the lamp.

7. You'll need to use your fingers to feel both sides of the wire sheathing. One side will be smooth, and one side will have some ridges on the wire. It's important to know which side is which as the smooth wire is the 'hot' or positive wire, and will be attached to the brass screw on the new socket. The ridged wire is the neutral wire, and will be attached to the silver screw. To attach the wires to the screws, form a hook shape with the wire and loop it over the screw in a clockwise direction. The wire should just circle the screw once with the wires insulation resting against the screw. Tighten the screw to hold the wire in place.

Early last summer I made a concerted effort to visit as many antique and used furniture stores as Toronto had to offer. At the time I wasn't looking anything specific, but was open to anything that caught my eye in the hopes that it would give me a starting point in deciding how to decorate my condo.

I discovered Douglas Poole Antiques and Collectibles on Queen St. East just as they were closing, but the owner graciously let me poke around for a few minutes. Just as I was about to leave the store I spotted two shade less lamps sitting forlornly on the floor. I'm not sure what about them caught my eye as they certainly weren't what I would have considered 'my style', but I paused to take a closer look. They were made up of white glass speckled with green dots and gold flecks, and were really tall as only older lamps can be. Sounds rather hideous doesn't it? I was tempted, but the gold flecks coupled with the old wiring scared me off, and I put them back where I found them. As I left the store the owner gave me his card - he must have seen a look in my eye, because early the next morning I found myself pulling out the card and asking him to put them aside for me.

Here are my newly rewired lamps in place. There's quite a lot of work to do in this room (it needs some colour), so hopefully the lamps will serve as a starting point.

I while back a bunch or friends and I were going out to dinner and everyone met up at my place before we headed out. In an attempt to be a gracious hostess (as my mom taught me) I offered everyone a drink. It was then I realised I had a bit of a problem - I didn't have anywhere for my guests to put their drinks - there were no tables in my living room which meant my guests had to hold on to their glasses while we sat around and chatted. I'm pretty sure this and the lack of beverage choice (I could only offer water) would be an automatic fail in Hostessing 101. That evening ensured that tables for my living room moved to the top of my long list of things my home needed.

I few weeks later I was browsing the HomeSense near work on my lunch hour when I spotted this:

Remember my giant pear? Well I bought it at the same HomeSense. When I arrived to pick up my lamp, the cashier who served me commented on the lamp saying that it had been admired by a few customers, and then looked at me and said - 'You look familiar'. I smiled and wondered which gorgeous and talented Hollywood star she would say I looked like, and she said 'I remember - you bought the giant Pear!'. Apparently I've developed a reputation at that store.

When I looked again at the lamp I was about to purchase I realised I had seen it before, or at least something that looked an awful lot like it. Here's the Meurice Table Floor lamp by Jonathan Adler:

It's been a while since I've posted anything even remotely related to my home - first I was sick, and then my trusty computer sputtered and died. My new computer finally arrived on Wednesday, but I spent the past few days doing absolutely nothing blog related - it turns out I missed the internet dreadfully when for two weeks I could only access it at home via my phone ( it's just not the same on a 3" screen).

Anyways, back to my bathroom. The second stage of the makeover has been the replacement of what I've been calling the 'bathroom bling' - the light fixture, and the sink faucet. Here's a reminder of the old fixtures:

Here is my choice for my new light fixture:

Not bad for $59.99 right?

And here is my new faucet:

I had hoped to perform this makeover miracle for under $300, but with the unexpected installation expense I'm now aiming for under $400.

BTW - while the handyman was installing the faucet I had him install water shutoff's on both the hot and cold lines under the sink, this way the next time (yeah right) I change the faucet I can do it myself.