Raffia Pendant Lighting

Hey Guys!

How is everyone doing??

Well I hope!!

Today I am showing how to make this LOVELY light fixture:

{AHHHHHHH-MAZING!!!}

I have to be honest though this isn't a "Morgan" original! I know, I know sorta lame ;). But OH well!

I first saw these lights on of course a show on HGTV, and knew I had to try it!

SOOooooo. Wanna make one too???

Here is what you need:

~Tons of Raffia! I found a huge bag at the thrift store for $1.50!!
~Kids punching balloons. I found mine at Michaels for 50% off so it ended up being $0.75 for four!
~Mod Podge
~Hot Glue Gun
~Electrical plug with a light bulb basin on the other side. (Anyone know the technical term for that)?? I found mine at Ikea for $3.99 in their pendant lighting section.
~Ribbon

How it's done:

1. Inflate your balloon to the predetermined size of 15in and tie off.

2. Draw a circle with a sharpie around one side of the balloon to the size circumference of a light bulb.

3. Start adhering the raffia to the balloon using Mod Podge....if this works for you great but it didn't work for me so I used my hot glue gun, just be careful to not place the hot glue directly on the balloon since it may melt and pop it.

4. Keep covering your balloon until it has reached a state you are pleased with...(Gotta be honest again this took FOREVER, a couple times I debated drop kicking it into the dumpster...so just be patient you'll get there)!

5. Once you have covered your balloon to your liking you want to brush on a layer of Mod Podge or Elmers to the surface. This will ensure that the overlapping strips of raffia will stick together and harden the surface as well to make it more stable. I put 2 coats on mine and let dry.
6. Now it's time to assemble. There are 2 "S" brackets that come with the electrical packet so I clamped those 2 on on top of each other right above the light bulb junction. This will make it easy to tie on to the raffia ball since there is one circle at the end of each "S" bracket. Use your ribbon to tie the raffia ball and the electrical together, keep in mind that you want to make sure your light bulb is centered in the middle of the raffia ball.

7. Almost there! It's time to hang! I just used one of many hooks that my ceiling seems to be riddled with in our apartment. Don't have any? You can find them at your home improvement store! Also there were 2 hooks that came from my electrical packet from Ikea so I used those to reinforce the extension cord so that it would hang along the corner of the room.

8. That's it! You made it!! Plug it in and enjoy!

It gives off THE coolest light too!

Check it:

SOOOoooo. What do you guys think? Are you going to try it?? Totally should mmk ;).

This project was sort of a pain in the behind but I am so so so so glad I did it! It is super fun, adds great light and texture to the room which I LOVE!

I have another extra treat for you guys today!

Remember how we got new couches!!

Well here is the before:
AND

After:
{Love this couch as if it were my first born!}

{The love seat is up in the office/man cave where its a disaster so just envision a smaller version of the sofa and you got it!}

Well thanks for stopping by friends! Have fun!
Love, love.

You can find me linking up to some awesome parties HERE!!