Why can't I have a chandelier in my laundry room?

I am totally bummed about this project. I wanted it to work out so badly. It still will, just in a little smaller version...I think.

I've been building this up, so I might as well share it. I almost didn't because it is kind of a failure. But, in a way a success too. Does that make sense? I love the way it turned out, the problem is it is a tad too big for the room and Tom keeps hitting his head on it.

So, the concept  - SUCCESS! The execution - SUCCESS! The outcome - FAILURE.

But, I will get it to work, so help me, if I have to go out and buy a brand new smaller chandelier, this will happen.

Here's the story:

I got a chandelier at ReStore for $30. I had no idea where I would put it, but I thought it was great, so I got it. It sat in the utility sink (that has yet to be hooked up) for over two months.

Then, in an effort to clean the house and get things ready for our garage sale in May, I looked at the chandelier while standing in the laundry room. Then I looked up. Why not? I thought....and so I did.

Look:

Before:

Holy mess!

After:

I love it! It's so fun! If I could just get all the other stuff out of there, then it would be perfect.

Okay, so I'm going to do a step-by-step because I know people will want to know how to change a light. It is really not that difficult. You just need the right tools.

First. Turn off the power at the electrical box. Each area of your house should be marked on the box and you just flip off the corresponding switch to that area. Often one switch controls a few light switches and plugs.

Then find one of these doo-hickies. 

It tests to see if a wire is still hot. If it is still hot, don't touch it! Eh-hem....you know who you are.... If it's still hot, you've got some issues. See a professional. Or a Dad. Or your hubby, I guess.

Start by taking down the existing light.

Then you can take the wires apart from each other. And you are left with this mess.

Generally there is a black wire and a white wire and a grounding wire. I don't know if you can see it, but the grounding wire here is coiled up right behind where that black wire is, by the junction box....

Bored yet?

Pretty daffodils.

Back to it. So, then you notice that your box doesn't have the proper set up for this kind of light, so you may have to run to the hardware store. Good thing it's right over the hill!

Grab this stuff:

A bracket, a washer, and a thingy with threads to attach the light, to the bracket.

I'm sure there is a more professional way to do this, but here's what I did:

I put the long thingy through the bracket. And strung the wires from my chandelier through the thingy. (Totally professional terminology here.)

Then put the washer on. This side is going to go in the junction box to keep everything from falling down. I know. Can you believe that little thing keeps everything from falling!?

Okay, so screw the bracket to the junction box. See how the wire goes through that middle thingy....

Those two wires with the caps have the electricity that we need!

Next, you've got to attach the wires together. A professional would totally know what to do when you don't have one set labeled and you forget to write down what the other set looked like when you took the first light fixture down, but, I'm no pro. So I went with my gut. Guess what. My gut was wrong, but this is funny. You'll laugh and call me an idiot. Seriously. I did.

So twist the wires together at the ends and then put these red caps on and twist until you feel like it's good enough. I'm pretty sure you are supposed to cut the wires so you have some fresh wires to work with, but I didn't. Send me to jail. Hopefully I don't get electrocuted someday because of this.

Okay, so once the wires are hooked up, run down and flip the switch on the electrical box and see if the lights work. Oh, and duh, turn on the light switch that works the light....ummm...I didn't. So I assumed that I had the wires wrong. So I switched them (after I turned the electricity off again). Then I went back down and switched the power on and came up and they still didn't work so I went over to try and fiddle with things, walked right past the off light switch, and then as I'm standing at the light I look over and say, "I'm such an idiot." 

Flipped the switch and wallah! Lights worked. So, really, it worked out, because I had to switch the wires anyway! Goodness gracious. I'm a hot mess. 

Bored yet? I am!

Pretty flowers.

Working light.

Then I noticed I didn't have an S hook to get the chandelier up higher, so we had to take another trip to the hardware store for that. Bummer. 

Now, it is hung and lovely. I just need to finish some organizing and it will be ready...for something. I don't know what, maybe it will inspire me to do the laundry.

This was done while hubby was away. And as you read above, it needs to be moved because it's just a tad too big for the space and hangs a tiny bit too low. But I will have a successful story in the end. Stay tuned.