Hey all! These days, you can't peruse pinterest without stumbling across this high-end trend.

But I want to tell you all a story about how I made my own version of these beauties for under $30...

It all started with this guy. I found him at Home Goods for a whopping $15. Maybe it was distressed red color that made me pick him up or maybe it was the industrial metal flare, but I still had to figure out what I was going to do with it in order to justify bringing him home. I love decor pieces as much as the next person, however with limited living space I simply couldn't bring myself to buy a metal orb that would only take up space on my shelf. Nope, no positions were open in our home for "shelf stuff," but... we did have an opening for a hanging light!

So this lucky guy found his way into my life after all and a new DIY project was born. Once home, I introduced him to a HEMMA cord kit ($5 from Ikea) and a Feit Electric Original Vintage Style Light Bulb ($9 from Home Depot). I love these bulbs because they play into the industrial vibe of the metal orb but the exposed bulbs don't blind you.

The trickiest part was suspending the metal orb around the light bulb. I tried a couple things and ended up tying the light kit cord around an intersection of the metal bars and securing the knot with a large 8mm metal jump ring (about the size of a dime).

Now all you need is a swag {or ceiling} hook and the perfect spot to hang it up. I chose to put ours up above the bistro table on our balcony. And viola! I have a new light and a guilt-free conscious for impulse buying. And in case you weren't doing the math:

Project Total... $29.00!

{Stay tuned for more pictures of our apartment patio coming soon!}

~Cate

This post was originally published on Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.