Bracket Lighting
Sometimes you need to add lighting to a room or a space, but simply want to do the project inexpensively and without the need for an Electrician. To be honest I do wish my DIY skills extended to electrical because then I could be all that! However, because I don’t have those skills, I had to think inside my skill set and problem-solve my lack of lighting issue in our 1997 mobile home that we are DIYing on a very small budget to be a Fab Lake Cottage!
So now that I quickly updated you with pictures and comments that show the progression, I’ll start with how I made rustic brackets and what lights I purchased to resolve my lack of lighting on a very small budget. I had a few 1 x 4″ boards of Alder wood. I really wanted to do the brackets out of Alder because I love the grain and the knots of Alder. Since Alder is more expensive than pine, I really can’t use it for bigger items like the vent hood shown above because it wouldn’t keep me on budget for this renovation.
I ripped one of the two 1 x 4″ x 8′ boards into two. That allowed me to have a thinner piece to partially hide the cord on my pendant light.
I cut the following pieces for each corbel. I wanted the corbel bracket to be simple and purposeful. The groove on the back side allowed me to hide a portion of the electrical cord.
This is the product that I choose to order to hang from my rustic corbels. I thought they had a similar look to the single light fixture I had replaced over my sink. I also loved that the pair of corded lights were inexpensive. I bought the pair of lights for under $35.00
Before I stained and added poly to the corbel brackets, I held them in place to determine where they should go. With this placement, I felt that each corbel light bracket gave me considerable light on my countertop work space below. Plus they also added a bunch of light to the whole kitchen.
I just measured how far from each side of the vent hood I wanted the corbel to be placed. Then assured my line of tape was level so it could act as a guide while I attached them to the wall.
Click here to see the short video that I have on Instagram about this project.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTUb1ndHIPH/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Why would u name your designs by a name so close to the profane four letter word that demeans women? Has it obtained the attention you need?
Are you a mother? Do u drive a truck?
You like building something better? Improving your dwelling? This is easier than building on character and education which will last longer and become a benefit.
Mary Perkins
Ms. Perkins, I am so sorry I am just now seeing your comment and that I haven’t responded to it. I don’t think that the bad version of this MF is related solely to women nor do I think of that name when I think of my nickname that later became my business name. I hope when people see this name that is not what they see. I have inquired with many people before I chose to use this as my business name and they didn’t seem to think so. This was a fun, sweet nickname given to me some 30 years ago as a female firefighter who was assigned to a truck (there are fire engines and there are fire trucks… and being assigned to a fire truck is a coveted position). If you look at my pictures you will see that I did, in fact, at one time drive some of those fire trucks. Then I became a Mom and a Fire Captain. Anyone whom I have crossed paths with in my career did not seem to deem this as a negative name. When I first was hired, there were not that many females in this occupation. Males on Trucks were referred to as Truckmen. It was a name given to me because they liked and respected me. It was also just a name to let me know I fit in in the brotherhood of a mostly male occupation. I later became a Mom and I think the title fits even better. Firefighters become your family and as a female officer, I would say I had the role of a leader, mentor, parent, and mother. I hope when you see my business name now, you will see it as a positive thing and hopefully show me grace if you still find it in bad taste. I am quite proud of my career and my inclusion in this great fire department family. I view my title of “Mother Trucker” as a beautiful thing.