Let There Be Light!

 Let's just start with what evokes a satisfied, little sigh from me:

After a couple of years of contemplating just what to do to light up The House, I finally figured it out!

When I first embarked on building a house, I did some research about doing lighting that required wiring, and there were a number of reasons I opted to not including not wanting to light up every room at the same time as well as knowing I'd be so very annoyed if something happened in the circuit tape causing the lighting to just not happen. While I wasn't sure what I was going to do, I knew I wasn't going to put the time and money into something I definitely knew I did not want.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I put lighting on mental project status. I had figured out ways to use LED string lights to my advantage in a couple of rooms, but I couldn't see that working for the entire house in a way that I would think would look good. I also tried some of the miniature LED light fixtures. While they are cute and add a little touch of light, they do not illuminate a room. And, that was getting unacceptable particularly in my large family room that I was realizing I could enjoy between the hours of 10:05 and 11:27 a.m. when the light was just-so through my window ...

I found it ironic that just as my mind was focused on this issue, I came across a post on a Facebook page I follow dedicated to miniatures where advice for lighting was being solicited. I carefully read through the thread only to (a) be totally validated on my choice not to wire the house (yay!) as those who had done so expressed nothing but eventual frustration, and (b) be inspired to eventually discover my lighting solutions!

Someone posted pictures of using "button lights" she bought off of Amazon. They are small, LED lights that come in a 6-pack, so I bought some which now light up the third floor!

Just under the eave, I stuck these little lights:

There's a switch in the middle that gets flipped to the right, in this picture, to turn it on! I adhered them with Velcro so if the switch is persnickety, I can just pull it out to turn on or off. This will make replacing them easier, too. It's just a little bigger than a quarter and works perfectly!

The light was a little bright for what I wanted in the bedroom, so I colored two of the bulbs with a yellow, alcohol ink marker to tone it down. You can see the difference here between the bedroom and the hall:

I am going to rehang the fairy light strings that were in both of the upstairs rooms because I like the ambiance they create, but I needed to move them to install these. ("Install." I just called sticking Velcro on a light and putting it on a ceiling "install." 😅)

While on the Amazon site, I did some poking around for other lighting ideas, and I kept seeing touch lights that are often in a closet or under a cabinet. I found some on the site that were only a few inches across, and I got excited!! Before ordering, I ventured to WalMart to see if there were options (read: impatient), and, sure enough, I found great ones!! With high ceilings and large rooms, I was able to get ones that are 2.5" and 3" in diameter to take care of all of my needs! Take a look! Let's start in the family room ...

Two lights here are like large, dome lights in real-people houses, and the entire space is visible!! These use AA batteries (2 or 3. I don't remember because who cares?!?!), and it takes just a touch to turn them on and off!! This definitely brings life to the cousin party taking place while watching a little "Puppy Dog Pals" and having snacks!

I intentionally placed one over in the entryway. Hey, did you remember there even is an entryway?! I kind of forgot because it was so dark! Ha! No more! I like the option of just turning it on by itself, too ...

I completely forgot that plant was there under the stairs because I never saw it! Next, I added a light to the kitchen:

These, like all others in The House, are attached with Velcro to make changing them out easy. I added one of the smaller lights to the kitchen work space, but I kept the false ceiling and "can" lighting I made. It's fun to keep that on when no one is actually meal prepping! There's a large one in the eat-in area so people can now see their food, too:

I guess it's time to put some food back on the table then!

And, finally on the first floor, the dining room is ready-ready-ready for entertainment!

The lighting fixture over the table made out of a Death Star model is a must-stay because, you know. Hal. But, having two, big lights in there just makes me happy!! I love seeing in a lit house, from the outside, too:

Moving along upstairs, the bedrooms are all set!

In case you're wondering what's on TV, Polly escaped upstairs (again!) to catch the latest episode of "Nashville" ...

The hallway is now all set with a remote control light ...

... as is the bathroom!

The remote control lights come with the added feature of being able to change lighting modes and colors. I kind of dig the blue for those long, tub soaks that precede time on the bed with chips and favorite show 😄:

I absolutely could not be happier with how this turned out!! It's amazing what being able to actually see anything I want whenever I want does to inspire more developments! Stay tuned!