Here is the inside of the book with the light socket pulled through it. The metal flanges are bent out after pulling the socket throught the hole. The light socket is one of those make your own light kits. They are designed so that you can buy one of the multiple light shades sold seperately to use with it. (Bought mine at Menards, but I know that they are available at any of the big home improvement stores.) This is also what I use to make lights out of vintage canning jars. I think I would have liked a simple round bulb but they only had flame shaped ones with the frosted coating. There are less choices available with LED lights. Note also that the socket is the smaller size.
Pull the socket through and extend the flanges out.
Here it is resting inside the book. The flanges keep the book open around the bulb.
I cut a rounded notch in some pages and glued them over the top. You have to do this while the light is hanging to get it to fit right...
And another close up of the light hanging.
I used a dropcloth canvas patch to cover the hole in the spine of the the book, then covered the cord with a strip of this fabric glued together. I can imagine lots of variations for dealing with this...
And here it is again, hanging over my desk nook. I just used a screw-in wall/ceiling hook and the on/off switch keeps it from slipping through. The book is light so I didn't worry about stressing the wire and creating a fire hazard. Disclaimer: No guarantees this is safe. Decide for yourself whether this is something you feel safe having in your house. Absolutely do not use a regular light bulb for this or you WILL create a fire hazard with heat and old paper in close proximity!)
Taa Daa!
Hope this answers your questions. If not, let me know and I will try to provide any additional information you might want.
What a great idea! You should submit your idea to Somerset Home magazine. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteKelly