"Spring Lasagna": Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna

Hi all ... I'm dishing about a great recipe today!

{Italian Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna with tips for preparation and reduced-carb and gluten-free options!}

We love this unique lasagna so much that I think of it as my recipe, but it really comes from Ina Garten (The Barefoor Contessa).  I do have a couple of tips related to making this or any lasagna recipe and an optional ingredient substitution for any lasagna to make the dish low-carb {how we prepare this dish} and I want to share those before I give you the link to Ina's original version of this recipe.

My Two Lasagna Makin' Tips
Tip #1
Lots of lasagna recipes use fresh mozzarella, and as with any type of recipe, when you slice an ingredient it's important to have equal uniform "sizes" for consistent texture and cooking.  But slicing a slippery fresh mozzarella ball?!  This is a job for ... an egg slicer!

{Tip for making lasagna: slice fresh mozzarella with an egg slicer!}

Tip #2
Also used in this recipe is Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage.  In the grocery stores around here I can only purchase this item as a "sausage link" but this recipe calls for "bulk" sausage {not in a link casing}.  Honestly, at first I saw this as a road-block, but then I learned it wasn't hard it was easy to remove the casing from the sausage!  All you need is the back-side of a spoon.  Press down on the sausage link and slide across the link and "bulk" sausage will appear.  {Sorry, no pic, but try it, it works}.


My Optional Ingredient Substitution for a Low{er}-Carb Lasagna

We are one of those households that focuses on "good carbs" and likes to keep our carb count on the low side, along with other dietary considerations.  So it might surprise you that a lasagna recipe is one of our favs.  Figuring out how to remake classic comfort food dishes to reflect our carb preference has not always been easy and thinking about tweaking a recipe from a master such as Ina was a bit off-putting.  Luckily, all I had to do was make one small change.

{Reduce the carb-count / carb load in lasagna by replacing noodles with a whole-grain wrap!}

Instead of a lasagna noodles we use whole wheat "roll-up's" {flatbread / wrap}, layered just like a lasagna noodle.  This change not only saves carbs and calories in comparison to lasagna noodles but it saves the entire step of noodle cooking :)

The specific product we use is from Damascus Bakeries {we purchase these at Costco} and each whole wheat roll-up has only 10 net carbs and 110 "good" calories (per the packaging).  We use a total of 6 wraps per 13x9 pan of "lasagna" {don't know if I can really call it that without pasta as an ingredient} so our replacement adds only 60 net carbs to the whole she-bang.  Divide that net 60 carbs by a minimum of 9 servings from this pan, and that's a very hearty serving of lasagna with less than 7 net carbs from the noodle replacement!  For the carb-conscious this is very good news.  I don't have a box of lasagna noodles handy to compare the carb count but I know our roll-up option is significantly lighter on carbs and offers a hearty fiber component as well.  Also, if you eat Gluten-Free there are wraps produced for this dietary consideration as well, so you could also incorporate this substitution in your lasagna recipe!

And a Final Tip for Lasagna Lovers

This dish inspired me to start my own seasonal outdoor herb garden which has become a h-u-g-e tradition around here ... I have sightseer's stop by to gawk at how large my herbs grow!  Here's a pic from 2011 ...  

{That's 1 basil plant!  Have you ever seen so many leaves on 1 basil plant?  For more info follow the links below to read my 2011 posts on the EarthBox and freezing herbs.  You'll thank me!}

We're getting ready to plant our basil in the next week or so and I will certainly post about our 2012 experience, but in the meantime you might want to read these posts from last year, about the EarthBox growing system I use {read it here} and and how I freeze herbs {read it here}.  The EarthBox makes it possible for even high-rise dwellers with a balcony and good sun exposure to grow a hearty garden.  Really.  I grow my EarthBox on my deck and all you need is about a 3 foot x 2 foot space.  

Thanks for checking out this post and I hope you find my lasagna making tips helpful and you'll visit again for new recipes, more cooking tips, and my adventures in decorating.  Bookmark, Follow, or Pin {please} so you can find us again.

So what about your lasagna cooking experiences ... have any tips you'd like to share?  Any family lasagna recipes with unique ingredients and flavors?  Or do you head out to a nice quiet little family restaurant when the urge for lasagna strikes?

Now you should really check out Ina's recipe for Turkey Lasagna on the Food Network ... click here.

Linking With:

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: How to make your food look as good as it tastes! | Tammy's Recipes

"It's A Cinch" x 2 DIY's {Sisal Wrapped Vase and Painted Mirror}

Hello "It's A Cinch" par-tay folks!  Today I'm sharing two quickie projects that made my foyer a bit brighter and a bit more pulled together.  Perhaps you'll find a way to use these projects in your house too.

Project #1 - DIY Sisal wrapped vase
Project #2 - An Easy and effective way to protect glass when spray painting a mirror


Project #1
DIY Sisal Wrapped Vase
{yes, those are fake flowers, please don't judge me, I just thought an empty vase looked even worse than fake flowers, so I popped these in ... actually like the orange & turquoise combo though}

{DIY Sisal-wrapped recycled vase}

Can you believe this vase has 65 linear feet of sisal wrapped around it!  Took 5 super large glue sticks too.  And a few slightly burned fingertips.  And about 60 minutes.

Here's what I started with:

The curvy shape of the vase required I apply hot glue frequently and in large dabs.  A straight-side item would be easier to wrap and potentially would only need glue at the beginning and end of the wrap {top and bottom of the vase}.  Oh well, I think this curvy piece has more interesting lines.  I mean, curves are good, right ladies!  Oh, and the vase is many years old, you can see it was originally vibrant blue (look at the interior) then sprayed silver for the holidays one year, so this is its third lease on life.  Third time is the charm!

So I started with a 100 linear foot package of sisal (purchased at Lowes in the rope aisle for less than $7),  a glue gun, and lots of super-big glue sticks.

Start at the top of your piece so you have control over the finished edge on top.  I didn't want an obvious starting point on the top of the vase, so I began by starting with a 2 inch section of sisal vertically down from the top edge, ran the sisal up to the top edge, then wrapped and secured the top edge fully before I began working my way down {toward the bottom} the side of the vase. There's a slight bump from the 2 inches of sisal but it is hardly noticeable and will be facing towards the wall anyway.

When you arrive at the bottom you can just tuck the end of the sisal between the last two rows.  It's the bottom.  No one will see it.  No special trick or technique needed here :)

Project #2

Spray Painting a Mirror and Tip for Protecting the Glass

I decided to spray paint my mirror because I couldn't remove the back of the mirror (it was made way back in the day when furniture was assembled with the expectation that it wouldn't be disassembled ... this is part of my Bali Hai by Henry Link bedroom furniture from my "youth" ... I've already painted the Bachelor Chest a Peacock Blue and have that in my Dining Room, you can see that here and here) so I had to protect the mirror glass from the paint.  Of course I taped as close as possible around the edge of the mirror glass; I used Frog Tape (the green stuff) because I've never had one drop of paint sneak under that brand of tape.  Just sayin'.  

My mirror painting tip is how to cover the large expanse of mirror glass after the edges are taped.  Newspaper or other rip'able material?  No way.  One of my new fav DIY tricks is using Contact Paper {so many uses, this is just one}.  I purchased a roll of basic white contact paper at Tar-Jay for less than $6 and I've already used it in different ways for three projects and still have tons left-over.  Anyway, I applied the contact paper over the glass and the edge of the Frog Tape ... that's what the large white square is in the above photo ... no way any paint is getting on that glass.  And I don't have to worry that there's a tear in the covering that I didn't see than leaves me with a mess to clean up.  

Spray painting is now done .... score with a razor around the edges of the frame and the tape ...

... then pull off the protective covering and hang that mirror. Very satisfying.  No sitting and scraping off paint with a razor blade. 

{Bali Hai by Henry Link mirror repainted in a Satin-gloss White}

So my foyer looks a bit fresher and hopefully this will motivate me to get on with painting the crown moulding ... and chair rail ... and wainscoting ... will it ever stop!!!

I'm linking up to the "It's A Cinch" party because my resurfacing (Sisal Wrap and Mirror Painting) DIY's really were a cinch and I hope you find my tips helpful :)  Thanks for checking out this post and I do hope you'll visit again ... Pin, Follow or bookmark {please} so you can find us.   I'm also on Pinterest and for grins you can follow me here.  Need an invite to join Pinterest? ... I have a few invites left, so email me and I'll be glad to share.

So what do you think about the resurfaced vase and mirror?

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Cherry blossoms are spring to me.

Our Yosohino Cherry tree typically blooms the first week of April.  But 2012 was an early spring.

Check out the primarily white blossoms with an occasional pink bloom on our tree on March 17 {2012}.

Evidently I was outside too long taking these pictures that morning because this is what I saw at the front door ... that is definitely the "come hither, I want / need something ..." or  the "I miss you" look.

The evening of March 18 ...

Can you believe that tree came home in the backseat of my car!  OK, the moon roof was open and the branches fluttered in the breeze coming home, but the tree was in my backseat.  And now the canopy spans from the street edge to our front porch.  My baby tree sure has grown.

By March 24th, the blossoms that survived a hail storm earlier that week had turned pink.  The pinkest we can remember this tree blooming.

Then it rained and we were left with a pink dusting of petals all around.  I love how mother nature paints with contrast and texture.

I love this tree.

So what heralds Spring for you?  I'd love to hear what is springing forth in your yard!

"Your Day Will Go The Way The Corners Of Your Mouth Turn" Free Printable

{Free Printable ... "Your Day Will Go The Way The Corners Of Your Mouth Turn"}

Happy Monday all!  Hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to (a) exciting, (b) interesting, and (c) rewarding activities this week.

I was inspired at my dentist's office last week when I saw this {wasn't my dentist so nice to email this pic} ...

{"Your day will do the way the corners of your mouth turn."}

... and I came home and went to work with Photoshop and now I have my own version hanging in my home office.  I like it a lot, so here it is again:

And you can have one too if you'd like ... I'm happy to email you my first free printable.

The format is an 11"x14" JPEG file and although that is probably larger than home printers can accommodate I had mine printed at the Costco Photo Center very inexpensively.  I wasn't paid or compensated to drop the name of my photo printer, just thought I'd mention a resource in case you hadn't printed something like this before.

Just leave a comment in Comments Section below {make sure your blog profile has an email address made public} if you'd like a copy, or if you prefer you can email me your contact info.  And even if you don't want a copy of my first edition collectible {I crack myself up} print, I still hope you'll leave a comment :)

As I mentioned, this is hanging in my home office on our Gallery Wall.  I've posted about my process for hanging a Gallery Wall here.

You've not seen my office before ... at least as an office ... yes, I know, its confusing ... long story short, we I changed my mind again about the best space planning for two rooms and we swapped them.  David made me promise this was the final room swap.   I have some furniture painting underway and hope to be able to invite you into the office for a look-see soon.  In case you've recently joined my adventures of putting our house back together you might be interested in this post on how we changed our downstairs floor plan when we moved back home after our home's fire restoration.  Wanna take a guess on which rooms were flipped / swapped?

Know someone else who might be interested in this printable?  Feel free to share this post with them or Pin It to share with others.

Here's hoping the corners of your mouth are turned "up" all week!

We all Scream for Ice Cream! {Chocolate, Coconut & Coffee Gelato, Lower Sugar & Dairy Free}

I had to make ice cream last night :)

{Ice cream so smooth and rich tasting it should be called Gelato!  Made with Coconut Milk, 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips, ground coffee (optional), and agave syrup.  Simple.  Rich.  Lower in sugar than traditional ice creams.  Incorporates healthy fats.  What are you waiting for?}

We love ice cream.  Who doesn't?  But for so many years we've haven't included ice cream in our diet because we follow a "South Beach" menu very closely.  Even though this ice cream tastes decadent and smells heavenly, I don't think we're "breaking bad" with this recipe, but if you are a strict follower of a South Beach plan, I think you'd want to consider this a Phase 3 recipe for occasional enjoyment.  That's how it's going into my cookbook.

Years ago on a business trip David thoroughly enjoyed a dessert called a "Snowball" ... coffee ice cream dipped in a chocolate coating and rolled in coconut flakes.  That was the inspiration for this treat.

I've read so many ice cream recipes online that use Coconut Milk in lieu of traditional milk and thank them all for the information and hint to try coconut milk; the appeal of Coconut Milk for us is that it has about half the sugar of traditional milk, a nutritional measure we manage very closely.  And for vegans or someone with a dairy intolerance, I believe this is a good choice for you as well.  I've experimented with coconut milk-based ice cream before and was always extremely pleased with the texture {so smooth and silky, like a gelato} but the issue was how difficult the left-overs were the next day to scoop ... frozen.hard.like.a.rock.

I've read that using either agave syrup or honey helps the next-day texture of  the ice cream.  I've also read that a little neutral flavored alcohol can keep the ice cream from freezing too hard {if you are going to eat the ice cream directly after taking it out of your ice cream maker, then the addition of alcohol is purely optional.} Now if you are wondering how this all works with a South Beach plan, agave is considered low-glycemic and is now used in some South Beach recipes, as well as is minimal amounts of alcohol occasionally for Phase 3 recipes.  I used such small amounts of both these ingredients that I'm calling it Okey-Dokey for us.

And how about the scooping ease the next day?  This photo was taken this morning ... after freezing for 12+ hours the ice cream yielded immediately!  Score!

{Homemade low sugar ice cream that's easily scoop'able after being in the freezer 12+ hours!}

Ingredients / Instructions
1 can regular Coconut Milk {I used THAI Kitchen brand}
1 ounce agave syrup {I haven't tried honey, but I've seen it used in recipes}

Gently heat the two ingredients on the stove top.  Add to this mixture,

1/2 cup chocolate chips {I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate which is lower sugar} or another option for even less sugar ... 1/4 cup chocolate chips + 3 tablespoons cocoa powder {I've used this previously and it produced a slightly lighter flavored chocolate}.  The gelato pictured in this post uses all chocolate chips.

and stir until melted and fully incorporated.  Remove from stovetop and sit on counter to fully cool, approximately 1 hour.  You don't have to worry about refrigeration because this isn't a dairy milk; also, putting this in the fridge given the semi-solid nature of coconut milk and the melted chips, you'd end up with a hardened block of mixture.

Once cooled, I added:
- a couple tablespoons of fresh fine-ground coffee {I used Hawaiian Hazelnut flavor}
- 2 tablespoons Kapali, a coffee liqueur {I wanted a coffee flavor so this made sense to me, but you could also use a neutral liquor such as vodka ... remember this is an optional ingredient that helps keep left-over the ice cream scoop'able ... this is not necessary if you are going to eat the ice cream when it comes out of your machine}

Popped this into my ice cream maker and in about 20 minutes had a heavenly treat.  Look at the specks of chocolate and coffee in that richly chocolate colored cream-base accented with the lightest touch of coconut flavor.  I didn't have any coconut flakes on hand but if I did, and I rolled the ice cream in it ... well, I've added unsweetened coconut flakes to my grocery list :)

I'm going to run this recipe through a nutritional calculator soon; let me know if you want me to update the post with that information.  I'd say this recipe makes 4 generous {rich} portions of ice cream {pseudo-gelato} and we will have the remaining 2 portions tonight!

Strawberry ice cream is David's next fav flavor and I've seen some lovely berries in the grocery lately ... think I'm going to have to experiment with that soon.  It will of course be made with a Coconut Milk base.

So how's this recipe sound to you?  Know someone else who'd love a bowl of lower-sugar and dairy-free ice cream tonight?  Feel free to share this post with them or Pin It to share with others.

To browse my recipe "look book" with links to all the recipes I've posted, click the Recipe Button in the sidebar on the right.  

Linking with:

Shaken Together: The Bloggy Kitchen Olympics Link Up

It's a Wrap

Hi everyone!

Our weekend included a birthday celebration for David and I want to share the novel, interesting, greatly appreciated by David {really}, oh and yes frugal, gift wrap I used ...

... more magazine pages!  Goes with the gift bow made from strips of magazine pages found here.

With so many beautiful images and colors in magazines it's easy to find a page that's recipient appropriate ... in David's case {or in a month for me}, dogs are a great choice.  And incorporating text along with images creates a texture and interest to the wrap {also confused David momentarily which was part of the fun}.

Had to show a lovely floral wrap page too.  Of course, David focused on the whisk - thinking kitchen ... cooking ... eating ... to make this selection fit him better ;)

The most difficult aspect of using magazine pages as wrapping is finding a page you are willing to part with.  But I think even Martha would agree that using pages from an old issue of hers to recycle and wrap is a good thing.

Happy Monday all,

Check Your Safety Perishables

We all have them in our house: cute, sweet faces, who depend on us to take care. Be they young or older, they're what makes a house our home.

Mine just happens to have four paws.  Of course I'm not talking about David :)

This weekend, as we spring forward with the clocks, 

take a few minutes to take care, by:

 replacing batteries in Smoke Detectors

and 

checking the propellent gauge in Fire Extinguishers 

{Safety Reminder: Replace Batteries in Smoke Detectors this weekend AND Check the gauge on Fire Extinguishers to verify Full Power}

Both of these important safety devices silently become less effective over time, wearing down to a non-working level.

You have these items for the "never gonna happen but IF" scenario.

Make sure that If needed, they work.  

Do I Need To Replace Smoke Detector Backup Batteries In Hard Wired Units?
Absolutely ... here's why.

During most building fires the structure will lose electrical power.  If there's a fast spreading fire in your home, power could be lost before the smoke has an opportunity to trigger the sensor in a smoke detector.  If electrical power is lost, then the battery backup will enable the unit to still sound and warn your family.  Besides, if you just replace the batteries now they will be fully powered for the next six months and you won't have to hear that annoying weak beep indicating their power level is low.

Replace batteries to ensure operation and an alarm if needed.

Replace batteries to avoid an annoying "low power" beep.

Just replace those batteries.

Don't Have A Fire Extinguisher?
There are so many reasons why every house should have a few fire extinguishers but here's one that you may not have thought of and could appeal to your sense of financial security:

some Home Insurance Policies

require

the presence of a fire extinguisher in a dwelling.

Terms and Conditions of coverage.  Does yours?  Don't know?  What would happen if this requirement wasn't met?  Got ya' thinking, huh?

Our {real life} Anniversary

Once upon a time,

{ what sometimes feels like } long, long ago,

in a place sort of far away,

on this day,

these two {crazy} kids ran away and did this,

then sent their parents a telegram that simply read, 

"And they lived happily ever after"

Happy Anniversary to my guy
{I guess I should get you to read the blog today}

Updating A Ceiling Fan Light {How-To / Tutorial}

We updated our Dining Room ceiling fan from a dated style{less} number to a modern ... wait for ... chandy-fan.

A closer comparison between our modern chandy-fan and the style{less} ceiling fan ...

{Our updated / upgraded Ceiling Fan Light ... our "chandy-fan", with a tutorial on what we did}

Sure enough, we had "boob light" attachments on our ceiling fans, and from a decorating perspective, that's two strikes against this room.  Or four strikes, because this is quite a long room and we actually have two ceilings fans!

If you have a ceiling fan that you'd like to update, here's our how to's in case you'd like to play along at home.

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Update: March 13, 2013

I've rewritten the tutorial / How-To portion of this post and you can read it here.  Or you can read the original post text that follows this message.  Or read both.  It's up to you!

I think the updated instructions are easier to follow; I definitely recommend giving them a look-see.  Once again, here's the link to the updated info.

Hope you find this information helpful, 

Robin

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There are a couple variables in this upgrade:

• the type of shade you'll use (spider fitting or Euro / Uno fitting)
• whether you're update a ceiling fan or a ceiling light fixture

We used a shade with a Euro / Uno fitting, and of course as my hubby says, I always choose the option that requires the most parts & steps :)  I would have loved to use a shade with a spider fitting if I could have found a super-large one (our shade is over 24" diameter) that I could afford; it seems Euro / Uno fitting shades are a bit more budget friendly.  We found our shade(s) at World Market, on sale; they're called the Tristan.

If you use a shade with a spider fitting your installation will be much more straight-forward.

Keep in mind, neither version of this installation is difficult!

The How-To's:

#1 Safety first: turn off the light and if this is a fan, turn that off too.  You shouldn't be messing around anywhere close to the electrical wires as they should be under a canopy and out of your reach, but if you are unsure about where they are, turn off the circuit powering the fixture at your circuit breaker box.

#2 Remove the glass fixture you plan to replace.  You should have something that looks like this. {following photo}

#3 In the center of the fixture is a threaded rod; this is where you'll attach your upgraded lampshade or other.

That threaded rod can easily be extended or shortened (cut at home with a Hack Saw) depending on how close or far from the fixture you want the shade to hang.  And I was pleased to learn there isn't a lot of different rod sizes used in ceiling fixtures; they seem to be standardized to "threaded 1/8 - IP" in width.

If you need to extend your original threaded rod you'll also need Couplers to connect the old and new rod; the Couplers are next to the All-Thread Lamp Pipe in the lighting aisle at any big-box hardware stores.

In our case, we needed to extend the threaded bar / pipe.

As I've said, we used a Euro / Uno fitting lampshade and their fittings usually are a few inches below the top of the shade (spider fittings are typically flush with the top of the shade).  However, we actually hung the lampshade upside-down, meaning that Uno fitting was about 9" lower than our original rod.  (We went upside-down with the shade because it was an A-line shape and we wanted the wider end to be adjacent to the fan / face upward and the narrower end to be at the bottom.) Here's a pic that shows how far below the "new top" of the shade that Uno fitting is:

To extend the length of the rod you thread a coupler onto the rod / pipe followed by the new section of pipe, cut to the desired additional length.

#4 Here's where my instructions are different from any I've read on the 'net, which always talks about using the spider shade.

So my Uno fitting is way larger than the threaded pipe it needs to be attached to.  If it were the correct size (like a spider fitting) all you'd need to do is make a hardware sandwich of Coupler, shade, Coupler, all threaded onto the pole, and you'd be done.

We needed to first reduce the Uno opening so we threaded a few more parts onto that pole:

From top to bottom in the above picture: A coupler, then a light fixture brace (also hanging in the Lighting Aisle of the big-box hardware store), a washer that's larger than the Uno fitting, a small washer (that isn't visible here) that has an opening sized to the threaded pole (washers are available in the "Nuts and Bolts" aisle, hubby's love fishing through those boxes or you can ask for help at the desk :), and another Coupler on the bottom.  This grouping of hardware is all there to create a locked-in-place-wide-span-brace that the Uno fitting will fit flush against and not move.

With the Uno fitting over the threaded pole you'll need to do the same again, only in reverse ... large washer, smaller washer, coupler, and now your lamp shade is a hangin' from that pole!

Once you start playing around with this I don't even think you'll need these instructions ... very quickly it becomes clear what needs to be done, especially if you enjoyed playing with Tinker Toys as a kid {one of my favorites}.

#5 The final step is to add a diffuser so you don't look up into a blinding light and to also conceal all that hardware trickery you have going on.

Let me just say that if you choose to use a more normal sized shade, something that is 14 - 15" diameter, there's a super-cheap diffuser option for you, also in the lighting aisle (I had to find the glass shade section then scanned around and found this almost at floor level).

This is actually a replacement ceiling light cover that sells for less than $4 and it has a very slight (shallow) cup to it, less than 2" deep.  We tried this fixture and once on that pole under the shade it appeared perfectly flat and would have been a perfect diffuser.  Problem is they seem to be a standard size of 13" and we had a monster opening of 18" at the bottom.  5" of gap concealed nothing for us.  I searched and hacked and tried to construct several different 18" diffusers until hubby told me to accept that I just had to buy the real thing.  Ugh.  Hard to accept.  It wasn't exactly inexpensive.  But with a correctly sized diffuser for the size of shade used, it totally sells this upgrade in person.  Looks like this chandy-fan was commercially made.

Our diffusers came from Shades of Light, a store you might know as an internet lighting retailer, but is headquartered in Richmond, so I just had to drive over there to pick it up and plunk down my credit card {no discounts for blogging about them, they don't even know who I am or what I do, I'm just sharing resource info with you in case you might want to try this}.  So if you want to update your ceiling fan or light, and you want to keep the cost of everything other than your lamp shade under $10, then select a smaller shade so you can use the cute 13" option pictured above.

I had to go super-large scale with my shades / diffuers to offset the dining hall length of the room, otherwise I'd just end up with a ceiling fan that still felt small in the space. Yeah, the room is 26' (feet) long, with a cathedral ceiling.  Didn't start out as our dining room, we decided to flip the floor plan and space use in our house before we moved back home after the fire; you can read a bit about that decision here.  And I do keep using the plural when I talk about our chandy-fans, because we have 2 in that 26 foot long room ... the room has a black / white theme and we have A.M. and P.M. sides to the room, so we went with one black, and one white shade in an attempt to define those zones in the room a bit differently.

In the photo above you can see there's a bit lot of a distance between our two ceiling fans.  I've placed two photos side-by-side below to give you a direct comparison between the effect of the white and black shades ... both shade options create an uplight effect on the ceiling as well as plenty of direct "down light" through the shade diffuser installed on the bottom of the shade.  Oh, and we have dimmer controls on both fan lights so we can also adjust lighting levels but even if we couldn't, the full power lighting level is warm and softened thanks to the diffuser.

 

So what do you think?  I don't think these photos convey the full impact these chandy-fans have on the room, but take my word for it, both hubby and I are very pleased with the results.  The light is softer and more evenly distributed than before.  The scale of the fixtures makes the room more intimate and there is a definite "zoning" that didn't really happen previously.  Plus we think they look cool, something akin to what you see in really nice large space restaurants.

Let me know if you have any questions!  If you leave a question in the comment section I will try very hard to respond the same day you leave it, so just remember to check back!  And if you give this a try I'd love to hear about your experience and see pics!  And I'm on something of a light binge right now, so if you have other DIY lighting projects you'd like to share and talk about, just leave me a link to your post in the comments section.

And I'm wondering if I should add some trim to the bottom of both shades ... something that would be the same on each ... what do you think?

Know someone else who has an itch to re-imagine their ceiling fan?  Feel free to share this post with them or Pin It to share with others.

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