Lighting up the window

My latest project has me smiling. Want a peek? Ok, here ya go:

Still not sure what I'm talking about? That's OK, I'll tell you all about it. I picked up some capiz shell strands over the weekend, which were hugely on sale. As in originally-priced-at-$20-but-marked-down-to-$3 sale. (If you're in Philly, there's still a basket of them at the West Elm on Chestnut.) I figured they'd add a little textural interest to the room, while bouncing around some light.

What I didn't count on was how difficult they'd be to hang. My first attempt had me trying to screw cup hooks into the window moulding, but I wasn't strong enough to make it happen, and I didn't have  a drill bit small enough to act as my muscle. Next, I tried nails with wide heads. My instinct was to tie a slip knot around the head and pray that all would stay. In the end, that lasted about five minutes before one fell. 

My ultimate solution was to clip a picture bracket to do the job. The original fixture (top) had too much metal going on, so I chopped it down to just what I needed (bottom) and got to hammering.

As it turns out, that was the hardest part of the job. Because of the design of the bracket, I had to hammer at an angle, which is extremely hard to do when you're also holding a string of delicate shells. But by the time I got to the fourth strand, I had a system. (A system that relied heavily on me balancing precariously on the desk. This is not recommended.)

When I stepped back, I was pretty pleased. The strands were staying, and they reached all the way to the sill. In fact, they extended past what I needed, which was a relief--our windows are long, and I was worried I'd need to tie the strings together.

I was able to cut them down and salvage the leftover shells. I'll have to find a project to use them. Maybe covering a picture frame?

I'm really happy with the way they turned out, and I think that as soon as we get curtains, this look will be fantastic. It really makes the light bounce around the room, and it adds some much-needed natural texture. 

I can't wait to get some fabric panels around those windows to wrap this project up!