Western decorating crafts: horseshoe wall sconces

Trying to figure out some real western touches for your den or boy's room? How about some Horseshoe Wall Sconces?

You'll need a pair (or two) of horseshoes, two wall-hung light fixtures, a screwdriver and screws to fasten the lights to the wall, a hammer and finishing nails small enough in diameter to fit through the holes in the horseshoes, a pencil, ruler or yardstick, and extra-strength glue. If you want the lights' electric cords hidden from view, buy two plastic cord-hiding strips at your local do-it-yourself store. For trim, consider paint in various colors, leather lacing, metal conchos, bola tie tips, or other western touches, like pony beads or feathers.

Give some thought to the light fixtures, because the simpler they are in design, the more the horseshoes will be a focal point. If you're using the horseshoes wall sconces in a small boy's room, for example, think about using a pair of 'touch-on' battery-powered lights, placed low enough on the wall so he can reach them easily. In this instance, you might want to use a pair of horseshoes for each 'touch-on' light, centering the light between each pair when hung on the wall. You can also use stickers of horses and other western themes to trim the lights, and paint the horseshoes white to match the lights.

Using horseshoes to surround a wall-hung ordinary light fixture is just as easy. (Whether you hang the horseshoes with the opening facing the ceiling or facing the floor is your choice. Tradition says the horseshoes' openings should be facing the ceiling, in order to hold the legendary good luck associated with the horseshoes - but you'll see them nailed to a barn in the opposite way, for the same reason.)

First fasten the light fixtures to the wall, without light bulbs in them and leaving off the lampshades for easier installation. If you bought cord-hiding plastic strips, install them next. (You can paint these to match the wall color if you wish.) Now comes the creative part. Spend a few minutes with a piece of paper and pencil figuring out some possible designs. Is the light fixture base small enough in diameter that the horseshoe fits around it? Do you want the horseshoes fitted to the sconces that way, or do you want them in a pair, an equal distance on each side from the fixture base? You could hang them on a diagonal too, using the fixture base in the middle. Using the yardstick or ruler and a pencil to draw lines lightly on the wall, you could even have a triangular-shaped accent for your western room, with the fixture as the lower point of the triangle and a horseshoe at the other two points.

Once you've gotten your arrangement figured out, decide what you want to do with the horseshoes to complete the focal point. Do you want to paint them? (If you do, remember to let them dry thoroughly before nailing them to the wall.) Or tie a leather lace around each horseshoe, with pony beads strung on each end of the lace and a bola tie tip 'pinched' in place to hold the beads on. You can glue on a few feathers by dipping the quill end of each feather in extra-strength glue and sliding it into a pony bead after you've strung it on the leather. A concho looks very nice - and very western - fastened to the center of the horseshoe with a leather lace. Finish the lace by threading one or more pony beads onto each end and then knotting the lace to hold the beads in place. Once you have the horseshoes decorated to your satisfaction, nail them to the wall in the arrangement you decided on earlier.

The last touch can be the lampshades, if you chose wall sconces which have them. Simple paper lampshades can have very thin tan paint brushed across them, or strong tea or coffee lightly sponged on them for an antique look. You can then glue a leather lace around the top and bottom of each lamp shade, using feathers and pony beads spaced along each lace. Or you can draw x's with a dark brown felt-tip pen at the top and bottom each shade to simulate leather lacing. (If you're really ambitious, and the shades are made of heavy paper, you can use a tapestry needle and the leather laces to actually lace each shade for true authenticity.)

Now you can put in the light bulbs, attach the shades, turn on the lights - and enjoy the great western horseshoe accents you just added to the room!