Ok, project reveal time . . .
Let me preface this by saying it was not an original idea – I saw a photo of a similar light set up in a bathroom (has anyone else seen this? can you tell me where it was from?) and fell in love. I’ve been unhappy with my bathroom light for a while, and looking for a solution that didn’t require re-wiring (it is a rental, after all.) So . . . here’s what we did:


Rope light. It’s hard to take pictures of it at night (as above) so here’s one taken before it was dark:

It gives off the most amazingly magical light at night; it is, afterall, a room now entirely lit by what are essentially christmas lights. Showering before bed has become a totally different experience.
This is probably the single most fun thing we’ve done in the house, and at the moment probably my all time favorite project. For the last few days, every time I walk into the bathroom at night I just become instantly happy. It also solved my problem of not being able to figure out what to hang on that wall – art and light at the same time. Now I just need to figure out a good way to cover the light socket at the top.