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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

how to install maskros.

meet maskros.he's clean and modern with a dash of pinache. he is not, however, super simple to install. i discovered this the hard way. let me pay it forward and help save you the headache by breaking it down for you.

step 1) begin tearing down your wallpaper in october and don't touch it until february. check.


step 2) beg your little brother to help you with the installation process so you don't electrocute yourself. if you are confident in your electrical skills, feel free to skip step 2.


step 3) open the maskros packaging and ask yourself, 'how the heck do they fit so much stuff in such a small package?'...and that's what she said. couldn't resist.

step 4) disconnect your old fixture. mind the dust. there will be lots of it if your cleaning habits are as stellar as mine.
step 5) using a screwdriver, connect the metal plate that is included in the package to the ceiling. in a perfect world, this would work the first time. in my world, it doesn't work because the circumference of the pendant's plastic base is the same circumference as the metal plate, so it won't fit over the metal plate.
step 6) get frustrated with the fact that the plate is too big and stare at it whilst trying to conjur a solution.
step 7) give up and go to bed with the light dangling in the middle of the room. pray your jumbo dog doesn't make it a chew toy in the middle of the night.

step 8) if you are as fortunate as i am, your brother will come over and fix it the next day while you are at work. the solution to the problem is pretty simple: a new, smaller metal plate. now you can start to construct the actual pendant. begin by connecting the metal spokes to the plastic circle that surrounds the light bulb.



step 9) after all of your metal spokes are connected, begin clicking the 203,394 paper 'stars' to the spokes. don't worry, this step will only take you a decade. and you'll only get about 67 papercuts while doing so. no biggie.


step 10) voila. you nailed it. step back and admire your handywork. then get real and remind yourself that your brother did all of the dirty work and you did the simple stuff. but a victory is a victory so take it however you can get it.


i really love the shadows that this baby throws on the walls. it's almost like a funky wallpaper pattern. i don't know that it will be my permanent light fixture, but maskros is better than my old chandy. what do you think?
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17 comments:

  1. Running RicigFebruary 23, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    really cool! Gotta love ikea!!

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  2. katieFebruary 23, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    Love it! Very helpful instructions as well. Can you also order extremely handy/helpful brothers at IKEA?

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  3. jrozFebruary 23, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    that is sooo cool! Loving the shadows. That was well worth the 210% effort.

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  4. Carrie LambFebruary 27, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    Sarah!! I have to tell you that Maskros was featured in Food and Wine magazine!! I saw it today and thought of this blog post! :)

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  5. Sarah RayFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    caroline, thanks for the heads up! i'm excited that i'm actually on trend. unless it was featured in a negative manner....then i just don't want to know.

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  6. StephanieMarch 2, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    I'm so glad you put that light up! I have been eying that one as well as some others for some time for our dinning room but haven't seen it in real life.

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  7. antMarch 3, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    I've been pulling my hair out trying to get that cup to fit over the metal plate!!! It seems like the metal plate would have to be mere centimeters smaller in diameter...

    How did it fit once your brother found a new plate, and did he just find it at any old hardware store? Help!

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  8. Sarah RayMarch 4, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    ant,
    yes, you can pick up the smaller plate at any local hardware store. once that was in place, the plastic base fit really well. after you adjust the length of the chord, the base holds itself in place. good luck!

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  9. UnknownMarch 30, 2011 at 6:25 PM

    Excellent (and entertaining) instructions! One question though: Apparently, my roomie and I are mentally deficient, because although we got the Maskros together just fine (with the help of a useful fiance rather than a useful brother), we cannot find a bulb that fits to save our lives. What kind of lightbulb are you using?

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  10. Sarah RayMarch 31, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    kathleen, i share your lightbulb frustration. i did not buy the lightbulb that ikea suggested at the store, thinking any old bulb would do. bad idea. i'm using a dim 40 watt candelabra bulb. it doesn't produce much light, so i'm going to ikea this weekend to pick up a new bulb (not easy to do when the closest store is 3 hours away). good luck!

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  11. LayneJuly 31, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    Hi Sarah, how did you get the "dome" part that you coil up the excess wire in to stay flush against the ceiling? I know that there is a hook and that white clip, but even when I get the wire at the right height and the coil it all up and put the clip on the hook, the "dome" comes down a few inches. Any suggestion would be much appreciated. Thanks and yours looks real nice. How did the new bulb turn out by the way. Any brighter?

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  12. Sarah RayAugust 2, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    Hi Layne, I know exactly what you're talking about. I had the same problem. I ended up stripping some of the white coating on the outside of the wire off and then I was able to coil the wire more tightly. This let me get the dome flush with the ceiling. I ended up adding some silicon where the dome meets the ceiling, too, so there is no gap anymore. Does this make sense? Feel free to email me at girlandgreatdane@blogspot.com if you have more questions!

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  13. MurphyJanuary 26, 2012 at 1:44 PM

    Thanks so much for posting this--we are having the same problem. The new plate you bought at the hardware store, is it a problem that there is no hook on it liket he ikea one has?? I guess I still do not understand the physics of this one..how do you pull the cord really tight if you have to be "inside" the globe to pull it tight??

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  14. AtlantaKimFebruary 8, 2012 at 8:13 PM

    We just went through this nightmare today! Same issue with the provided metal plate being too large for the white plastic base to cover. Went to Home Depot & purchased a BLUE PLASTIC cover in the lighting aisle for a couple of dollars as well as a metal screw hook. I used a nail & hammered a pilot hole thru the center of the blue plate (placed the blue disk in the grass & hammered the nail thru into the ground) & then proceeded to screw in the hook. Next, I hammered the nail thru another section of the blue plate & twirled it around to enlarge the hole. This is the hole you will need to thread the white electric cord. Once we attached the blue plastic cover to the ceiling the white cover fit around it perfectly & sat flush with the ceiling. Hooray!

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  15. StephanieMarch 25, 2012 at 9:59 AM

    I had to relook this post up because my father-in-law helped me put ours up this weekend. I had wanted it up before book club but meh, oh well, it's up now! I had to look it up though to see your soluation for the light bulb because I neglected to buy one too! You should be super proud btw when you google "ikea maskros light bulb" your the third one from the top, with Ikea's own website being the top two.

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  16. These Peach RosesMarch 21, 2013 at 8:37 AM

    I am gearing up to hang my Mastros in a couple of days. Can't wait for this papercuts.... :(

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  17. BookwormJune 29, 2013 at 11:51 PM

    Is it possible to attach the flower things to the wire spokes before putting them onto the light fixture? This would be easier on the arms than attaching the spokes to the fixture and then attaching the flowers... Please respond asap, my dad is going to help me with this on Monday. Thanks!

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