No More Boob Hooks

It's not all been fun and games for the kids around here.  I know I've posted a lot of kid activities recently but that doesn't mean I've been neglecting my to do list.

One thing that has been bugging me for a while has been the hooks on our hall tree.  You've heard of boob lights, right?  If not check out THIS article to see what I'm talking about.

Well, our hall tree had what I call boob hooks.  See what I mean:

Let's get a closer look, shall we:

Definitely related to the boob light, right.

I thought it would be easy to replace these hooks with something more my style.  However finding budget friendly hooks wasn't easy.  Since the original hooks screw in from the back, I needed the new hooks to do the same.  Most hooks you buy at the store are installed from the front and have screws visible from the front.

I was able to find these guys at Wal-Mart:

But after trying them on for size, I knew they were too big.  I even took a picture and asked those of you on Facebook in hopes of changing my mind.

I got mixed answers but I knew I didn't like them so I went with my gut and put the originals back on till I found what I wanted.

It occurred to me that it might be cheaper to find a rack with hooks rather than buy the individual hooks.  And since the hooks would already be screwed into a board, they might be screwed from the back just like I want.

So instead of $20-$30 per hook (and I needed 4), I got this for $30 at Home Depot.

The plan was to unscrew these hooks from the rack and install them on the hall tree.

Rarely do things go according to plan for me and this time was no exception.

Turns out the holes from the original hooks were a bit too far apart for the new hooks to fit in properly.

See what I mean.  

The 'pegs' of the new hooks were spaced slightly closer together than the old hooks.

Not only that, but the screws that came with the new hooks were too short to fit through the hall tree.
So I got my husband to drill the bottom holes bigger and I got new screws from the hardware store and finally my hall tree no longer has boobs.

It now has a more updated look.

And I like it so much better.

Here's the before and after for you:

This small and not so simple change really makes the piece fit in with our decor better.

Anyone else making small changes to their home?  Do your DIY projects always turn out to be more complicated than you anticipated?

Thanks for stopping by,
Christa