Jazzing up a Chandelier

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How To Easily Add Pizazz To Your Chandelier Project

This is the chandelier that I painted over the weekend. It looks great as it is but I really wanted it to add some "WOW" to it. So, I decided to go with the draping string of beads look.

This is the perfect project for my hot glue gun! Be sure to plug it in before you get started so that it will be good and hot when you're ready for it. And keep extra glue sticks within reach, too.

I picked up a 4 pack of mardi gras beads from the dollar store. I wanted the larger set of arms to have a double drape of beads and the top tier of shorter arms to have one drape of beads hanging between the candle stick base and where the arm attaches to the center. I measured the long arms first and determined that the longer drape would need to be 9 inches long and that the shorter drape would need to be 7 inches long. Then I measured the small arms and determined that the drape for those would need to be 5 inches long. So, I cut 5 lengths to 16" and 5 more down to 5" for a total of 10 lengths of beads for the 10 arms. 

I put my first dab of hot glue under the candlestick base on the inside of the arm and pressed the end of a 16" string of beads into it until it held firmly. 

I put my next dab of hot glue just under the detail where the arm attaches to the middle and held the string at to the level of drape i wanted and then pressed the beads into the hot glue until it holds. the remaining 7" of the string is left dangling.

Now, for the third dab of hot glue right on top of the beads you already glued under the candlestick base and press the other end of the beads into the glue until it holds. 

This is what it should look like when its all glued on. Pretty!

Repeat for all five of the bottom tier of long arms.

The second tier of short arms is very similar. Glue dab under the candlestick base, attach one end of the 5" length of beads. Glue dab at the arm base, attach opposite end of beads. Repeat for all 5 of the top tier of the short arms. I didn't take any extra pics of this step.

I had some beads left over so I used them to dress up the ball at the bottom. Again, measuring out the length and gluing it in place one hot glue dab at a time starting at one end and working your way around. You should really only need about 3 hot glue dabs to keep it in place.

This is what it will look like from underneath when its hanging above the tea table.

The finishing touch: orange light bulbs for the "flames." 

(Another dollar store find!)

And this is the finished product!

The perfect pop of color with elegant draping beads to give it a little more flair. The perfect prop for my tween's birthday party!

RECAP

Project Duration: 3 Days

This chandelier from purchase to paint to embellishments was a 3 day project since you have to allow for drying time for the primer and paint. 

Plus you really don't want to bring it inside until the spray paint smell has aired out of it.

Total cost: $15

Goodwill Chandelier $2

Primer $5

Paint $3

Beads $1

Light bulbs $4

*Psst* If you missed the previous post on painting the chandelier you can find it here!

This is a great starting point for a chandelier project that you would use in your home as an everyday light fixture in a hallway or your kids bedroom.

That's all for me today!

Until next time,

Have any thoughts or comments?

Questions or suggestions?

Let me know in the comments below!

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Yard Sale Finds: Silver Platter

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 Updating an Old Serving Platter

I recently stopped by a local yard sale and found the proverbial diamond in the rough! Buried at the bottom of a box under balls of newspaper and some sad looking wicker baskets was an old silver serving platter that had been left sitting somewhere to tarnish. Today was this poor beauties day of new birth! I had plans for him...

Cleaning it up

This poor tarnished platter desperately needs some love! We had some silver polish at home that would do the trick! The directions says to use two soft clean towels. One to clean and the other to shine..

Just apply a generous amount to one towel and rub the polish into the metal surface in a circular pattern. It did not have any markings on it to confirm that it was silver, so, I started on the back side of the platter just to be safe. 

    

I was really surprised at how easily the tarnish came up!

It looks so much better!

The front side shined up pretty well, too!

Use the clean towel to remove the residue from the polish.

But there was still plenty of evidence of neglect left around the edges that wouldn't budge.

This was just the prep stage anyway, now on to the next step!

Priming

I used Rust-Oleum clean metal primer to cover the whole thing. It needs plenty of time to dry before you flip it over to do the other side. But you can cut out a lot of time if you have a way to safely hang it up and paint it.

Painting 

I didn't have a way to hang mine, and I was impatient, so after some unfortunate smudging, here it is! Every girl needs a little hot pink in her life right?!

I used Valspar's Paint + Primer Premium Finish spray paint. 

Allow this to dry, and air out that spray paint smell, overnight

Aging

Now to give it the finishing touch with some antiquing gel from the Valspar line!It says to use a cotton cloth for this but I thought that some cotton balls might do just as well.

Valspar products can be found at your local Lowe's store!

After shaking the bottle well I just dabbed a cotton ball in the cap and smeared it all over top of the engraved areas to get it in all the crevices!

(Extra cool points if you know what H.E.B. is!) 

When I was satisfied I used a clean cotton ball and applied some rubbing alcohol to it. Squeeze it out so it isn't sopping wet.

Then I lightly rubbed the surface to get all the excess off of the raised areas. (I only wanted the engraving to have the color in it) This took some time to perfect. I had to go back over a few places with more antiquing gel. But, I finally got the look I was going for!

Here is a close up!

This little beauty is going to be used as a prop for my daughter's birthday party. 

It will hold the tea pot, creamer, and sugar cubes!

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After the party it could be used for: 

Catch-all on a vanity 

or

Display some trinkets and picture frames on a bookshelf

or

As part of a centerpiece for your coffee table

NOTE:

*It would NOT be safe to eat directly off of this platter!*

Stay tuned for pictures of this platter in action at the party!

Until Next Time,

What would you use this piece for?

Let me know in the comments!

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How to: Paint a Chandelier

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So this is the brass chandelier that I got for super cheap at the Goodwill Outlet in Kansas City

Just a simple little thing that I plan on using as decor for my daughter's upcoming birthday party

Instructions

So the first thing you need to do is remove the plastic white "candlestick" parts that cover the electrical parts and clean it well with soap and water and cover the electrical parts with blue painters tape

Now you will need to find a place to hang the chandelier from that puts it right between shoulder and elbow level. My porch has a beam that has plenty of nails and hooks in it that worked perfectly for this. You will need room to crouch down underneath it too to make sure you don't miss anything you will be able to see when it's hanging above everyone's head.

Now we can prime the surface! I used Rust-Oleum's clean metal primer. You can cover rust spots with this and not worry about them eating through the paint.

Be careful not to spray too close or you will get these hideous drips...

I was able to wipe them off and spray over them again. They were still there but much less visible.

The instructions tell you to wait at least an hour before the next coat. I did not do a second coat of primer, I just went straight to the color! I used Valspar's paint + primer combination in gloss. You can only find this brand at Lowe's stores.

It went on smooth without a hitch! It was a huge help to have the chandelier at a level where I could easily see it from all angles above and below to make sure it was completely covered.

Now you can give it another coat if you want, but I stopped there and let mine dry overnight. The next morning I had to adjust the length that it was hanging in order to paint the entire length of the chain and cord. Then i removed the blue painters tape and replaced the candle sticks.

TIP: you can easily make a simple cover to hide the cord instead of painting it. Tutorial here.

Wasn't that EASY?! And, it turned out really nice, too!  We will not be wiring this into our electricity, its just for a one day decoration. If I wanted to buy orange light bulbs for it I can get them in a 3 pack at the dollar store.

Expenses

Chandelier $2

Painters Tape Free (On Hand)

Primer $5

Spray Paint $4

+Tax

Total Cost

This was a $10 project!

Now all that is left is to figure out the flame part of the candles and add some fancy embellishments. I plan on bedazzling it a bit more with some gem stones and mardi gras beads or pearls

See it here.

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BONUS: If you're really feeling artsy, you can apply some antiquing gel on the swirly parts to give it some more character! I did some experimenting with this on a silver platter in another post! Be sure to check it out and follow my blog below so you don't miss a thing!

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If you are planning on using this as a real lighting fixture in you home it may cost more in supplies to wire it in. I have a hubby that keeps that stuff on hand so it wouldn't cost me anything to ask him to do it for me :) I would just have to buy the bulbs for an extra $4.

Thanks for looking!

I hope this was helpful to all you crafty mama's out there!

Till Next time,

What did you think?

Still have questions?

Have any suggestions?

Please let me know in the comments!

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Planning a Girl's 9th Birthday Party - Part 2

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Getting Things Together

After solidifying the theme with the birthday girl and thoroughly researching party decoration ideas via Pinterest I was ready to hit the stores with my shopping list! 

Decor

I ran out to my local Goodwill Outlet store to look for decor and fashion show accessories. If you haven't been to one yet, I highly recommend the experience! Just like any retail outlet, this is where all the unwanted items go for one last chance to make a sale at rock bottom prices. Here the items are actually priced by the pound and most items cost less than $1 per pound! For example: approximately four pairs of jeans for $3.50. So you can imagine how cheap lightweight decorations will be! If you live in the Kansas City area here is a list of stores to choose from! If you live outside of the KC Metro area you will have to find you local Goodwill's website and search for stores within their organization.

I was really hoping to find the perfect chandelier to paint and embellish with strings of pearls and gem stone beads. Lowe and behold in the first bin I peered into sat the lighting fixture of my dreams! Nothing too big, a simple two tiered candle stick style fixture with a chain and the base to attach to the ceiling. (It's a good idea to make sure all the parts are in place, in case there is an arm missing or something) All the cords are intact, although, I have no intentions of wiring this into to electricity, it's just for show! It's a polished brass look for now, but we will fix that later. 

I also found a polished brass candle holder fashioned to look like an English street lamp, the kind with the enclosed glass case around the bulb. Perfect for an electric tea light candle on the Tea Party table! I will jazz it up with some pink paint and glitter and what not. There was also a tin bucket with a cutout of a castle in one side and it was already covered in purple glitter, score! And a picture holder with a small dress form and a miniature bridal dress that i will  dye a fun color. I will either use the picture holders to display her birthday cards she receives or to post a sign for "Desserts" "Tea Time" or something like that. Besides that my hubby came across these blue square vinyl stencil looking things. Not sure what they are actually but I plan to use them as everyday decor in her bedroom. I might cover that ugly light fixture with them, hmm...

Now, I also found a large canvas look wall art piece in pink and brown. It was still intact but dirty around the edges. They priced it at $2. SOLD! I plan to paint over it and make my own subway art. That's much better than going out and buying a canvas from the craft store for $20! 

For the rest of my Decor needs such as streamers and balloons I will hit up my local dollar store. I can make my own confetti from the super cheap tissue paper as well as the fluffy tissue balls that you see all over pinterest! They have paper doilies there too that you can make bunting out of and poster paint, glitter, and googly eyes if need be.

Fashion Show Props

I came across two very cute change purses in nearly new condition. One was metallic gold alligator and the other was covered in blue glitter. I found a feather boa in black and red and a gold sequined covered skirt. I topped off my shopping cart with a pink belt and a scarf like headband. Finally, I found all 4 take home goodie totes for the party guests! Two of them had an animal print on them, one was mesh with a row of fish around the top and the last one had a "Post Cards from Paris" print on the front. The girls will get to take home the fashion show props they picked out.

Again, I love the dollar store for things like this! I know my local store carries long satin look gloves in pinks and purples as well as tiaras, princess wands, sunglasses and the like. You never know what else you will find there! 

Activities

I couldn't believe my eyes when I found a Fancy Nancy board game in an outlet bin. "The Perfect Parfait" game is a race against your opponents to collect the correct game pieces that build the perfect parfait! It's recommended for children ages 4+, so it may be a bit below their skill level. I think it would be fun anyway, we will see what they think!  

The dollar store also comes in really handy for cheap craft materials! I will check there first for the flip flops and ribbon I will need for the "Decorate Your Own Flip Flops" craft.

Snacks

Again, it's a good idea to check you dollar store for budget friendly snacks and cake mix. I will be picking up my "9" candle and cupcake papers there and probably the paper plates, cups, crazy straws, drink umbrellas, and plastic cutlery. But, for a great price on bulk amounts of hard candies, like swirly lollipops and rock candy on a stick, check out Oriental Trading Co. I will be filling my desert table with sweet treats from this website! Best of all i can order them in specific colors to match the theme! YAY!

Ambiance

For background noise I compiled a list of popular party songs across every genre from the 80's to the present. I added some of my favorite pop songs from the 90's and 2000's and did some research on what's hot now. I used YouTube to create a play list of 64 songs that I made sure had no explicit language or inappropriate images. There is everything from The Go Go's to the Backstreet Boys to Fergie to Imagine dragons to Taylor Swift and Montell Jordan. That list may continue to increase as I still have 2 months to plan things! Feel free to check it out here. 

SO that's where I am so far! I feel like I have accomplished a LOT! But there is still so much left to do... And that means much more to post! In case you missed it, click here to go back to Part 1. If your ready to see how it turned out see Part 3!

Until Next Time,

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