I made this candle chandelier from an generic looking gold light fixture that I bought on craigslist for five dollars. I cut the electrical wiring out of the top and just left the chain. Then I painted the chandelier a dark brown with a can of Rustoleum spray paint.
I got sheet moss at the Hobby Lobby for $5 for a huge bag. I hot glued the moss into the "candle holders" (sockets) and on the top and some of the other curvy areas of the chandelier. My husband had some Velcro tabs, so I used those to attach the pink roses. I figured that with the Velcro, I could switch out the flowers seasonally, or when they start to look faded.
I had some old crystals in a drawer in the dining room, so I attached those to the bottom of the chandelier. Finally, I wrapped floral tape around the bottoms of 5 tapers so that they would fit into the light sockets.
I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I spent $15 to create a light fixture that looks like it cost much more!
By Rebecca VanCuyk from Appleton, WI
I saw this chandelier at a yardsale for $5 so I bought it thinking this would be great for my dining area if it were distressed to match my dining room table.
We just moved into our house that we have been renting out for several years and I noticed a few things are outdated. I hated the 70's era chandelier over the dining room table because of the smoked glass.
I wanted a crystal chandelier for my dining room. I searched for something affordable. Not! So I decided to make my own.
Do you have old chandelier light covers that give you a headache when you look at them? With a little paint and ribbon, you can have brand new covers!
I like the look of the big drum shades used as chandeliers over a dining table, but don't have much money and actually haven't seen any in stores. Couldn't a regular table lamp drum shade be modified to hang as a pendant/chandelier?
Just an idea - but you could sew decorative chain to the shade in three strands and use that to hold it up. That's more or less how a friend hung up an antique milk shade I got as a present.
They are pretty much the same thing, you might want to add a diffuser (some non-clear plastic) to the bottom of it though.
lighting-bible
lighting-bible.com/