Spectacular Chandelier Makeover

Beautiful Lighting for the Indoors or Outdoors!

This chandelier was one of the first items I ever purchased at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I paid a whopping $10 for it but held onto it until just the right inspiration struck… Fast forward a few months, and I finally had a great idea for the chandelier! Yahoo!  I am so excited to share my spectacular chandelier makeover! (Can you see it in this box of stuff??)

I bought a package of the vintage replica blue Ball canning jars at the grocery store and I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with them. I saw another chandelier makeover using the jars as shades but the jars were upside down. I figured if I could drill holes in the bottom of the jars, and used lamp sockets with retaining rings, I could use them on my chandelier!

I bought a diamond tip hole cutting saw (<– affiliate link!) in the tile department at  Lowe’s. It is a really cool tool as it comes with adhesive disks and a small reservoir which hold water to keep the saw cool. Not only does the reservoir extend the life of the saw, it also helps keep the saw straight so the holes are not crooked! I paid less than $20 for this tool and it was well worth it! If you’ve never drilled holes in glass or tile, check out my video. It uses a different technique but it is the same concept!

I took the chandelier apart, primed it with Rust-Oleum’s Rusty Metal Primer and painted it with Rust-Oleum’s 2x Ultra cover spray paint in Semi-Gloss White.

I rewired the lamp to use a plug-in cord and in-line switch instead of having to be hardwired, in addition to replacing the sockets. I positioned the jars over the sockets and tightened the retaining rings.

I decided it needed a few crystals to make it complete so I used white floral wire to attach strings of crystals with a few “drops” here and there…

I also decided to hang the chandelier on my porch. To keep the bugs and moths out of the jars, I used a hammer and a nail to punch holes in the lids, then put the lids and rings back on the jars. This way, heat would not build up in the jars from the bulbs.

I didn’t want to use bulbs with a super high wattage because to me, it would look ridiculous on the porch! I found a few 3-watt bulbs that “flicker”! I think it looks really cool and creates a romantic ambiance!

So what do you think? Do you have a spectacular chandelier makeover to share? Let me know at cher {at} designsbystudioc {dot} com!

Originally posted 2014-04-24 08:00:55.