Chandelier Makeover

 If you follow along with me on Instagram (and you should!) then you know I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Edison Bulbs!  I realize it's a trend that may not stick around long but I really wanted to change my light fixture above our dining room table to one that had Edison bulbs in it but didn't want to make a big investment for it since it is a trend that I may tire of.  So I started brainstorming and thought about just painting the one that is there and removing the glass globes and then adding Edison Bulbs.  It worked beautifully and now I love it.

I was never a real big fan of this chandelier but we bought it in a hurry because our previous chandelier started burning the ceramic little cup holder things (Makes no sense I know but believe me it was bad news).  This one was good enough for awhile but I grew tired of it pretty quickly.  I had been looking for some time to change it out to a prettier one but just didn't want to spend a fortune on a new chandelier.  That is where a little Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint comes in handy!

 To do this you will need:

A chandelier that you don't like anymore

Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint

Chandelier chain in oil rubbed bronze

a handy man to do the electrical or if you are lucky enough to know how to do it go for it!

Edison Bulbs or Vintage Bulbs

 I started out by removing all the glass globes and stuffing the light sockets with paper towels so no paint got into them.

 Spray several coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze on the entire chandelier.  I even sprayed the cord so it would all match.

 I picked up a chandelier chain so that I didn't have to paint our previous one because I knew it may chip and get yucky when we were hanging it and boy am I glad I did this.

 Thread the cord through the chain to prepare to hang it.  Ours always had a bunch of extra cord at the bottom so my husband shortened the cord before we put it back up and it looks so much better now!

 I picked up my bulbs at Marshall's for under 6 bucks and if you have shopped around for them you know that is a great price.  I wanted to have the bulbs that were a little more elongated but they have lots of different shapes you can choose from.  I have heard Amazon has a great selection of them for a reasonable price but I've never looked.

 That is it!  As long as you can remove it and reconnect it safely then you can makeover a chandelier too!  Please if you do change one make sure you turn off the power at the breaker box.  It's not enough to just switch the light off at the switch.

 I just love on these vintage bulbs how the filament shows.  I originally were going to cover the threaded part that holds the bulb but then I decided I kind of liked it so I left it as it is.

It is hard to get a photo of the light when the bulbs are turned on so you may not be able to tell there are lots of little filaments showing and I just love that.

Super cheap way to make over a dining room chandelier and I now love it but won't feel too bad if I decide I no longer want the vintage bulbs and switch it out because I didn't spend much on this transformation.

Simple Painted Wine Bottle Framed Centerpiece

I was cleaning the house this past weekend and really needed an updated centerpiece for the dining room table.  I can't stand to have the table sitting empty and I was bored with my previous centerpiece so I rooted around in the garage where I keep all my extra decorating items and found the painted wine bottles I use for a variety of things and these great frames I had from Micheal's that were just 5 bucks. A light bulb went off and I thought I'd make a framed centerpiece with the wine bottles.  So out came the spray paint and ran out to the yard to put a quick coat of ivory paint on the frame and then sanded some of the paint off to give it an older look.

So simple and quick to do!

 I used Krylon Almond in satin finish for the frame and then sanded it down after it was dry.  I also gathered up a few twigs that were in my yard from a recent storm and lightly coated them with a little white spray paint so they weren't just a drab gray color.  I wanted to use them for filler and this coat of paint helped brighten them up a little bit.

 I placed the frame on the table and then centered the bottles and added the painted twigs and was done.  Can't get easier than that!

 Who knew?  A little paint on the twigs snazzed them right up.

 These frames were such a bargain at 5 dollars and are super easy to paint any color.  Because the base color was black it was perfect for sanding some of the color off to give it an old feeling.

 I used a sanding block to sand off some of the paint on the details of the frame and some of the edges.  I love doing this to painted items to make them look a little worn.

Perfect for the dining room table!

. . . Lamp into a Garden Ornarment with All You Magazine . . .

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

It seems like it has been forever since I have posted a DIY project and thanks to All You Magazine I have a fantastic project to show you!  I'm in Ohio visiting family so this turned into a group project and now everyone wants a set or two of these Garden Ornaments.

I have been a reader of All You for a long time now so when I had the opportunity to do a post inspired by something from their magazine I jumped at the chance.  Some of my favorite recipes and projects have come from their amazingly easy ideas featured on the pages of their publication.  They always have wonderful photos and great step by step instructions which is really nice.

I  always pick up an issue when I'm out and about and this month I was excited to see the All You Magazine at the checkout at my Target Store!!  Yay!  It makes it super easy to throw it in the cart while you wait in line.  The best part is that they have a coupon in it for another issue and then Target printed off a coupon for me for an issue as well so it basically paid for itself.  The coupons in the magazine will make your day for sure even if you aren't a regular coupon clipper! 

July 2013 Issue of All You Magazine

This Month I was flipping through the pages of All You thinking about a DIY project and when I saw an old lamp redone as a garden ornament I went bonkers.  I rushed to Goodwill and found the most perfect set of lamps and got a drapery rod with finials on the ends that could be taken apart and had less than $10.00 in it.  That is one thing I love about their magazine--it's a great resource for making things on a budget.  I went to the store and grabbed a few bottles of spray paint and I was in business.

. . . Garden Ornament

This lamp was beyond perfect because each of the two had big weights in the bottom so I didn't have to worry about weighting it to sit outside.  I also loved that they were only $3.00 each and they almost have a Greek look to them and look like they were made for the garden. 

All You Magazine gave great instructions on how to do this step by step too but I included how I did mine as well.

• I started with taking the lamps apart so that the individual pieces could be painted but if you didn't want two colors you could just paint it in one piece after you've removed the electrical parts.  Sorry I didn't have a photo of that process but it was super easy. 

• Then I divided my pieces up so they could be two colors.

• I used Rust-Oleum textured spray paint for some of the pieces and Krylon Ivy Leaf for the other parts 

Be sure to let the pieces dry well

 • I painted all the gold pieces green first 

• I then coated the metal ivory pieces with the textured paint and let them dry well and then put the lamp all back together.  If you have a lamp like this be sure to take a photo of how it looked before because it would have been pretty tricky putting all the pieces back together without a photo.

. . . Love it!

 . . . Pretty!

. . . Fun Makeover!

Be sure to head over to www.allyou.com\value to receive a money saving coupon and to find your nearest store to purchase the magazine!  You will love it!