great way to spruce up an inexpensive pendant lamp from IKEA is to simply add pieces of Felt — Kate from design*sponge thought of this idea and the end result is really quite amazing. She bought a few sheets of felt from a local craft store and cut them into small circles, found her old hot glue gun and started gluing away.
a few tips for my next chandelier shopping adventure
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Choosing a Design
Before you dive into the process of creating your own chandelier, take a few minutes to decide what kind of look you really want.
* Where will you put the chandelier—in the living room, a child's room, or over the kitchen table?
* How much of a do-it-yourself person are you? Do you want to make the entire light fixture from scratch, or would you rather revamp an old chandelier?
* What kind of look do you like—eclectic, traditional, elegant, quirky?
Once you have an idea of the style of lighting you want to create, you can begin to make your own chandelier.
Recycling an Old Chandelier
The simplest way to create a chandelier is to take an old one and give it a new look. This can be as simple as giving it a new coat of paint and purchasing some new bulbs, or you can get a bit more creative with some of the following ideas:
* To change its shape, you can cover the chandelier with plaster-embedded gauze, then paint it whatever color you prefer.
* Simply changing out or adding mini lampshades can make a plain light fixture pop with color. Look around your room, and choose shades that match the rest of the décor.
* After painting or cleaning the chandelier, add embellishments. For an inexpensive decorating solution, purchase strings of Christmas beads, and drape them over the light's arms. You can also cut out sections of beads and hang them from each individual light so that they "drip" from the light.
* For a quirky and whimsical look that works great in a child's room, consider hanging toys from a brightly painted chandelier. Stick to a theme, like toy airplanes, small stuffed animals, dolls, moon and stars, aquatic animals, etc. Other ideas include tea cups, large crystals, colored balls, Christmas decorations, etc.
