Enlightened...

 

I like to follow a blog by a gal named Kasey Buick...  

She up and moved her family to Kauai 

a couple of years ago...  

Talk about pluck...  

It takes some cojones to leave all that is secure and familiar 

to leap off that cliff...  

I have enjoyed following her experiences and seeing the beauty 

she has found in her new life, 

even if finances have been strained... 

 See a theme, here?  

It's like a support group...  

Those of us striving for beauty, happy and goodness 

in the face of monetary dearth...  

Making the best of things even 

when life kicks you in the shins...  

In Kasey's latest post, she became too fed up 

with the limey color of her home 

so she started by making over her daughter's room 

with little or no money...  

This is the stuff I live for...  

Check out her blog...  

Her style is gorgeous...  

Her post reminded me of a recent house project 

I completed that gave me such satisfaction 

that I shouted with glee!  

My outburst startled Kate, so she jumped... 

And then she laughed at me...

  

I have coveted these super cool beaded chandeliers 

for almost a year...  

They speak of Restoration Hardware's bleached wood 

(and outrageously expensive) style, 

or Susanne Kasler's spare chic found in Ballard Designs...

 

Most of them cost six hundred 

to over a thousand dollars...  

Thank you, Pinterest, AGAIN, 

for coming to the rescue...

  

I found this tutorial, thanks to tatertots and jello  , 

for making a chandelier of my very own, on the cheap... 

It could not have been any easier 

to craft this light...  

The chandelier can be purchased at Lowes 

for around $48.00.  

 

I left it black, but it would be so chic 

spray painted in any color...  

The other supplies you need are an electric drill, 

jewelry making filament cord, 

needle nose pliers, 

jump rings, 

small beads you like 

and two sizes of unfinished wood beads... 

 

I purchased the unfinished wood beads from Oriental Trading 

and chose two bags of 1/2 inch beads, 100 per bag...  

I also bought 3/4 inch beads 

and bought four bags of 50 beads... 

The smaller beads to be strung 

between the beads were from JoAnn.  

Make sure to bring that 40% off coupon, 

as the beads can be pricey...  

I chose beads that were $5.99 for 30 beads... 

You can rack up the costs quickly by getting dazzled 

by all the pretty beads! 

I chose ones that looked like Tiger Eye, 

to blend in with the unfinished beads...      

Drill, or have your drill expert (T$) drill four holes 

in the pan section of the light... 

Be careful... 

The holes will be jagged...

Don't poke your fingers!  

Now, get a necklace chain that is long and weighty 

from your jewelry box...  

Use it to measure the desired length of drape 

for the chandelier beads...  

Measure from the top center to each light 

and also measure the distance from light to light... 

I think I measured 18" from the center 

and 11" from light to light... 

Now the fun part:  

You get to play kindergarten and string beads!  

It might help to enlist young people, who remember 

what kindergarten was like,

to assist in the beading operation...

 

They like the project, 

as long as they don't drop the beads 

every thirty seconds...

Not that it happened...noooo....

Attach a jump ring to one end of the filament string 

and then begin beading a wood bead, 

then a small bead, etc.  

I used the 1/2 inch beads for the long swag 

from the center to the light...  

I used the 3/4 inch beads for the light to light swags 

and I graduated the little drops for the outside perimeter...  

Get creative!  

See what bead combo you like... 

Once you have beaded one strand and you like the length, 

write down how many beads there are 

and then you don't have to measure the other 5 strands... 

When finished, attach a jump ring to the end 

and make the rest of the strands... 

Using your needle nose pliers, 

attach the jump rings to the holes in the light...  

Stand back and admire the thing of beauty you have created!!  

For bulbs, I found "vintage" bulbs at Home Depot...  

They are 40 watt and when lit, the chandelier casts a soft glow... 

These are not the exact bulbs,

 but the brand is the same...

I am in absolute love with this light... 

It makes my dining room look so much better 

than with the tarnished nightmare I had hanging before... 

However, I am not throwing that perfectly good light away...  

I am going to spray paint it a glossy brown, 

replace the black shades 

with cool grass cloth shades I found on Ebay for only $30.00 

and T$ will install it in in the den...

My next scheme is to figure out how 

to make this light on the cheap...

I met Kasey at her home 

when she had a garage sale before she moved to Hawaii... 

I arrived a couple of hours after the sale began 

and it was slim pickings by then...  

She is such a cool person and a great photographer and writer, 

that I was a little star struck when I met her...  

I think I stammered and said something stupid, 

so she most likely does not remember me...  

Regardless, I love her style 

and her courageous attitude... 

I think she would like my chandelier 

and even if she does not, I think it's "Shaka"!