I've been in the garden quite a bit. I found a quote I love in a garden book I've been reading:
"All gardens begin in winter dreams."
Isn't that so beautiful and spot on. I love spring when all those winter dreams begin to take shape. Our local Ben Franklin had signs up the last time that I was there that said Don't just Pin it, do it. This is one of those projects that I put on my garden pinterest board this winter.
The first thing I did with my ten dollar thrift store find is strip the wiring out. This involved dismantling the candelabras and taking the bottom off to access the wiring. The hardest part was unscrewing the nuts on the candelabra. I used a screwdriver as a pry bar to loosen it.
Most of the pinterest chandeliers were spray painted. I knew I didn't want to do that because my style is more Grandma chic than Ikea hip. I wanted an antique finish that would weather and look better with time. I used chalk paint and didn't clean, sand or do any prep work at all.
PS. One of the perks of using what you have: The paint matches my beachy outdoor set. If it dripped it didn't matter because this color is already in the table finish. I used a sponge brush because I wasn't concerned with coverage. I like the spots where the brass shows through. I didn't want brush marks to show though so I sponge painted it. This technique is something I mastered in 1980-something when my mother had me help her sponge paint the entire living room. I painted the chandelier and the metal parts of the solar lights. These lights are the second set I purchased for this project. I returned the first set because the size was too big and it made it look out of proportion.
Glueing them into the candelabra cups proved more difficult. I ended up using a long set and quick set glue.
I can't wait to see it lit up tonight.
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