shabby chic chandelier

i found this horrific brass chandelier at the habitat for humanity restore in st. johns for $10, i bought it with the intention of painting it white and adding some fake crystals to make it shabby chic.

i bought 1 can of  rust-oleum white primer and 2 cans of 'satin blossom white' paint from the local hardware store.

i carefully covered up the light sockets so spray paint wouldn't get in them.  i also took some steel wool to the whole chandelier to 'rough up' the brass so the spray paint would stick better.  after sanding, use a damp cloth to wipe the chandelier off, then let dry.

**you could also use fine sand paper.  there is no need to be extremely rough as you aren't trying to sand the brass off, just rough it up.**

i then hung the chandelier from our clothes line (just somewhere that you will be able to reach all sides) and sprayed it with a coat of the primer and let dry, after it was completely dry (about an hour) i sprayed it a second time with primer and let dry again for another hour.  by this time the chandelier should be completely white with no brass showing through.  i sprayed 2 coats of the satin white spray paint on it as well, letting it dry in between.

**make sure you are not spraying too close to the chandelier because it will be thicker it areas causing drip marks.**

(also, i apologize for the lack of pictures from the middle steps....i forgot!)

while you are waiting for spray paint to dry completely, you can work on stringing up the crystals that will be draped across the chandelier.  i purchased a few bulk packs from michaels as well as a few packages of beads that were different shapes and sizes to offer a little more visual appeal.  i strung 2 different strands of beads on mono-filament string, one was about 3 feet long and the other was about 4 feet.  

the beads that are hanging from the 5 lights were purchased from michaels as well (they were slightly more expensive ($4.00 for the package) and were supposed to be used for earrings)  i attached them with super glue.

i had my landlord actually hang it, as i have NO experience with electricity :) but it looks so wonderful in my 'shabby chic' bedroom!

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