Ever feel like cool, home decor pieces that won’t bust the family budget all strive to oppress your individuality? I know I do. That’s why when we went looking for a funky lighting fixture for our daughter-to-be’s room, I decided to put the kabash on conformity and take things into my own hands. With just a few supplies and about a day’s worth of time, I was able to turn an otherwise boring light fixture into a (dare I say) whimsical delight. Here’s how you can, too!
Step 1: Score an Affordable Chandelier
A metal fixture like this one can be bought for less than $80 at one of the big box, home improvement stores. Look for plain and inexpensive–since you’ll be painting it, there’s no need to spend the extra cash and go fancy.
An even better alternative if you have the time to do a little searching though, is to revamp an old chandelier. Thrift stores and 2nd hand home stores usually have an abundance of garish, ceiling lights for the taking–and often for less than $20! Don’t be afraid to nab one of those ugly, 1970’s apartment lights either–you know the ones, the hideously tacky, faux gold-plated, candelabra looking numbers– those gems usually have a decent shape to them and just need a little make over. It happens to the best of us.
Step 2: Prep for Painting
Remove crystals and other sparkly accouterments.
Apply an even coat of a primer of your choice (either a spray or brush-on version) to the surface area of the chandelier. Let dry.
Note: Wrap up any cords or wires in paper, to keep the paint away from them.
Ok, this is the exciting part (at least it was for me!) After a quick confab with my friend Kathy Cano-Murillo, I discovered that if you use a primer first almost any type of paint will work for projects like this that aren’t going to be put through a lot of wear and tear. Since that’s the case with this light, I decided to put this newfound crafty knowledge to the test!
If you live in a patio-less apartment, are preggers like me, or just can’t stand the fumes of spray paints–skip the aerosol mess and opt for less stress! For about $3-$5 (depending on the size of the fixture you’re covering), a non-toxic fabric paint (that’s right, I said fabric paint) like Tulip’s Soft version will get the job done! Now I know what you’re thinking, “Jeez though, how many of those teeny bottles would it take? Wouldn’t another option be more practical?” Well crafties, the answer is 1 to 2. To give my light a double coat and touch-ups, I barely had to dip in to bottle #2. *pausing for oohs and ahhs* 😉
The other bonus to using craft paints is that there are often more color choices than you’ll find from their spray sisters. This leaves the creative doors open for you to decide whether you want to go white for a Shabby Chic look; silver for a more modern feel; or with a bold color for an urban eclectic vibe. Once you’ve made a life decision about color, it’s time to get started with the painting magic!
Using a sponge brush, paint as many coats as necessary (let dry between applications) to completely cover the chandelier’s exterior and hardware.
Use an artist’s brush to touch-up any nooks and crannies that might’ve alluded the paint party so far. Let dry.
The March YarnYAY! Box crochet project is 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵, a crochet, boomerang shawlette. The shape is more commonly seen in knitted pieces, but I love it because if you want the piece to be larger, you just keep working it in the established pattern.
𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵 is worked with a sweet, as-to-go edging and optional, appliquéd, chain-florets. I designed it to be worn as shown here, scarf-style, but with the option to go full-shawl. You do you!
𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 — 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿 — 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗬𝗔𝗬! 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝘅 (𝘁𝗮𝗽, 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗬𝗔𝗬.𝗰𝗼𝗺)
MODEL FUN FACT:
The gorgeous human modeling this shawlette, Kat Roberts, was the main featured young woman (swipe to see) in the infamous 1992, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog video “Nothing But a G Thang”. That video didn’t age well, but man, she sure did! 🤩
#yarnyay #crochetersofinstagram...
We are so excited that our friend and YarnYAY! Design Manager, @juliamadill's Overprint Bag design was published in the Spring '23 issue of @pompommag !
We love the graphic look, and environmentally conscious purpose of this crochet tote so much, that we've put together two colorful, Montoya Merino Light kits to celebrate!
Go to the YarnYAY! shop link in my @vickiehowell bio to learn more AND get a 20% off discount for the digital issue of the magazine.
Oh, and keep your eyes open for a crochet-along, coming on 3/29!
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝘁. 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆'𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆!🍀
The YarnYAY! 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘹'𝘴 featured shade of 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘢 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 (Desert Jasper), feels right at home with this holiday, so 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀! See below for details.
Side note (that likely no one by me will care about): Giving away hanks on St Patrick's Day, of my Montoya Merino yarn feels appropriate as my dad used to always say that my brother and I were Spirish (Spanish + Irish). Thank you for listening.
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN:
👉🏼Follow @vickiehowell and #yarnyay
👉🏼Tag a friend with this post
👉🏼Comment on 3 of my posts with this emoji: 🍀
*𝘜𝘚 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 (𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥) 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘋𝘔. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝟹/𝟸𝟶/𝟶𝟹 𝘢𝘵 𝟷𝟷:𝟻𝟿𝘱𝘮𝘊𝘛....
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