Planter and Mardi Gras Bead Chandelier

by Rob & Courtney M, Hometalk Team

8 Materials

$60-65

3-4 Hours

Medium

I've seen DIY chandeliers online for years and have been dying to make one of my own but never got around to it. I love the ones with the wooden beads, but you'd be surprised how quickly your bill will rack up using them, since you need so many to do one chandelier. So I chose to use Mardi Gras beads from the Dollar Store instead. The final product wasn't exactly what I had envisioned (reminds me of a jelly fish--haha!) but it was close enough and it looks so much better in my kitchen than what used to be in its place.

planter and mardi gras bead chandelier, how to, lighting

Supplies:

-2 planters (I had 2 wire planters I picked up about 3 years ago from an antique shop in PA. I used them for another project but then decided to repurpose them for this chandelier; however, once I sprayed them and went to put them together, I realized they were slightly different sizes so I had to run and pick one up from Home Depot since my local Dollar Store didn't have any. The planters were 12".)

-Mardi Gras beads (I purchased 10 packs of 8 strands from the Dollar Store.)

-spray paint (4 cans should be all you need)

-jute rope

-scissors

-twist ties (3-4)

-hot glue gun/sticks

-canopy kit

-mini pendant kit

STEP 1: Spray Paint Everything

First, I spray painted my planters and beads with the color of my choice. I chose heirloom white which was a nice vintage white. For the planters, I had to do 2 coats on all sides to make sure the color was nice and even; for the beads, it took me about 4 coats to get maximum coverage.

STEP 2: Attach Planters

Next, I attached my two planters to create one piece. I simply took some clear twist ties I had saved from a something Rob and I purchased way back when (I save anything and everything I think will be beneficial for future projects) and tied the planters together.

STEP 3: Cut Bead Strands and Glue Together

After my chandelier base was together, I started cutting a few strands of beads in half. I didn't have much of a strategy in mind for the beadwork, but eventually I found a method. At first though, I decided to attached one strand to each section of my Home Depot planter (I'll refer to this planter as my "thick" planter). I hot glued the severed ends at the middle of the chandelier base and glued the beads down all the way down to the bottom.

Then, once all of the sections were covered, I hot glued the severed ends of each strand to the middle, left a little slack where there was no base/skeleton, and hot glued the strand to the bottom of the base. I worked around the whole chandelier until all of the bead strands were glued down. If there were any areas that seemed as if they may come loose, I put another dab of glue and held it there until it dried.

*If anyone is wondering what I used to hold the chandelier while I worked on it, Rob had the brilliant idea of using his guitar stand. Worked perfectly!

STEP 4: Glue Rope

Once all of my beads were attached, I took the jute top and hot glued it around the top edge of the beads. I felt this was my best solution to cover up the uneven beaded edge and also give it a little extra rustic touch. I contemplated wrapping the rope around to cover the top "skinny" planter entirely but didn't want it to look too much, so I decided against it (if anyone thinks I should continue with the rope, let me know!).

STEP 5: Mount Chandelier

Finally, I had Rob jump in to mount the chandelier. He attached the original chain hanger back to the skinny planter (you may have to touch up your paint if some chips off in this process) and hooked it to the canopy. Then, he cut the cord in the mini pendant kit in order to get the canopy off that came with it--this allowed him to utilize the loop in the canopy kit that we purchased.

*Side note: I originally purchased a canopy kit and a swag chain kit. I didn't realize that the swag chain kit could only be used for an existing light fixture (i.e.: it didn't come with a light socket or anything like that for a NEW lighting fixture) so I had to return that kit and purchase a mini pendant kit instead. The mini pendant kit came already attached to a canopy (the circle with a hole that attaches to the ceiling), however, it wouldn't allow us to use the planter chain/hanger, which is why we had to cut that canopy off and use the separate canopy kit since it came with a loop you can hang the planter on...HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE!

Here is my final product! Again, not totally what I had pictured but it looks pretty cool and it's handmade, which makes it special to me. I still may go back and cut the long beaded strands off because I'm not super crazy with how long they are, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with the end result of my take on a beaded planter chandelier.

This chandelier adds one more element of country chic/rustic farm style to our home! Now to carry on the style throughout the rest of our humble abode...

UPDATE: I ended up chopping the "tentacles" off. I'm so much happier with this chandelier now!

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Planters (Antique shop & Home Depot)
Mardi gras beads (Dollar Store)
Hot glue gun/sticks (Wal*Mart)
Jute rope (Home Depot)
Mini pendant kit (Home Depot)
Spray paint (Home Depot)
Scissors
Canopy kit (Home Depot)

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Frequently asked questions

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3 questions

Dcassady1 on Aug 08, 2016
Beads Wouldn't opalescent Christmas tree beads have been easier since the strand is longer, and they would have reflected a prettier light?

2
JL Barnes on Aug 08, 2016
gorgeous,gives me idea for new life in my old one. thanks, any trouble with the hotglue when the light has been on for awhile?

1
Robby Treichel on Jan 05, 2017
How does the bottom look since you cut the beads off? It looks really nice from the angle you photographed.

1