Solar Light Chandelier

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This post is a two-parter! From DIY fail to a fun porch chandelier.

A few months ago, on my first trip to Junk Heaven (also known as Mountain Top Treasures), I picked up this old light fixture.

Rusty, crusty, and lovely.

I've been holding onto it for a while, waiting for inspiration to strike. I finally decided to do something with it, so I started by cleaning off the chipping paint with a wire brush and spray painting it black.

It was a little too perfect, so I scuffed it up a bit with sand paper. I even had an extra set of chubby little hands to help!

I had always had a chime in mind for this, and I even gave that a try. I pieced together the light fixture with parts from a favorite chime of mine that broke when it fell during a storm last fall.

I loved the way it looked, but it didn't ring. Now, I don't mind something just "for looks" - there are more than a few broken clocks around the house - but a chime needs to sound pretty.

On to part two!

I had just finished about two dozen mason jar solar lights for my booth at Tin Pan Alley, so I decided to try making a solar light chandelier! 

To create the solar lights, I used a combination of tutorials from other bloggers (One Good Thing By Jillee and Garden Therapy), and added a few of my own ideas. 

To start with, I used E6000 glue to attach the mason jar lid to the ring. I didn't want to risk the lid falling and the light breaking if someone decided to open the jar. I'm tempted to do this with all my mason jar lids! Of all the jars I have, I have never used one for canning.

I just discovered this epoxy - it's pretty amazing. A word of warning though, it has an incredibly strong smell. I recommend using it outside, and walking away while it dries!

The big man drilled holes in the lids with a hole-saw bit on our drill, and I glued the solar light (unscrewed from the stake) right to the lid.

I wanted my jar lids to look like they've been around a while, so I did a little dry painting to age them. 

I started with black, then added a little white.

I also threw in some grey, and touched it up with some more black. I just wanted a little age on them.

A little bit of bailing wire, and they were ready to hang on the light fixture.

Here they are lit up...

It was a windy night, hard to get a still picture!

They give off such a pretty glow from behind the glass of the mason jars. I might even switch them out for quilted jam jars to see how the light reacts!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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