before and after goods: $7 chandelier

hello!

first off, i want to assure you that as you read this i am more than likely in my master bathroom....purging and cleansing!  (no, not the usual purging and cleansing that happens in a bathroom.)  this kind of purging and cleansing. i wonder how many trash bags will come out of that room?  i'll be sure to come back and tell you all about it. until then....

i'm going to show you the before and after of the chandelier in my dining room. we had a wonderful chandelier in here before. it was perfectly fine and i loved it. i just didn't love it in my dining room any more.

here's why:
1. i hated the black next to the gray/brown walls.
2. the shades were all wrong in here and new shades are really really really expensive.
3. it was too big with the green table.
4. it was too heavy in the room.
5. i wanted the painting to be the first thing you notice in the room. that big black chandi was just getting in the way!

(different paintings are pictured below. those are apples- also original watercolors by my brother.)

i had no intentions of replacing the old chandelier as we didn't have a budget for it at all. but then, my good luck charm came into town. my mom!  when my mom comes for a visit we love to go to the habitat for humanity restore. this time, we went to a new one. good decision! 

it was $7. no joke.  i have proof.

it was missing a couple of crystals.
it was a hideous brass color.

the glass was splattered with plaster.
it was really dirty.

but we knew.....

so it came home with us.

i took it completely apart.

my mom washed all of it's girlie parts.

i taped it up and took it outside...

...for a little date with mr. rust-oleum.

i couldn't be more pleased with the results.

for the amount of money i spent, i am thrilled beyond belief.

if you have never tried installing a light in the ceiling...go ahead and do it.

there's nothing to be afraid of. i was scared too, but i did my research, made sure i was attaching the wires correctly and had the breaker turned off. (please make sure you have help!)

and it was fine! and actually quite easy!  nothing a little youtube.com "how to install a chandelier" can't handle.

(i am no way qualified to give advice on how to install anything requiring electricity. do so at your own risk.)

did i scare you off? hope not. i just felt like i needed to say that. you never know.

it's exactly what the room needed.

so, again, here is the chandelier before:

and here is the after:

and here is the room before:

and the room after:

ahhhhh......much better!

next week i'll show you more on the china cabinet and the drapes.

i hope you are having a great ash wednesday. i am headed to church and then home to start bag #1.

blessings,
~elisabeth