Light up my life

I am new to "thrifting".  I have always been a fan of reusing and repurposing, but I am not a regular thrift store visitor.  I love to wander antique stores browsing, but I have never really thought of them as "stores" where you can buy useful stuff that you need.  Well, I was wrong (I hope my hubby is not reading this...).

We have a chain in my area called Value Village perhaps you've heard of it?  It's similar to Goodwill. 

I made my first visit there in search a light fixture for the front hall.  We have painted and purchased a mirror, for the dark front hall, but I figured the most bang for our buck would be to replace that sad little single bulb light fixture with a multi-bulb chandelier.  I needed something small since we only have 8 foot ceilings, but something wide enough to be able to balance the large mirror.

There in the back corner of Value Village I found this beauty.  It was fate.

Can you see that price tag?  Yes, it says $3.99.  So I said, "Yes, please!" and purchased my four dollar light.  I brought it home and got hubby to test it out to make sure that it was in working order before I started my makeover.  It was!  I was pumped. 

After reading many posts about the wonders of spray paint especially the Oil Rubbed Bronze finish I was excited to start my first project.  Yes, that's right.  No previous spray paint experience, but I was ready.  I figured how hard could it really be anyway?  First I ran out to Home Depot and picked up a can of this:(Actually 2 cans since I didn't know how much I would need, but 1 turned out to be more than enough)

Then I took the fixture apart taking pictures as I went to help me put it back together.  I won't include these because unless yours is exactly like mine it won't go back together the same way.  Then I cleaned the fixture with soap and water and dried it thoroughly.  I was impatient to get started with the painting (aka the "fun part") but I knew that if it wasn't dry all the way the paint would bubble or peel or just generally not look good.

Since it is still winter here (although surprisingly warm out today) I painted indoors by laying down a large drop cloth in the basement and covering all the boxes, etc in the area with drop cloths as well.  Just a tip, the paint does travel farther than you think it will so cover more rather than less (or paint outside).

Here are some tips I picked up that will help you get perfect results your first time:

1. Make sure the fixture is clean and very dry

2. Don't try to cover the whole thing with the first coat, it will be tempting, especially when you see how good its starting to look, but don't do it!

3. Spray a light coat of paint and then leave the room for 10 minutes.  I set a timer.  You have a chance to get some air, this stuff is a bit smelly, and it allows the paint to dry a bit.  Then head back to your painting room and repeat: light coat and then leave for 10 minutes.  About 3 coats should do it.

Voila!  A brand new gorgeous painted chandelier!  Are you excited to see what it looks like???  I promise I will have photos this weekend once it is hung (and I have a chance to upload them).  Sorry for the teaser... but the wait will be worth it, I promise. 

Update: You can now view the finished light here.