Dining Room Chandy Update

This not-as-thrifty-as-I-thought-it-would-be chandelier re-vamp is finally done!  This project was supposed to cost about 10 bucks, BUT I had a few unexpected expenses.  While the money I spent is still a lot less than what I would have spent on a new fixture that's similar, I'm borderline ashamed of how my $10 project turned into and $46 project.

Originally I was going to remove the ball and hoop thingy at the bottom of the chandelier (a picture of the non re-vamped chandy is below), spend $6 on a can of black spray paint, about $4 on some neutral fabric to re-cover some mini lamp shades that I already owned, and be done.  Well, that didn't work out.  Turns out, I got rid of the lampshades at some point and that ended up throwing my whole plan out of whack. 

Here's the break down of what I ended up spending.
- can of black spray paint: $6
- extension chain and hardware (because I lost the original hardware): $10
- 6 new mini lamp shades :  $30 (ouch!)
By the way, I completely stuck to my Zero Dollar Decorating rules and only spent money that I earned by selling stuff on Craigslist.

Now that that's out of the way, here's a brief history of how my chandy update came to be.  Here's what the original chandelier looked like before we even moved into the house (that picture is three years old).  It's your standard builder-grade, brushed nickel chandelier.  It was also hanging no where near the center of our dining area.

I think my face says exactly how I feel about that light fixture.

I found some cheap shades and covered them with fabric to try and spruce it up.....once again, that's an oooold picture.

That fabric was just not working...neither were those shelves.... and the fixture was still not centered so my husband and I replaced it with a directional fixture that was on sale at Lowe's.  I didn't get a picture of it while it was still hanging, but here's the picture I used when I posted the fixture for sale on Craigslist (It was originally $30 and I got $15 for it!).

As you can see in this recent picture of our dining area, it looks like there isn't even a light fixture there.

Now our little dining area is more defined.  I used some extra chain and the chandelier is now centered. 

Hopefully I'll post a picture of our completed dining area this week.   I have a few more things to do in there, but I've got some momentum now that the light fixture looks the way I want it to.

Y'all have a happy Monday!

I'll be linking up to:

Zero Dollar Decorating

First, thank you so much to those of you that offered encouraging words when I announced that I had resigned from teaching to spend more time with my son.  It certainly helps to know that there are plenty of others out there that have taken the same leap of faith and found that it was beyond worth it.

Second, Operation: Zero Dollar Decorating is about to commence.  As you have already read, I do plan to spend some money on decorating, but that money will not come out of our checking, savings, or be put on a credit card.  I will only spend cash that I can make by selling things on Craigslist.

That's the short version, here's a slightly more detailed breakdown of how I plan on doing things.

The first thing that I need to do is get this house clean!  I put off so many chores over the last few busy weeks and our house is a disaster.  While I'm getting things clean and organized, I'll also be pulling items that can be sold on Craigslist.  I have a bunch of accessories that no longer go with our living room since I changed up the color palette.  We also have plenty of items that haven't been used in years and it's time for them to find a new home and stop taking up space in my house. 

While I'm waiting for things to sell on Craigslist, I'm going to start on some projects that I already have the supplies for.  Here's a short list of the projects I can think of right now:
-paint the laundry room
-paint an old trunk for our bedroom
-paint the second floor hallway
-begin second floor hallway gallery wall
-make-over on builder grade chandelier for dining area

Looks like I have a lot of painting in my future.

Since it may take some time for me to get some cash in hand, you can expect a bit less decorating around here and a few more recipes and mood boards. 

Today I'm going to be cleaning like a mad woman!  Fun!  That's not sarcasm, by the way.  I'm genuinely happy to be cleaning my house rather than sitting through beginning of the school year work days.

Have a great Tuesday!