Monday, October 1, 2012

Fall Poetry: Dressing Up a Chandelier

From "Autumn"

Autumn: Her dress is a net of mussels;
dark shelled, it covers up
summer’s weatherbeaten body.

So pull out your boots
and stand on an aged, wood floor
like an evergreen.

~ Mary Hamrick


My mother wouldn't let me pierce my ears until I was twelve years old.  

Tyrant. 

For years I resorted to parading around the house in her "clip-ons".  Wearing those plastic pearls and rhinestones made me feel like an eight-year-old Christy Brinkley---
without the hour-glass figure, long legs, and perfect teeth.  

For the first few minutes after putting those earrings on (along with her shiny gold heels and a misting of her l'Air de Temps perfume), everything was right with the world.  

But then I would feel my earlobes getting warmer and warmer and warmer until it felt as though lava was brewing beneath the clip-on clasp.  When I removed the rhinestones and pearls, I discovered red-hot welts on my skin where a REAL earring should have been.

Fast forward many earlobe-cattle-brandings later . . .

I have now been a card-carrying member of the pierced ear world for over two decades.  I even had a brief stint in college as a double-pierced-ear-rebel-kind-of-gal.  Gasp.

I love earrings, and they love me.

This may explain why I was looking at my chandelier this week and decided that it, too, needed some "earrings".

Here is what the chandelier looked like before.



There is nothing really wrong with it (if you're into that "Shriner's hat" look on your chandelier).

But then I saw these and knew my chandelier could be better.


I got these Christmas ornaments for 40% off the package price at a local craft store.  That meant I could give my entire chandelier a Christy Brinkleyish overhaul for under $4!

I used these supplies to start the makeover.


I then secured the "earrings" to the chandelier with the craft wire and trimmed the excess with the wire cutters.

5 minutes later, my chandelier looked like this.



I can't believe the difference a few sparkly bobbles can make on a light fixture.



Every time I look at my lovely light, I wonder two things:

1.  Why I didn't do this sooner?

2.  Where were these ornaments when I was 8-years-old?

They would have looked fantastic with a pair of shiny gold high heels.

P.S.  My mother finally took the plunge a few years ago and pierced her ears.  I guess even she got tired of "lava lobes."

Sharing at . . .

Homestories A to Z
Savvy Southern Style
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Cedar Hill Ranch
StoneGable  
From My Front Porch to Yours
Common Ground
French Country Cottage
Stuff and Nonsense
At the Picket Fence 

No Minimalist Here 




12 comments:

  1. Wow! What a great transformation! It is really very very pretty (well... without the big sparkly spider.. with it it looks spooktacular!) I'm hoping you will share this at TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks great! What a deal on the crystal pieces!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks so much nicer. Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Quite the transformation! It looks fantastic. If I could find sparklies for that price, I'd do this to my chandy too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great way to dress up the chandy! Who doesn't love something sparkly and shiny?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm not sure what I love more ... your fabulously written witty and fun post ... or your fabulous Christie-Brinkley-would-be-proud-to-sport blingy chandy!

    :)

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your new bling! Great post, your sense of humor is terrific. New to your blog...happy to have found you! Pop on over for a visit if you get the chance~ Angie

    ReplyDelete
  8. Simply fabulous for fall! Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOVE IT! I'm totally doing this for my chicken coop!
    Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
    http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/clever-chicks-blog-hop-2-featured-post.html

    I hope to see you there!
    Cheers!
    Kathy
    The Chicken Chick

    ReplyDelete
  10. Such an easy transformation! Pretty and easy - love it! And if it makes you feel any better, my mom wouldn't let me get my ears pierced till I was 13!! Catherine (new follower)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...