Dining room makeover: the chandelier

I am happy to report that most of the work is done on my dining room makeover that American Express generously sponsored. Unfortunately, however, I ran into a few snags. The dishes I ordered using my Membership Rewards points arrived broken, and other items were backordered. The replacements are due to arrive when I’m away at girls camp. So, my big dining room reveal is postponed until June 20.

Until then, I wanted to give you a peak at one part of the room: my sparkly chandelier. I bought this old chandelier years ago for $20 at a salvage yard in Berkeley, Calif. I cleaned it up, and my brother rewired it. I’m not a fan of brass, so it got a fresh coat of paint.

Then I strung some faceted acrylic beads from eBay and hung crystals that I scored on Craigslist and Freecycle. The chandelier has 73 crystals and 300 “crystal” beads. Now it brings “Little Girls” from Annie to mind because it looks like it’s “drippin’ with diamonds.”

The final touch was Sylvania’s decorative LED candelabra light bulbs. Each light bulb uses only 2 watts, meaning the whole chandelier uses 12 watts. And they generate the perfect amount of light for romantic dinners — bright enough to see each other, yet soft enough to complement a few drippy candles.

I’ll show you how I did it all when I get back from camp. Remember, anyone who comments on any of these four dining-room makeover posts by June 27, 2011 is eligible to win a $100 Home Depot gift card courtesy of American Express. (If you leave a comment while I’m away at camp, it will be approved when I get back.) Enjoy your week! UPDATE 6/28/2011: We have a winner!

UPDATE 8/6/2012: I finally posted the tutorial! You’ll find it here.

This post is sponsored by American Express. I received compensation for my participation, but my review and opinions are my own.