A few weeks ago I told you about a dump near our cottage that has a little “store”. (read about it here) The little store is where locals can leave things that they think someone may want and others can take what they want for free. It is a wonderful idea that keeps an assortment of things out of the trash.
On my last trip to the dump store, I found this rusty, crusty, old chandelier. I am so glad that someone had the foresight to leave it in the little store. I would have hated to see such a lovely piece in the trash. 
Even though it was a little scary looking, I instantly loved the lines and curves of the arms. I also loved the beautiful (despite being filthy) glass bead in the centre. So pretty! 
The only prep needed to get the chandelier ready was to remove the old wires. You can see them above coming out of the middle. To remove them, I used a pair of scissors and just snipped them as close to the middle pipe as possible.
Originally I left the light pieces in the centre of each arm. It was only after I painted it that I decided to remove those as well so that they wouldn’t get in the way of anything sitting in, or on, the arms. 
To paint the chandelier, I used two coats of Fusion Mineral Paint in Heirloom. Fusion Mineral Paint has a top coat built-in and is a thin, smooth paint so it adhered and looked beautiful, even over the rust.
The pretty, muted, grey-blue colour was the perfect choice. The chandelier is hanging in the porch at our cottage and looks exactly like the lake water it hangs near. 
Originally, I wanted to attach a pot, with a plant in it, to each arm. I quickly found out though, that with the size of pot the arm would hold, I just couldn’t keep the plants sufficiently watered.
I think I will keep thinking through the plant idea for a future chandelier despite it not working the first time around. I am not yet convinced that I can’t figure something out. I still think it would look gorgeous with little white plants hanging over each arm… 
Once the plan for the plants was scrapped, I put lights into the holders on the end of each arm. Even though this wasn’t the original plan, I love the look.
It was easy to slip the little electric lights into the holders and they fit perfectly. The little, twinkling lights look so beautiful in the evening when it gets dark. They don’t provide a huge amount of light but just enough to look magical. 
I love this chandelier and I still can’t believe it is the same rusty, crusty piece. It was definitely a treasure that I am so happy to have found.
I can’t wait to see what I find next time I am there!
Dump Store? What a brilliant idea! How fun (and helpful to the environment)!
Isn’t it such a cool idea? I love that a lot of the dumps in Ontario do this! I someone can use it, Great! Saves it ending up in a landfill!!
The dump find chandelier with plants is so pretty. Another similar idea I’ve seen with old light fixtures like this has dismantled solar path lights inserted in the former bulb spots for night time patio lighting..
Thanks Carol… and that is a very cool idea for the old lights and solar lights!! I love that… hmm… the next light I find I just might have to do that! Thanks so much for sharing 😉
Hi, I'm Lisa!
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