Blogging, a Wedding, and a Shabby Chic Chandlier

Here I am, your long lost blogging friend. This summer was not my favorite on record. I spent too much time working, not enough time in my garden (for which I am now paying by pulling major weeds before they go to seed), almost no time working on projects, and blogging...well you know!

My hours are back down at work, and I've been trying to catch up on my poor neglected garden and flower beds, as well as my somewhat neglected house! Now it is time to catch up on my poor neglected blog.

I've been re-evaluating my blog and why it has been so difficult to get back into the swing of things. In scrolling back through some posts, I realize my posts are usually very picture intensive, as in ton's of pictures, which I love, but it is soooo time consuming. I probably spend a two or three hours or more just taking pictures, fixing them in PicMonkey (which I love!), uploading, yada, yada, yada.

I also love sharing tutorials of how I created a project, which again, I love to do. Same problem...tons of pictures, and tons of time thinking through the process, step-by-step, and putting it into writing in a way that makes sense.

Now I'm not giving up blogging, or the party.  I'm just scaling back some of my looong posts.  I will still do tutorials, and I will still include pictures...I'm a very visual person and love pictures, but every post will not be crammed to the teeth with photos.

On that note I'd like to share this project that I did manage to do earlier this summer. My new "niece-in-law" asked me to make-over this large chandelier style light for their wedding. I was quite honored that she felt confident enough in me to trust me to "make it pretty."

It really needed help, but had a great shape and was quite large. She wanted a shabby chic look in white and pretty much left me to  me do my thing. After a good scrubbing and spray painting it white, I gave it a little sanding to shabby it up a bit. It's hard to see in these pictures.

The chandelier candle covers were in really bad shape, but replacing them was not in the cards. Instead I covered them with card stock. My first attempt, using spray adhesive didn't work too well. If you look closely in these pictures, you can see the paper coming off. I ended up using some Gorilla super glue to secure the edges of the paper.

Then I added some plastic crystals that she purchased for it. From where it hung at the hall you couldn't tell they were plastic. I think she was pretty happy with the way it turned out. I love it and offered to buy it from her if she didn't want it after the wedding.

They ended up giving it to me. I was thrilled! I will be changing the plastic crystals out for real ones, or at least glass ones as the budget allows.

I still have to go pick it up this week and hopefully can get better pictures of it then. I couldn't find my progress pictures, which is probably a good thing considering that I'm trying to cut back on the whole picture thing!

Here's one final picture of it hanging at the reception hall. I forgot to mention the chain sleeve I made out of white muslin.  

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I  am back in business and it's good to be back! I missed my little blog and all of you. Sorry I was gone so long. Hopefully this post shed a little light on the subject ;)

Blessings

I've joined these fabulous parties:

Project Inspired at An Extraordinary Day
Project Pin It at Glitter Glue and Paint