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    Home » Repurposed Items » book pages | Second Chance Chandelier

    book pages | Second Chance Chandelier

    Published by Gail | Published March 18, 2016 | Updated January 17, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to embellish an old chandelier with book pages and paint. Turn a thrift store chandelier into a pretty new lighting option for your guest room. #MyRepurposedLife #scavengerchic #upcycled #chandelier #bookpages via @repurposedlife
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    Hi all, it's Joan from Scavenger Chic. Do you ever have one of those projects where nothing seems to go quite as planned? Where all those pictures inside your head don't seem to quite translate to reality. Well this project was definitely that project. Every time I thought I had a great idea, I had to backtrack and come up with the next idea...well, you'll see...

    Thrift Store Chandelier

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    This project started out with an inexpensive thrift store chandelier. With all that wire structure above the lighting, I immediately started to see possibilities. I have no idea what was originally hanging from the chandelier, but I pictured crystals, feathers, bottle rings, the possibilities were endless. So for $6, he came home with me.

    Spray paint chandelier

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    So many of my projects are black or white,  but for this project I wanted color. Standing in the Home Depot eyeing all the beautiful colors, I saw this beautiful creamy, buttery yellow.

    Yellow goes with everything, green, blue, black, white, orange, red...

    What does yellow does not go with? Old yellowed book pages, it looked terrible.

    Plan B

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    My hubby looked at it like I did. "That really doesn't look good, why don't you just paint it black?"

    Oh well, so much for color, black it is. My second choice.

    Tear out old book pages

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier

    My first choice for something to dangle from my chandelier was  glass icicles. I had actually bought this chandelier back in September. Thinking I'd just wait until Christmas time when icicles are in the stores.

    I did find icicles. The beautiful icicles made of glass came 3 to a box and at $8 a box, that just wasn't going to happen. The plastic icicles looked plastic and not in a good way.

    My second choice was to use something laying around the house, something I could recycle and that is how I stumbled on book pages.

    Who buys books just to fill up empty shelves? My husband and did when we were first married. We had no intention of ever reading the books and now that our shelves are full of books that we have actually read or want to read, those old books would make a great chandelier..or bookshelf, you can find that project here.

    Roll book pages around a dowel

    Anyway, for the chandelier, I would need 132 rolled book pages. Cut out a book page, put glue in one corner of the page, and in the opposite corner start rolling your page around a dowel. Slip the page off the dowel and repeat and repeat and repeat..

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    For a little extra pizzazz, I decided to paint the ends black. The ends didn't have to be exact, because all of the book pages are slightly different lengths anyway. Here they are sitting on a board to dry.

    A little mod podge was painted on the opposite end to give the paper a bit of strength where it will be tied to the chandelier.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    How to attach the rolled book pages to the chandelier?

    The book pages were all rolled and now comes the big question...how to actually attach the rolls to the chandelier.

    I liked the look of jute wrapped around the pages but the pages didn't quite hang evenly.

    A wire looped around the page and chandelier allowed the page to hang nicely but I had no particular desire to cut 132 loops and try to get them alike.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    Third choice (not second choice this time) was to use some sewing thread and a needle to sew them on.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    I had a great idea for a band that would go around the top of the chandelier to hide the thread. To use an old rusty hoop that fit perfectly over top. I just needed to be able to fit all those metal pieces that were sticking out into the hoop.

    If at first you don't succeed . . .

    But since this is my second choice chandelier,  you gotta know that the hoop idea didn't work at all. It didn't have enough give to be able to stick into holes in one side without it popping out the other.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    My second idea was to use a bit of leftover 4 inch oak strips. Since each of the pieces were cut separately,  I wouldn't have to worry about anything popping out.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier

    The oak pieces were finished with a dark oak stain and varnish.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier

    The center middle hole on the oak piece was for hanging on the chandelier and the two side holes were used to attach to it's neighboring oak piece with a piece of looped wire.

    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier, Upcycled Chandelier
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier
    Recycled Book Pages Chandelier

    Right now the chandelier is lighting up my guest bedroom, but my second choice would be.... I actually have no clue, so I'm thinking it can stay there a while.

    see more of Joan's projects here

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    About Joan

    Joan is always searching for new projects and new ideas to try and use. Her goa is to inspire you to fill your own home with unique and fun ideas.

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    1. Elic

      March 14, 2018 at 1:22 am

      Nice! All my rooms have ceiling fans, except the kitchen - actually, it has two, but that's another story... and the remodeled former garage that has can lights, because its so long. Still, I came from your safe hider, stopping first at the "book" shelf - that I loved BTW. I really don't see this happening with my cats, however, looks like a bad fur collector, like my beaded light in the kitchen.

      Reply
    2. Patricia

      March 19, 2016 at 11:49 pm

      I am absolutely crazy about unique lighting! This one is the most clever I've seen in a while. I love the upcycle...the paper, the wood- it's Unique!
      Taking a break form studying and had to pop in to see how things are going here at MRL!
      I like this project Joan!
      ...Hi Gail!

      Reply
      • Joan

        March 20, 2016 at 7:43 am

        Thank you so much. I love upcycled lighting as well.. My most unique lamp probably has to be the one I made from an old rusty sewage pipe or it could be the pendant light from a gasoline can or the wall lights from pallet wood and bedsprings....

    3. Helen Holley

      March 19, 2016 at 12:26 am

      I am always amazed at the Upcycled projects people are able to produce! Great job!
      Helen H

      Reply
    4. Missy

      March 19, 2016 at 12:06 am

      I am so impressed with your fortitude to think outside the box. I am in love with your chandelier. It looks like it should be in my husband's man cave, one done in cabin type decor. To me the book pages look like feathers. It is just stunning and I will put it on my list of to do's, for sure.

      Reply
      • Joan

        March 19, 2016 at 7:12 pm

        Thank you so much and good luck with your project.

    5. Hahn Smith

      March 18, 2016 at 3:48 pm

      Give me the idea of wrapping the pages around LED rope and using the rope to hang it. Maybe even flashing rope or colored or both or adjustable so one can choose what they want to that moment. Can be made to use solar power.

      Reply
    6. Angie

      March 18, 2016 at 10:30 am

      I actually had two of these chandeliers (in their original condition) in my house when we moved in. They have 3x6 glass hanging off them. The carpet installers knocked all the glass off the one in my foyer and it hung there bare for a year until I got a hand-me-down to replace the one in the dining room. I sprayed it with hammered silver spray paint to get rid of the brass and used the glass from the dining fixture to replace what the carpet guys broke. Looks awesome now, but I must say that I love how Joan's turned out!

      Reply
      • Joan

        March 18, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Thank you for finally telling me what was hanging off the chandelier. I found a second chandelier in the exact same condition as mine, no glass, now the mystery is solved.

      • Angie

        March 18, 2016 at 5:23 pm

        Glad I could help! I like my foyer fixture now that it isn't brass and has clear glass instead of smoked glass (I was actually thankful that the carpet guys broke that glass). I showed my daughter a picture of yours and she loves it! She is a major book nerd and wants to change the one I have. I'll know who did it if my glass breaks again! Thanks for the inspiration - I would never have thought to use book pages for a chandelier.

    7. gail@myrepurposedlife.com

      March 18, 2016 at 8:44 am

      I love your perseverance Joan! Not everything comes together as it does in our head, right?

      Your book pages chandelier may not have been what you designed the first time (in your head) but the end result is very clever and fun!

      gail

      Reply
      • Joan

        March 18, 2016 at 9:15 am

        Thanks Gail, sometimes it's fun finding out where the road will lead.

    8. Cecilia

      March 18, 2016 at 8:41 am

      It looks so cool! And hey, you stuck with it til it worked! I may have given up for awhile. 🙂

      Reply
    9. cassie @ primitive & proper

      March 18, 2016 at 8:04 am

      such a fun and creative idea!

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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