Chandeliers I've Made

For those of you that don't know, I used to design chandeliers and lighting fixtures and sell them on eBay.  Some were designed from all new raw lamp parts and then others, my  favorites, were from vintage and antique pieces that I found and re-worked.  They were all hand made.  For over three years my husband and I had an eBay store called Unique Chic Designs where we sold my creations.  In addition to lighting we manufactured furniture appliques and also created one of a kind home decor items.  For those wondering, an eBay store or and Etsy store can be very profitable, in fact for a time we made our entire living via eBay.  But I can tell you, it can also be a LOT of hard work!!!  Especially if you hand make everything yourself.

We stopped doing our store about three years ago.  My husband was working full time, and although he was a huge huge help, I was pretty much burnt out on the day to day manufacturing, posting, shipping, work work work cycle.  Once my hubby was steadily working full time, I no longer HAD to do the store, so we stopped. I was finally able to focus on fun crafting projects and my own home decor stuff again... (Yeah me!!!).

Now we have this big house, which is pretty much my big canvas.  I am working at making it beautiful, one space at a time.  I love blogging about my adventures and am passionate about decorating on a budget.  I have yet to make one chandelier for our current home, but I do have space and ideas for a few.  In time, I hope to create a few one of a kind beauties for us... For now, I thought I would share with you some of the creations we made and sold in our store.

We had a few different table chandeliers.  We offered them in black, off white and pink.  I did a distressed finish, with sandpaper, on every light we made after they were painted... Needless to say, I was always dusty!









Here are a couple of one of a kinds... They are definitely taste specific!  The one of a kind creations were always sold via auction and they always sold for the most!  Some of the craziest designs sold for several hundreds of dollars.








This next one is actually a floor chandelier and is over five feet tall.  It was definitely difficult to ship, but somehow we managed.  Once FedEx Ground rammed a forklift through the huge packaging box and bent the whole thing in half... Luckily we had it insured and FedEx reimbursed us for the damage and I got to make another for the customer.  It was a bit of a nightmare to rush make a replacement, but it all worked out in the end.




This was another of my one of a kind creations... It is definitely a bit unique.... but, as usual, the more unique the more the bidding went crazy on it.   Making these crazy one of a kinds was my favorite part of our business because it got my creative juices going. The only limit was my imagination.  My husband thought I was pretty much crazy.  He would ask, "Are you sure you want to make that"... and I would just tell him, "trust me".  Whenever he would ask that question, the most unique and bazaar creations would be the highest priced sellers with full blown bidding wars.  It was fun to see!  After awhile he stopped asking and would just wire up whatever design I gave him :)




Here are a couple of funky pendant chandeliers...  They were a big seller with Shabby Chic being so popular at the time!  Adding sparkle and crystal everywhere seemed to be all the rage.  We couldn't make these fast enough.












This next cherub chandelier was done custom as a one of a kind for a friends baby girls nursery...  In addition to crystal prisms dripping from it, I added petite pink roses.  We also did a custom ceiling medallion to match the chandelier.  After this chandelier, I started selling prisms with porcelain pink roses on them.







This next lamp was known as a waterfall lamp... It was an item we manufactured to order from all new parts.  We offered custom color choices and a variety of prism types and designs...




Although we had many more chandelier styles and one of a kind creations, this is just a sampling of the different designs we made.

I've been going to the flea market quite a bit lately.  I'm just waiting for a great old chandelier to come along that I can refurbish and/or rework for our dining room.  I like to find bargains, so I will wait for the right piece and the right price.  I saved several old lamp parts that I can use with my new creations.  I am looking forward to making some again!

Link parties I'm attending-
Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog
Between Naps on the Porch

Until next time,
Happy decorating!




22 comments:

  1. Wow!!! That is amazing!!! I love them all... they are so beautiful- anyone would be proud to have these! I really like the light bulbs too- I have never seen those!

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    1. Thanks Rachel... The silicon bulbs only come in 7 1/2 watts each because of the heat. I guess they melt otherwise. They work great if you want romantic or soft lighting. I used to purchase them in bulk via the internet.

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  2. Diana, I remember you selling these on ebay. I used to dream of owning one, but you inspired me and I have made many of them for my home from new and old chandeliers and light parts. I can see how this would get tiring after doing it for many years, but I loved them all from afar!

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    1. Terry, Thank you so much for the compliment. I am surprised you remembered but it is really nice to hear! I loved designing from scratch!!! It's when we started producing the same thing over and over that I got completely bored. I think the creative mind must constantly create :) That is why I love blogging so much! It is always something new.

      I love that you've made your own chandeliers!!! DIY is a ton of fun and soooo much cheaper!

      Blessings,
      Diana

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  3. Wow...what talent you have! These are beautiful. I would adore that cute pink one over my bath tub!! Thank you bunches for stopping by my blog! It's just so fun to meet others out here in the crafty-bloggy-world! Have a great weekend!
    {HUGS},
    kristi from ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

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    1. Thank you for the compliments. I agree it's fun meeting others and sharing our ideas :)
      Blessings,
      Diana

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  4. They are beautiful! Your wild and unique creations are definitely works of art and I can understand the bidding wars for them. :)

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  6. HOLY COW!! These are gorgeous!! You are a very talented lady!

    Karin

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  7. These are stunning!!! I have a couple of light fixtures I need to redo. I'll keep yours in mind for inspiration! Do you have a source for crystals? Even on eBay they can be a bit pricey...

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    1. Karen, Thank you for the compliment! My source for crystals is GreatChandeliers.com

      When you get to their site, visit the crystal parts and trimmings link (on the left, top of the links). They have a good variety of crystal prisms and they are the best prices you will find. Most prisms range from 50 cents to $1 each (depending on quantity you buy). Hope that helps!!!

      Diana :)

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  8. oh my goodness. those are beautiful, you must be reallyyyyy talented.

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  9. I love how elaborate your designs are, Diana. I can see that you are very much into traditional designs. This is good because classic designs never go out of trend. Those chandeliers can add elegance to a simple living room. Moreover, the crystal details are a sure hit to home owners because they look so classy. I would love to see more from you. Great job!

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  10. Chandelier lighting is an interesting way of bringing character, elegance and sophistication along with illumination in your home. To many people the word “Chandelier” is synonymous with huge ornate crystal decorated lights hanging from the ceilings of either some vintage palace or a ballroom.

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  11. Very interesting blog and also provide hand made chandeliers with perfect look. I think this is the best for home decoration. I like it.

    Thanks!!!

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  12. Diane,I love the waterfall table chandelier and would love to make one for my shabby chic camper.
    I have the base which has two arms instead of the one and cloth shades, but I would really like to have the metal part to hang crystals from...would you possibly be able to tell me where I could buy the parts to make this waterfall chandelier?
    Thank you so much,
    Nancy

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    1. Nancy, The part that you are looking for is called a bobesche. Some of them have holes for crystals and some do not. I used to get most of my parts from Texas Lamp Parts. Here is their web address:

      http://www.txlampparts.net

      I hope that helps.

      Blessings,
      Diana

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  13. This is my first time, but I'm a fan for anyone who can pull this off and create such beautiful pieces like these. I love them all. Thank you for your insight and talent.

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  14. The fourth chandelier without the cherub is my favorite. Too bad you stopped making these. I love this. I have been looking for a table top chandelier for a long time. My friend found one in black at Home Goods but it you have ever been there you know finding another or two of a kind is next to impossible.Suzie from www.cruisinoversixty.com

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I love all of your comments and I read every one... I'd love to hear from you!

Blessings,
Diana