DIY: Capiz Shell Pendant Light

Hello friends!

It has been far too long since I did a personal blog! This is mostly because my business has been taking up lots of my time so the only blogging I have been doing is there! Speaking of there is a new wedding up so pop over and take a look!

When Dom and I moved back stateside, we literally had zero furniture. One of the glories in the state department is that they provide furniture to you when you are abroad. Unfortunately, that isn't the case when you get back home. So one of my first projects upon returning was putting together a home that had more inside than just books and art.

I had a blast shopping, choosing paint, and curating the space. Many thanks to Craigslist, antique stores, and Leah's love of auctions because I put together a space that was mid-century modern meets bohemian eclectic and I love it!

One of the first pieces I bought was a Capiz Shell Pendant Light from a very awesome junk/antique shop here in D.C. Several of the shells where damaged, but I just knew that I could restore it to it's former glory. Sadly it has taken me about 9 months to get around to the project, but last night we hung the pendant and I was thrilled with the results.

Here's a brief step by step of my DIY!

Step 1: I traced out the shape of the Capiz shell on a piece of white paper and cut it out as my sample.

Step 2: I used my sample to make wax paper versions. Each faux shell took 3 wax paper shapes. I had to do several test runs to figure out how many layers were the appropriate opacity when the light shone through the lamp. Three was the magic number.

Step 3: I grated up some candle wax to use in between the wax paper layers.

Step 4: I put the candle wax in between the layers of wax paper, covered it will pieces of brown paper bag, and put a warm iron on to melt the wax.

Step 5: I covered the outer edges of the faux shell with modge podge, once it dried I added a yellow and gold wash to the very edges so that my new shells would looked aged like my old shells.

 

 

Step 6: I removed the broken shells, and replaced them with my new shells by modge podging them in place. Once dry I made creases with a butter knife where the fishing line should of been and punched tiny wholes where the wire would go through. This give the visual of my shells being exactly the same as the original shells.

 

Step 6: My wonderful husband hung the hanging pendant for me, and we used a simple hanging pendant light from ikea that plugged into the wall socket! 

Now we have light and style in our living room! Woohoo!!!