DIY Exposed Bulb Chandelier

Repurposed furniture and accent pieces can transform your living space without crippling your bank account. Practice green living and thrifty decorating by using recycled materials to light your home. Save your wallet and embrace your creative side as you fashion a stylish chandelier from exposed bulbs and wine bottles. With concentrated effort on your part, in the span of just a few hours you can become the proud owner of a chandelier that serves the practical need for lighting while pulling double duty as an innovative conversation piece.

6 wine bottles
Dish washing liquid
Razor blade
Wax crayon
Safety goggles
Paper dust mask
Glass cutting kit
Pillar candle
Ice
Towel
Sand paper
Paint brush
Rag
6 corded bulbs
Wire snips
Utility knife
Electrical tape
Eye hook
Ribbon
6 low wattage light bulbs
6-outlet power strip.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Remove the labels from your collection of wine bottles before using them.
  
  Wash the six wine bottles thoroughly in soapy water. Remove the labels, lids and foil neck wrap. Remove stubborn glue residue left behind by the labels by scraping the bottles with a razor blade.
- 2
  Mark the placement of the cuts you wish to make on the bottles along the bottom of each one with a wax crayon. You may opt to cut each bottle at a different length for your chandelier.
- 3
  Don safety goggles and a paper dust mask. Cut the bottles along the lines made using the glass cutter. Remove the ends of the bottles by rotating them evenly over the open flame of a pillar candle.
- 4
  Remove the bottle from the heat. Hold the bottle over a towel while rubbing an ice cube along the cut. The bottom will pop off and fall safely to the towel.
- 5
  Smooth the cut edges with sand paper. Sand the glass for at least five minutes to ensure the entire rim is given a smooth, even surface. Dust off the edges with a clean paint brush or rag. Repeat this for all the wine bottles chosen for the project.
- 6
  Cut the wires of each corded light bulb as close to the socket as possible. Thread them through the bottle necks.
- 7
  Strip 1/2-inch from the ends of the wires with a utility knife and slide them back into the light bulb sockets. After they're in place, secure them with electrical tape.
- 8
  Adjust the bottles until you are satisfied with the arrangement. Wrap the seven cords together tightly in electrical tape so they hold their positions. The electrical tape blends into the cords. However, you may prefer to tie decorative ribbon around it.
- 9
  Twist a large eye hook into your ceiling. For added strength place the hook into a stud or use an anchor bolt to ensure the chandelier doesn't come away from the ceiling.
- 10
  Thread the cords through the eye hook. Run the cords across the ceiling and down the wall to the nearest outlet. Allow the wine bottle chandelier to dangle with the bulbs and bottles facing down.
- 11
  Camouflage the cords with cable covers that can be painted to match the ceiling and wall color.
- 12
  Screw the light bulbs into their respective sockets. Plug the electrical connectors into six-outlet power strip.

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