Our Hopeful Home: Thrill of the Hunt #43 (My Chandelier Story)

So have you guessed what this week's Thrill of the Hunt is going to be about? If you guessed that it's going to be about a thrifted crystal chandelier you'd be right! And that, my friends, makes me very happy!

Ikea Kristaller chandelier found at Goodwill for $6.99!

Usually I share at least a few, if not more, thrifted items with you each week. But today I'm focusing on one thrifted item in particular because I love it THAT much. Really.

I present to you the Ikea Kristaller chandelier.

While I truly love vintage French farmhouse decor, I have not had the opportunity to find, let alone purchase, any vintage chandeliers. While not vintage, I have loved this chandelier from afar for at least a few years now. But its $39.99 price tag was a bit too much for this thrifty shopper.

Then one lucky day a few months ago I stumbled upon this brand spankin' new chandelier for all of $6.99 at my local Goodwill. Now we're talking!

Right now it's hanging on the rustic wood ladder that previously served as my DIY Bath Storage Ladder for a number of years. Today it sits in the foyer. In this picture you can see the yellow price tag still attached to the top of it. The part that actually houses the electrical wires and such is still nicely wrapped up in protective plastic-- it's never even been opened. As I've said, I know it's not vintage. But I do think it has somewhat of a vintage French rustic glam vibe to it.

The crystals are plastic, but since they're faceted they glimmer and shine in the sunlight. I can't wait to see how they look once the light is working!

And there's my dilemma. This is a hard wired chandelier, meant to be installed in an already-existing ceiling light fixture. Unfortunately, we don't have any logical place to hang it that way in this house. Either the ceiling's too impossibly high, or there's a much-needed ceiling fan that my husband would never want to replace with a chandelier. Or I would need two of them if I were to replace the two chandeliers that hang over our farmhouse kitchen table. And the odds of thrifting this kind of chandelier again are, well, pretty low.

So, what's a chandelier-loving girl to do?

I'll tell you what she's going to do.

She's going to convert this sucker into a plug-in swag lamp that she can then hang just about anywhere her little chandelier-lovin' heart desires! Once she get her nerve up, that is.

I'm deep in the throes of research on the subject and I have to admit that I've become crossed-eyed trying to follow the instructions I've found in online articles, Youtube videos, etc. And electrical work is not something you want to enter into lightly. You. Have. To. Get. It. Right. And I will.

Once I do, believe me, I will be shouting it from the rooftops! In light of the lack of clear-cut instructions available out there, I might even have to create my very first Youtube video! If any of you have had any kind of experience with this type of electrical project (or know of any great tutorials) please let me know-- I'm all ears!

Well, that's it until next time!

I hope you enjoyed reading Thrill of the Hunt #43.

Thanks for spending time with me today!

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