Look for Less: Rustic Lantern Chandelier

I ran across this gorgeous lantern cluster in Pottery Barn’s newest catalog and thought it would make a great “Look for Less” subject:

Anytime something rustic and unusual can be used indoors, I get excited.  This dramatic vignette has potential to be used over top a dining table to give a formal space a down-to-earth feel.  I also envision this scene look fabulous in a gazebo.  You could hang the rope from the high beams and make an intimate setting for your next social gathering.  How precious would this be at an outdoor wedding or family reunion?!??!!   Okay enough blabbering, onto the “how to”…..

The rope is simple enough to get- simply go to a hardware store and pick it up.  The ladder options depend on your resources.  If (like me) you have access to a barn or old tool shed, you can dig out an old ratty ladder to use on this project.  Be sure to remove any flakes of paint or loose wood so nothing breaks off and falls onto the tablescape once it’s installed. Of course, if they ladder is too long, saw off the un-needed length to reach your desirable size.   Another choice is to purchase a ladder at Ace Hardware and rough it up a bit to look aged or you can buy this at Worldmarket.com for $60. 

Easy enough so far!  Onto the lanterns.  Again, we have some options:  You might have access to some old, beat up lanterns that with a little soap & water would fit the bill perfectly.  If not, I’ve seen some fun lanterns at Pier One, Florist shops and Ikea (pictured here; priced at $15).

Be sure to buy various sizes (ranging between 12 and 36 inches) to get that visual interest like the PB mag.  If you find a style of lantern you like, but not the right finish don’t be afraid to use a little spray paint to achieve a patina that compliments the rustic wood and rope.  

Once your lanterns are selected, you’re ready to hang everything.  You’ll need 4 sections of rope (one for each corner).  Tie one end of the ropes to the ladder first.  Then determine your placement on the ceiling or gazebo beams and secure the other end of your ropes to the hooks or beams.  Once your ladder is placed and secure, add the lanterns (using metal hooks or more rope).  The final touch is adding the pillar candles.  Voila!  You achieved the look for less!

 

Happy creating!

January Guest Blogger: Sarah Burton, Event Planning Queen

Sarah Burton, owner of ido Signature Events, Lake Cumberland area’s only wedding & event planning firm! Sarah is also the co-founder of Cumberland Weddings Magazine and an expert on all things etiquette.  So many elements of design and event planning overlap so I often use Sarah as inspiration.  Here is what she had to say about personalized favors:

"As a 26 year old, I often find myself asking the famous question of a toddler, “why?” When Liz presented me with the topic of personalized favors, I had tons of ideas running through my mind, but with that was why in the world do we give favors? At almost every wedding, shower or event we go to, there are always favors, so before I share a couple of awesome ideas with you, I want to take a step back into history about why we have favors. 

Centuries ago, European aristocrats would send their wedding guests home with some type of a miniature gift, called a bonbonniere. Just like now, they were given at other events besides weddings back.  A bonbonniere was a box made of porcelain, crystal, stones or metal, hence why there are little crafty favor boxes today.  Inside of the box you would find delicacies made of sugar.

There are tons of options when it comes to personalized favors for weddings or events; however the most popular are still edible ones. 

These are two fairly new favors that are showing up for different events.  Above are Rice Krispy Personalized Cupcake Flavors.  These would be super cute for a wedding shower, baby shower or bachelorette party or even an event at a salon and spa. On the right are brownie pops, these are perfect for every event.  They could have the initials of the bride and groom, the initial of the guest at each seat, company name, etc.  Brownie pops could also be dipped in pink chocolate or blue chocolate for baby showers too.

Wine bottles are always great favors for events, for 2 reasons: 1) your guest can drink the wine and 2) they’ll keep the bottle.  We have many great wineries now in KY and I always love to keep stuff local.  There are different ways that you can personalize the bottles labels, pictures or even just small stickers.

There are also tons of smaller items that you can use for favors.  I actually recommend hitting the grocery store the day of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter – great time to get good treats half price.  If you want to stick with tradition and do a smaller favor and cute packaging there are tons of options for it as well.  One of my favorite places is Nashville Wraps; they have cute boxes in all shapes and sizes.  The picture below is actually some that I purchased there for an event I did.  I wrapped the silver boxes in black ribbon and then included my company sticker on top to hold the ribbon together!

The sky is the limit when it comes to personalization, but I do think that personalization is the key to a good, fun and memorable favor, as many people keep those favors for years to come!"

Sarah can be contacted by phone at 606.307.0156 or through her website http://www.idosignatureevents.com.