Little Birdie Secrets: halloween chandelier {tutorial}

Just in time for Halloween decorating, here's our "bat mobile" or Halloween Chandelier project, originally seen on eighteen25!

This Halloween Chandelier would look spooktacular over a dining table, in an entry way, or where it hangs in my house--over my Halloween-loving-son's bed! It just takes a few inexpensive supplies.

Supplies:

*Embroidery hoop (painted black)

*Black tulle (about 1 yard off the bolt)
*5-6 yards ribbon

*Halloween-themed papers

*Glitter glue (optional)
*Transparent thread or fishing line

*Glue (I like Tombow's Mono Glue)
*2" round punch

*Paper cutter with scoring tool (or stand alone scoring board)

*Double-sided tape

*Scissors

*Halloween-themed brads (optional)

1. Start by making the top of the chandelier. Paint your embroidery hoop black. Cut 3 lengths of ribbon (depending on how low you want your chandelier to hang--mine were about 1/2 yard each).

2. Insert the end of one ribbon in between the inner and outer parts of the hoop.

Place a piece of double-sided tape on the outside of the inner hoop.

Fold the end over and press it down on the tape.

Push the inner hoop back into the outer hoop to secure. Repeat with remaining two pieces of ribbon. Tie all three in a knot at the top for hanging.

3. Now it's time to cover the rest of that hoop! Cut pieces of black tulle approximately 3" wide by 6" long. Tie pieces in a square knot around edges of hoop.

Tip: if you tie one square knot right over left, left over right, and then the next piece the opposite way, left over right, right over left, your knots will be finished at a slightly different angle, which will make for a fuller-looking hoop when finished.

Optional: hang 3 or 4 pieces of ribbon from the hoop to add fullness.

4. Now it's time to add some fun Halloween elements to hang from your hoop. I used bat cutouts (cut with my Silhouette machine) and accordion circles. Cut 9-12 bats from Halloween-themed patterned paper. Optional: trace the edges with glitter glue for a little sparkle! Cut a matching one for the back (I used plain black paper for the backs of my bats).

Create accordion circles out of Halloween patterned paper (see this post for a step-by-step tutorial and this post for a video tutorial of how to make these accordion circles). For this project, I cut strips 2" wide by 8" long and scored them every 1/4".

Punch a 2" circle out of coordinating paper (I used sheet music) and push a Halloween-themed brad through the center. Open the prongs and glue a circle to the front and back of your accordion circle to secure.

Apply a little glitter glue around the edges if you like.

I also created some mini accordion fold circles using a 1" x 4" strip and 1/4" scoring lines.

Lay out your bats and circles in the way you want them to hang.

5. For the end of each string, I glued the transparent thread between two 2" circles.

Next I glued the front and back bats together with the thread in between in the same way, alternating with the accordion circles. The circles were glued on with a 2" circle of black card stock on the back. Repeat until you have 3 strings of decorations.