Even though we're in a new year, I'm still working on putting the dining room…
How to Make a Wax Paper Capiz Shell Chandelier
Hello! I’ve got a little how to for you today, it’s how to make a wax paper capiz shell chandelier which we hung in our master closet. I had seen both real and fake capiz shell chandys and kept the project in the back of my mind for a rainy day – or a closet renovation.
Here’s how to make a wax paper cadiz shell chandelier, get ready for some pictures!
Your supplies:
- Wax paper – I used 3 for this chandelier – get them at the dollar store
- Wire basket or some frame for the chandelier – I used a hanging basket I found at Big Lots
- Spray paint – optional if you want to add some color to the wax paper, which I did, or paint the basket
- Round circle punch – I’ve heard of people cutting the circles by hand. That’s craziness for me. Grab your 40% off coupon and head to the craft store to buy a circle punch, they come in all kinds of sizes. ~ I used a 1 1/2 inch round punch for this project
- Iron
- Scissors
- Sewing machine – I sewed my circles together, some people glue them
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Once you have all of your supplies, paint the basket in the color you’d like. I painted mine white to blend in with the wax paper color. I chose this basket since the wires going around it were different sizes, meaning it would give the chandelier layers as I put on the shells. See the small wire circle at the top in this photo actually became the bottom of the chandelier. So the widest circle which is at the top of the basket was the top of the chandelier once it was hung.
And I chose a simple basket so I didn’t have to make a million shells. Four layers was enough.
Then prepare your wax paper. I ripped 30 sheets of wax paper, as close to the same size as I could. I didn’t measure because this is kind of a labor intensive project anyway and I knew it wouldn’t matter.
Since I wanted some color to my “capiz” shells I decided to spray paint some of my wax paper. I didn’t spray them solid, just in a random pattern to give some color to the sheets of wax paper. The more random the better anyway since capiz shells are random in color by nature. I used silver spray paint and laid them out in the backyard. This was the only way I could figure out how to do it! If course the neighbors think I’m crazy anyway.
Do this on a non windy day!
Then you iron the wax paper together. I ironed 3 sheets, sometimes 2 plain and 1 painted and sometimes 2 painted and 1 plain. It’s all up to you if you paint them or not. I wanted some color variation so I just threw together 3 sheets and ironed them. I believe I painted about 30 sheets and then tore 30 plain/non painted sheets and used a combination of those.
Iron them between 2 pieces of parchment paper, which I didn’t find at the dollar store but it’s available with baking supplies or paper goods at other stores. You need the parchment paper because otherwise the wax paper will melt.
The ironing I found was the longest part of this project. I was anxious to get the paper ready to make the shells.
Once your wax paper is ironed together you can then start punching out the circles. I recommend a new or sharp circle punch. I think mine is getting a little dull because sometimes the circles didn’t punch all the way around. This is frustrating to say the least and I wasted a bunch of paper doing it. You can see the pattern of the silver spray paint on this paper and how I folded each piece accordion style in the upper right so I could punch more than one at a time.
Fold and punch, fold and punch.
It will get messy people. If circles go astray, take a picture then pick them up later 🙂 Here’s our shiny dining room floor, which is not that red in person. If course this project might have you burning the midnight oil, hence the nightime pictures.
Then sew your circles together. Again, I’ve seen people glue them to strips of ribbon, but you can try it anyway you have resources or patience for. The sewing actually didn’t take very long. I just sewed a bunch of strands, then glued them on then sewed then glued and repeat. That way I made enough for what I needed.
My strands were 10 circles long.
Once sewn together, you’ll have this. Strands of wax paper circles. I cut mine 10 long because I determined that I would have them over the basket in half, doubling the strand per say, and 5 long was a good length for my basket frame.When sewing them together I didn’t exactly alternate painted paper to non painted paper, again that would have taken way too long. I just grabbed some and fed them into the sewing machine.Don’t worry about the small gaps of thread in between if you sew them. Try not to make too many but the imperfections will add to the flow of the shells once they are on the basket.
I kept my circles in a bowl and then fed them into the sewing machine very quickly. I did long lengths of them at a time, then I cut the long strand into smaller ones 10 circles long. Again, don’t waste your time stopping at every 10 circles. You’ll have to cut all that extra thread and it will take forever. This way to you don’t have to cut any thread between the circles.
Now you assemble the chandelier! This was really the quickest part. Just grab a strand, some hot glue and go.Put a dab of hot glue on the wire part and hang the strand right on the glue in half so you have 5 circles on one half and 5 on the back half. The strand will then hang over the basket wire.
I overlapped the strands by about half like this. It will take more if you put them closer together, but the chandy will look fuller also. I felt that this overlap amount would make the chandelier as full as I wanted.
Start at the bottom of the basket and work you way up. You don’t want to have to move the strands around to attach them underneath. Make it easy on yourself and work from the bottom up.I hung the chandelier on some shelves in the dining room and just turned it as I glued on the strands of wax circles/shells.
Here is what the basket looks like from the inside once you are done.
Then you hang her up! Here you can just see the end of the the wire chains from the basket that I hooked onto the little screws that hold a glass bulb to the ceiling fixture. Make sure you paint the chains, because even though they are not visible from the ground, you want them to blend in. I also painted the ceiling fixture white.
I love how you can see the shades of silver spray paint in the “shells”.
You might even want to paint your ceiling {depending on where you put this} to make the chandelier stand out. I think the effect of the white and silver against the blue is the whole point! Very dramatic don’t you think?
So what do you think? Did I leave anything out, anything else you want to know? Think you’ll make one for yourself? I love it, I just might make another 🙂
Holy WOW Jessica! This is awesome. I am inspired to make one, but have to decide where to put it… my daughter’s room could be a candidate, but it would have to be ‘approved’ by her of course 😉 I’m going to save your tutorial. Thank you for sharing the steps with us! Actually… our bedroom is a candidate too! Hmmmm!!!
Freaking gorgeous. I HAVE to make one. Or twenty!
that is beautiful! i can’t stress enough how much i want to do this! i have all the stuff. it is the time i am lacking!
oh wow, very very cool! I love it!
wow! that is a labor of love. I would never make it past the “rip 30 sheets of wax paper” Great job!!!
What a GREAT idea!
soo pretty!!! very chic!
I love this. Please link it to my linky party & anything else you have to share. Thanks, Peggy.
http://diycraftstomake.blogspot.com/2011/10/whacha-work-up-wednesday-weekly-linky_25.html
You forgot a step. “Have hubs renovate closet” 😉
I absolutely love this and it is just the answer I was looking for to what to do in my girls room. Thank you for the tutorial! Great job!!
I just wanted to let you know that I featured your project on “You Sew Rock Me Fridays” on my blog Sew Rockin’.
You can find the post at http://www.sewrockin.com/2011/10/28/you-sew-rock-me-fridays-2/
Awesome job! I can’t wait to see what you come up with in the future!
Jamie @ sewrockin.com
Beautiful! How long did it take you to make?
Great project, I just have a couple of questions before I embark on this journey: what size of circle punch did you use, and can you show more pics and details of how you attached it to the light bulb. Thanks a bunch 🙂
Sheila
This is great! Looks a lot more expensive than it was…
WOW! So stunning and it looks like even the bumbling members of the population, me, could pull this off! Love it!
this is so cool & I was looking to make garland from wax paper but was unsure how…thank you!!!!
Well im going to try this but add some tinfoil cirles and make it 3 times the size for a prom !!! wish me luck
I have just punched all my “shells”…. Onto sewing tonight once kids are in bed! So excited to finish it and hang it in my daughters room!
Great project! I do sew but love “no-sew” projects… Couldn’t you skip the sewing part and iron the string between two circles? -Wouldn’t the wax hold on to the string when melted? Please advise…. Can’t wait to start this project. Thanks!!!
Hi Jesse,
Yes actually, I bet you could iron the string in between the circles, what a great idea! I’ve also seen people hot glue the circles to a ribbon too.
What size hole punch did you use for the circles?please let me know.
Hi Becky,
I used a 1 1/2 inch punch for this project. Hope that helps 🙂
I love this…but, any concern for too much heat on the paper and burning? Also, would it be easier to punch out plastic from recycled food containers (clear…etc?). I have a wealth of plastic garland (circles, very retro) from the holidays…I wonder if it would work? I would love to re-do our kitchen chandelier. It is ridiculous. If I take this on, I promise before and after pictures!
Here’s my tip to punch wax paper: add a sheet of copy paper or newspaper to the wax paper and punch.
Punches are designed to work with paper and have difficulty with “soft” material [ i.e.foil, wax paper, tissue paper] but layering a thin stiff and soft material together will assist your punch and make it less frustrating for you.
YOU ARE MY NEW BEST FRIEND!! I have been struggling trying to figure out why my wax paper was tearing all the time! THANK YOU!
Hi Just had a great tip for you. If your punches are getting dull punch aluminum foil sheets a few times! This sharpens them right back and removes the wax!
Trying to sew my circles together but they keep ripping apart on the thread line. I need advice. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Sandy,
Try increasing the length of your stitch. That way the holes your needle is making aren’t so close together. If they are close, it’s essentially perforating the wax paper, making it easy to rip. I hope this helps!
This is SO beautiful!
Just heads up though! You can actually sharpen dull punches by punching a sheet of aluminum foil.
Thanks so much for sharing details on how to make this chandelier. We are going to try to make a huge one for a 25th anniversary of our village’s community center
Hi Susanna,
Good luck with your project. I hope it comes out great!
Hi! I’m just curious what you mean by ironing the pieces together. Just two pieces of the wax paper? What is the purpose of this step? Thanks for your help! Your chandelier looks lovely!
Hi Marlaena,
You can iron 2-3 pieces of wax paper together to get a thicker, stronger piece from which you’ll punch or cut out the circles. I make the punching so much easier and provides a nice weightier “shell” Not to mention it will help keep all of your shells from ripping easily. Just tear off sheets of wax paper and place them on top of each other. Put a towel over them and iron that. It will melt the pieces together and instead of 3 sheets, you’ll then have 1 thicker piece to use. I hope this helps!
The wax paper parchment paper combination after bonding cas it be shaped while it is warm?
Hi,
The paper is wax paper ironed together but since you can’t put the iron on it directly, the parchment paper serves as a buffer. I don’t think you can shape the wax paper when it’s warm, but I never tried that. Hope this helps.
I LOVE THIS project! I’ll be making at least one for my step-daughters’ bedrooms! I can hardly WAIT to get started! Thank you!
Aloha and Wow! Wow! So excited to find this and make my own. what do you buy for the light kit part and how does that attach. Is there a way to take photos of what the electrical part looks like before you attach the chandelier and then show how you attached it to the light kit? Mahalo NUI for this great design.
This is so beautiful! How has it held up?
Hi Lorri,
I actually just dusted it the other day. It has held up perfectly! Thanks for asking.
-Jessica
Thank you so much for such a complete & logical progression. I think I’m pretty crafty but right now just can’t seem to get it together and almost had given up on doing this. Now I can. Thank you for the boost.
Quedo fabulosa