Our NEW Tent Chandelier Made by Us

This chandelier was so much fun to make! We were looking for a bit of a "Wow Factor" to add to the tent we use at local markets and after much research and consideration we come up with this design. The chandelier is lightweight and easy to make. We are so pleased with the results that we are sharing the "how to make" with everyone.

Tent Chandelier

Supplies:

Plastic pit balls at 2.16 inches (pack of 50)

Fairy lights 

Metallic elastic cord in silver 1mm width 

Elastic barbs in silver (metal ends used for paper masks)

Pizza screen 10 inch round in silver (but you could get any shape or sized screen)

Tools needed: scissors, needle-nosed pliers, and something sharp that will poke a small hole in the plastic balls (I used a meat thermometer)

See Photo 1.

Pit balls come in various colors, and I jazzed some of the balls up with sparkles but do what works for your brand’s aesthetic. Also, you might not use all 50 balls, but it will be good to have extras allowing for any balls lost during the transport of your chandelier. I designed the chandelier to be lightweight and easy to transport. Before starting, think about the look you desire. I took a look at chandeliers on Pinterest for design inspiration. 

To start, cut four elastic strands about 16 inches in length. Tie each strand an equal distance apart on the outer rim of the screen (4 quarters). Then tie the four strands together to hang the screen as the base for your chandelier. Now that you have your hanging screen, you can start adding balls at various lengths. See Photo 2.

You will cut elastic at the various lengths you need for your design. Using the needle-nosed pliers, attach a barb on each elastic end by crimping the barb. Make a hole in a pit ball and insert one barb into the ball, making sure the barb is seated lengthwise inside the ball. The other barb will now get attached by inserting into your screen and placing it lengthwise. Continue this process of making barbed elastic, inserting one end into a ball and the other into the screen, working towards completing your design. See Photo 3. 

Once you have your chandelier pattern of the long, medium, and short balls on elastic strands, it is time to attach balls with very short barbed elastic to cover the entire screen at the top of the chandelier. See Photo 4.

You can add fairy lights to some of the balls, but it is not necessary. If you do, here are some tips:

1. Start with the light controller (be sure you use lights that allow for the batteries to be changed out) on the top of the screen (the charger will be invisible at the end of the project) and pull the fairy light strand through a screen hole.
2. Take the same strand of lights and insert them into a ball, pushing all lights through the hole and finishing by adding a very short barbed elastic through the same ball hole and the other end through the same screen hole.
3. See Photo 5. 

Also, you can add more than one ball to a strand. You need to use additional barbed elastic and add another hole opposite the first hole in the ball. See Photo 6.

Once done, clean up the top of your screen by cutting off messy elastic and try securing the barbs with tape or glue. Remember, you will have extra supplies should you lose any parts in transit.