Lamp Shade accented by Halloween Shade Charms!!!

Shade Charms have become so popular! Take a look at the photos of our small lamp decorated with Halloween Shade Charms. All you do is attach the magnetic charms to the metal band at the bottom of the lamp shade! Easy enough?

What's New? Shade Charms!!!!!

Shade Charms are the newest edition to our magnetic decorations!  The photos below show many of our new Christmas Charms attached to a 12" miniature metal tree. Just click/touch and the adorable little charms attach to the metal tree branches instantly!  So much fun to decorate and display. The base of each charm is usually no more than 1-2" in height.  Just too cute!  Decorative metal trees adorned with our Shade Charms make fabulous centerpieces for dining room tables and events.  I have so much fun decorating with these miniature glass treasures.

How It All Got Started............

I should have started writing a journal years ago when the idea of attaching crystals using a magnet to metal chandeliers first occurred to me. Hundreds of people have asked me how the magnet/chandelier concept came into existence. If you are also interested, I will explain how my little obsession became an idea blossoming out of necessity. Years ago, I bought a large iron chandelier for my dining room. Shortly after the chandelier was installed, I realized the fixture would look even more beautiful with crystals attached. After carefully inspecting the chandelier, I realized there were no drilled holes or grommets for attaching crystals.  Additionally, I did not own any crystals and did not know where to start to look for them.

Acquiring the crystals became my first chandelier obsession.  I bought my first chandelier crystals through a mail order restoration catalog, numerous lamp stores, estate sales, and antique malls. I ended up with a large collection of crystals that did not match!  I just couldn't under why it was so difficult to find quality chandelier crystal that was affordable.  Eventually I gathered enough crystal to begin thinking about placing them on my chandelier.  This is where the next obsession begins.

How was I going to attach the crystals to the chandelier without holes or grommets? My first attempt was to attach the crystals by wrapping wire through the top piece and then around the arm of the chandelier. I attached about six crystals using this method and then stepped back to view the results. The “tacky” look of the wire winding around the arm of the chandelier was not what I had envisioned.  Gluing or using some form of adhesive was not going to work either. There had to be another way.  I stumbled upon a light weight jewelry magnet and the light bulb went off in my head. Before long, I had attached some small crystal beads to the chandelier using the tiny bracelet magnets.  However, the small magnets were not strong enough to hold heavier crystal to the chandelier's metal surface. I knew I had to find and/or design a magnet that would not detract from the beauty of the crystal and blend aesthetically into the metal of the light fixture.  So began the process of finding a manufacturer to customize a magnet for me.  Eventually a manufacturer was found and the magnet was designed and re-designed until it met with my approval.  The design process took one very impatient year. Below you will see a photo of my dining room chandelier that launched the magnetic attachment idea.