Take Out Chandelier

Choose one—Dangling crystal pendants are: a) too grown-up, b) too gala event, c) too expensive, or d) all of the above. You know the answer. This version, constructed from the plastic utensils you've been keeping around in case a picnic for forty crops up, makes the same grand statement without being precious. It's a nod to formality, but with a contemporary twist. What else would you do with the disposable flatware that every takeout order oversupplies? Plus, it's outdoor friendly—ideal for dressing up your porch light and keeping moths at bay with its armor of serrated knives.

Ingredients

• 2 thin, clear-plastic bowls, one large and one small (think flimsy party-store quality; the ones we used were 16 ounces, with a diameter of 7 1/4", and 24 ounces, with a diameter of 11 3/4")
• 2 Yards of fishing line
• 100 Clear plastic knives
• 100 Black plastic spoons
• 35 Clear plastic spoons
• 250 Paper clips
• String of inexpensive Christmas lights

Tools:

1. Cordless drill with 1/16" drill bit
2. Clear ruler
3. Fine-point Sharpie
4. Masking tape (to mark placement of holes)
5. Scissors
6. Hacksaw

Instructions

1. Drill holes into the larger bowl at the top rim, 1/2" apart (A).
2. Measure 2 3/4" from the top rim of the larger bowl and mark in four locations with your pen.
3. Lightly adhere your masking tape around the midsection of the bowl at the marks you just made.
4. Drill holes in this row, 3/4" apart (B). Remove tape.
5. Drill holes into the smaller bowl at the top rim, 3/4" apart (C).
6. Drill holes in the outer edge of the floor of the smaller bowl, 1/2" apart (D).
7. Drill three equidistant pairs of adjacent holes just above the row of holes (A) in the larger bowl. This is where the fishing line will hang to mount your chandelier.
8. Cut a small hole 2" in diameter at the bottom of the larger bowl. (This hole should be large enough to thread the lights through, but not so large that a portion of the lights cannot rest comfortably in the bowl.)
9. Drill three equidistant pairs of adjacent holes on the outer edge of the larger bowl's floor. This is where the fishing line will connect the large and small bowls.
10. Drill three equidistant pairs of adjacent holes at the top rim of the smaller bowl.
11. Cut a small hole, 1 1/2" in diameter, at the bottom of the smaller bowl. This hole will allow
12. String the larger and smaller bowls together through the pairs of adjacent holes about 3 1/2" apart with the fishing line.
13. String the top of the larger bowl with about 9" of line, and tie together into one knot. See the diagram for illustration.
14. Determine how low you would like each row to hang and trim utensils to size with a hacksaw. (You can also adjust the hang height with the number of paper clips.)
15. Trim utensils as needed.
16. Drill holes into the utensils about 1/4" from the bottom of the handles.
17. Hang utensils with paper clips. (In the chandelier pictured, each utensil hangs from one paper clip, with the exception of bottom tier of knives, each of which uses two paper clips.)
18. Thread the lights through the chandelier, carefully ensuring that a handful of the lights rest in a small pile in each of the bowls.