Rewiring a lamp

A couple of months ago, I showed you this lamp that I picked up at GoodWill for $1.99.

I loved the size and shape, but, since it was about 100 years old, it didn't work.  I figured it couldn't be that hard to rewire it, so I figured I'd give it a try.  (I just happened to have a lamp kit that somone had given me, so, if it didn't turn out, the only thing I was wasting was my time, and two bucks!)

I started by taking apart the lamp. Actually, I started by taking a picture of the lamp, fully assembled, so that I would know how to put it back together.  There were soooooo many pieces!

There were instructions on the lamp kit on how to rewire the lamp, but they were pretty vague--especially considering I had no idea what I was doing.  And I was certainly outside of my comfort zone on this project. I don't like to try new things if I don't think I will be successfull at them.  It's silly, but I was actually a little nervous!  I kept thinking, "What if someone goes to turn on the light, and somehow gets electrocuted?!" I almost stopped the project, but then I got it together and was like, "It's a lamp.  You have instructions.  You're fairly smart.  Figure it out and stop worrying!"  Why I am I telling you this?  I am trying to encourage you to try something you might not be good at.  Maybe you'll fail.  Big deal.  Try something else!  But maybe you'll do an amazing job and gain some confidence!  Okay, I'll stop preaching and get back to the lamp! ;)

Like I said, the directions on the kit were vague, so, Google to the rescue!  (Seriously, what did we do before Google?!)

I really have nothing to say about the next steps, because I just followed the directions!

Once the lamp was reassembled, I used some Krylon and spray painted it red.  For the shade, I used an old egg basket that I picked up from the flea market.  I always ask if the seller knows any history on the item I am interested in, and they almost always do--but sometimes I wonder if they're just making stuff up!  Anyhow, this particular basket apparently came from a peacock farm near Wisconsin.  Really?  That's what he said...  He had a few different colors and sizes, and I really liked the yellow basket.  I knew right away that it would make a great lamp shade--and now I had a lamp to put it on.

What do you think?

I think the jury is still out on whether anyone else actually likes it, but I'm okay with that--because I think it's fantastic!  The lamp is in our family room, which is in the process of being "made over".  I was going to wait to show you one giant reveal-type post, but I changed my mind.  There are so many projects going on in the family room that I think I will just show them to you as I complete them. 

Have you tried anything lately that you were unsure of?  How did it turn out?

I am offering up prayers of peace and blessings for you today!  Enjoy the Son!

Fabric Strip Lamp Shade

Last February, before I started posting DIY projects on this blog, I gave Morgan's room a makeover.  I do hope to post some pics of the before and after sometime soon, but don't hold your breath!

One of the things that Mo's room has been needing was a lamp on the bookcase.  A couple of months ago I found a great lamp base at GoodWill for $1.99.  I knew that I already had shades at home that I could work with, so I was in good shape.  Or so I thought.  When I got the lamp home I realized that there was no harp for a shade, and I didn't have any shades in my stash that attached right to the light bulb.  So, the lamp has been sitting on the bookshelf with no shade for about two months. 

Ugh. Well, this week, during a quick stop to GoodWill, I saw the shade I needed, and it was only $0.99!  Perfect!

Here is what I started with.

The first thing I did was peel off the fabric from the shade.

It was kind of a mess because this shade had plastic on the inside, but it came off easily.

Next, I went to my fabric bin and pulled out a bunch of scraps and started tearing them into strips.  Then I started tying the strips onto the shade.

There is really no right or wrong way to do this.  Just tie as many or as few strips as you want on your shade.  Here is the finished project.

Sooooooooooooo much better.  But then again, there really was only room for improvement...Anyhow, it turned really sweet, it cost very little to make, and it is really cute how the light filters through the fabric!

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the Son!

Quinn's Lamp Makeover

My son has had this lamp in his room since he was born.

I still like the shape of the lamp, but 1) the fabric shade is horribly dusty, and I can't seem to keep it clean, and 2) I am getting ready to redo the room and I thought I new lamp would be better.

So, instead of throwing this perfectly good lamp away, I decided to give it a makeover.  I sent Quinn on a hunt to gather up a bunch of toys he no longer plays with.

Here is what we ended up with.

Next I gave the lamp base a quick coat of brown spray paint--Krylon of course!  Then I got to work on the shade. I don't have great pictures or directions for this part, so if you want to try this and need better directions, check out Traci's directions over at her blog Beneath My Heart.

First I took off the "ribbon" around the top and bottom of the shade.  

 Next I slathered fabric glue one the shade, one side at a time, and just rolled my burlap on.  After that was dry, I trimmed the excess off the edges and used my hot glue gun to glue the seam together.  I just folded, tucked, and glued.  

I also glued the bottom edge underneath the shade.

I trimmed the top as close to the shade as I could, and then I hot glued some jute to the top.  I just thought this gave it a more finished look.

By this time, my lamp base was dry.  I took the toys that Q had gathered and just started gluing them on the base.  Here is the final product:

 

And here are some close ups just for fun!

 

This was very fun, very easy, and free!  A one-of-a-kind lamp made out of a lamp that was destined for the dump!  What do you think? 

New day. New ideas. New topics.

I love to create things.  I mean, I REALLY love it!  I also love the internet, and, to me, the internet and crafting go hand in hand!  If you are at all familiar with this blog, you know that I initially learned how to make a tutu (which eventually prompted me to start a business) by Googling "How to Make a Tutu".  And that is why the internet and crafting go hand in hand to me: if you want to make something, but aren't sure how to go about it, or you need inspiration and or encouragement, you just google it, and Voila!  Instant ideas and directions.  Once you have done this a few times you will find that there are certain sites and blogs that you keep coming back to. 

For me, Living With Lindsay is one of my favorite sites.  I have quickly become a huge fan of Mandi at Vintage Revivals.  She does completely fantastic projects in a a very unexpected way.  Plus, if you take the time to read her story, her personal life is even better than her projects!  Another blog I frequent is the Nesting Place.  This blog, Heart Break Kids, for the past 10 months has been strictly for tutus and tutu designs.  Today, however, I have decided to expand my blog topics.  Hey!  It's my blog!  You don't have to read it!  But, let's by honest--there is only so much I can say about tutus.  And I am a talker.  I can say a lot about nothing.  I can even ramble when I am typing.  See?  Anyhow, I love to read crafting blogs, and DIY blogs, and home decorating blogs, and--you get the idea.  I am always working on something--usually several somethings at once--and I LOVE the validation I get from being able to share my projects with others.  (I am a stay at home mom.  What can I say? I have little interaction with other adults on a daily basis, and there are thousands of you reading this blog, so, I figure, why not talk with you?  One of you is BOUND to be interested in my projects!)  Plus, I already pay a bit of money for this blog, so it wouldn't make sense to start another!  Back to my point.  I am going to start sharing some of my projects on here.  I would first like to say that my friends are always telling me, "You are so creative!" and I always tell them ,"I got the idea from someone else!"  While I do LOVE to create, I am not the best at thinking up original ideas.  I love to see what other people are working on, and then modify it to fit my style.  That being said, this first project that I am going to post was a completely original idea!  I decided to share this project first because, 1) it is my most recent project, 2) it cost me absolutely nothing, and 3) my friend Lindsay at LivingWithLindsay just posted a similar update and I took that as a sign that I should share it with you.  (Okay, I wouldn't say it was so much of a sign.  More of an "OOOO! OOOO! OOOO! OOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I did something cool like Lindsay!" moment that I experienced while reading her most recent post!)

Here's what you need to do this project:

An ugly lamp that you want to change

Scrap fabric

About 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of your lamp

(And I will apologize in advance, but the pics are a little blurry because I couldn't find my husbands super-expensive-professional-camera, so I used the little digital one that I carry in my purse.  I also let the kids use this camera everyday, and there was apparently something goobery (probably not a real word) on the lens, but I didn't discover until after I went to upload the pics.  Oops!)

 

I bought this lamp about a year ago.  It was $12 at Target.  It gives great light, and I love that it has a reading lamp, 'cause I LOVE to read!  Lots of LOVE going on here today… Anyhow, the lamp was totally not my style, but totally in my budget, so that was that.  Last Sunday I was trying to figure out an inexpensive way to give the lamp a makeover.  I decided that some scrap fabric should do the trick.

 

I selected three different fabrics from my scrap bin.  I selected fabrics all in the same palette, but I think this would be really cool with lots of bold colors and crazy prints too!  I literally just tore my fabric into strips.

Once I had a pile of strips, I just started double knotting them onto the lamp, working from the bottom, up.  If there were any pieces that had long, straggly (yes, that appears to be a word) threads, I just trimmed them off.  (And I would just like to give a shout out to the photographer of this pic--my 4 year old son, Quinn!  Nice composition, buddy!)

It took me about 40 minutes to do this, but a smaller lamp would take considerably less time. So, that's my first project that I wanted to share with you! What do you think? I hope you'll send me a pic if you try it!

P.S.  Over at the Nesting Place, The Nester declared yesterday National Take A Risk Day, and had a Link party.  She has HUNDREDS of craft ideas that people sent her.  Want to get lost in crafting goodness for an inappropriate amount of time?  Check out her party here!