Drab to Fab: Recovering a Lampshade with Fabric

Hello everyone! :) I should be doing edits to my thesis right now, but instead I've spent a lazy Sunday afternoon editing vacation photos on Picnik. J and I spent a lovely week at Masanutten resort in Virginia, and we just got back yesterday. Although we had an amazing week, we are glad to be back with the pups! 

Before I move onto the point of this post, check out this gorgeous view atop Bearfence Mountain:

Bearfence Mountain - Shenandoah National Park, VA

Breathtaking, isn't it? Okay, moving on...
Today I'm going to show you another lampshade makeover. (Perhaps you have seen my first lampshade recovering project here.) 

Here is the before:

It's just a plain white lampshade that I got from Target for, I think, $12-14. This lampbase has worn a lot of different shades in its day. If my memory serves me, I have switched out the lampshade with various ones around the house about 5 times in the last 2 years. Nothing was working, so that's why I decided to buy this one.

I have a recovering-a-lampshade-with-fabric tutorial here, in case you are interested. 

Here is the after!

I used home decor fabric from Joann's. I bought it over a year ago, so I don't recall the price. It only took maybe 1/4 yards of fabric. Not bad at all!

What do you think of the before and after?

I like it a lot more! I'm not 100% thrilled with the edges, however. I wasn't as careful as I was the first time I recovered a lampshade. Oh well...I still like it! I'm just happy that it adds a pop of color in the corner of the room where the walls are renter's white.  :)

Have you recovered a lampshade before? Any other lamp projects? 

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider liking 31 diy on Facebook.

Brass to Oil Rubbed Bronze Lamp

Hope everyone is having a good summer! Everything has been good here, but busy as usual. Today, I just have a quick before and after to show. When J and I got married and moved in together, he brought with him this brass lamp (picture on left). I must admit that I am to blame for this red lampshade (ick!). This lamp was part of my living and dining room decor for longer than I'd care to mention - I recently changed it, however, as the whole look was too traditional for my taste.

One quarter can of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint ($6/can), a lampshade I already owned, and 10 minutes later, and we have a whole new lamp!!! Check out the before and after below:

Has anyone else used ORB spray paint on a lamp base? What about any other projects? If so, please share - I'd love to see it! 

Did you like this post? If so, please consider joining me on Facebook.

Thrifty find: Replacing Outdated Shades on a Light Fixture

I hate outdated light fixtures with a passion  And as a renter, I never seem to be able to escape horrific ones. (Perhaps, I'm being a wee bit dramatic. hehe)

Now that we have that out of the way, let me show you this beaut (said in a facetious tone) that is in our living room. We've been looking at this everyday for the past 2 years. 

Please excuse dustiness & popcorn ceiling

Yikes! Right? 


Also, check out how the bulbs extend past the shades. The new energy-saving bulbs are too long for these old fashioned shades. 

Here's how I fixed that little problemo: 

I spent months searching for the perfect chic & inexpensive shades. Yesterday, I decided I would try Lowes again, and low and behold I found these modern shades for $3.60 or something like that under $4. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted them. I even had a cashier double check that they were indeed under $4 like the sign said. It's just that <$4 is a much better price than similar shades that run $8 to $15 a pop. 

The particular Lowes I went to only had 2 in stock, so I asked a lovely employee to tell me what locations it was in stock. I trekked across the Research Triangle in NC (okay, it was like 5 miles away, but there was traffic, people!), and I bought another 2. 

Here is the exact same light fixture with new shades! 

This pic doesn't do it justice. In real life, it looks like a whole new fan! I love love love it!

Now some folks may wonder why I would spend money to update the homeowner's light fixture. To them I say...

Yes, I know I'm a renter.

Yes, I know that I'm adding value to a house that I do not own.

Yes, I know that's money I will never get back.

But if happiness could be measured in terms of dollars and cents, then I think I have already gotten a 200% return on my investment. I've been staring up at the new shades and swooning all day. Totally worth the $16 I paid and the time it took to drive around town to find them. 

Do any of you DIYers agree with me that sometimes it's worth putting a little money and a little blood, sweat, and tears into a rental? I mean we do have to live in them after all.  :)

Lamps & Another Giveaway!

I am OBSESSED with table lamps. Seriously.

There are so many different kinds, and they make any room look better, as long as you choose the right base and shade. I like to mix and match mine. More than once my lamps have made their way to different rooms in the townhouse. Some have gotten makeovers. And others I bought brand new because they were too gorgeous to pass up (given the price is right and all that).

Right now, I am digging drum shades and curvy bases. Check out these beauts:

Both lamps are from CSN's lighting department. And trust me, there are so many lamps to choose from! CSN is also supplying this giveaway of a $35 gift code, which if you win, can be used towards anything in their 200+ online stores. You will be sure to find something you love!

Here is how to enter the contest:

1. Become a follower (unless you are already following -- thanks, friends!)

2. Leave a comment on this post with your email address, so that I can contact you with the gift code if you win. However, if you know that I can definitely find your contact info by clicking on your name, then no need to bother with an email address.

For an extra 2 entries, simply add my button in the sidebar of your blog, and then leave me a second comment letting me know that you did so. Thanks!! :)

<center><a href="http://31diy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab80/31diy/31diy_button.png" /></a></center>

Here are a couple of other details:

○ Contest is open from Monday 3/7 through Sunday 3/20 (ends at 12:00pm EST)

○ Only US and Canadian residents are eligible (sorry! Has to do with shipping…)

Okay, ready..set..go!

I will contact you if you win. Good luck & thanks for entering!

UPDATED 3.22.11: I used Random.org to generate a random number to pick the winner of this giveaway, and I would like to say congratulations to Erin J!

Linking to...

Tutorial: How to recover a lampshade with fabric

Hi everyone! I am so so so in love with my re-covered lampshade.  Just thought I would share how I recovered mine.

First of all, it was unbelievably easy. I wish I would have done this to my desk lamp a year ago when I first bought it. Maybe then my desk wouldn't seem so daunting. (You see, I have come to associate it with oodles of negative things, such as mind-numbing migraines from getting stuck on writing that darn thesis proposal and also bloodshot watery eyes from straining to read boring journal articles into the wee hours of the night…oh boy, that's fun {rolling eyes}.) Perhaps I would have saved myself some wasted procrastination hours if I would have made my desk more inviting earlier on. I mean, how can a cute flowery little desk lamp be associated with anything other than happy, lovely, wonderfulness?

Anyway, maybe you too have a lampshade you would like to revamp. If you have scissors, Mod Podge, a foam brush, and lightweight fabric on hand, then you could get to work and have this project complete in no more than 20 minutes. (This is the perfect project for people like me who need instant gratification.)

By the way, the materials I used were all leftovers from other projects, so I guess I can say this project was free…?  Or maybe that is stretching it a bit.

Step 1 - Roll your lampshade along the piece of fabric tracing the outline of the shade as you go. I recommend tracing it onto paper first. 

I added about 3/4 of an inch (although that was too much) to both sides of the shade outline. This will give you some room for error as well as extra fabric to tuck under the edge of the shade, so that you have a nice finished edge when it's all said and done.  Cut out the shape next.

Step 2 - Apply mod podge to the lampshade with your foam brush.

Step 3 - Line up the fabric to the shade, and press down gently. Smooth out any wrinkles. 

Note: I worked in sections of about 3 inches wide at a time.

Step 4 - Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have your entire shade covered.

Step 5 - You will have excess fabric hanging off the bottom and top of the shade. Using your scissors, trim it down as close as possible while still leaving enough leftover so that you can tuck the fabric into the inside of the shade.

Step 6 - I ended up just dipping my fingers into the mod podge and pressing the excess fabric into the inside of the shade. Use as much as needed to get the edges to tuck under completely without any sticking up.

And you're done! Congrats on your fabulous new lampshade!

Here's a before and after of mine.

Before

After

I'm linking to...

Tutorial: How to transform a floor lamp with spray paint and a lampshade

Do you love the utility of your torchiere floor lamp but hate the sight of it? Yes? Well, I can relate. Begrudgingly, I bought one this year, mainly because I didn't want to shell out big bucks and I really needed that little reading/task light that is attached to many torchiere lamps. But let me tell you - it is severely lacking in style or class. For starters, the pipe base comes in black, and when juxtaposed against my light-colored walls, it stands out like a sore thumb. (You can find floor lamps in silver, too, but you'll pay twice as much.) In addition, the plastic cone-shaped lampshade looks cheap and tacky.*

Here is the before...wha, wha...

This is the exact same lamp I got from Target, and it's sooo bad.

...and the after! :)

Same lamp with a makeover

To see the steps and additional pictures, click Read more.

Tutorial: How to make a unique paper lampshade

If you want a unique and pretty lampshade that also doesn't break the bank, then you should gather up 2 sheets of your favorite paper and make this cute paper lampshade. It will dress up any room and give it an edgy, non-traditional look. Not bad considering it will take you only 10 minutes and the materials are probably already in your house. Ready, get set, go!

Materials - 2 pieces of pretty 12 x 12 scrapbook paper (I found a big pack at Ross for $5); scissors ($2); clear tape ($1); clear Contact paper ($5.68); pencil ($0.50)


Time - 10 minutes


**Also, make sure the lamp base you are using has a lamp harp. The finial base is what will hold up the lampshade. Obviously, it would be a bad idea to have the lightbulb directly touching the clear contact paper.**


Oh and by the way, I had to Google all of those terms (i.e., lamp harp and finial base). In case you're like I was and don't know all of the technical terms, here is a diagram I got from this website.