You have to know if you read my blog with any regularity that I am constantly doing something - if it's not art it's home improvement or decorating or revamping or repainting or repurposing. It really has become somewhat of an addiction. Franky I am doing this morning til night these days. And just when my eyes and hands are telling me it's time to stop now.....and I get all cozy in my bed........it happens! I get an idea..........for something else......and now I lay there knowing I HAVE to get some sleep but instead start figuring out what I will need to do to accomplish the new idea.
Are you like that? Tell me you are so I am not the only one. I have been known at 1:00 in the morning to suddenly move a table from one room to another or start mixing paint colors. I may not have done a new painting of late or even a drawing for that matter, but that, too, is coming. My "art" has taken the form of other things that are still creative right now and I have immersed myself in it. Seriously when I wake up in the morning my hands are stiff.........
So having said all that here is the latest. I share these things here on my blog not for want of accolades but simply to share and possibly give you some inspiration to try things yourself.
It all began with finding some fabric on line that just knocked me out. BIRDS of course and I just knew I wanted to recover a lamp shade with it for our living room. Then came looking on Ebay and finding a lamp shade (brand new) in a unique shape that I could take apart. Both orders came within a couple days of one another.
Here is the lamp shade "before" from the Ebay listing - I couldn't wait to get everything off the shade down to it's "skeleton".
Fabric (linen/rayon) -
I LOVVVVEEEE this fabric!!
After removing everything from the shade I began wrapping the frames "skeleton" with hem tape to have something to sew to. Then using the pieces I carefully removed to use as my patterns I traced them on to the bird fabric as well as the fabric I backed it with. As I was sewing it all together it hit me late Friday night......As nice as it would be on the current lamp it would be more fitting to have a birdcage lamp.
Then in one of those nighttime ideas I mentioned before....I thought of the birdcage (below) I had hanging in my studio. A gift I had received a couple years ago.
So yesterday (Saturday morning) I approached BohoHandyman about turning it in to a lamp. He was all for it and set to work finding everything we needed from a lamp we don't use and then only having to buy a new switch with a chain pull. He cut and drilled and even notched out the bottom for the cord. The total lamp base itself costs all of $7.00. (We did find though he needs to make a small base underneath to steady it more...he's doing that today)
(old photo from a while back)
You know I couldn't leave the color as is so of course I painted it.
The wood parts were painted with the CeCe Caldwell paint and the wire bits with chestnut brown Martha Stewart paint.
After I finally finished the shade and put it on the base I KNEW it needed a trim at the bottom. I had recently purchased this trim from Ebay (9 yds at an incredible price).
So I pinned it around the shade and cut. It was never going to work in the off white so I got out some paint:
I poured the turquoise in to a plastic container and spritzed some of the color wash in the "lettuce" color wash and added water. I stirred it and tested it. Then I took the piece I had cut for the shade and dropped it in. I stirred it about and then wrapped it in paper towel squeezing and squeezing. I used my heat gun to dry it and then ironed it to dry it further. I didn't want to rinse it as I liked the color as it was. Right now it's pinned around the bottom but I will be sewing it on today. So if you notice pins that's why.
Here is the base after I painted it.
Here is the shade after I covered it with the newly "dyed" trim pinned on.
And here they are together in the finished lamp. What do you think?
We are both so happy with the end result so I figure it paid off to be kept awake with the idea that night.
Can you tell I have a "thing" for birds (we both like them actually).
I also bought the above 2 fabrics that will become throw pillows for the sofa. So divine!
So it's time to flap my wings and fly out of here and get busy sewing that trim on the shade. I hope you enjoy my sharing and details of the various projects I do.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend.....go out and make it a great week!
P.S. Next up............ the wire dress form redo!
