Simple Spring Changes.

Spring is just around the corner,

so there are lots of "spring" ideas buzzing around blogs.

I found it a good excuse to get some things done

that were in need of some sunny cheer.

There's a spring cloche party over at Marty's Tabletop Tuesday.

I spray-painted a nest I made of Spanish moss

with a touch of silver spray paint
and set it on top of a resin urn I had repainted white followed by a green wash.

 The clay eggs were made a couple years back,

just waiting all this time to be painted a bit of blue with brown spots.

 There's a fun spring mantel party over at

Fox Hollow Cottage 

I just added a few touches to mine.

 I decorated some old pieces of wood I found with some stencils and stucco.
(I created the stencil for the top piece from this image

 from the Graphics Fairy ).

 My husband gave me these cast iron pieces he found.

 

I'll make room on my mantel ANY season for fun finds like these!

I added a bit of color inside the nonworking fireplace as well.

 The clay bird plate was another piece I had formed and never painted.

The metal flowers were some I'd pulled off of some frames I'd sold a few years back.

I repainted these flowers in some colors of my living room.

(I guess my husband is right.

I do have too many unfinished projects in the attic.)

Debbie Doos is having a Copy Cat party,

so I went searching for an idea to fix this lampshade.

I love this lamp as it was a wedding gift from some dear friends of my husband's.

But the shade was looking very sad.

The creases resisted the dusting it rarely saw,

and the stains on it,

albeit I have no idea how they got there,

were really bad.

Yes, I cringed every time I walked by it.

I found an idea I liked from Better Homes and Gardens.

Then I set about ripping the outer fabric material of the old lampshade.

A bit tedious it was, and requiring determined strength.

(It would be a great project to leave for those times

when you find yourself in the state of my previous post,

having read or heard something that makes your blood boil a bit:

find an old lampshade.)

Back to the lampshade:

Having 4 coupons to use at Joanne Fabrics,

I loaded my kids up and prepared them for the craft store torture they were about to receive.

After an hour, three rather annoyed children

and their very tolerance-worn mother emerged with material and some fun trim

(I'm not sure my son has forgiven me yet for not getting the monster material he picked out).

After I'd ironed the piece of new material,

I laid the shade onto it, carefully laying it's joining part

up next to the edge of the fabric.

 and used the lightest color of marker to outline the outer edge of the lampshade,

as I carefully rolled it on the material until it had rolled to the joining part on the lampshade again.

After being rolled back,

 I repeated the process along the top of the lampshade,

being sure to keep the lampshade along the first line I had made.

I then cut this piece out,

leaving about 1/2" extra material outside the lines to have

to wrap over the top/bottom of the lampshade.

Using my glue gun,

I first glued the top piece carefully down,

not pulling on it at all so that it would have material on the bottom edge.

I then glued a piece of seam binding over the rough edge.

This left enough fabric on the bottom for me to slightly tuck under,

run a bit of glue,

and then tightly push down over the bottom edge.

There was a bit more material when I got the lampshade glued,

top and bottom,

so I trimmed a little

and then tucked the rest under and ran a bit of glue to hold it down.

 I glued a bit of trim along the top of the lampshade,

and then this gauzy rose trim along the bottom.

I always glue in small segments,

about this size:

So that I can place the pieces before the glue dries.

This was the set-up that I chose to copy-cat,

and,

although not exact,

the basic elements are what I was going for:

Pinterest.com: from BHG

And here is my version:

I found a clay bird I had made along with my eggs,

so I painted him up and covered him with some clear German glass glitter.

I used an old blue bottle to hold my bouquet.

I love old pictures of family members,

so I painted a frame green and added this picture

 of my mom and her four brothers when they were children.

A lampshade with a fresh look is a great way to give a touch of change to a room,

a bit of "spring cleaning," in a way.

How about you?

 What kind of "spring cleaning" fever have you had lately?

Linking to:

Kellyskornerblog.com 

Graphicsfairy.blogspot.com: Brag-Monday
Hiphomeschoolmoms.com: Hip-homeschool-Hop

Debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com: Copy-cat-challenge
Gnowfglins.com: Simple-lives-Thursday
Nominimalisthere.blogspot.com: Open-house-party 

Randomthoughtsfromanincoherentmind.blogspot.: Springtacular-craft-link-party-parade

Foxhollowcottage.blogspot.com: Spring-mantel-link-party 

Astrollthrulife.blogspot.com: Egg-xellent-spring-cloche-party
Savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com: Wow-us-Wednesdays

We Are That Family

*Power of Paint Party - Domestically Speaking

Restore Interiors

Raising Homemakers: Homemaking-link-up

 Primp - Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Embracingchange.blogspot.com: Creative-inspirations-linky-party-5 

Keeping it Simple:Motivate me Monday
Hip Homeschool Moms.com: Homeschool Hip Hop
The Prairie Homestead: Homestead Barn Hop
Betweennapsontheporch.blogspot: Metamorphosis Monday

Craft-O Maniac

The House In The Roses

DIY Show Off Project Parade

Making The World Cuter