Tuesday, March 13, 2012

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

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:



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?



29 comments:

  1. That turned out adorable. I really did not know where you were going with it. Who knew you could even do that to a lampshade. I love it. I bet you cringe no more. Your mantel looks great too, as does your cloche vignette. You made all the parties girl. thanks for joining in. Have fun bopping around, so much to see.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Debbie! I enjoyed your pretty mantel. You have such talent!!

      Delete
  2. That little lamp shade turned out so cute. That is the second time I've seen someone use that floral shabby rosette trim...can't remember the other place I saw it.
    Yours turned out cute!

    I thought the picture of your mom and siblings was sweet!

    ~Pat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Yes, that's one of my favorite pictures from my mom's childhood b/c it has all her brothers in it with her. :) I was taken by that rosette trim when I saw it at the store...maybe I saw it that somewhere else, too. :)

      Delete
  3. Cute shade! and I love your garden sign! I'm now a follower

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved the mantel best... Until I saw that lampshade! lol.
    So cute. The fabric is darling and you did an awesome job on it. WOW. I love it. Thanks so much for linking up =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I really love the way the shade has changed the look on that table. It was worth it!

      Delete
  5. What a lovely blog you have! I have really enjoyed my visit here and have become one of your newest follower. Enjoy your day, Gail

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, you joined in all the parties with this one post! Your cloche is so pretty & perfect for Spring. Your mantel looks great with so many interesting little finds here & there. Your lamp shade copycat is better than the original!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, thank you!! Yes, I think I may have squeezed a bit of excess into this post; I get a bit excited for spring! :)

      Delete
  7. I forgot to add...

    Thanks for sharing this at my craft party!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your cloche is fabulous. I love it such a good idea to spray the nest silver and the urn is beautiful. I also really like your mantel and your lamp copy cat. Great vignettes. Thanks so much for joining the party. Hugs Marty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always love when I can make your fun party, Marty! Thank you for the sweet compliments!

      Delete
  9. Wonderful stuff, all. Someday I wish you would do a post that was a home tour...just photographs of each room to let us see all of these beautiful creations of yours in context!

    =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, thanks, Sue!!! :) I do hope to do a tour of the house...trying to finish up the main floor at least. It's my goal before I have to start teaching the boy in the fall...here's to hoping!!!

      Delete
  10. Love the lampshade...the material looks so pretty in your room! Your family photos add a loving touch. Looks like spring for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  11. YOu did a great job on the lampshade.

    Cute!

    Linking from Random Thoughts :D

    xo,
    Ricki Jill

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really like your lampshade way better than the original!!!

    It's funny how in my younger homemaking days I would toss out things that were scratched or stained or "old" looking. Now, thanks to all of the "vintage" and "shabby chic" stuff I come across nowadays my whole perspective has changed!! :-)

    You are so fortunate to have old pictures of your family! Due to several unfortunate circumstances nearly all of old pictures have been destroyed or lost. This is something that really tears me up because I love pictures and can even look at other people's and have fun! You are very blessed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Grammy K. I'm so sorry for your loss of those photos. I do feel like they are some of my dearest treasures and would LOVE to get my hands on a few more.
      Yes, funny how vintage things are in such demand now...one never knows what will be the treasure years down the road! :)

      Delete
  13. Replies
    1. Ah!! Love your name!! :) Thanks for the compliment! :)

      Delete
  14. Everything looks so pretty and you did a fabulous job on your lamp shade.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Sheila. I just have to say this to you: You ARE a sweetie!! :)

      Delete
  15. REally pretty lampshade - looks really great!
    Thanks for coming by to link up - please come back this Thursday as well!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Stacey!! I'll try to remember to get back to your link party! Have a great week!

      Delete

I love your comments!