Project: Lamp

I don’t know why I love doing lamp projects so much… but I do!Maybe it’s because they are compact, easy pieces to work on. Whatever the reason, when I saw this lamp at my local thrift store, I knew I had to take a crack at an idea that I’ve been wanting to try ever since I saw it on Pinterest.

Twine wrapped bottles in neon + neutral. Image via Remodelista.

I found instructions for it on Remodelista. Pretty cool looking, right? I thought it might be cool to do a similar look on a lamp instead. The only thing is I don’t want to cover the whole lamp with twine. I’m thinking a little over halfway will look good. The thing about that is that I’ll have brown lamp hanging out where I don’t want it. So, for the top I’m going to take a tip from Isabella and Max Rooms.

A DIY lamp project from Isabella and Max Rooms.

I’m going to repaint the lamps with spray paint and high gloss clear coat then go over the bottom two thirds with neon and natural twine. I think. I may do some pretty colors that I have in mind for my room. We’ll see! When I’m done I’ll post pics. Speaking of which…

I got these great lamps as well:

But I’m not sure what to do with them. I think they are entirely lovely but the applique pattern has some slight damage and I’m not in love with the color. Any advice on what to do with this pair of lovelies?

That’s it for me for today! I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll catch you next time!

Project: Lamps

Remember these?

Two lamps that were a seriously ugly shade of plood (um, plastic+wood)? Well I sanded them:

Taped them up and spray painted them high gloss black with Krylon’s paint and primer in one. Super smelly but really pretty on. I’m thinking of trying their Cherry Red next… but I digress!

Here are the lamps now:

A close up of the tops (they need touch ups):

And the bases:

I still don’t have shades. I’m leaning towards a textured neutral to balance out the gloss of the bases. This one by Thomas O’Brien for Target caught my eye last weekend:

It’s kinda hard to tell but it looks like linen and has smart looking black piping across the top and bottom. I think the drum shape would look good with the lamp bases, don’t you?

So! That’s one down… many, many, many more to go. I’ll pop up an update when I find the perfect shades. See you tomorrow! Have a great day. 🙂

Guilty Pleasures and Unlikely Inspirations

Today, I was sort of racking my brain for what to post about. Attacking it head on was doing little to get me inspired so I took a mental detour or two… had a cuppa, made myself a bite, watched two movies – Fright Night & Crazy, Stupid Love, cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, started sanding the second lamp… and still nothing.

Halfway through my initial bout of sanding I decided to put on some music that never fails to make me happy, that I can sing along to, and that has one of my favorite “pick me up” tracks on it: N*Sync’s Celebrity.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Before you go making cracks about boys bands and how all the talent in that group just starred in a romcom with Mila Kunis, hear me out. I’m not a 80’s baby, so this wasn’t the group I liked when I was a teen (that would’ve been Duran Duran). This was the group that I mocked and made fun of as a late twentysomething for being too cheesy and commercial for words… Until that ill fated moment when I’d heard The Game Is Over for the umpteenth time on the overhead at Borders Books (hard to escape when you work in the music department) and found myself dancing and singing along to it because it was so catchy. I mean, what is not to love about a break up song with video game noises in it? Wait! Don’t answer that.

Anyway, I loved that song so much that I bought the CD. And I loved the whole thing (except for the too cheesy and commercial for words ballad, Someone Like You, that even I think is gag inducing). But the icing is this little track at the end called Do Your Thing. In it Justin and JC and the boys tell me how “there ain’t no excuse for losing your feet, drowning in your defeat on this road of life”… and they’re right. There is no excuse. Get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fight. Like I told a friend who was down recently: sometimes we have to get bloodied to gain our victories.

I feel better now. I sang my little heart out. I’m about to spray paint (my new FAVORITE thing to do) and put on some Justin. Timberlake. Not Bieber. Hey, a girl’s got to have her standards, right?

New Projects

I have a dream… that one day this will be glam not ham.

Now that the chair is finished, my plan is to start work on some new projects for the next couple of weeks.

Project #1:
I bought four IKEA Lack tables to do this project from SpaceSays. Basically, you use the tops from two tables to make a cube and then decorate the edges with office tacks. I’m thinking of upholstering them as well. A little batting, a little fabric. Maybe an animal print or an ikat?

Project #2:

Someone really did a number on this IKEA Klubbo table… I’m going to do another number on it. But better.

Another IKEA table, this time the Klubbo coffee table. I found this with the veneer almost completely peeling off the edges for $20. It is going to replace my mom’s Lack coffee table (the larger sized one with a shelf below) in the living room. I’ll be removing the peeled veneer, priming and painting it in Krylon’s high gloss Cherry Red and painting the legs gold. Cool, eh?

Project #3:

Lamps should not be this color. Ever.

I bought these two lamps from a big box clearance section. The medium brown tone of the wood is a no go. Instead I’ll be spraying on high gloss black paint and putting on new shades. I’m leaning toward a black shade with a gold lining… really going Glam with it.

Project #4:

The dresser… holding my lovely A Giannelli horse head bookends and Design*Sponge @ Home.

The Simmons dresser. I’ve had this for a while. I’ve vacillated wildly on what to do with it. At first I thought I’d just strip it and clear coat it. Then, I decided maybe a two tone finish similar to the original finish would be good. Finally, I thought a high gloss bright would be the best option. Actually, I wont be doing any of those but I think the idea I did come up with will be pretty and unique!

Project #5:

The armoire with the doors off…

This tall Asian style armoire was a ReStore find. Originally, it was meant to house a TV and related components. I disassembled the turntable and removed the upper door with a view to converting it into office armoire. Now I’m thinking it will work out better as a bar. I’m still not sure what direction to take as far as color goes… any suggestions would be much appreciated!

So, that’s what I’ve got on my plate in the coming weeks. Now that my arsenal of tools and helpful friends and family are coming to my aid when I need them, you should be seeing a lot more DIY around these here parts!

I hope you’re having an awesome Wednesday! See you tomorrow!

They Call Me Mellow Yellow…

Quite rightly! Seriously this chair was kind of fugly when I bought it but it was comfortable and looked like it’d be easy to update. OK, also it was dirt cheap. In fact, it might have been cheaper than dirt! Anyway, you all (patient, lovely people aren’t you?) know how long it has taken me to get this chair together but there is an AFTER (at last) for this BEFORE.

You can see my progress report here. I broke down and bought a staple gun. I spray painted the frame yesterday in Krylon’s Satin Nickel. It’s really pretty. Stapling the fabric was a two man job (thanks Kirsten Marino-DeShields!) but it got done. I forgot to staple the fabric from the back on the outside pieces so you can see the wonky staples. I decided I’m going to hot glue some yellow ribbon over it.

Whooo! I’m so glad that I got this project finished. It has been a longer process than expected… but a rewarding one!

Have a great Wednesday everyone and enjoy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Totally Inspiring Room

Could a room be any room be sunnier looking than this ode to yellow? It’s a nice shot of happiness during this season of cold, gray, rainy and snowy weather. This is the kind of room that cheers the spirit no matter what the season.

Some standout points of interest for me: the hits of black throughout that keep the room grounded, little bits of shine, and the flame orange art on the far wall. The whole space looks comfortable, happy, and pulled together. It’s definitely a totally inspiring room!

On a side note: the office chair has a fresh coat of Krylon’s Satin Nickel spray paint on it’s frame. In a bit I’m going to head over to Walmart to get a staple gun so I can get the fabric on… hopefully today!