Spring is FINALLY here!

Its about 50 degrees outside today-and its cloudy.  BUT-that has not stopped me from opening the back door and letting the nice spring air into my house!  I have flowers coming up, and I anxiously await their blooms.  It was like magic.  One day there was dirt, and the next day there were green leaves and stems-with buds (can you tell I'm excited?).

Since I finished my chairs I've been working on decorating our living room.  Its this lovely shade of green-I believe it is called sweet mint.  We are hopefully going to replace the windows soon, so I haven't painted them, but I have painted the baseboards white and hung off white linen-esque curtains.  My Husband brought into this marriage a lamp (well, more than a lamp, but specifically a lamp).  It is a dark maple colored wood.  It has a little table on it.  It isn't my favorite lamp.  I painted the lamp the same way I did the kitchen chairs.

Sorry I don't have any "before" pictures-just trust me, this is an improvement.  I have been looking for a shade for this lamp-I wanted a barrel-type shade, and I particularly was smitten with the ones at pottery barn:

However, with me being a student (professionally) and living on Hubby's salary, there isn't a whole lot of left over money for splurges on $59 lamp shades.  So being inspired by several ladies out here in blog land I decided to make my own.  This happens to be problem #1.  I'm not nearly as crafty as I think I am.  At first I just thought I would recover the old shade.  This was a bad idea because the plastic was old and just cracked when you touched it-

Lampshde: 1
Jess: 0

So Then I went to the peddler's mall thinking I could find what I was looking for.  Of course I didn't, but I did find this:

$10...score!  So I don't like the lovely material, but again, I and pull it off and recover it right?  So I disassemble the shade.  and I get the two metal rings and this:

What I thought was plastic covered fabric, was instead poster board covered fabric.  Okay-still no problem right?  I have a template, so I can just cut my other fabric to match and glue and voila!  Alas, it was not meant to be-

Lampshade: 2
Jess: 0

So. I was at goodwill and had this epiphany (don't you love when that happens?) Why not have my bestie's boyfriend (he welds stuff as a hobby) make me a frame to the dimensions I want, and THEN I can cover it?  I'll let you know how that goes when he gets the frame back to me.

In the mean time, the lamp is sitting in the living room shadeless.

I love my birds and nests that are sitting there waiting on a shade.  The holders were made by me.  I had picked up the candlesticks and holders at goodwill for a few cents each (.75 to be exact).  I used frosted glass spray paint and frosted the bottoms, then glued them to the tops with some E6000-that stuff is AMAZING.  Then added some spanish moss, cute birdies, and eggs.  All from the dollar tree! 

I will keep you updated on:

• Flowers in the yard
• The lampshade

I also have a good topiary craft to share next time! It was so much fun!

-Jess