Lamp Shade

So, if anyone has read through some of my posts you know that I've had this ongoing war with a lamp in my living room.

Here is the lamp, and my brother-in-law...

First I painted it white, and I loved it.

Do you see it in the corner? 

Please note there is no lampshade.  There hasn't been a lamp shade since I painted it.  I wanted something barrel-shaped and burlap.  So I've been looking.  I've tried to make some even.  It has never gone right.  I end up burning my fingers and getting mad and scraping the whole idea.  So there this lamp set in the corner with no shade.  Until...

It broke.

That's right.  It broke.  I don't know what happened to it.  I went to pick it up and it fell apart in my hands.  Upon further inspection--it was REALLY broke.  I have sent it to the garage for my dear husband to fix. :)  So, instead I brought up this lamp I had in the garage where I had painted and rewired it and it was waiting to go into the basement.  It also needed a lamp shade.  Desperate I bought a $10 shade at the store, but it was way too small...

So I left it because we had company coming over and I didn't really have a choice.  This week I was in my local goodwill, and I saw it.  As soon as I walked in I saw it.  From all the way across the store-there it was.  A HUGE barrel shade.  I kind of ran (seriously) over to it, and grabbed it.  $1.50! Even better.  I took my prize home.  I was so proud of myself and so excited I forgot to take pictures of it before.  I got home and ran down to the basement and immediately covered it in burlap and glued it down and put it on the lamp.  

Here is the finished product, please don't judge my endtable, it belonged to the inlaws, and I'd like to refinish it. or paint it. But doesn't my lamp look soooo much better????

And a couple other things...I'm in my last semester of nursing, and I had a study session yesterday.  I was completely fried by the time I got home and so I lay down on the sofa to watch some TV with my darling Belle.  She took the remote.  I guess it was too much TLC for her.

And lastly, I'd like to introduce you all to my baby niece.  She is due in February.  We just found out it is a girl.  Here is her latest picture-and yes, she is staring right at us.

That's all for now.  I have a test tomorrow so, I probably should go study some more. :)

Thanks! 

New Peddler's Mall

I apologize that I have been absent this past week.  I got caught up with some school stuff-by the way I ended up with a "B" on my nursing test last week-and I was wanting to finish a project.  That didn't happen...instead it has kind of turned into another fiasco similar to the lampshade.  BUT that was all fixed today with a brief shopping excursion.

We have a new peddler's mall that opened up in Lexington on April 1. I have not had time to go until this weekend.  When we went, it was packed, we were rushed, and its THREE buildings AND an upstairs...OH MY GOODNESS!  So, 2 1/2 hours later, we still hadn't made it through and had to leave.

Today I went back with a friend of mine, and I have some AWESOME goodies to share-and hopefully I will be able to reveal the rest of the living room makeover.  I am soooooooo excited!!

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