French Chic Lamp

Tags

craft, french chic, french ephemera, guest room, home decor, lamp, lampshade, shabby chic

I’ve been extremely busy and life has felt a little chaotic. I have many projects and recipes that I want to get to, but I haven’t been able to find the time. It seems every so often I need to remind myself to make the time for the things I enjoy, because even though I’m fitting more in, it feels less chaotic to me.

I found this beautiful crystal lamp at a yard sale in the fall and immediately envisioned a gorgeous french chic lamp for my guest room. My dad insisted that I needed to rewire the lamp before using it… so dad, please pretend I already did that step.

The mismatched lampshade might have been the right fit size-wise, but definitely not style-wise. Then I was on the hunt for a lampshade. Each store I went to had something similar to what I desired, but none were quite right. One store I thought I found the right shade, but it was too big. I felt like Goldilocks and temporarily gave up on my search, after all the guest room didn’t get used too often.

Last week,I was checking the clearance racks at Target and I decided to go down the lamp aisle. I had already checked this store before, but it was like destiny – the perfect lampshade for my lamp. Goldilocks found the one that was just right.

My first step was to sand down the rusted metal piece and spray it with metallic silver Rustoleum.

I hopped over to The Graphics Fairy and printed some French Ephemera that I planned to transfer to the white lampshade. As a child, did you ever trace a picture using the window sill? Easiest way to transfer an image right? I positioned my print and taped it to the inside of the shade and turned on the light. Using a black fine-point Sharpie pen. I traced the image. Since the lamp shade was fabric, it needs to be a bleed-free. I grabbed the wrong one to start, can you guess where?

After a little TLC and craftiness, my lamp looks worlds better. It’s such a simple and quick project. Maybe you’ve seen the fairy light I’ve already made for my guest room.

What crafts or projects do you have planned for this weekend? 

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Merry Christmas To Me – New Chandelier Earrings

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chandelier earrings, Christmas cheer, Christmas gift, Christmas present, Christmas tradition, craft, crafting, earrings, frugal, gift giving, handmade earrings, homemade earrings, jewelry, jewelry crafts, jewelry making, present, shabby chic, stock stuffers., Xmas gift, Xmas present

10 more days until Christmas, that means only 9 more shopping days! Admit it, most people spend money on themselves while the are holiday shopping, whether it’s an item on sale that you need or a promotional discounted second item you keep for yourself. If most of us cannot resist the temptation, it must be human nature for a little bit of immediate gratification to be wrapped up with our generosity. Making gifts for others is no exception, I still have to make something for myself now and then…

Earrings are my weakness; chunky chandeliers hanging from my ears. I have a plethora of earring findings and beads on hand at all times, but I had found the base for these on clearance a few months back. With all the layers of bulky sweaters and thick scarves it is a little hard to feel glamorous, but it’s time for my ears to sing. I used the same beads for the wine glass charms I made recently; the assortment of colors blended together, challenging me to incorporate colors not normally in my clothing palette. These earrings surprisingly coordinate with purples, browns, creams, grays, yellows, browns and pinks, since the beads shimmer and reflect different colors.

Chic Chandeliers

Since the bases were on clearance and the beads and other findings were left over from other projects, these cost me about $3 a pair, not too shabby for a chic new accessory.

 

Whether making these for yourself or someone else, these chandelier earrings make a great stocking stuffer… even if you don’t wait to wear them.

Did you purchase anything for yourself while holiday shopping? If so, what did you get and are you going to wait to use it?..