Yard Sale Lamp Makeover

An alternate title for this post could've been "Angles Smile When Your Born" and Other Yard Sale Finds, but I was cringing too much to write those errors in the title. However, it would have accurately captured the $1 print that someone was trying to sell at their yard sale. It had been purchased, not homemade, and I spent a good part of the 5 minutes after spotting it trying to figure out A) why anyone would buy it and B) how it could ever have been sold in the first place.

Anyway, I went yard sale-ing with my mom and dad last Friday and while I was selective with my purchases, (I certainly didn't buy that print, though if it had been free I would've taken it just for laughter's sake) I did buy this lamp for $2.

It was the shade that got me. I just can't resist faux silk fringe.

I had all of the makeover materials on hand, so I decided not to just stuff it in my craft room like I do with so many other items and, instead, actually do something with it. It was super easy and took probably 30 minutes total.

1. Gather makeover materials. Twizzlers are optional for everyone but me.

2. Spray paint the lamp base so it can dry while you redo the shade. No picture required. Plus I didn't take one.

3. Follow the instructions on your Self-Adhesive Shade for Dummies Smart People Who Value Their Time.

You first peel off the outer cover on the shade and use that as a pattern for cutting your fabric. (Genius. I want to be the person who invented this.) I cut mine about 1" larger than the pattern, and I'm glad I did, because I had a hard time wrapping it around evenly.

Then, you simply wrap the fabric around the shade, and it adheres. All by itself. (I should note that the shade also adheres to everything else, like your rug, your shorts, and your cats. So remove all felines before proceeding. Please leave your clothes on, however.) The instructions suggest lining the top and bottom with ribbon, but I wasn't feeling it, so I just folded over the excess fabric on the top and bottom and hot glued it in place.

And ta-da: a new lamp. Total cost: less than $7. The fabric is gray denim that I got for $1/yard months ago at Joann's (but I only used about 1/4 of the yard), the spray paint was some we had on hand, the shade cost $4 at Joann's with a coupon, and the lamp itself was $2.

I don't know where its permanent home is going to be, but it's neutral enough to squeeze in just about anywhere. Sort of like my new fringy hat. I could wear this anywhere, too.

Yeah. Should I care that the Internet now forever has a picture of me wearing a skanky painting outfit with a lampshade on my head that I took with a self-timer because nobody else is here and I am just that cool? At least the lampshade conceals the fact that it is 3:30pm and I haven't yet brushed my hair. I just hope nobody uses this photo in an argument about "Why teachers shouldn't have 2 months off with nothing to do" or an essay about "How to not make your knees look like belly buttons when attempting a modeling career."

Hope your Tuesday is full of reasons to smile and be thankful: I know mine is; this 2 month vacation being one of them! :)