I feel like I should title this post "Lamp Pass and Lamp BIG FAT FAIL." I recently redid two lamps and only one turned out like I had hoped. The other...well...notsogood. The first started when I found this cutie little drum shade at Goodwill for $2.99:
I am quickly becoming obsessed with drum shades. I just think they are uber cool. I had been wanting a new shade for the lamp on my self-made sofa table in our living room for ages. The shade I had there was just so GINORMOUS:
I was just going to cover the denim, but when I went to remove the trim, it all came off pretty easy. Then I realized I could just peel the fabric right off the shade. Who knew?:
I had some extra fabric from try No. 2 with our dining room drapes years ago, and I covered the shade with it like I showed you here.
Drum shades are easy peasy to cover, no angles to worry about. ;)
For the unfinished edges on the inside, I always add a little trim (also from another project):
A little hot glue does the trick!
Loverly!:
This one is a pass, right? I think so. I absolutely love it!
The next one...well. I'm not so sure about. I wanted a new lamp for our dresser in the bedroom and was on the lookout for something with a cool shape at Goodwill. I found this one for $7.99, brand new with tags:
I LOVED the shape and size. The color of the wood, not really. I already have three spray painted lamps in our bedroom, so I was really hoping to stain this one instead. I sanded this sucker down with my electric sander because the finish would just not. come. off. otherwise:
I was so stinking excited, thinking how GORG it would be with my walnut stain!Uhhhhhh....no. It looked like total butt. It was so uneven and just grody. I didn't even take a picture because I was so totally annoyed I had just spent all that time sanding the blasted thing.
So, once a spray painter, always a spray painter I guess:
Oh yeah, I know it looks OK from afar. I sprayed it with my oil rubbed bronze paint, and it's OK. But oh my goodness, the finish is SO uneven. It's a Mona Lisa -- you know the type. Looks good from far away but when you get close...ewwww...
It's not the crack that bothers me, I like that. Dang it! The pictures don't do this thing justice. For the first time in eternity, the picture looks BETTER than real life. How often does that happen? Usually it's the other way around. I am OK with it...it's staying so when I get over my tiff with this one, I'll work on it more... ;)
So what before and afters have you got to show off today? I can't wait to see!
You know the drill -- use the link from that post, not to your blog, to link to the party. (I have to delete those -- and I don't like bein' mean!!) :)
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56 thrifties said (comment here):
I LOVE the shades!!! Both are beautiful, but the first one is my fave. LOVE the key addition too.
I ♥ the 2nd one!! I guess you must be telling the truth, b/c I think it looks great! Even in that second up close pic? Guess the shadowing hides whatever you don't like. You could have just pretended that it turned out absolutely perfect!! :)
Thanks for hosting another Before & After party, Sarah! I'm glad I can participate this time. There's nothing I love more than a good makeover. :-)
Love the lamp shade! About that second lamp...if the uneven finish is really bothering you, could you resand lightly, kilz, and then repaint?
I'm kind of crazy for drum shades right now too. I want to change out every shade in my house for one! :-) The shade turned out so pretty and I LIKE the lamp! Not sure why you don't, but I know how that is. Great thing is you can just keep messing around with it until you like it. Love that...
pk @ Room Remix
Lovely lampshade makeover :-)
You know... you could spray paint that lamp base with some of that textured paint and then use your lovely paint ontop of that... just a thought~ If that doesn't look good, and your still not "into" it re-donate! lol
Ha, how about that, a photo that looks better than the real deal? I never have that happen!! I have to say it looks great...and what, did I read "oil rubbed bronzed paint"? I recently spent a lot of time washing several different paints over a couple pf chair frames to get them to look similar to the oil rubbed bronzed fixtures in my bath. There is a short cut?!?
Oh well...thanks for hosting this party. And again, appreciated your post from last Friday!
Janell
So pretty Sarah! I adore the flowered fabric on the drum shade.
You are so clever to think of this re-do. You always get me thinking and looking around my house for things to work on. The shape of the one in your bedroom is fabulous! Great job!
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~Many Blessings, ~Melissa :)
love it all! GREAT LAMPS! everything you do even in MONET.. HA! is great!
"if"
I like your lamp & shade. Doesn't look icky at all!
"It looked like total butt."
LOL. But it came out nice in the end.
I think they both turned out great! Love the fabric on both shades. I just found an old lamp I did years ago in my basement. I need to do something with it {and I'm sure spray paint will be involved!}.
Well Sarah, I am feeling sad. I have no before and after. I have never really refinished anything EVER. I have my grandma's, long since passed, treadle singer sewing machine and cabinet it needs refinishing so badly but i want to look antiquy trendy..any ideas girls??
I think they both turned out great. But, like you said, things are different upclose and personal. But, I think you did a couple of great redos!
Have a fun day!
I tried to redo some shades and lamps lately. TOTAL fail. I finally just went out and bought new shades and did as you did with the ORB. I think your lamps are gorgeous, btw. I need me some drum shades!
I think they both look good! I love the oil rubbed bronze look. It must be the magic of the lighting, but I think that 2nd one is still ok!
I got a new piece over the weekend I think I will need your advice on how to get refinished.
Drum shades ROCK!! Yours turned out great!!
Sarah, I LOVE the second lamp so much...it's gorgeous. :) I will have to go back and peruse my site and see if I have anything decor related that I can link up. Looks like you've got a hoppin' party! :)
Thanks for the party! I linked up to my post about redoing some old brass candlesticks. Your lamps look great, and I totally hear you about the second one not turning out like you would like. It's the curse of a creative mind with a vision that can't quite make it happen! :-)
YOur post is so timely as I can't find a lamp I want that is fun, flirty & creative for my craftroom. Nothing too serious so am on the verge of trying all these DIY projects out. Both of yours are awesome! Thanks for the inspiration! Bonnie
love your site and your projects. Keep it going!
I think both lamps look really nice but I know what you mean about it not turning out "perfect". That happens to me all the time. And then when I look at the project, all I see are the imperfections. Anyway, BOTH lamps look great! :)
Hi Sarah,
I can't help but be reminded of your last post on Perfection. Perhaps this is your chance to enjoy your pretty creation (and it IS charming) flaws and all! It has such lovely lines. After all... The Mona Lisa is considered to be a masterpiece by many!! Thanks for sharing all your hard work and creativity. You do inspire!!
Warmly,
Tracey
Well, they both look fabulous in the pictures, but I do know what you mean. I have painted one lamp 3 times and it still looks awful, so I have given up. Hugs, Marty
I think you are way too hard on yourself. They both look great. So pretty!
Hey, Sarah, I'm also a big fan of drum shades & have picked up a bunch of them. They really do update an older lamp. Fun party, I added a DR consultation I did with B&A pics. It really turned out great!
Great party! I haven't been paying very good attention - I somehow didn't realize there was a party going on over here today. I hope it isn't bad manners to link to an old post. Sorry!
You could sell your lamps!! Wow, just wow. :) Everything you touch turns beautiful girl! Good work. I'm not linking up, but looking forward to seeing everything. AND, I finally have the Spy party pics up on my blog too. Thank you so much for your comment on the invites.
Oh duh! P.S. I meant to say how much I love your lamps. I really do. Drinking more caffeine as we speak.
Thanks for hosting a fun party! Your lamp looks great. Both actually. I've also found that if you don't have trim, lining the inside (or outside) of your lamp with ribbon works too!
Your drum shade is beautiful! The other one, as you said, looks good in the picture. I sure you will be able to get it all working fine.
An idea for any future staining projects. As you probably know, paint coats the wood whereas stains soaks in, thats why you can see the grain and everything with stain. Of course the stain soaks in more or less on different parts of the wood grain. Because walnut is such a dark color the places that end up soaking up more paint turn out really dark, like black dark. To help even out your stain start by pretreating your wood. I don't remember what the product is called, but it a sealer of sorts. You can find it by the stains. Then, when you stain, the color will go on more evenly and be beautiful and dark all over!
Is there a tutorial somewhere on how exactly we participate in these blog hop type dealios? Because i think i'ma wanna play soon, but the little tidbit at the end about "link to this, not that" had me all afraid. I'm scuuuurrred.
I love the shade that you used for the "Mona Lisa" lamp (which I thought was a win), where did you find that so I can go out right now and purchase it? :)
ACTUALLY, you are crazy! That wooden lamp is so nice! I've gotta try to find that oil rubbed bronze spray paint!
If you don't luurve that lamp, mail that sucka to MY HOUSE - STAT!
LOL!
Great Job!
http://sparkedlife.blogspot.com
I'm giggling at the words "total butt". I need to work that back into my vocabulary. I love both re-do's! They look great.
Gorgeous! I love the fabric you chose and that base is TO DIE FOR! We need better Goodwills around here!!
How and where do you want us to go to post our before and after project?
I think they both look fantastic!!
Pretty fabric on the sofa table lamp. REALLY LOVE the fabric on the bedroom lamp, and the shape of the base.
Okay - i added a link to that mclink thing, but i want to post the party on my blog and i am FREAKING OUT that i'm going to do something wrong. I need some help please!!
I love "loverly" (Eliza Dolittle!!!) and "grody"--I used to say both of those things! And your shades look good--I posted about the same thing today. I love the oil-rubbed bronze finish, and I choose not to believe that it looks as bad as you say. :)
That first drum shade is actually from Pottery Barn kids and cost quite a bit of money about 5 years ago!
I'm a little slow and just posted the 'before' pix of our new home...it'll be a long time until the afters, but I do have some freshly-painted walls. You always inspire me, and I may even make time to check out all the other cool B&A's!
Adorable. As always. you ROCK!
I love it. Perfect. It kind of looks like the liberty bell with the crack. THe second is defintely a cool shade.
I completely love your site! You even talk like I do, loverly. Keep up the good work.
Love them both!! I too am loving the newer drum style shades, love the clean lines I suppose. Gotta love Oil Rubbed Bronze!! I have a whole case in my garage just waiting for the latest victim!! LOL
Cara, I just checked and your blog popped up ok..so i think you did it right!
You have such great taste in fabric! Too bad about the second lamp though :(
Hi Sarah,
Oh I've had that thrift store lamp experience too. You think it's gonna be so beautiful,and then nothing you can do looks good. Well I agree, the lines of it were perfect. And I really think it turned out nice, but believe me, I know how you feel. ;) Now that drum shade... gorgeous! I love that fabric.
Kelly
I'm late joining in! It's fashionably late, right? I love the fabrics. So pretty and great job on the afters! Both lamps look great (sorry about the 2nd one...but it really looks great in the pics). :)
Thanks for hosting such a great party! I can't wait to come back and check out all of the links! It's going to take a while!
Have a great week!
Roeshel
Can't wait to see what you work on next!
Okay, YAY i figured it out. And I linked. that was yesterday... then i finished a WAY cuter project today! Can i link more than one project? I'd totally delete my other one if i knew how.
So Pretty! I love the key accent.
I like what you did. Especially how you hid the plug. One other thought for disgusing that speaker would be to hang a shelf below it and put some doodads on it and some art on an easel on the shelf. Might be able to totally disguise it?
Love your blog! Michele
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