score!

After years of coveting! A baby Arco lamp! Mid-Century Modern design at it's coolest!

*BAM*

Big, big thanks and much appreciation to John for this amazing surprise!

I've been wanting one for years, and a few days ago he and the Mouse snuck this in

 I mean seriously, it's gorgeous! I have a Lumen bulb in it right now.

See all the holes on top? They make a fabulous light pattern on the ceiling!

Thank you John! Thank you, thank you! :D

more craft therapy - lamp shade tutorial

Cutest homemade lampshade EVER. From dish towels and quilt scraps. Here's how:

 I stripped off the original shade (leaving the inner lining just cuz)

 Using 2 dish towels and a torn quilt scrap, I cut 4 panels for the shade - 2 each of both fabrics. 

I left at least a half inch overlap on the top and sides, just to make sure there was enough fabric.

 Note that I also used some trim from extra dish towels to sew onto the quilt fabric at the bottom.

Using my GLUE GUN to attach the fabric to the shade frame,

I carefully stretched and glued the quilt panels to the metal frame first (above).

I glued the quilt panels first since they were most fragile and needed to be secured to the frame.

 Next, I folded and glued the dish towel panels right onto the quilt panels (above & below)

The sides were hardest, since they curved - I just went little by little. 

 I folded and sewed a few of the dish towel panels beforehand, but found it wasn't necessary -

it was just as easy to stretch and fold the panel as I was gluing it to the quilt fabric. 

Close-up of finishing off the edge as I stretched and folded the panel before gluing it.

I think I surprised myself that it turned out so GREAT! :)

And my very most favorite feature....... that I didn't even expect.......

 ***** IT GLOWS!!! *****

cozy

 I got a new lamp recently, thanks to my adorable cousin Shell :)

It's *awesome*

My house is constantly in desperate need of illumination -

in my world, there is no such thing as too much light! Hah!

 So now my bedroom is on it's way to being a well-lit room!

 YESSSSS!

 Bonus: now that we have a third lamp, I was able to arrange a COZY little reading nook :)

Can I even tell you how much I love my very own little place? Are there even words? 

 It's a good place to hang out, I tell you.

hehe :)

wearing the lampshade (aka: granny out... chic in)

~ GRANNY ALERT! ~

As much as I love antiques - primitive country especially - I felt my house was on the verge of grannydom :/ A few years ago I began a granny sweep of everything I owned. Classic or unique pieces (quilts, wood furniture, etc.) were left to enjoy as always. Anything that looked like it could easily associate with a doily or granny-scented powder, needed to skedaddle along it's merry way, or be turned on it's ear by being updated. My bedside lamp, above, is the latest project in throwing caution to the wind.    

It all started years ago when I saw this GINORMOUS floor lamp by Jonathan Adler. It was so exaggerated yet so creatively fun, I just loved it. I loved how it took an older design like a turned wooden lamp base, and forced it into something modern yet still functional. That design remained in the back of my head, and I knew it was just a matter of time before I made my own version of it with my bedside granny lamp. 

I started the usual way, this time using a bright white lacquer that dried to a very hard surface. I used exactly one can, and then about half a can of high gloss acrylic top coat (optional) - just because I wanted as much sheen as possible.

 I decided to go with a simple drum shade to give it more of a modern impact. I nearly went NUTS trying to find one (!@#$%^&*) and ended up ordering from Lamps Plus online. Since there was a slight color variation in the white of the lacquer and the white of the shade, I decided to embellish the top and bottom of the shade with some VERY fun cloth ribbon I have been saving. 

I used a hot glue gun to tack the ribbon down about every 5 inches. I also decided to take this ribbon to the very edges of the shade, instead of leaving a small band of the shade showing as I did in a PREVIOUS LAMPSHADE PROJECT. It just looked better that way somehow.

Then I folded the ribbon over to make a nice flush seam where the seam of the lamp shade was, and hot glued that down as well.

 Yippee! It looks very cool and I am happy with how it turned out!

~ final outcome: granny out... chic in ~

Now THIS, my friends, is what we call updating an old style into something fresh and modern! I realize you can't do it with all granny stuff - and that most true antiques should be left as they are - but I'm really happy with how this project turned out!

The reason I decided to use the ribbon I did, is because it's fun colors match the retro table cloth of "American Vacationland" hanging above my bed. For my next project, I will be attempting to turn this retro tablecloth into a headboard. Yes, you heard me correctly. Attempting a headboard. Without a net :/ Oh! The little lamp on the right side got a cheerful new lampshade too. Embroidered, folky-looking flowers - inexpensive, from IKEA.

Happy Happy :)

Happy Monday - let's talk about the "Vignette"

I've been thinking about what constitutes a "vignette". I love looking at photos, and there are so many amazing ones out there that just seem to capture great little moments in time. A grouping of things that look just so - just right, as is. A candid moment that serves as a reflection of our life. See? It's hard to put into words. 

So what exactly IS a vignette? What differentiates a vignette from a regular photo - or just a photo of "stuff"? Technique? Grouping? Lighting? A little magic? I'm not really sure. Probably all those things and several more.

Over the weekend I took a walk around my house and photographed little bits and pieces of life at home. I also added a few photos I had previously taken. Hopefully, you can see a bit about who I am from these photos. But does that mean they are vignettes? I don't know - perhaps some are and some aren't. I'm hoping some of you will *comment* and give me your opinion. I would really enjoy learning more about the art of photographing the vignette.


First up is my favorite funky lamp of all time. And the rest, well, just take a look and tell me what you think. The more I work on this post the more photos I keep losing and can't retrieve! And it's driving me NUTS! So if you want to see more vignette candidates, click on my Flickr sets in the left column. And don't be shy - comment! I'm going to bed!