M&J Blog

By Eleah

Mothers day is just around the corner.  Almost any sensible woman above the age of 25 will tell you that lighting is key.  Bad lighting such as overhead fluorescents can drastically alter her appearance not to mention the all around mood of the room.  Help a lady out this Mother’s day with the gift of flattering light. 

This week I transformed a thrift store lamp into 2 different looks using spray paint, fabric and trimmings. I wanted to lean towards a monochromatic color scheme for the lamp itself, leaving a broader range of possibilities for the trimmings to match any room or style.

You will need:

• A lamp + lampshade
• Primer and Spray paint
• Fabric (amount depends on the size of your lampshade)
• Trimmings of your choice (You will have to measure out the appropriate amount depending on the size of your lampshade and how much coverage you want)
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Magna-tac 809 permanent adhesive
• And of course a lightbulb with the appropriate wattage.

Making the Lamp:

1. Lay your lampshade on its’ side and roll it across your fabric tracing it with a pencil as you go.  You will only need to roll it about ½ way around. 
2. Create a second line about 1 inch outside of your original tracing and cut it out.
3. Wrap the fabric around the lampshade folding the 1 inch seam allowance behind the top and bottom edges of the shade.  Secure with Magna-Tac as you go. (keep in mind that if your fabric is thin and covering a shade that is thin as well, your seam will show through once the lamp is turned on…so try to be as neat as possible.)
4. Lay down 2 coats of primer to the lamp base and when it is dry spray paint a couple coats of top coat in the color of your choice.
5. Secure the trimmings you have selected using Magna-Tac.  I used 3/8″ Pom Pom Fringe (31664)in mint and 5.25″ Pearl with flower fringe (14021) in black.
6. Turn on your new creation to test out the final product and if you’re happy with it, wrap it up and give it to your favorite mom.