A revamped lamp and other stories

I've lived with this lamp for almost a year and finally got around to finding a shade that fits, covering said shade, and putting the whole mess together for the final result of a finished (!) lamp in the corner of the dining room. 

The lamp is most definitely 50s, and though I think I'm pretty much alone here-- I love it. Patrick frowns and pictures pink feather trees, mom scowls and remembers some dusty corner of her great-aunt's post war ranch house, but I like it. It's real maple wood and ceramic, and it was a good bargain. 

Over the summer I found a shade for it, I thought, and covered it in something wretched. Actually, I did a wretched job covering the shade in something wretched-- lampshades can be SUCH a difficult project. That was take one. Now I've found a new shade, a better size, and covered it in something I love. I used a different technique to cover it, too. Instead of trying to cut the fabric to fit perfectly on the shade, I glued and cut the fabric as I went around, first securing the fabric around the bottom (larger) rim of the shade with binder clips and Elmer's glue, then working on the top rim the same way, cutting deep slits in the fabric at intervals, so I could pull it taut and get rid of wrinkles. You can see a progress photo in this post. Of course, this means the pattern on the fabric gets altered a little here and there, which I don't mind. With a busier print in a smaller format, it'd be even less noticeable. 

I think this guy looks pretty dapper keeping company with his shiny new Christmas tree friend, an early birthday present from my mother-in-law.

Psst! Click here to subscribe to the feed!