Easy Custom Lamp Shade Tutorial

Let's just say that my daughter kinda ruined a lamp I had by messing up the lamp shades. No problem I thought. I'll just go out and replace them. Yes them. 2 shades. After 4 lighting stores, several department stores and even a lamp shade outlet, no luck because of the size that they are. So leaving the last store, I thought "time to get creative". And I had just the idea.

I grabbed a vintage feed sack that I had laying around and with spray adhesive, sprayed the shade, wrapped a lampshade in the feed sack and trimmed it to size with scissors.

Then the other one. No special technique needed, just confidence. I like the way it turned out. Don't you?

White Decor DIY Project

I was watching The Nate Show the other day and he made a project that had the perfect tie-in to the theme in the last post regarding the white trend in decor. He painted animal figurines in white primer which made the item look like a porcelain white bisque fired item. I had to do this. 

I got a .50 cent pedestal bowl from an estate sale this weekend.  It was a charcoal color. I think the color would have been fine, but I was considering using it for my display for The Patchwork Show. If I put a white bowl of items out, it would enhance the look of the items, rather than a dark, dreery black bowl. so I simply sprayed it with white primer. Isn't it fantastic?

Tutorial: A Wine Cork Valance

Really? A unique cork project? Yes! I've been scrubbing my brain trying to come up with a cork project that hasn't already been done. Not another corkboard. Not another trivet. But a window valance!
My ugly windows were in need of some sprucing up. First I put up an antique lace table runner as a valance. I put nails in the walls, hung the valance and then added decorative elements from the scrapbooking department of the craft store to the nail ends.  After that I set off to make my cork valance.
You want to learn too?

wine corks   

 

 eye pins

                                         

 

ball chain 

 

       ball chain connectors        

                                                                            

fun colored ribbon and lace ribbon that's firm                                            

Here's what you need:

wine corks - I used 18 but you can use more or less depending on the type of pattern you want.

eye pins - I used 25 but it will depend on the pattern you come up with. Take a cork to the hardware store and see which size you like. It needs to screw in good but not be too huge

ball chain - I started with 6 feet of small diameter ball chain and cut 10 pieces, 5 inches long

ball chain connectors with an eye at one end -20

jump rings that open -10 regular jump rings that you buy for jewelry at any craft store. Mine are silver plated.

fun ribbon - 18  3 inch pieces. You can buy cheap spools of ribbon at Michael's. My red ribbon was $1.

lace ribbon that's firm and has holes in it - I used 5 feet of antique lace, but it depends on the size of your window. This is what you will attach all of the ball chain ends to and it will hang across the window.

Tools

wire cutters

2 pair chain nose pliers

scissors

1. Lay out your corks according to the pattern that you choose. Mine was 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1

2. Attach 1 eye pin into 10 corks at one end

3. Attach eye pins into both ends of 8 corks

 So now 10 corks have eyepins in one end and 8 corks have eyepins in both ends.

4. Attach the ball chain connectors to the ball chain at both ends. Do this for all ball chain pieces.

5. attach the ball chain connectors to the eye pins of 4 corks that have an eye pin in one end with a jump ring. 

6. Attach the ball chain connectors to the eye pins of 6 corks that have an eye pin on both ends with a jump ring.

7. Lay out your cork pieces according to the pattern and tie the corks together with a knot through the eyepins. 

8. Tie the ball chains through the connector to the lace evenly spaced out.

9. You're done. Hang your lace piece with a decorative thumb tack to the wall pulled tightly.