Spoonful of Imagination

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Colorful Desk Lamp Tutorial

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Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialWant to add a pop of color in your house without purchasing anything new? This is a project you can do!

In our last house, we had this small desk lamp in our boys’ bedroom. We haven’t used it in our new house, so its just been sitting in a closet. I loved the shape and it worked so we have just held on to it. If you have boys who occasionally turn the living room into a football field, you know it’s important to keep a few items on the sideline should a picture frame or lamp take a direct hit. Just saying.

Now, that we have the art studio, I am finding a lot of days where I am working on setting up workshops, emailing, and spending more time on the computer. I needed a functioning desk with a lamp.

Colorful Desk Lamp Tutorial

I pulled out my old lamp and put it back to work. The only problem was it had a lot of white on it, and the lamp shade I wanted to use also had a lot of white. It was easier to change the lamp base than to find another lampshade that fit and looked great. Here is what I did to my lamp base.

First, I used painters tape to cover the light bulb socket and switch section of my lamp.

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialNext, I pulled out a couple of my leftover spray paints that I liked and did a light coat of each color all around my lamp.

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialI let each color dry completely, before I sprayed the next color. I overlapped the colors a little as I sprayed to create a natural ombre look.

For this project, it was easy to hold the light bulb socket area and rotate the lamp to create the even coat. Please note: To avoid drip downs of paint, it is better to do two light coats of spray paint than to do one thicker/heavier layer.

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialIt’s always a little more challenging to do spray paint projects during the dead of winter. It’s been hovering around “Brrrr, it’s cold” to “I can’t feel my face” this past month. Which means spray painting is happening in the garage. While it’s certainly warmer than outside it still feels like “I’m losing feeling in my toes” after about 20 minutes. So all that to say, it takes things a lot longer to dry. Be sure to let your lamp dry completely, so you don’t get fingerprints or scratch marks on your new colorful project.

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialOnce your lamp is dry, add a light bulb and lampshade and you are ready to go! I love the way that my white lampshade looks with this new colorful base. It’s such a fun mix!

Pssstt… did you notice I left the gray layer on the base of my lamp base? I liked that color, so I used it as the first layer and just added more color to the middle and top!

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialI’m hoping this little desk and lamp helps me to have a focused workspace. Maybe it will help my kitchen counter from becoming an office.

Colorful Desk Lamp TutorialDo you remember when I made these rustic mirrors? They may be one of my favorite crafts of all time.

What do you think? Do you have a lamp, basket, or flower pot that is hiding away in a closet, basement or garage that could be brought back to life with a little color added to it? Have fun! Use your imagination and have fun giving old items, new life. This is also a great way to make someone a special and customized gift without spending lots of money.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you try this project, tag me on social media with #spoonfulproject so I can see your handy work!

Cheap lamp to Industrial Beauty

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DIY_industrial_floor_lightToday, I have a funny little tale about a lamp.

Before I get to the lamp, I must say it started with an empty room. We moved into this house, and we had a blank slate. We’ve been tackling it little by little and rooms are coming together. The living room has been one of the slowest rooms since we left our old couch and loveseat in Georgia. This room needed seating.

So, a couch was added.

A gallery wall was added.

creating_a_gallery_wallYet, it was missing something.

This room needed a lamp. One that could sit on the edge of that couch.

It’s no secret one of my favorite things to do is to embroider (especially at night while talking to my boo). I needed a lamp next to the couch to make that possible. There is not much space between the couch and the doorway for a table, so it needed to be a floor lamp.

The only lamp we had on hand was a cheap plastic shade lamp, so I put it there for the time being. It got the job done, but it didn’t look right.

light_makeoverI felt like it was trying to take over my gallery wall or at least be apart of it. The big white shades were distracting. I wanted something that did the job, but maybe a little more aesthetically. This lamp had to go.

cheap_light_upgradeThen I fell in love with a lamp in a store front here in our little town. I thought it was a perfect match. After weeks of trying to get to the store, I finally got in only to find out that the lamp was not for sale. So sad.

I left determined to create my own. Why did I not think of that first? I wanted an industrial type lamp. To me, a wire shade was more subtle than a stark white. I found several shades on-line that would work, but ended up buying two from Lowes. Instead of getting rid of my current lamp, I was going to revamp it.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 presetI came home with new shades and light bulbs excited to try the switch.

difference_in_lightingIt was that easy. They were a perfect fit. Immediately I knew it was the right lamp. I didn’t have to get rid of it after all. The recycled lamp gave off light, yet it did not look like an addition to my gallery wall, but if it did-I would be ok with that.

I like the wire look better. I think these two shades and clear light bulbs immediately turned a cheap lamp into a fun piece that will be talked about.

industrial_DIY_light

DIY_industrial_floor_lamp

Do you like metal and the industrial look too? If this idea is something you would like to try let me give two fair warnings.

1. Taking the shade off creates a light that is not softened. It may feel harsh because it is so bright. To help offset this, you could get a lower wattage bulb, a vintage yellow bulb, or only use one of the lights at a time.

2. The metal shade is a lot heavier than the plastic shade. So, the lower light kind of stays in the down “reading-light” position you see. My Caleb says it looks like a wilted flower because if you try to reposition it higher-it just falls. This was ok for me, since it is the perfect height to read a book or embroider.

If these two features don’t bother you, you will love the light as much as me!

bohemian_wall_artI think the handmade lamp perfectly compliments my colorful, art filled wall.

As someone who loves to create, why did I not think of making my own lamp from the very beginning? I guess sometimes the slow process allows us to experience some things along the way. I hope you get to imagine and try something new this week!

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