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Colorful Desk Lamp Tutorial

February 7, 2018 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

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!

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You Ever Seen a Basket with Legs?

November 16, 2016 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

give_a_basket_legs_tutorialInspiration can come from just about anywhere. There are times where I go looking for it and then there are times when it just hits me. I love when that happens.

While at dinner with a friend recently, she gave me this old basket. It was something she no longer wanted but knew I would use for some project. That is love my friends. When you have friends that give you junk, hold on tightly to them.

plain_basketI love having baskets to throw all sorts of stuff in, yet with three dogs in this house hair balls are continually rolling by on our floors. I thought, “what if I could give this basket legs and save some hair from getting on my blankets?” That is what I set out to do. The first thing I did was spray my basket a pretty color.

spray_paint_old_basketI then searched for some old table legs that I had bought for another project but never got around to completing. I found them, taped the ends off, and sprayed them a pretty gold.

table_legsNext, I measured the bottom of my basket and cut out two squares of plywood to those measurements. They would end up sandwiching the metal bottom of the basket in the next step.

bottom_of_basketOnce I had my wood cut, I also sprayed both pieces gold to match the legs. I then used clamps to hold one piece of the plywood on the bottom of the inside of the basket. Using the same clamps, I also attached the other piece of wood onto the outside of the bottom of the basket. This basically squeezed them together while holding the wood and basket in place.

creating_basket_bottomI used my Ryobi Nail Brad to permanently join these two pieces of wood together (with the basket in between). The last step was to attach the legs to my basket. I drilled little holes into the bottom piece of plywood. The legs already had a screw coming out of the them, so I twisted the little legs in, flipped the basket over, and it was done!

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What an inexpensive project! It cost me a little over $2.00 for the plywood, and I had all the other supplies. I love when a project doesn’t cost a lot, is not a lot of steps, yet the finished product is so fun!

repurpose_old_basketI put this basket in my colorful living room and threw some pillows in it. It is just perfect.

basket_projectOur house is so colorful. For other tutorials featured in this picture, you can click these links…

Colorful Purple Front Door

Chicken Feeder Light

Be the Good in the World Sign

colorful_living_room_elements

repurpose_basketWhat do you think?

Do you want to go hunt down an old basket to give it legs? If you don’t have one lying around your house, maybe you have a friend who does, or you can find one at a thrift store. Different shaped baskets and legs could give this concept so many fun looks. Take this idea and make it your own!

repurpose_basket_projectI hope you are able to get crafty this week! Find a minute and do something creative. It might just be figuring out a new meal to cook or a better way to organize your desk, but each little time we stretch our creativity, I believe we are better off for it!

Find me on Facebook or Instagram and share what you did!

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Easy Narrow Nightstand (for that small nook)

August 18, 2016 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

DIY_narrow_nightstandThis room just makes me happy.

There is color EVERYWHERE!

I’ve never been afraid of color, but lately I am having more and more fun going bold and mixing prints and styles to create something of my own. In this room, we have handmade and store-bought. There is new and rustic. There is color and then neutrals (or a color that acts as a neutral), and somehow it all works together to create a beauty that I love.

This room’s finishing touch was actually started years ago. Let me explain.

narrow_nightstandShortly, before we moved to Indiana, I repainted an old dresser to give my J a new dresser. As I was getting ready to throw his old busted dresser out, I just couldn’t part with the drawers. It was an old really heavy, painted too many times dresser that needed to go, but the drawers seemed like good boxes. I knew I could use them for something someday. So, as we moved to Indiana, we loaded up these empty, someday project drawers to come with us. Can we say hoarder!?

It was worth it.

old_drawer_projectShortly after we moved into our new house, and started settling in, I remembered my drawers. I dug them out of the garage and gave them a fresh coat of paint. I thought if I added a few little wheels they would make awesome under the bed storage for my boys’ bedroom. This was about 18 months ago…about the time we got our pup. Who is now a full-grown German Shepard mix.

painting_drawers

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drawerI ended up paper mache-ing some wrapping paper to the bottom of the drawer and adding new handles, but that’s where the project came to a stall.

My drawers did go under the bed, but they weren’t being used. It was more of just a new, clean place to store my someday project (rather than the garage). They sat here until a few weeks ago when a new inspiration struck. I needed a small, narrow nightstand to go between the twin beds. I wondered, “could I use one of these old drawers as a nightstand?!” I hurriedly pulled one out and placed it between the beds. The size was perfect. But since there is a vent in the same spot, the nightstand couldn’t get pushed up against the wall and be a snug fit. It fell and the lamp broke (nothing a little super glue couldn’t fix). This is where I roped in my talented husband. He added shelves to the drawer and hung it up on the wall for me. Garage_work_shop

creating_small_wood_shelves

creating_small_wall_shelves

Ryobi_nail_brad_toolHe’s a genius. He placed the shelves right above the screws from the handles so no one would get scraped reaching for something off the shelf. This was a quick project but needed some thought and calculation. He used my Ryobi Nail Brad and whipped this up much quicker than I expected.

creating_small_shelves

Ryobi_nail_bradHe cut two 14 inch long 1×2’s and attached them to the wall. These provided a sturdy hanging option for the drawer while providing a little bit of space off of the wall. He was able to sink one screw from each of the support boards into a stud in the wall. Since the drawer wasn’t wide enough to span across to studs, he used drywall anchors to attached the other screws.

hanging_a_shelfOnce the supports were in place, I helped him hold the drawer up to the wall. He used the brad nailer to quickly attach the drawer to the supports. Then, he went back and added a few screws for more support.

hanging_bedside_tableOnce my drawer was hung, I painted the shelves the same teal as the flowers on the wall for an extra punch of color. I then styled the shelves, replaced my lamp on its new sturdy base, and my nightstand was complete!

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hanging_DIY_nightstandI love how this nightstand is narrow. It doesn’t take up a lot of space between the two beds, which allows for maximum floor space. Yet, it allows for a little lamp to be placed. This is our foster bedroom/guest room, so it is not currently in use. But now we are ready. Guests can place their phone to be charged or a bottle of water right beside their bed at night. I love it.

narrow_nightstandThis room has so many surprising fun elements from the wood chairs hanging on the wall all the way to the huge painted flower mural. Having a drawer converted to a nightstand just completes the look. Yes, it might have been cheaper to just find another drawer in Indiana rather than fill up more space in our moving truck from Georgia, but then I wouldn’t have as good of a story.

Have you repurposed anything recently!? I love to repurpose items. Turning our kitchen chairs into a bench is one of my favorite projects to date. I really loved this little dresser that had broken shelves that I turned into a fun piece too.

There are so many possibilities, if we use our imaginations! I’d love to chat with you about your projects! Find me on Instagram, @ericadeuel, and say hi!

Thank you so much for checking in! I will be back with a room round-up post full of links to the various projects soon!

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Painted School Lockers

June 22, 2016 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

art_storage_ideaI have been on the hunt for lockers to put in our home for years. Seriously! It’s not like they are super hard to find. The problem is that the folks who sell them are often pretty proud of these old rusty boxes that used to hold sweaty gym shorts. Finally, I found these beauties that met my criteria for price and size and I quickly scooped them up.

I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew exactly where I wanted them to go. I knew exactly how I wanted to use them. What I did not know however, was what color to paint them. If you’ve followed me for very long, you know this can be my achilles heel. I will ponder, test, re-test, ask my sweet colorblind husband what he thinks, do another test, wait 3 weeks, and then make my choice. Even after this crazy back and forth, I have been known to finish walls and decide it’s not right, change the color, and do it again. It’s a sickness. I can’t help myself.

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washing_lockersMy amazing kiddos jumped in right away, when I asked for their help to scrub those old sweat boxes down with some soapy water. I mean seriously, these did come out of an old locker room. Yuck!

school_lockers_to_decorateI went ahead and placed the lockers where I wanted them to go. The contemplation game was on. What would be the perfect color to help tie my new lockers into the room?

I decided to branch out on this one and I opened up a poll to my lovely Instagram followers. I would paint portions of the locker with all of my approved test colors and then let them chime in on their favorite.

school_lockersI pulled out my tarps. Covered the locker face plates with some masking tape. Then I applied my five colors.

painting_school_lockersBelow is the finished test color results. Once I saw the lockers in place, I had a feeling I knew which color I wanted to use.

painted_school_lockersPlease ignore all my laundry and look through the doorway to the right. You can see the beginnings of a project I will share with you soon. The colors were all coming together making me want to lean in a lighter direction with the lockers. But, like I said, I turned to Instagram to see what my followers had to say. My followers know I love color, lots and lots of color. They all rallied for me to keep the test colors as-is and go with the multi-colored box of crayon approach to my lockers. I just couldn’t do it. My OCD overruled my Instagram friends. (Sorry!) 

kitchen_lockersI landed on the light pink and after letting it settle in for a few weeks, it’s official, I love it! This room already has a lot of busyness with my rug and new wall art happening to the right. The solid color ties it in well while it still has a nice soft pop.

pink_painted_school_lockersReagan fell in love when I showed her how she could use magnets to now hang her artwork to the lockers. Which by the way is the primary use for the lockers – art supplies. This little corner is my kids crafting corner. The have all their own supplies and are free to dive into projects whenever they want. Now the locker gives us a little more storage and a fun place to put their work on display.

kids_art_corner

pink_lockersI’m not a very patient person but some things end up being worth the wait. I love love love my new lockers even though they took years to find. I also love the color after weeks of deliberation and lots of back and forth.

art_storage_ideaWhat about you? What is your process for choosing colors? Do you know right away or do you take lots of time to figure it out?

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