ever since i saw one on a bedside table in domino magazine, i have been in love with and searching for vintage cork lamps. they are hard to find though, and often pretty expensive, so i finally decided to try to make one! i was looking for bases that had a nice modern shape, and surprisingly i found them both at ikea, in the form of a garden pot (upside down) and two cutlery drying caddies taped together! you could really use any base you wanted, as long as you can drill a hole in the top for the lamp kit. i am really happy with the bare cork right now, but i think if i ever get bored with it i could paint some stripes on it to liven it up…i hope you enjoy this one; clearly i have lamps on the brain! click here for the full post (or just click “read more” below) and happy crafting! -kate

full instructions after the jump…

Kate’s Cork Lamps

What You’ll Need:

1. lamp wiring kit (these are found at any hardware store)
2. lampshade attachment (these are in the same section in the hardware store)
3. cork (this could be in a roll or in tiles, as long as they can bend easily…pick the cork that has a texture you like)
4. hot glue
5. drill and drill bits
6. scissors or exacto blade
7. base for lamp ( I used two of Ikea’s Ordning cutlery caddies that I duct taped together. The smaller one is Ikea’s Bladet pot.)
8. pliers

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions on the lamp wiring kit to put the socket kit together. You can screw the bottom pieces together and thread the wire through and attach the socket later.

2. If your lamp base needs a hole in the top and on the side, drill a hole in the center of the top and near the bottom of the base for the wire to poke through. For the cutlery caddies I used pliers to pry the center hole on the bottom to be a bit wider so that the lamp nipple could fit through it.

3. Measure out your cork for the sides of the lamp and cut them out. I used one 12″ x 12″ tile and approximately 5″ of a second tile. If you are using thinner cork (from a roll), consider using two layers of cork so you can push your pins in more easily. If you’re using a pot that you cannot drill through, cut your cork a little bit taller than the pot so that the pot will be lifted off the table surface a little, and you can cut a notch out of that extra inch of cork so the wire can poke out. This will ensure your lamp is level.

4. Measure where your wire is coming out the bottom and cut a small hole in the cork for the wire to poke through once it on the lamp base.

5. Trace a the top of your lamp base onto a piece of cork and cut out the circle. Find the center of that circle and cut out a small hole for your lamp nipple to fit through.

6. Carefully glue the cork around your base, wrapping it around from front to back. There will be a seam in the back of the lamp, but it is not too noticeable.

7. Once the cork is on, poke the wire through the hole in the cork, up through the lamp base to the top hole. Use the pliers to pull it through and out the top of the lamp.

8. Glue the cork round to the top of your lamp, remembering to feed the wire through it and then glue it down.

9. Screw the lamp parts onto the top of the lamp base, pulling the wire through and wiring it to the socket as directed on the package. Tighten everything.

10. Add a light bulb and screw your lampshade on.

VOILA!