d*s reader candlyn sent in this fun lighting before & after, complete with instructions! using a thrift store lamp, a little spray paint and some good old fashioned elbow grease she created something perfect for her daughter’s room. want to do something similar? click here (or just click “read more” below) for candelyn’s instructions and process images.
How Candelyn Made Over her Thrift Store Lamp:
1. I primed and painted my old lamp with a “hammered metal” spray paint.
2. In order to build a new shade, I cut the top circular wires off of two lampshades to create a stable structure for the new shade material.
3. I cleaned all of the old tape and fabric off of the wires.
4. I broke the middle wire out of one of the wire circles with a pair of pliers. This became the bottom wire of the new lampshade.
5. I then spray painted both the lamp and the shade frames a black “hammered metal” finish.
6. Next I cut two pieces of poster-board the right width for the height of the lampshade. Then I taped them together with fabric adhesive tape to create the inner layer of the lampshade
7. Then I measured carefully for the diameter of the circle and cut the white paper to be the outer later of the lampshade. Then I drew on the design with a paint marker.
8. After I was satisfied with my design, I applied more adhesive tape around the top and bottom edges, clipping along the edges so they would tape smoothly over the wires. It took a little adjusting, but when the wires were just right, I folded the tape over and smoothed it down.
