Project: Lamp Makeover

My mother got this elephant lamp as a wedding gift, and she was never crazy about it.  When my parents downsized, it came to me.  I've always loved it - I think it is playful and cute.  However, its color scheme dates it quite a bit.  It appears to be made from some kind of plaster, and as you can tell from the trunk, the old paint was starting to chip off.  Time for a makeover!

This method is an easy and inexpensive way to update your existing lamps.

Materials:


Old lamp
Masking tape
Spray Paint of your choice
Tissue paper/newspaper
Ribbon of your choice

1. Remove the lampshade and light bulb.  Wrap the light fixture portion of the lamp in the tissue paper/newspaper, securing with masking tape.  Make sure all of the metal portions of the light fixture are covered.

2. Wrap the cord of the lamp in masking tape near the base of the lamp, then cover the rest of the cord with newspaper and secure to the cord with more masking tape.

3. Spray paint the lamp according to the manufacturer's directions. Alyse and I used the same spray paint she used for her water bottle project - it is amazing how far one bottle of paint can go!

4. Allow the lamp to dry completely, also according to the manufacturer's directions.








5. Add a pretty colored ribbon to the existing shade.  This is great if, like me, you aren't quite sure what color scheme to go with - you can always change the color of the ribbon later pretty easily.  I used this method of wrapping the lampshade with ribbon, only I left the existing shade on the shade frame and just wrapped the ribbon over it.  I haven't secured it yet with a needle and thread because I might change my mind as to the color, but for right now, it looks pretty great - a totally different feel than the fake-bronze-and-black lamp from before!

Voila!  The completed lamp!