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!

Water Bottle Project

Hello there!
This is Alyse, and I love hiking as well as crafting. When I can find a project to combine the two, that is pure joy.

On the trail these days everyone is toting metal water bottles, which is great, but I get tired of seeing that third or fourth person with the exact same one I have. Today I would like to share with you a simple and fun way to give your bottle some character.

Ingredients:
metal water bottle
Contact paper (any color, I used clear)
craft knife
spray paint (I used two colors)
string/ribbon/twine
cardboard to cut on

Start with a metal water bottle, such as Kleen Kanteen. Mine was this orange one.

Wrap the contact paper around the bottle (with backing still on) to cut a piece which will wrap all the way around, but not overlap much. Keep the top and bottom long, to cover the cap and base.

Decide on a design! I drew polka dots with leaves, flowers, and mushrooms in them on a sheet of paper.

Trace your design onto the Contact paper with a Sharpie.

Lay down a thick piece of cardboard and place your Contact paper over it, then begin cutting out your shapes, being sure to keep all the pieces.

Decide which portions of the design you wish to remain the original bottle color. The background should remain the original color, to avoid painting the lip where you drink and the cap.

Wrap the corresponding pieces of contact paper around the bottle, being sure to leave excess to cover the cap.

I wanted the stems and flower centers to stay orange, so I masked those areas as well.

Tie your length of string to the cap, and hang somewhere outside, away from anything you don't want paint on!

With spray paint, cover the entire bottle. Follow the directions on the can for technique and drying time.

I wanted the background of each dot to be white, so that was my first color.

When the first color is dry, apply the pieces of Contact paper which cover the areas to remain that color.

In my case, I wanted the dots to stay white, but the flowers to be purple. At this step I applied the circle shapes back into their places like puzzle pieces, with the flower shapes cut out of the middle of them.

(At this point those pieces covering the orange parts are still attached. Do not remove any stickers yet.)

Once you have your stickers in place, paint the next color and allow to fully dry.







Once dry, carefully remove all stickers.

The spray paint patterns will hold up quite well with use. The few little chips in the paint you see here have only just begun to appear after many hiking trips with this bottle.