Before & After - A's Wardrobe

This wardrobe was in my client A's family for many decades and for the last number of years it was stored in her uncle's basement, almost forgotten. With A's vision and my rollers and brushes, we have managed to turn this old lady into a piece that A will love for many years to come.

Newest Poppy - Little Turquoise Desk

Newest from my workshop is this cute turquoise desk. To be honest, when I first bought it I had a bit of a buyer's remorse as I wasn't sure that much could become of it. Unfortunately there is no before photo to share with you. I always think about this very important step when I am half way into the refinishing process. All doubt aside, I think it turned out quite cute, and is now posted in my Etsy shop and stored at Freedom Clothing Collective waiting to be snatched away and loved by the new owner.

Lampshade DIY

I  have wanted to learn to make a lamp shade for a long time, I have followed blogs, online tutorials, talked to people who are really good at it, but every time I got to it, something went wrong and I ended up abandoning the project. As a spirited crafter I found it really annoying that there was  a seemingly easy project out there that I was not able to master. So I started looking for ways to make a lampshade and that will guarantee success. And I found it. I armed myself with a pair of scissors, jute twine, and old lampshade and lot of patience.

To start I removed the fabric from the shade and tied a knot at the top of the structure where one of the vertical bars connected with the top ring and started wrapping it with twine as tightly as possible making sure that the metal ring was not showing through. And then continued on to the body. As I reached each one of the spokes I wrapped the twine once around it and proceeded to the next. This way I made sure that each of the spokes was neatly wrapped and that the twine was secure in place without worrying that it will start sliding down.

I was quite happy with the outcome, but thought that some decor would be a welcome addition. So I asked Karen for some left-over fabric and buttons from her sewing projects and little abstract flowers/starbursts were created. The only remaining thing was to pair the shade up with an equally quirky lamp base.

And there you have it. The lamp is available for purchase at  our store or online via Etsy.

If you find this entry inspiring enough to attempt to make your own shade, send me some photos of your work, I will be delighted to share it on the blog.