Behold: $13 junk shop lamp. If you want my honest opinion, I think this lamp has seen better days. When I spotted this lamp amongst numerous sundry items I knew it had potential and it definitely piqued my interest!
In this tutorial I'm going to show you how I upcycled this plain looking lamp into an ornate Shabby Chic inspired piece!
You will need:
- 1 junk shop/dollar store lamp. The more detail the lamp base has the better.
- approximately 1/2 yard of pretty floral fabric. I purchased mine from Joann fabric stores.
- 2-3 strings of clear beads. I purchased mine for $1.00 per string at Joann fabric stores.
- 2-3 strings of craft store glass pearl beads. I purchased mine for $1.00 per string at Joann fabric stores.
- 1 container of Mod Podge
- various paintbrushes
- 1-2 tubes of good quality satin acrylic paint for all surfaces. I used Martha Stewart brand in summer linen.
- a clean old rag
- protective covering for your work surface
- scissors
- thread
- needle
- antique/old lace. You could also use new lace.
- paper, fabric, or tulle flowers
- hot glue gun and sticks
- super glue
- 1 container of Folk Art brand Home Decor antiquing wax.
- Sandpaper. Grit depends on how chippy you want your finished piece to be.
Step 1: You will need to paint the entire lamp. Yep you read that correctly! Paint your base, the outside of the shade and the inside of the shade. Leave the electric cord, lightbulb, metal components, and lightbulb socket paint free.
It may take you a couple coats depending on the color of your lamp. Since mine was red and black, it took me two coats. Your paint finish doesn't need to be perfect as an uneven paint finish will add to the charm later on in the finished piece. Allow the entire lamp to dry completely between coats. Next up: Mod Podge!
Step 2: Cut out fabric triangles from the fabric you selected for this piece. Don't cut big triangles you want to cut them a little smaller as they will sit nicer on the shade.
If you have never Mod Podged anything before don't be intimidated! I promise once you get the hang of it, it is easy peasy (and addicting!) The key to Mod Podging fabric is to use thin layers of Mod Podge. Before you start spreading that Mod Podge onto your fabric, you need to decide which area of your lampshade you wish to cover. When you have decided, Add a layer of Mod Podge to the wrong side (non patterned piece) of your fabric. You need to work quickly and carefully once you have your Mod Podge on your fabric piece.
Place your Mod Podge coated fabric triangle on the lampshade area you want to cover. I always start from the bottom and work my way upwards. I placed the bottom of the triangle alongside the seam of the lamp shade.
As you can see from my photo above, I started figuring out roughly how I should cut my fabric triangles to fit. You want to place the triangles in a neat manner where the edges of the triangles just barely overlap the neighboring fabric triangle. You don't want to place the triangles to where they greatly overlap other fabric pieces as it will start to look bulky and it will be harder for you to smooth out the fabric.
Once you have covered the lamp shade, you need to start smoothing out any bubbles and creases. It won't be perfect, however just do the best you can to get the surface as smooth as you can. I simply used my fingers and added a dab of Mod Podge to any edges that needed smoothing down. I did not cover the seam part of the shade as you can see in the photo as it will be covered with lace. Allow the fabric to dry slightly underneath. Next up is sealing your fabric!
Step 3: Take a paintbrush and start gently smoothing a generous layer of mod podge over your fabric on the lampshade.
Your lamp shade is going to look a little weird. It's going to have a white opaque look to it. That's normal. Allow the Mod Podge to completely dry. What you have just completed in this step is sealing your beautiful fabric art! Next up comes the antiquing part!
Step 4: Plug in your glue gun now so you're ready for step 5.
Start painting a thin layer of your antiquing wax over the base of your lamp. A little bit of this stuff goes a looooong way so use sparingly. It's best to use the wax in small increments. As you have covered sections start wiping back the wax with your rag until you have reached your desired level of antiquing. Keep reapplying the wax and wiping back with the rag until you are satisfied with the way your piece looks. I used the wax in two layers before I reached desired shade.
Allow your wax to sit for about 10 minutes. After that point, take your sandpaper and scrape away areas you want to look shabby or chippy. I find scraping along edges looks lovely and gives a timeworn look.
Step 5: Adding pretty stuff! In this step you are going to want to gather all your beads, floral embellishments, lace, etc.
You are going to be using a glue gun and super glue a lot in this final step. You will need to work quickly with the glue gun as the glue dries very fast.
Start putting hot glue along the edge of your lamp shade. Carefully and quickly start adding your lace. Glue the lace as you work it around the lamp shade. Once you have completed the lace, you will need your super glue and pearl beads. Turn your lamp on its side slightly and put a few drops of super glue at the top of the shade where you want the end of the string of pearls to sit. Hold the end on the super glue spot for a couple minutes. Don't use your fingers!! I used the end of a paintbrush placed slightly away from the super glue spot so as not to glue the paintbrush to the shade. Repeat this step with another string end next to it and on the other side. Hot glue is not recommended to add the pearls as it won't hold. You could also use thread and needle to hold the pearls.
Once you are certain the pearls are firmly held in place with the super glue, add a layer of lace to the top of the lampshade.
Next, we will start adding the clear beading to the underside of the shade. Grab your needle and thread. Thread the needle with a generous amount of thread and knot the ends together at the end. Start stringing your clear beads on your thread in a pattern. Carefully hand thread the thread of clear beads onto desired spot on the shade. I hand sewed the threaded beads to where the stitch was hidden just underneath the lace. Repeat all the way around the lampshade. Lastly, hot glue your flowers onto your lamp to decorate. Ta da!! You're finished!!
Elvira gave her seal of approval! (naughty girl on the table)
Tips, side notes, and safety precautions:
- Make sure you read all labels on paints etc you are working with on the inside of the lamp shade. Make sure nothing flammable is used on the inside of the shade.
- Whatever you do, don't use super glue on fabric! It produces an unpleasant chemical reaction! This is why I used hot glue for the lace and the layer of Mod Podge over the fabric helps to create a little bit of a barrier between the fabric and super glue.
- Always always make sure you have a coupon for the craft store! The Folk Art antiquing wax and fabric might give you a little bit of a price sticker shock, however the blow was lessened on my final receipt with a coupon! The antiquing wax cost me $8 for the container, however that container is going to last me a long time as a little goes a long way. The wax costs a little, but in the long run it will be a great addition to your craft supply as it will last quite some time.
- Check out the bargain bins at your local craft store! I got those pretty paper flowers in the dollar bin at Michael's!
- You will get very messy with this craft! I recommend warm water, a mild soap, and a pumice stone or soft brush to get the Mod Podge off your skin.
