Years ago I bought an ugly brown and beige lamp that I wanted to recover, but somehow never got around to it. This morning, as it is usual on Fridays, I got up early to deep clean. I walked out of my bedroom, crazy haired and sleepy eyed, and I found that my husband had already taken care of the cleaning for me. I am going to brag for a minute here. Wow! Talk about a great way to wake up! Seriously, the man had done the dishes, organized the living room and dining area , swept the floors, the whole nine yards! How blessed am I? Very blessed! Ok, I’m done bragging. But seriously, how awesome is it to wake up to a clean house? Very awesome!!! So, since my day was now somewhat free, I decided to tackle that lamp, and boy am I glad I did!
The whole process took about an hour or so since I had previously painted the base.I used regular old latex paint and added a bit of Plaster or Paris to give it a chalky finish. I painted it in uneven strokes to let the brown finish come through a bit, giving it an old, worn look.
For the shade, I used white muslin that I got at Joann’s on clearance. I didn’t take a before picture of the lamp, but I did take a pic of the shade part.
This is the original color, beige and boring.
I started out by measuring the circumference of the top and bottom part of the shade. I doubled the amount and cut 2 inch strips. (My shade was 13 inches at the top and 15 inches at the bottom, so the top strip was 26 inches and the bottom strip was 30 inches)
With my sewing machine and using the widest stitch, I sewed right down the middle. If you have a ruffle foot, use it. It is easier and faster. I then pulled on the thread to gather the fabric in a ruffle, and using a hot glue gun, I glued the ruffle to the top. Then, I tried to cover the whole shade in one piece but found it difficult to work with, so I cut individual pieces and glued them on the sides at seams. 
See what I mean? I tucked the fabric underneath and hot glued it to the inside, nice and tight. Once the whole shade was covered, I measured the height of each seam, doubling the amount again, and cut 1 inch thick strips.
I sewed right down the middle again and made ruffles by pulling on the thread and gathering the fabric.
I hot glued those over the seams, and tucked them under the top ruffle for a more finished look. Once they were all glued around, I glued the bottom ruffle on. I finished by going back and trimming all the long strings of fabric and cleaning any glue strands that were visible.
Here she is in all her new glory. Isn’t she so adorable? I think so. Right now, it is in my living room, on a side table, next to the sofa. I plan to put in my room or my daughter’s room when I finish the makeover. But who knows how long that will take, so for the time being, it will stay where it is.
I am really pleased with how it turned out. I am also glad that I don’t have to look at a brown and boring lamp anymore. I owe the hubs a big thank you and a few snuggles for making this project possible. What kinds of projects are you working on?
Enjoy!
~Ana
I am sharing with:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com
http://www.marthasfavorites.com
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com
cozy tea cottage 
A perfect lamp while having tea!
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Ha! Yes, very shabby chic to go with all the doilies, lace, and linens on my table. 🙂
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You, my friend, are sooo talented!!
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Thank you, my friend! 🙂
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