{Magic} Marker Lampshade

My hand painted anthro knock off lamp shade didn't turn out horrible, but there was just something about it that I wasn't loving. 

So I conducted a little experiment.  When I went out and grabbed the supplies for the anthro lampshade, I also grabbed a couple packages of Crayola makers.

Initially, I was going to use the markers instead of craft paint to decorate the shade, but I was worried about how it would hold up especially if one of the kids somehow managed to get water on it.  The markers I purchased aren't washable, but I'm not sure how permament they are either.  I decided to throw caution to the wind, however, and went ahead and tried free handing a second lamp shade. 

And it turned out pretty awesome!!! 


The sign of a good lamp shade is it that it looks great with the light

turned off

and even better when the light's

turned on. 

I started by grabbing a handful of markers that I thought played well with each other and would fit the color scheme of the room they will be going in {some color scheme, eh?}


Honestly, I didn't make attention to what I was doing {busy watching the Grammy's} I just sort of let the markers do the talking.  Turns out,  it was just the right blend of funk and retro-vintage chic that I was going for.

The markers bleed just a little bit, which is actually pretty cool because it gives the shade a sort of "ikat-y" feel.

And the best part...the price.  Since I already had the shade on hand, all I was out was the $3 for the markers.  Can beat that!!!

I'm in the process of redoing my master bedroom.  I can't wait to see how they are going to look when it's complete.

In other news, the kiddos and I just finished their Valentine's boxes.  They turned out pretty cute, so I thought I'd share.

I got the idea off pinterest.

These cuties are made out of t.p. rolls,  an oatmeal canister, painter's tape, cardstock and spray paint.

 

If I don't check back in before Thursday...Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope you can spend it with those you love.  Studly, the kiddos and I always have chocolate fondue for dinner.  What better way to say "I love you" that with chocolate for dinner, right?

Hand Painted {Anthro} Inspired Lamp Shade

I recently introduced you to my wonderful, new friends Lucy and Ethel.  Aren't they cute and vintage-y? 

I decided I should dress them up with a new, fabulous shade...like this one from Anthropologie pictured below {$118-128}.

{source}

I love how bright and colorful it is...a modern take on the chevron stripe.

I'm in the process of redoing my master bedroom and wanted to add some brights pops of color.  I thought this shade would be perfect.  But since I am in no position to run out and drop $250 on two lamp shades, I had to improvise and try my hand at making my own. 

 I already some white lamp shades just waiting for a makeover.

I started by freehanding zig zag stripes all around the curcumference of the shade.

I used a water soluable ink pen to do this.

{You can erase the ink with water, or in a few days the ink will evaporate and disappear.  They are about $3 and can be purchased at any craft store.}

Once I had my lines drawn out, I went to town painting all of the stripes {I used regular old acrylic craft paint and a stiff bristled brush to do this}.

I embellished the stripes further by adding "dots" using a grey and dark pink marker.

I didn't take a picture of this step because it was 2:30 am and I was delusional.  But, you can see what I mean in the picture below.

Finally, I added the small patches by painting little squares all over the lamp shade and embellished them by adding "dots" using the wrong end of a paintbrush and craft paint.

And voila...done.

It's not a perfect or exact replica of the original.  I personalized the colors I used for the stripes.  My only complaint is that I wish I could have captured the "watercolorness" of the Anthro shade.  But it still maintains the vibrance and funk of the original...and it totally shows off Lucy's curvalicious shape, no?  Even better, it only cost me about $15 to complete.  And for that, I like it just fine.

In total, I ended up spending {$3.50 on paint, $5 on new markers cause my kids had dried all of ours out, $4 on new paint brushes and $3 on the water soluable ink pen.  That works out to a grand total of $15.50}.

Knock Off Decor Feature and a "Light Bulb"moment.

Howdy peeps!

Becky over at knock-off decor is currently featuring my industrial metal letters that I made for my laundry room revamp. {Thanks lady!}

I've made it pretty clear that I am a sucker for a good knock off.  And if you are into knocking off ridiculously over priced home decor as well, I would highly suggest hopping over to her place and taking a look around.  It's amazing to see what people can do with a little ingenuity.

And in other news, I have been dreaming of covering every thing I see in contact paper.  It's gotta stop.  I'm worried that pretty soon I'll be living in a house entirely coated in plastic.  But that said, I love my "wood" lamp shade.  I failed to mention in my post about it how it looked with the light on.  My answer to that is  "FLIPPIN' AWESOME"! 

It looks even better with the lamp turned on.  My only advice is to take extra care when trimming off the excess contact paper.  You can see if it's uneven through the shade when the lamp is on.  After I had adhered my c.p., I just took a razor blade and trimmed all the excess off along the support rings at the top and bottom.  Easy, peasy. 

  

To contact paper or not to contact paper? That is the question.

I have really become obsessed with natural wood lately. I just love the warmth and earthiness it can bring into a room. I love that it can add texture and visual interest, while at the same time remaining netural. Wood is like denim...everything just seems to goes with it.

The other day I came across these lovlies and was smitten. The shades remind me a little of the sixties, but I don't mind that mid-century modern look so much. Besides, when they are paired with the right lamp base, like in this picture, they become totally current.



The only downside to these gorgeous lamps, is that they can be pretty spendy. I saw some selling for as much as $170...just for the shade. So, I started brainstorming ways that I could recreate the look for cheaper.

I researched wood veneer and found that it was less inexpensive than the shades themselves {ranging in price from $40-$70, depending on what kind of wood and the color etc}, but that was still a little too spendy for me.

Then I remembered ripping out a bunch of contact paper shelf liners when we moved into our current house. Of course, at the time I thought the idea of large, fake wood, stickers was repulsive and in very poor taste, but I started to wonder if I could actually make it look respectable.

I decided to give it a try. I bought a 24ft. roll of the stuff for $3.50 and figured I wasn't out much if it ended up looking tacky and crappy.

I decided to try it out on this very unassuming lamp. She's not hideous, but she could be so much more...maybe...hopefully.


After about fifteen minutes of wrestling with the contact paper and finding the best way to go about wrapping it around the lamp shade {this particular lamp shade couldn't be removed from it's base, so it was a little awkward} I ended up with this.


What do you think? Be honest. I was really skeptical at first, but when I put her back on her crate, I thought she actually looked pretty hot...in a totally inantimate sorta way.


The biggest difference between my c.p. version and the veneer version is, well, the fact that mine is plastic contact paper. But unless your guests have a tendency to rub their hands all over your lamp shades, you should be able to get away with it. The other slightly noticeable difference is the sheen. C.P., has a little more shine to it than the veneered version which is more matte.
That said, I only spent $3.50 as opposed to $170 and with that kind of savings I am totally okay with a little shine.

So, what's the verdict? Yay yay, or nay nay to contact paper?

Mock Off Monday- #1

Nothing tickles my fancy more than {successfully} reproducing something for a fraction of the cost.

I love {Anthropologie}. It is a DIY'ers visual playground. I always leave inspired; with a mental list of future projects a mile long. But I would never, ever purchase anything from there. It isn't that I don't love their stuff, cause I do. I really, really love their stuff. It's just that I'd have to sell my organs on the black market to fund that kind of an investment.

So, if I can't have the real deal, I guess I'll have to settle for the next best thing...a really good knock off.

I've been wanting to replicate these babies for awhile now.
Anthro's Secret Silhouette Shade.

These lovelies retail for $128...that'sjust the shade, no lamp base. See what I said about selling one's organs?

I loved this project because it was relatively easy. And even better, it only required two supplies...a lamp shade and a paint pen {$3.99 at Joanne's}.

I found my shade at Target for $15. Normally I would try to cut cost by grabbing a random shade from thrift store and recovering it. But today I was feeling lazy so I just bought one instead. Besides drum shades are rarely available at my thrift store and I really wanted a drum shade.

The one I bought is burlap. I really liked the color and texture, but you could also use a cotton/linen shade. Because the weave on the burlap is so loose, it's difficult to draw fine details with the paint pen, which means that when the lamp is turned on the frame slightly fades and becomes harder to make out. That said, burlap is pretty forgiving. Mistakes are less noticeable. Linen on the other hand, will show every mark the paint pen makes because it has a tighter weave. This is both good and a bad. It's good, because when the lamp is lit, the image of the frame will not loose any contrast . But that also means that any little mistake is more visible.

align="center">It's totally up to you which kind of shade to use, should you decide to try this. But I think next time I will try linen, just to see which I like better.

To begin, I traced out a template of the frame using Anthro's version as my reference.

There isn't any way to transfer the image to the shade but to just freehand it.

I traced a circle onto a piece of paper using a cup. Then I cut the circle out and traced around it on the shade.

I just freehanded the inner circle once I had the larger circle drawn.

I filled the circles in with some squiggles.

Then I used a ruler to make the square part of the frame. I just kept layering on the details til it was done.



For the silhouette, I just found an image online that I liked and traced it.


Then I cut it out.


I centered it in the frame {you can do this by holding the frame up to light. You should be able to see the image of the fram well enough to center the silhouette.}

then traced around it with the paint pen.



Then filled it in.

Finally, I placed the shade on a lamp.

Then I turned it on and prayed that it would work.

Phew!

Here's a closer look at the shade.

And here are side by sides of the origional and my knock off.

Anthro's version.

My version.

Whadaya think? Not too shabby for an amateur right.

And a way better deal. I saved myself a whopping $110+.