Let There Be Light

I had two buffet lamps that I had just taken from a dated 90's finish to a matte silver with a little spray paint. I had even replaced the shades with some black silk ones I found on sale. All they needed then was a little rewiring, and the lighting in the dining room would be perfectly ambient.

They were, of course, in the room that caught fire. Ever seen a melted lamp?

I'm largely undauntable, so off I trotted to Walmart, where I scored these lovely candlesticks in the oddest shade of red for $3 each, and the matching snoozer shades for $3 as well, so $12 for the pair. I can work with that.







My handsome spouse looked up from World of Warcraft while I was taping the lamps just long enough to suggest I use clinging plasting wrap instead of newspaper. The man is a genius. Wrap the wrap, tape the ends, and you have a totally paint-proof seal. These went out in the yard for three light coats of Spa Blue to perfectly match the other accent pieces in the house.









Next, I took bead trim by the yard and wrapped it around the bottom of the shades to determine how much I'd need, giving myself an extra inch. This comes on a ribbon. Depending on the ribbon's appearance and your taste, it can be afixed inside or outside the shade. I did a project similar to this with a funky hot pink ball fringe for Savannah's room, and the trim went on the outside to give the shade a finished effect. For this, I ran a thick bead of hot glue inside the shade, working 4 to six inches at a time, and pressed the ribbon carefully into the glue, keeping it uniform. Don't worry about those gossamer little glue-webs, they clean up easily when you're done.



























This dries almost instantly, so within the hour, I had some new buffet lamps!

The Budget News:

2 lamps from Walmart on back-to-school clearance: $6
2 shades from the same collection: $6
Beaded trim by the yard from JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts: $5
My favorite shade of spray paint: it only took half a can, so let's say $2
Totally Cool Receipt: $19

I can't wait until the electricity is back on in that part of the house to see how they look!