GW lampshade redo...

{Fabric Covered Drumshade}

I found an AWESOME deal at GW recently......a lampshade for $1.97!! Now, mind you, the lampshade that had been on my floor lamp was a wedding gift!! So it was almost 15 years old.....had moved between at least 3 states and even more residences because we rented and owned in some of those states!  The poor thing was ready to retire!

My Materials:

Fabric

Cheap drum shade fixture

Trim

Spray Adhesive  (Note to self....do not get on fingers!!)

Okay......so I am going to tell you the right way to do this, not show you because in doing this I made ALOT of mistakes!  I now know how to do it the right way, but I was not about to rip off the fabric ONE MORE TIME!!

Piece of advice #1......if this is your first attempt at covering something circular choose FLORAL fabric and not stripes!! Stripes become annoyingly crooked as you go around an object!

If you ignore piece of advice #1, then I would suggest that you cut TWO strips of fabric.  One long strip of fabric just gets wrinkled when you try and make it go around something circular....I think that it probably has some mathematical tie to circumferance? pi?.......one of those circular math concepts that I chose to ignore in 6th grade......

Because I am totally and completely lazy, I didn't "measure".  I just folded over the fabric leaving an allowance of about 3 inches on each side and cut. 

Now.....if you choose to ignore my advice about cutting it into the 2 strips and you are still choosing to do stripes, then you need to leave ALOT more allowance than 3 inches! Probably like 6-10 inches......it's that whole circle thing again.....

While it looks like I had enough allowance to tuck under, I didn't!  As I went around to circle and tried to keep my stripes straight, I started to run out of fabric!

You can see from the picture above (and below!) how close I was coming to the edge of my fabric....

Using your spray adhesive, spray the drum shade and then carefully stretch the fabric to fit.  With stripes, you've got to make sure that they are perfectly straight......I was so wishing for flowers at this point!  Just keep working your way around the shade....spraying and stretching until you meet your starting edge.

{I discovered that if you move fast enough....you can actually remove the fabric if you have put it on wrong and it's crooked!}

Once you have the fabric adhered to the middle part of the shade, start to hot glue the top or bottom edge down, working your way around to circle.  Do the same for the other side

Don't be fooled by my photo.....the other side is a tad bit crooked and it has bumps....grr!  And I have absolutely no idea why there is a tiny photo within that larger photo or how to fix it!

Originally, I planned to put trim on the bottom, but when I started gluing it, it just looked stupid!  I'd like at some point to get beaded trim like Sarah did at Thrifty Decor Chic, but I'm going to need a coupon....it's kind've expensive!

Overall, I am really pleased with my cheap drum shade redo. At some point, I am going to probably go and buy floral fabric and try again! But I need to decide what color I am going to paint the walls first!



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Goodwill Makeover....in case you missed it

{Goodwill Re-do}

I posted this project this week over at Dandelions and Dustbunnies!  Kathy's blog was one of the very first that I found about 6 months ago when I ventured into the land of decorating blogs and I just love all the projects that she does!

Rustoleum liked this project so much that they are featuring it on their FB page on Sunday, so I asked Kathy if I could re-post it over here.

I took a $3.00 Goodwill purchase......

and turned it into this.....

(that's not actually it's REAL home....it's REAL home was too messy to show!)

I first need to confess that I absolutely L*O*V*E spraypaint!  It it quick, easy and cheap!

My other confession is that I am terribly impatient!  And I tried to first spray this stand when it was about 20 degrees outside!  We have an insulated garage, but still......it was nowhere near the "recommended" minimum temperature of 55 degrees! So.....I ended up with this....



I'm not sure if you can see, but it bubbled.....badly.....like the surface of the moon bad!  So I hid it in a corner of the garage and sulked.....convinced that I had ruined it....

Well, my hubby was getting slightly annoyed about the fact that he'd have to do a daily hurdle over it to get to his car, so I needed a plan B......and that came in the form of a 60 degree day in the middle of February in Pennsylvania!!  So I hauled out some sandpaper and another can of Rustoleum Blossom White spraypaint....

And guess what......it worked!!! 

The next part was scary.....I  needed to distress it.  Distressing a piece of furniture that I just spent time spraying always makes me very nervous.....what if I chip off too much paint???



 

I started with this much....I just took a piece of sandpaper and followed all of the edges.  Since the piece was kind've ugly to start with, I decided to heavily distress it....

After distressing it, I took some glaze to age it.  Unfortunately, I don't know what my glaze is made from.  I borrowed some from my mom in an old coffee can and have been using it for 5 months! You can buy glaze at Home Depot or Lowe's and ask them to tint it.....

The glaze that I used was tinted more on the brown side than the black side, but you can see how it just brings life and depth to the piece......I just took an old T-shirt and put some glaze on it and rubbed.  Another trick I use to get the right look is the dampen the rag with water...that thins the glaze and makes it easier to rub around.  I just try to go with the grain of the wood and apply it heavy to the areas that I distressed.

Now for that print in the drawer!  Clean out the inside of your drawer.....



Grab some scrapbook paper, a brush and some Mod Podge....



......and brush a layer of mod podge directly to your drawer, set your scrapbook paper in the drawer and brush another layer of mod podge on the top of your paper....

Reinsert your drawer and you've got a beautiful, custom piece that cost all of $7.00!!

Material's Cost:
Goodwill Nightstand:  $3.00
1 can White spray primer:  $4.00 (but only count $2.00 because I used 1/2 can!)
1 can Rustoleum Blossom White spraypaint:  $4.00 (but only count $2.00 because I only used 1/2 can!)
1 piece of scrapbook paper:  Free....already had it
Mod Podge:  Free....already had it
Total Cost:  $7.00!


I did a similar technique using Rustoleum paint on these projects, as well:

{Cupboard Door Picture Holders}

{Goodwill Fruit Stand Makeover}

I LOVE the ease and finish of spraypaint!

Linking up with:



 Beneath My Heart

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Goodwill Stand Makeover

{Isn't she so lovely?}

If you'd like to see what I did with this $3.00 Goodwill purchase, head over to Dandelions and Dustbunnies where I am guest blogging today.

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Christmas Cloche

You'll never guess what this was.....   

(Hint:  It's from the Goodwill!)





It's an old cheese dome and candlestick!!!!  (Sorry for the blurry pic....I stole it from yahoo images...)

I first got this idea from Thrifty Decor Chick.   Here's the link to her instructions.  (She calls it a "cloche"!)

So.....go grab a $3.00 cheese dome from the Goodwill.....look for a chunky candle stick at the Goodwill.  Grab your Gorilla glue and glue them together.

Paint it the color of your choice.....I used Oil-Rubbed Bronze.  The Thrifty Decor Chick used Heirloom white.

Go to The Dollar Tree....grab a set of sparkly, plastic Christmas balls for $1.00 and fill! 

It's seasonal, too.  I filled it with  pumpkins in the fall and will hopefully find some pinecones for the winter.

 

Don't you just love cheap decorating! :)

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Goodwill picture frame tray

I got my idea for this here......I just love her blog!

Go to Goodwill and grab an old, ugly, chunky frame.....do NOT worry about how ugly it is.

Spray paint it with Rustoleum Canyon Black or whatever black satin spraypaint you have on hand.

I then took sand paper and roughed up the edges.

Grab a set of handles at a hardware store......thankfully, I can SEE the True Value from my house!!!

I didn't drill holes or anything....I used my husband's drill and drove the screws from the handle right into the edge of the frame.

Look....you can even see the price tag!!!!  And it was 30% off the $3.97 because it was "pull your discount from the fishbowl day!!!"

Cover the cardboard from the picture frame with fabric.  Attach it with spray adhesive....or use whatever is on hand....a hot glue gun!

It will look like this:

Slide it back into your newly-painted frame.

You can't see the handles really well, but they are on the right and left side.....you now have a gorgeous frame/tray to decorate with!



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Starting small with ORB and the Goodwill

I've always been a Goodwill shopper.  I just haven't always known what to buy......until I started reading blogs. 

This was one of my first projects with ORB.

We have this amazing store called The Gift and Thrift. They seriously sell EVERYTHING!!  Do you need an old egg carton?  They'll have it!  Baby food jar?  Check!  Margarine container?  Check!  Pieces of old yarn? Check!  And on Friday, from 5-8pm, everything is 50% off!!

Here's a quick project with supplies that almost ALL thrifts stores will have.

Start with an old plate:

Spray it with ORB:

(I'm not sure what I used.....it just got sprayed ORB!)

The Gift and Thrift had styrofoam balls for like $0.10 each....so I grabbed some and some of their yarn scraps.

Using hot glue, I just wrapped the balls in yarn.

I've seen people wrap anything from ping-pong balls to kickballs with yard, jute, or twine!  I've even see people glue dried beans to the styrofoam balls and spray paint them ORB!   I started one, but ran out of beans!

I then filled a hurricane lamp (the glassware section of Goodwill has tons!) with the yarn-wrapped balls and voila.....a centerpiece.



(Can you tell what is next to be sprayed?????)

I am thinking that for Christmas, it would look nice filled with pinecones and a white candle, tied with a bow and greens around the bottom.

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Goodwill frame turned shadow box

Once again.....go to the Goodwill gross and ugly picture section.....Did you know that Goodwill has a DISCOUNT CARD!!!!  For a mere $4.25 you can purchase a discount card for Goodwill. (Doesn't that seem like a contradiction????)  Check your local stores because they run daily promotions.  On Tuesday, I can pick from a fishbowl for up to 30% my entire order....I think this $2.97 frame was "marked down" with my discount to $2.30!

Find a chunky ugly frame....take it apart and spray with Satin Black.  Rustoleum has a gorgeous "Canyon Black" color. (I think that's the name.  I better check!)

You will need a handy husband (or dad) to take their scrapwood and build you a box to attach to the frame.  I'm not sure how he attached it.  I would have used Gorilla glue......

Spray the box. (Don't look at my drip marks....I was rushing!)

Go back to Goodwill (because you forgot to buy anything to put into it!!) and look at their EXTENSIVE glassware section!

Find some matching glassware.

If you are craftier than me, fill it with cute things.  This is in my laundry room and would look adorable filled with tiny little clothes pins, but again, my closest craft store is MILES AWAY...so they sit empty!

I think that I may back the whole thing with this fabric.  What do you think?

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Children's Art

Okay---so I am terrible about putting my children's artwork on the wall.  Are you ready for a confessional....

This drawer is stuffed with years! of my kid's artwork.....

The rest go here...



Yes...my children (and husband!) have been known to dig through the garbage to look for special momento's that I toss.  Really, now, can I save EVERYTHING????

Recently, though--after stumbling across my local Goodwill and some amazing blogs, I have come up with this:

(Please don't judge me on my ability to create a straight line....I was rushing!)

Directions:  Go to Goodwill....go to their large selection of gross and ugly pictures.  Find 3 (because I have 3 kids!) frames that look relatively similar.  Bring them home and GET OUT THE SPRAYPAINT!!!

Now....if you are doing it the "right" way and NOT rushing like I was, you will prime them and they will look gorgeous.  If you are in a hurry like me, you get the glossy white out, crack the garage door, throw down some newspaper and start spraying.  Because I didn't prime, they needed a little bit of help.....a few more coats than I would prefer.

Now....our local Walmart is about 20 MILES AWAY (The craft store is like 25!!!!!!!!!).....so getting cute fabric was not an option.  But....we have a True Value hardware store....and they sell burlap....by the foot!!!  It's $0.99/foot, but it's like 60 inches wide.  So I asked them for a foot. 

Of course, they brought out some WITH WORDS ON IT!!!  I kindly looked at the man and said, it was for a craft and I couldn't possibly have words on it.  Giving me a strange look, he went and cut me another piece.

And voila!  A little bit of hot glue and I have a backing for my pictures and my kids art is not sitting in a local dump somewhere!

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