Super Glossy Yellow Lamps + TN Living Room Sneak Peek

Did you have a good weekend? I hope so! Today I'm sharing a sneak peek of my Tennessee living room tour for the Blogger Styling Home Tour blog hop (I'm up Wednesday, but to follow from the beginning click here)

Recently, I've been obsessed with two things 1. bright yellow and 2. achieving a super glossy finish. So I decided to try both on a set of lamps recently found at the thrift store for $8 each. 

They had a weird faux brass / pinkish finish.

First a warning .. this was definitely not the easiest shape to achieve a glossy finish, simplicity is best, due to the amount of sanding.

To get started, I sanded it with medium grit synthetic steel wool. Then, I sanded it with a fine grit synthetic steel wool.

Then, I taped off the socket and cord. And placed old paper on the ground and a few extra pieces of wood to lift it off the ground. Make sure the area is dirt and dust free. I blew it off with the spray attachment on our air compressor.

I wiped it off with an old wash cloth (micro fiber would work too).  If you don't have a dust free paint booth, it's best to do a final wipe off where you'll be painting it right before you paint.

Then, I started painting. I used Zinsser Cover Stain since I had that on hand. (I've primarily used this on wood, but figured that it would work on metal too) I think BIN primer would have been a good option as well.

I gave it two light coats, letting it dry in between.

To get a super glossy finish, sanding is a MUST .. a lot of sanding, with small steps between grits using a fine grit to finish (i.e. 60 grit is rough, 600 grit is fine)

This isn't the only way to do it, but a fairly simple method that worked for me (sandpaper gets even finer 3,000 and up)

After the primer, I lightly sanded the entire surface with 320 grit.

This definitely isn't the easiest shape to sand .. something with less facets would have been much faster.

After removing all the primer dust with a cloth, gave it a coat of Liquitex, Cadmium Yellow Light 5. Here's my thoughts on it ..  I loved the wide range of colors, it didn't come out super fast, which helped control the paint and not waste it (I was able to cover both lamps with one can a good bit left over) Also, I wore a respirator .. but what I could smell, smelled like hairspray, so that was nicer than the typical spray paint smell. It didn't come out super smooth .. It sanded ok, but if you're looking for more color options, I'd recommend Montana Gold instead.

I gave it two coats, sanding it with 400 grit in between, once dry. After the last coat of yellow, I sanded it with 600 grit sandpaper.

After removing all the dust, I gave it a few glossy clear coats of Krylon Lacquer. I've used a few clear coats and this is by far my favorite. It doesn't run easily (a common problem with clear coats) and it gives a super glossy finish.

I did a fairly thin coat, constantly moving it in a circular motion, letting it dry a little in between coats (about 15 minutes) It doesn't have to look even on the first coat .. Then I applied more coats until it was evenly glossy. Using a spray paint grip helps give control and even coverage (I have this one) just make sure that the can is secure prior to painting (not all cans fit) ..

My original plan was to wet sand and buff the clear, so it was super glossy, but I was afraid it wouldn't work well since I didn't have a higher grit (around 2,000-3,000) sandpaper. In the end, the lacquer was very glossy, so I don't think it was necessary.

I love the bright saturated color!

They're currently on our Holly & Martin console table behind the sofa - love them paired with the bright coral x benches from Target.

Full reveal of our TN living room on Wednesday!!

p.s. Today I'm at Infarrantly Creative sharing our latest DIY project .. stop by and take a look!

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Foo Dog Lamp + DIY Lampshade Kit

When I saw this foo dog lamp at the thrift store, I had to have it. $5 .. check, different than any of my other lamps .. check

Honestly, I have more lamps than I know what to do with .. but that's ok. After all, it is one of the easiest ways to change up your space!

Here's the before. Not too bad, but I thought the two tone wasn't working .. 

So, I wiped it down, taped up the socket and cord and gave it a few thin coats of this primer. (First, I attempted to sand it .. the bottom sanded, but the ceramic didn't due to the crevices .. applying a heavy duty primer should help with the durability) 

Remember to wear a respirator when sanding/spray painting! 

Then a few thin coats of Rustoleum Seaside, gloss 

I let it cure in the garage for a few days, and that was it! Spray paint is probably the easiest/fastest dramatic update. 

Next, the shade! 

A few weeks ago, I Like That Lamp sent me a kit to make my own lamp shade. Since this lamp didn't come with a shade, this was the perfect opportunity to try it out! I've wanted to make my own lampshade for a while, but the materials aren't readily available in store (sometimes isn't half the battle finding supplies for a project?) Having a kit that I could customize was a great solution! 

The kit comes with detailed instructions, thin plastic with adhesive backing, top and bottom rings, glue, binder clips, and an orange stick. My finished lamp shades measures 12" diameter x 12" high. 

You will need, fabric (about 1 yard), fabric scissors, iron

First, you want to iron your fabric super well with steam. If there are any creases, they will show on your final shade! I used this fabric from Kravet. 

The thin plastic comes with adhesive, you just pull off the backing and stick - so easy! Make sure that your fabric is straight prior to sticking.

Trim around the thin plastic leaving .5". 

Finish one of the short edges by applying glue and folding the fabric over. 

Next, secure the top ring. An extra set of hands helps with this step. 

In addition to the binder clips, we used painter's tape too - this isn't necessary, but just helped hold everything down. This step was repeated for the bottom ring. 

The finished edge was placed overtop the raw edge and was sealed with a little glue.

Straight drum shades can be hard to find in store - they are pricer to ship since you can't stack them, so stores tend not to stock them. 

I typically prefer a straight drum shade, so this was perfect! 

Thanks so much to I Like that Lamp for sending me this kit, all opinions are 100% my own! 

If you're interested in browsing the kits, click here and if you're not sure what size shade your lamp needs, there's a guide for that too! (my finished shade measures 12" diameter x 12" high). 

Lamps are like musical chairs in my house. I'm constantly moving them around - such an easy way to change up a space! For now, this one happily sits in my office!

p.s. I'm over at Infarrantly Creative sharing my latest project, stop by to take a look! 

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Robert Abbey Delta Lamp Knockoff

Good morning! I hope you had a great Easter! Ours was spent at church and then lunch with our extended family. Annabelle got to meet our cousin's 10 week Shih Tzu Cockapoo and was obsessed (she peed a little when they met, that's how you know that she's REALLY excited). Snicker Doodle (yes, that's his name) was a little small to play, but they have a similar playing style, paws to the face and ankle biting .. in a few months, they will be great friends! We also fit in a little tiling in between for #projectentry. It was a great day!

Today I'm sharing my knockoff tutorial from Creating with the Stars, if you missed my post at East Coast Creative the other week, read on. Also, if you want to make my gold geometric lights, but don't have a miter saw, this method would work well!!

When I first saw Robert Abbey's Delta table lamp, it was love at first sight! The shape is amazing, I also love that it comes in a variety of bold colors.

I recently made a few office accessories out of mat board, which got me thinking.. since the accessories were surprisingly sturdy, why not a lamp base too?

The lamp is constructed using a $2 thrifted lamp, a custom designed template - referencing the Robert Abbey lamp, and mat board.

Here's all the supplies used:

materials:

- old lamp or lamp kit
- template
- mat board(20"x30")
- glue
- wood filler
- sanding block (medium + fine)
- wood block (add weight to base)

tools:

- painter's tape
-metal ruler / xacto knife
- drill (optional can substitute xacto knife) 

Here's how we did it!

First, we printed the template (6 of each triangle) (1 of each hexagon). You can download our template, here (print on 8.5" x 11"). I roughly cut the shape out so they would fit tightly on the mat board. Then we used spray adhesive to attach the pieces to the back of the mat board.

Here's how they fit together.

 

Then using a metal ruler and xacto knife on a cutting mat, we cut each shape out. 

Next, we started putting it together. First, we glued the bottom (shapes 2 + 4) to the base (shape 6). Since the triangles fit perfectly together, they just fall into place. We then used small pieces of painter's tape to help hold it together while the glue completely dried. Using a fast grab glue helps it set quickly (we used Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue). Apply the glue lightly, and rub off any excess.

After gluing the bottom half (shapes 2 + 4 to the base, shape 6) we turned it upside down (the open end down), squared it up, taped it a flat surface and let it dry overnight, this helped keep it square. 

The next day, we started working on the top section of the lamp. We glued shapes 1 + 3, about half way - leaving an opening to insert the lamp inside. The top (shape 5) was held in place with painters tape to help guide shapes 1 + 3, but not glued yet.

Then we we reinforced the seams by gluing from the inside. 

Next we worked on the lamp base, it was a little big to sit flush in the bottom of the lamp, so we cut a few pieces of 1x4 to raise it up a little. This also added extra weight to give it more stability. We used screws to attach the 1x4 to the existing metal base. (we also swapped the existing rod with one from another lamp to get it the correct height) 

We drilled an opening for the cord and inserted the plastic grommet from the old lamp. The lamp was disassembled, the cord was pulled through the opening of the new base and the wire was pulled through the threaded rod.  

We centered it and glued it inside the lamp.

For the top piece (shape 5) we found the center and drilled a hole for the center rod.

Then it was glued in place.

Wood filler was applied. Remove excess as you go to reduce sanding later. It's easier to apply lightly and apply a second coat after sanding, if needed.

Sand the wood filler with a medium grit sanding block, and finish with a fine grit sanding block. At this point, you'll notice how sturdy the base it. I pressed fairly hard and sanded a good bit to make sure that the wood filler was even. I didn't have any issues with it caving in or breaking.

After removing the dust, finish with paint! To cover the top of the threaded rod, we used the top of an old lamp - it just slide over the rod. We then reattached the socket and that was it!

I paired it with Target's large drum shade.

I'm obsessed!! LOVE it!!

Here's the breakdown of cost and time.

Cost:

Thrifted lamp $2 (plus a few lamp parts from other thrifted lamps)
Mat board $3 (20"x30")
Spray paint ~$6 (used about half of each can)
Wood filler / glue / sandpaper $0 (on hand)
1x4 ($0 from scrap pile of Home Depot)

Total $11, ($35 with lamp shade) pretty good compared to the $183 Robert Abbey version!

Time:

Preparing template + cutting out the mat board 1.5 hrs
Gluing mat board 2 hrs
Assembling the rest of the lamp .5 hr
Wood filler and sanding 2 hrs
Painting + drying time 2 hrs

Total 8 hrs, so not a huge time investment!

I'm so glad that we tried DIYing before buying! I love how our version came out!

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DIY Gold Geometric Lamp | Tutorial

When I first saw Land of Nod's Between a Rock and a Hard Place lamp, I instantly pinned it and put it on my wish list. 

What's not to love!? It's shiny (the facets amplify the gorgeousness), it's interesting - making a statement, but not over the top, and the size is perfect for a dresser or desk. 

At $79, it's not too expensive, but after mentioning DIYing it to David and getting him on board, we decided to go for it.

We were able to make each base for about $11.50!

Here's how we did it. 

First, David did a little research and we found out that the shape (12 sided pentagon) is called a dodecahedron. Then after a little more googling and brainstorming, he determined what angles would be needed (see diagrams below). Math is definitely not my strong suit .. so I'm glad that it is David's :)

The angles were pretty tricky to figure out (probably took about an afternoon), but there here in case you'd like to try it :)

Materials for 2 lamps:

1/2 sheet of 1/4" MDF (enough for two lamps)
Wood Glue
Wood Filler
Lamp Socket x2
Wire (we used an extension cord x2 and cut off the end)
Primer/Paint
1/2" Copper Pipe (3" section per lamp)
Threaded Lamp Rod
Nuts
Miter Saw
Sandpaper

First, David cut 24 - 6" squares (12 per lamp) out of the 1/4" MDF.  If you don’t have a table saw or sliding miter saw, have it cut into 6” strips at the hardware store.  

1. Using a miter saw, set the bevel (blade tilt) to 31.7° and the miter angle to 18°. 
2.  Put a piece of tape or draw a pencil line on the miter saw fence 3-3/8” (this measurement was determined from scale that we wanted, feel free to adjust) from the blade. The mark will be used to line up all of the pentagon cuts to ensure that all of the sides are equal. 
3. Make the first cut holding the 6” square straight on the fence. Rotate the piece so the cut edge is against the fence to make the second cut. Now that one of the angles is finished, line up the angle with the mark at 3-3/8” and make the third cut. Continue rotating and lining up the angle with the mark for the 4^th and 5^th cuts.
4. Finally, drill holes for the lamp assembly and the wire. Per lamp, drill a hole in the bottom side of one piece for the wire to exit the base and drill a 3/8” hole in the center of another for the threaded lamp rod to penetrate the top.

After cutting one, we then traced the pentagon on remaining 23 MDF squares.

After David cut out all of the pentagons, we started assembling. Ideally we would have made a jig as a guide, but since we were only making two, we glued, held in place till the glue set and then taped to help hold it in place. It worked surprisingly well! ** The final lower pentagon and top pentagon had predrilled holes for the wire and lamp assembly. Don't glue it all without those important holes! **

Prior to attaching the final pentagon on the top, we glued extra MDF to the bottom to give it a little extra weight. Then we attached the threaded rod to the top pentagon with a nut and ran the wire through the bottom hole and through the threaded rod. To finish the lamp base, we then glued the top pentagon on.

Since it's difficult to get the angle exact every time, we filled in the little crevices with wood filler (sanding smooth, once dry).

Next, we taped up the cord, primed and then painted with Rustoleum gold (apply in thin coats to make sure that it didn't drip). About three thin coats.

They got a little scratched while moving them to our new house, so I sanded and put another top coat on. Then I applied Rustoleum Triple Thick Glaze, trying to get an even coat, I applied it too heavily and got some drips. SO I sanded and repainted again ..

The gold spray paint easily takes fingerprints, so I would recommend using a clear coat THINLY. I'll be applying one once the weather cooperates with me :)

The shades are from Target

Stencil available in my Etsy shop.

The elephant was a thrift store find. I picked up the orchid from Home Depot for $5 and the pot from Goodwill.

Total Cost:

1/2 sheet 1/4" MDF $6
Lamp Socket and Wire (extension cord with end cut off) $14
Spray Paint $3
Threaded rod, primer and copper pipe on hand

$23, $11.50 per lamp base. Not bad!

I'm so glad that we tried DIYing before buying! Though I think the real thing would definitely we worth it if you don't have a miter saw.

What do you think, would you give it a try?

--

P.S. Have you entered for a chance to win Delta Faucet's New Year, New Room Bathroom Makeover contest? It includes Delta bathroom fixtures, a $3,500 Lowes giftcard, a design consultation from ME and MORE!! If not, enter HERE!!

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