Drum Lamp Shades

Making Drum Lamp Shades;

I re-used and re-purposed four lamps and shades recently. It was easy and cost about $16 for all four lamps.

I wanted to update our straight iron base floor lamp with a burlap drum lamp shade. There wasn't anything wrong with the original lamp shade, so I decided to re-use it for another lamp.

I found the perfect shade for $.50 at Restores. The shade was a little too big so I cut about 3 inches off the bottom. To maintain the shades shape, I glued the wire back onto the bottom of the shade. Clamps were used to hold the wire in place until the clue dried.

To cover the drum shade I found a large roll of natural burlap at a discount store for $1.49. It's the type of burlap that's used for sacks, not as refined as the burlap found in fabric stores.

I didn't know how the drum shade would turn out, but for $.50 I didn't have anything to loose by trying. The great thing is, it turned out just the way I envisioned.

Tarnished Antique Silver Lamp;

This time I transformed a $5 Goodwill lamp into what looks like a tarnished antique silver lamp. The lamp was intact, with a working socket, cord and plug, all it needed was a little creativity.

I used mod podge and shaped pieces of aluminum foil around the lamp. After the lamp was covered with foil, I painted the foil with a wash of burnt umber paint to achieve the tarnished effect. After drying, two coats of Mod Podge was applied for protection.

The old lamp shade from the floor lamp was the perfect fit for the new lamp. I covered the shade with white burlap that works very well for allowing a lot of light to shine though.

Updated Glass Globe Lamp;

We have a small lamp that has been storing sea shells for a long time. I decided it was time for an update.

The glass globe of the lamp was painted blue with a transparent glass paint. When painting glass follow the 3 steps,

1. Glass conditioner or alcohol,
2. Transparent paint and last,
3. Clear gloss.

The rod on the inside that holds the cord and lamp base was spray painted silver.

I covered the lamp shade with white burlap, again allowing a lot of light to illuminate.

For information on how the candle lantern was transformed into a lamp see mercury glass lamp.