Ruffle Burlap Lamp Shade

What do you do when you see a $1.98 lamp in the clearance section at Bed, Bath & Beyond? Snatch it up before anyone else can! That's right, I was lucky enough to find the perfect-size-on-sale lamp for my entry table. You can't even get a lamp base for $2.

It was marked down because the lamp shade was crunched a little bit. That is not a problem for me. It is actually a plus because I have been wanting to make a burlap shade and this is perfect! But not just a plain burlap shade. I want a ruffled one. I saw this project somewhere out there in blog-land and loved it...now I can't find it again. No worries, the image of the shade is burned into my memory. Here is what you need to make a ruffle burlap shade: 1 yard burlap (more or less depending on shade size), lamp shade, hot glue gun and sticks, and scissors.

First you need to wrap the shade in burlap. Cut it a little wider than the width of the shade so you can fold the ends into the center and hot glue. Glue the burlap in place, pull it tight around the shade and glue down the other end. Next, take the ends and hot glue them to the inside of the shade.

If you only want a burlap shade, you are done. But if you want ruffles, then continue on. Cut the remaining burlap into strips. I cut mine about 1.5 inches wide. You are going to fold the burlap in half so cut the strips to double the size of the ruffles you want.

Fold the burlap strips into half, long-ways. Place some hot glue onto the shade in a wave pattern going vertically up the shade. Then pinch your burlap strip at the top and place the fold along the hot glue wave trail. Hold into place for a few seconds. (I tried putting the hot glue along the fold of the burlap and created a mess - as seen in the above picture. It was easier to hot glue the shade and pinch the burlap together.) If the strip is longer than the shade, snip off the extra burlap even with the shade.

Continue gluing the burlap strips onto the lamp until it is covered. Don't make it perfect though. Make the waves go different ways so it isn't uniform. You will have holes where there are no wave strips. That is okay. Squirt some hot glue into the hole and then use a folded strip to fill the hole in.

You can see towards the top where I filled in some holes with extra burlap. And I still need to fill in the holes towards the bottom of the picture. That's it. You are now the proud owner of a ruffle burlap shade. It only took me about an hour and a few burned fingertips to finish my burlap shade. I placed the lamp under a large cloche and love, love, love the look.

  

This gorgeous lamp only cost me $2. I already had the burlap and hot glue. I think I squealed a little and might have done a happy dance when I turned it on.

I'm Going To Be A Sewing-Machine

I guess my family became tired of me talking about no-sew because I was gifted with two sewing machines for Christmas. Yes, two. I obviously was supposed to get a sewing machine. Well, I have been so busy that I have not had the time to even open the box, let alone learn how to sew.

That all changed this past weekend. My lovely mom put aside all her plans for the weekend and gave me some lessons. I "learned" to sew when I was younger and made a few skirts and a pillow. But that was years ago and I thought I had forgotten how to sew. I guess sewing is like riding a bike because I was able to remember a few things as we went along and didn't do too bad.

I picked out an easy Vogue pattern to start on. And I thought I was doing great...until I got to the collar. I knew that the stitch wasn't the best and I told mom not to look. But of course she looked and went and got the seam ripper. Having to rip out the seam frustrated me so I put the dress away.

I decided that I needed to re-start on a very easy pattern. I finished the very easy dress with no hiccups or seam ripping. And I actually wore it to work this week. Got a ton of compliments too.

What does this mean towards remodeling? Nothing really important. Just now I will use the sewing machine to sew pillow covers and curtains instead of no-sew. I might even make a slip cover with the sewing machine. The possibilities are endless. But first I have to finish the easy dress I put away.

Spring Fever?

I am so glad that it is getting to be spring time! We have lovely daffodils springing up everywhere. They are an instant smile maker. And a sign that it is time for me to get the house decorated for spring. I don't change much up for spring, just a few simple changes and a spring-inspired mantel are it. I tried to keep the decor centered around natural elements with splashes of orange and green.

I am a simple girl and love a clean dining room table. I don't keep it set and ready for guests but I do like a small centerpiece. This was easy to make with items already on-hand. I added some twine to a vase and then popped in some yellow and orange tulips. Then I placed the vase on some burlap scraps.

The mantel features some more DIY-twine projects and on-hand items. I picked up two brass candle sticks, on sale for $1 each, from the thrift store and wrapped them in twine. The large antique copper-looking dog was a major happy moment find - he was only $16. The lantern was purchased at Halloween and used to balance the height of the dog. I spray painted the $2 thrift store mirror orange and leaned it up on the mantel to help reflect light.

I also want to add some bright colored pillows on the couch to make it fun. And besides for the pillows, the house is decorated for spring. Like I said, I don't do much. I just like a change from the winter colors and some brighter colors. What have you done to brighten your house for spring?

Foyer No More

I thought it was about time that I showed y'all the foyer. We have been hard at work getting it into tip-top shape. (When I say we, read it as I.) Anyhoo let me jog your memory and show you a picture of the foyer on move-in day:

Bland and boring are the first two words that come to mind. You can also add yuck and formal to the list. And if you know me, none of those words describe me, so why should they describe my house? Um, they shouldn't! So tearing out the built-ins, ridding the house of gold, laying hardwoods and refinishing to a darker color were immediate needs. Yes needs. And since this is the front door foyer and the first impression of the house, that makes remodeling this space number one on my list.

I'm not going to go into the details of remodeling this space. I've already posted about the projects individually, so you can go here and pick which project you want to know more about. Are you ready for the after picture yet? Are you scrolling down and skipping ahead of me? Shame. Just kidding. Drum roll please........

Bam! Isn't it wonderful? I am drooling over my own hardwood floors. Totally different look in the house now. It feels much more relaxed, comfortable, and fun now - words that describe me and the hubby. The slim entry table opens up the space and the gallery wall gives the house a not-so-formal vibe. And we added a little pop of color in the used-to-be bland foyer. The large corn plant is supposed to make positive energy and a fresh room, at least according to a google search on feng shui.

It just get better. No more gold chandelier or large fireplace hearth. No more fake marble surround or carpet. And doesn't the light look nice filtering in through the sidelights? Can you believe they had mini blinds on them? Yuck. I love this area of the house now.

Take a look back at the before picture and you'll easily notice how large those built-ins were. And you'll also notice the totally different look we now have. I don't think it is a "foyer" anymore. That word is too fancy-shmancy. Now it is an entry. Just a simple, welcoming entry.

Bedding In The House

Once again, Wal-Mart has proved me wrong. I am going to have to retract my statement about them not making me think of home decor. First it was the sheets that I made into curtains, now it is a comforter set. Yep, I bought a comforter set for the guest bedroom from Wal-Mart. Here it is:

Isn't it great! I love the green color with cream and brown accents - reminds me of the apple green color swatch I loved. It is perfect for the room. And the best part is that the comforter set was only $68 for a queen size. Woot!

And those two cute pillows, I made those using the trusted no-sew method. Go me. It is hard to see, but there is some cream detail stitching. You can kind of see it in the second picture. Anyways, I'm making kicking booty and making progress in the guest bedroom!

Please excuse the messy bed. I just threw the bedding down and snapped some pics. Didn't even take the time to make the bed properly. Shame on me.