Whitewashed Lamp with Custom Shade

I found this bland lamp at a yard sale for $2.  I am currently on the hunt for lamps because I have so many shades stocked up at home. 

I wanted to whitewash this lamp instead of painting because the finish had such nice texture and I wanted some of that to show through.

 I whitewashed the lamp by thinning some of my white paint with water.  I brushed the mixture on and then wiped it off. I applied a brown glaze after whitewashing and the final color turned out to be a grayish-white.

The owner of Blessings Boutique, Sherry, knows that I like to recover lamp shades and she generously gave me a few of her self-adhesive shades to try.  This was my first time using one of these and it was so much easier than recovering a regular lamp shade.  I didn't even know these existed! I loved how the adhesive held the fabric in place as I wrapped it around the shade.  I still applied a little hot melt glue to the top and bottom edges and then attached a mini-ruffle trim.

Another thing that made this lamp shade easier to recover is that the paper comes off and becomes the pattern for cutting out the fabric.  I usually have to trace the shade onto paper as I roll it along to make my own pattern, like I did here.  The self-adhesive shade saved me sooo much time!  

Here is my finished lamp and shade at the boutique, ready for a new home.

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Mid-Week Design Inspiration: Grain Sack Upholstery Love

www.fullbloomcottage.blogspot.com

I love the sense of rustic elegance that grain sacks invoke.  The beautiful texture, timeless simplicity, and durable construction make them appealing fabric for upholstery.

This classic, blue-striped, grain sack complements the worn, gray finish and beautiful lines of this French country chair.

www.veneerdesigns.com

This gorgeous settee is from my favorite boutique in Santa Cruz, Saffron and Genevieve.  Scarlett, the owner, has amazing taste and her shop is full of beautiful antiques and interesting, unique items.  Click on the link above to check out her inspiring shop and if you are ever in the the area, you have to stop by in person.

http://saffronandgenevieve.com/wordpress2/

This room, featuring a chair upholstered in an antique grain sack, is so warm and inviting.

www.countryhome.com

I really like the antique grain sacks with faded, stenciled numbers and letters too.

www.countryliving.com

www.laylagrace.com

www.luxehf.com

Look at the slubby texture of the homespun, linen, grain sack used to upholster this simple side chair.

www.theswedishfurniture.com

Something about the authentic quality of the old, grain sack fabric, makes me feel at home.

Two-Toned Pedestal Tables

I found two similar pedestal, side tables at a garage sale for $8 each.  They are actually identical except that one has a round top and the other a square.  The original finish was orange and dated, but I had to get them because I loved their shape and pedestal bases, not to mention their sturdy, solid construction.

I started by removing the old finish with my palm sander.

Once I thoroughly removed the old stain, I painted the pedestal bases with a coat of primer.  

I painted the table legs and base with my new favorite, creamy, white paint: Linen White by Behr.  I got lucky because I discovered this color in the "oops" pile at Home Depot.  After painting and distressing the table bases, I applied two coats of Minwax Dark Walnut stain to the tabletops.

All the items I used on the tabletops are from yard sales.

I purchased these lovely, antique bottles at a yard sale for $1 each. I got the vintage crock, in the background, for $2.

This bottle is my favorite; I just adore the shape of it!

The round table:

I picked up this vintage, crystal lamp at an estate sale last week for $2!  Do you remember when I recovered this lamp shade?  I made it to sell in the shop, but I ended up keeping it because I loved it too much.  Now I am glad I held onto it because it looks perfect with my new crystal lamp!

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Tutorial Tuesday: Fabric Covered Bulletin Board

I have a lot of vintage frames, from yard sales, and many of them do not have any glass or backing.  I already made chalkboards with some of them and this time I decided to try a bulletin board covered with fabric.  

I found an old bulletin board at a yard sale this past weekend for $1, that was the big enough for one of my large, vintage frames.  Mr. Rubbish took it out of the frame and trimmed the board down with his jigsaw to fit my vintage frame perfectly.  I know you can buy cork board in rolls at craft stores, but I prefer to buy used, when I can. 

To cover the cork board with fabric, just pull it over the board tightly and staple it to the back with a basic staple gun.  So easy!  

Do you remember the Paris map fabric that I used to reupholster this bench?  I originally bought this fabric to recover a chair for my Parisian friend, Jenni.  The chair frame got warped and I could not fix it, so I made her this bulletin board instead.  

I painted the frame black and distressed the edges before putting the fabric-covered cork board inside.  

You can glue or nail the bulletin board to the frame.  I just took mine to a frame shop and had them attach it for me.  It took them about two minutes and it only cost me a few dollars.

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