Burlap lampshade

A new lease on "light"

If I can remember correctly, this little lampshade was my very first thrift store purchase.  About 13 years ago, I walked into a store and this table lamp popped out at me.

Almost literally popped out at me.  It was hot pink and the shade was a funny yellowish mustard color.  For $2, I couldn't pass it up. 

And so began my furniture and accessory revamps.

Everything I could get my hands on would get a new layer of paint, or a new fabric color choice.  I think this lamp has been at least 4 different color schemes.

This was the latest, and for some reason the longest color scheme.  I really didn't like it once it was finished, and yet it stayed like this for about 4 years.  Time flies when your raising kids!

I've painted the lamp shade many colors, but this time around I ripped it apart.

Then grabbed some burlap, cut it into about 1 inch strips and frayed the ends, by pulling a few of the end strands out.

Tied some knots on the end of every other strand of burlap, just for some extra character

Hot glued the burlap pieces to the round wire hoops that were left from the original shade.  I did two layers to give it some depth, one layer would show the light bulb alot more.

Now on to the base of the light.  I painted it a white for the base color.  Then sprayed snow onto it to give it texture for a more worn look.  You can find this stuff in any craft store.

I took a brush to random spots to give it unevenness.  This process took 2 days to dry.  Then I sprayed a gloss finish on it.

I wanted to give it an effect of maybe a little rust

or moss growing on it.  So this it what I ended up with.  Then I stenciled on some black lettering, it says " LET  THERE BE LIGHT" and "love the light"

For a final touch with the shade, I just made some rosettes.  By pulling one strand in the middle of the strip half way out, and then the same on the other side of that strand.  It gives it tension and it gathers up in a bunch, similar to a rolled rosette.  A little more casual looking though...

It's the newest addition to our ever slowly changing bedroom.

Its amazing what a little paint and glue can do!

'til next project,

thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing this project with these friends...

Homemade powdered laundry detergent

I have been making my own laundry soap for a long time now.  Love it!  When you have a hubby who is sensitive to everything, (even the soap made for sensitive skin)  then you look to alternative options. 

I have been using the liquid recipe for a while because that is all I new of at the time.  Then I discovered the powdered version.  Let me just say that this recipe is really great.  With a "sensitive hubby" and three dirty little boys, and two dogs that are inside dogs and jump up on every thing, you worry about how clean things are getting.  Well this stuff really works! 

And its pennies a load!

The liquid recipe was a little long in the brewing department... You have to melt down the soar bar, and it usually took about 15 or so minutes.  Well those are precious minutes for a mommy, so I decided to try the powdered.  It took me about 2 minutes to do the grating, then its measure and shake together. Simple.  I did let the soap dry in the sun for 2 hours, but I was able to get other things done while that was going... 

Ingredients:

1 cup of 20 Mule Borax

1 cup of Super Washing Soda

1 soap bar (Zote, Fels Naptha, Ivory)  as long as the soap doesn't have moisturizer in it.

1/4 cup of baking soda (helps with stains)

Grate the bar of soap. And mix all ingredients together.  1 Tablespoon per load of laundry, depending on how soiled your laundry load is.  I use 1 and  1/2 Tablespoons for towels, and sheets, and the boys sports stuff.

And something to put the ingredients into.  I used an old Lemonade bottle I saved.

After I grate the soap bar.  I leave it in the sun for 2 hours.  So it dries up.  Then while still in the towel, I pound the soap for about 20 seconds with a chicken mallet.  It turns the grated soaps into powder.

No, the soap didn't change color.  This is a different batch I documented.  The pink is a Zote bar, the yellow is Fels Naptha.  I don't have a preference, just like to mix it up sometimes :)

Pros : 
     It's good for the environment, no harsh chemicals
     It's good for your wallet, inexpensive to make
     It's good for your sensitive hubby, hypoallergenic
  ... And it works just as good as the expensive name brand store bought.

Cons :
     You take 5 minutes out of you busy schedule to make it yourself...boohoo!

I Love it!

'til the next project...
thanks for stopping by...






I link up here...

Rag Rug

I have hard wood floors throughout the entire house.  So I am in need of some more rugs.

But don't want to spend hundreds of dollars.

What's the solution?

I'll make my own...

I started small with this bath mat.  (recognize the basket, it's the Junk mail basket.)  It now holds our spare TP ;)

                                                        

 I grabbed some old baby material I had and a old bed skirt.  Cut them into 1 inch strips.  Then a piece of cardboard with 1 inch slots to help get started with

the weaving of the cloth

I tied 3 strips together to get a fuller effect.

Then took 1 white piece of cloth from the bed skirt I cut up and started weaving.  I put some painters tape at the end to help with grabbing since I didn't have a weaving needle.

Every once in a while tighten everything up.

I finished of the end of the rug by tying a knot with the 3 strip piece and the white strip. 

That simple. 

Finished the rest with knots of the 3 strip pieces.  This was so easy, I was done in about an hour or so.  I now am working on one that is twice the size.  Love it!

'till the next project...

thanks for stopping by...

I' sharing my project with these friends, check it out...
Brassy Apple
Skip to my lou
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Bloom Designs
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Twigg Studios

Family art gallery

Lately I have been working on the walls in our house.  First I tackled a redo on the family room wall with a collage of black and white family pictures.  Then the front living room got a revamp as well. 

It's our Family Art Gallery

These framed works of art were originally in the hall way going all the way down.  But I got to thinking,

no one looks at that stuff when it's in a narrow hall that you are just passing through.

So they got a new home in the front living room.

The first wall you see when you walk into the house...

I love it.

The drawings are from my talented sisters.  Yes both of them.  You can see my sister Stephanie's photography too, here  http://www.wix.com/stephann88/photo

The paintings are from my lovely little boys.

I framed a painting from each of them when they were 3 years old.  And added their names and dates they did them.

 It's great to look back at each of their work side be side like this and see how different each of them were at that same age.  And then in 2008 when my 2 older boys were 8 and 5.  My littlest is only 3 so I have yet to frame another of his work.

The shelving...

Its cardboard.

Yep, I saved the cardboard framing from our new appliances in our kitchen.  They are a sturdier cardboard then say just your everyday cereal box.  But the pictures aren't literally resting on the shelves, they are hung up.  I just added the cardboard shelf to make it look like it is.  And of course painted them white.

Then I just added some words like "Paint" "Imagine" and Create" to the wall, oh and "Family Art Gallery"


'til the next project...
thanks for stopping by...

Black & White photo collage wall

Photo wall collage

I've been working on this one for quite some time now...

before, the frames were all around the house in little clusters or collages whatever you want to call them. 

I took everything down a while ago, probably even before I started this blog. 

Anyways, they used to all be black, I decided that I wanted to add some white to the mix, so half of them got a new paint job. 

And of course some of those got weathered ;)

There final destination... the family room wall.

Some letters of our initials, and some subway art.  I also framed some frames just to give it more interest.

Black and white photo collage wall

Sadly that little vase with the purple flowers is about the only punch of color in this room.  I tend to stick with the neutrals.  I need to work on that.

Don't just hang a frame.

Frame another frame for more interest.  Or in my case, multiple picture frames are framed with one large one.

This next one is a pizza box turned frame.

Pizza box framed picture

I wrapped it in dollar store wrapping paper hot glued some rope to hang it.  The picture frame is hanging from a white ribbon that is hot glued to the box. 

It just adds more interest to the photo collage.  More depth to the whole thing.

I love the way the entire wall turned out.  It's more fun to look at then just a bunch of photos put together.