Thrift Store Decor, Lampshade

It's the last Wednesday of the month and that means a quick redo of a cast off treasure someone else didn't want, but I did.

Last month I redid an old clock, and for August I'm giving a pottery urn turned pottery urn lamp a new shade. 

Years ago we disassembled a wine jug my dad had turned into a lamp in the 70's, and we saved the lamp parts.  They really weren't long enough for this piece of pottery but at the time I needed a lamp and I didn't really care.

I picked up a too small shade at Target that looked silly from the get-go, but you know.... I didn't care, I needed a lamp!

Well the time has come to give this piece of pottery it's due.

Made by one of my kids it's been moved around from room to room a few times.  Lately it is resting in the family room, on an end table that used to be my moms to which I recently painted sort of metallic.  But that's another story....

I went to Walmart and bought a brand new white barrel shade for $15.00, it was fine, but I never got around to putting it on the lamp.

I left it in the plastic covering, and two weeks later I scored the same shade for two bucks at a garage sale.  The new one was returned and I set out to give the used one a new look.

I didn't care if I ruined a two dollar shade experimenting on it, but I didn't want to ruin a fifteen dollar one.

If you are familiar with my dining room chairs, they have a custom graphic on the back paying tribute to Old Albert, the man we purchased our land from.

I wanted the lampshade to have the same graphic and it's a very simple transfer process using Citra-solv solvent.

The full tutorial can be found {here} where I detailed each step using some muslin napkins and the same graphic. But in a nutshell........

Print out your design mirror reverse on a toner based printer, or if you have a toner based fax machine like my husband, you use that.

Tape the mirror reverse design graphic down, and when you lightly brush on the solvent, the design magically appears as it transfers to your project.  A little solvent goes a long way, you should not soak it.

You then burnish it with the back of a spoon so all the ink transfers, but on a lampshade it wasn't easy to do that part because I couldn't press as hard for fear of denting the shade.

In the end you will get a slightly distressed vintage looking design, perfect for a slightly distressed vintage looking piece of pottery that was turned into a lamp.

My one of a kind lamp, made by one of my one of a kind kids.... I'm just not sure which one.

Now check out what thrifted item my fellow bloggers have breathed new life into.

Not everyone is able to participate this month, so there will be a couple missing links below, but you can still admire everyone's face above.  And make special note to stop over at our guest blogger this month, Gina from Shabby Creek Cottage.

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Redhead Can Decorate

Domestically Speaking

Bliss Ranch

Petticoat Junktion

Our Southern Home

Mom4Real

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