Lamp Revamp: How to Handpaint a Zebra Lampshade

I bought this lovely gourd lamp and shade for $29 at Marshalls. I like the shape and size of it. But the color... not so much. Inspired by Janell's lamp makeover, I bought it (despite it's 'perfect for a teen girl's room' color) and went to town with some craft and spray paint.

I was too afraid to attempt to cover the shade with fabric so I went searching for a pattern that I could stencil on. All I could find was the same ol' same ol' and some really pretty, but intricate (aka too difficult) patterns like this and this.

A few days passed by when I found myself on YHL's blog where I noticed an ad for one of the sponsors, Shades of Light.

I searched high and low on their site and finally found it.

Love, love, love love love.... not just because it's zebra print but because it also kinda looks like a messy chevron print.

Just one problem... theirs retails for $69 (plus tax & shipping). I don't have $69 to spend on a lampshade. And, even if I did, I don't think I would buy it anyway. It was way to easy to recreate.

Here's how I did it....

Step 1. Print pictures of the lampshades from the website. I printed all three sample pictures because each one showed a slightly different pattern.

There wasn't much contrast between the stripes and background color, so I traced over each line with a Sharpie marker.

Then I enlarged the image to 150% on a copier so that the image would be proportionate to the size of my shade.

Step 2. Tape your pattern to the inside of the lampshade.

Would you look at that!? You just made your own 'light box'.

Give yourself a pat on the back for being so creative!

Step 3. Use a pencil to trace over the stripes.

It might be a little difficult to see what you've already traced over.

Turning the light off and on as your trace will allow you to see the lines that have already been drawn.

 My pattern didn't reach the top of the shade,
so I just continued each line to the edge.

Then I lightly colored in the stripes that would be painted with a pencil.
This will help you keep track of where the paint should go.

 Step 4. Choose your paint colors.
I used a mix of 'expresso' and 'light ivory' acrylic paints by Delta.
My paint looked like a light chocolate milk color when I mix it.
Remember, it will be a shade or two darker when it dries.

Step 5. Just slap that paint on!
Ok, don't 'just slap' it on. That would make a big mess.
Gingerly slap the paint on over your marked areas.

painting

painting

just keep painting...

(Sorry, for the poor picture quality! I was working reeeaaally late at night.)

Now that the shade is painted, let it dry and get to work on the lamp base.

Step 6. Tape off the metal base, bulb receptacle and light switch.

 Then wipe down the surface of your lamp base with a degreaser. You want to clean off as much oil and dirt as possible before you spray your paint. 

Step 7: If the lamp base is a smooth texture, you'll want to spray it with an etching primer first. This will allow your top coat to stick really well.

Step 8: Once the primer has dried, choose your top coat color.

I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in gloss white. 

Give the whole lamp base one or two coats (depending on how well the paint covers) and let it dry completely.

Step 9. Remove the tape and attach lampshade to base.

Step 10. Oooo and Ahhh over your amazing creation!

(Here's a tutorial on how to make a bamboo skewer sunbursts

 like the one in the background of these pictures)

Here it is with the light on:

  And here's that before and after again... 

Cheap, easy, and it looks like a million bucks!

Ok, maybe it looks more like $69, but that fine with me!

I moved my jewelry off the dresser and onto the monogram plate that I made a few weeks ago.

And added in this framed Marilyn Monroe stamp that my momma got for me a while back.

Yes, Ma.... I still got it.

That's all folks!
Have you ever revamped a lamp?

Linking this post to:

Nicolette's Thirsty Thursday's: momnivores-dilemma.com

Cassity's Remodelaholic's Anonymous: remodelaholic.com

Donna's Saturday Night Special: funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com

Courtney's Fethered Next Fridays at French Country Cottage

Carrie's Amaze me Mondays at  Dittle Dattle

Layla & Kevin's How To's Day at  The Lettered Cottage

Michelle's Watever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

Kate's Flaut it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring
Ashley's beautiful blog  Eisy Morgan

Roeshel's DIY Showoff: thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

I bought this lovely gourd lamp and shade for $29 at Marshalls. I like the shape and size of it. But the color... not so much. Inspired by Janell's lamp makeover, I bought it (despite it's 'perfect for a teen girl's room' color) and went to town with some craft and spray paint.

I was too afraid to attempt to cover the shade with fabric so I went searching for a pattern that I could stencil on. All I could find was the same ol' same ol' and some really pretty, but intricate (aka too difficult) patterns like this and this.

A few days passed by when I found myself on YHL's blog where I noticed an ad for one of the sponsors, Shades of Light.

I searched high and low on their site and finally found it.

Love, love, love love love.... not just because it's zebra print but because it also kinda looks like a messy chevron print.

Just one problem... theirs retails for $69 (plus tax & shipping). I don't have $69 to spend on a lampshade. And, even if I did, I don't think I would buy it anyway. It was way to easy to recreate.

Here's how I did it....

Step 1. Print pictures of the lampshades from the website. I printed all three sample pictures because each one showed a slightly different pattern.

There wasn't much contrast between the stripes and background color, so I traced over each line with a Sharpie marker.

Then I enlarged the image to 150% on a copier so that the image would be proportionate to the size of my shade.

Step 2. Tape your pattern to the inside of the lampshade.

Would you look at that!? You just made your own 'light box'.

Give yourself a pat on the back for being so creative!

Step 3. Use a pencil to trace over the stripes.

It might be a little difficult to see what you've already traced over.

Turning the light off and on as your trace will allow you to see the lines that have already been drawn.

 My pattern didn't reach the top of the shade,
so I just continued each line to the edge.

Then I lightly colored in the stripes that would be painted with a pencil.
This will help you keep track of where the paint should go.

 Step 4. Choose your paint colors.
I used a mix of 'expresso' and 'light ivory' acrylic paints by Delta.
My paint looked like a light chocolate milk color when I mix it.
Remember, it will be a shade or two darker when it dries.

Step 5. Just slap that paint on!
Ok, don't 'just slap' it on. That would make a big mess.
Gingerly slap the paint on over your marked areas.

painting

painting

just keep painting...

(Sorry, for the poor picture quality! I was working reeeaaally late at night.)

Now that the shade is painted, let it dry and get to work on the lamp base.

Step 6. Tape off the metal base, bulb receptacle and light switch.

 Then wipe down the surface of your lamp base with a degreaser. You want to clean off as much oil and dirt as possible before you spray your paint. 

Step 7: If the lamp base is a smooth texture, you'll want to spray it with an etching primer first. This will allow your top coat to stick really well.

Step 8: Once the primer has dried, choose your top coat color.

I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in gloss white. 

Give the whole lamp base one or two coats (depending on how well the paint covers) and let it dry completely.

Step 9. Remove the tape and attach lampshade to base.

Step 10. Oooo and Ahhh over your amazing creation!

(Here's a tutorial on how to make a bamboo skewer sunbursts

 like the one in the background of these pictures)

Here it is with the light on:

  And here's that before and after again... 

Cheap, easy, and it looks like a million bucks!

Ok, maybe it looks more like $69, but that fine with me!

I moved my jewelry off the dresser and onto the monogram plate that I made a few weeks ago.

And added in this framed Marilyn Monroe stamp that my momma got for me a while back.

Yes, Ma.... I still got it.

That's all folks!
Have you ever revamped a lamp?

Linking this post to:

Nicolette's Thirsty Thursday's: momnivores-dilemma.com

Cassity's Remodelaholic's Anonymous: remodelaholic.com

Donna's Saturday Night Special: funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com

Courtney's Fethered Next Fridays at French Country Cottage

Carrie's Amaze me Mondays at  Dittle Dattle

Layla & Kevin's How To's Day at  The Lettered Cottage

Michelle's Watever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts

Kate's Flaut it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring
Ashley's beautiful blog  Eisy Morgan

Roeshel's DIY Showoff: thediyshowoff.blogspot.com