Simple, cute lamp shades.

Another great thrift store find - 3 silver lamp bases for a total of 24 dollars!  Perfect for my girls' room.  I've been trying to find lamps for awhile now and just didn't want to shell out 20 - 80 bucks for 3 small to large lamps.  The best thing about these lamps - they had two types of "fitters", the spider and the uno.  I took the finials off and chose to go with uno shades since they were least expensive and readily available.

A quick aside about fitters, this is important, especially if you're buying thrift store lamps.

Spider - The term "spider" refers to the arms attached to the top inside rim of the lampshade that hold the lampshade fitter in place.

Clip fitters - Clip fitters have a loop of wire extending downward from the lampshade's spider that slides over the top of the light bulb. Torpedo clip fitters are shaped to fit onto elongated bulbs and bulb clip fitters are shaped to fit onto the round-topped light bulbs.

Uno fitters -Uno fitters have a hollow round piece situated at the center of the lampshade's spider that slides over the fixture's socket. Sometimes the uno fitter and socket are threaded which gives the lampshade greater stability. 

Washer fitters -Washer fitters consist of a washer attached to the arms of the spider. The harp sits underneath the spider and the finial screws onto the harp with the washer fitter sitting between. This entire piece is then attached to the lamp socket.

I bought the lamp shades new, from Target.  The biggest one was about $13.00 and the smallest $7.00.  The one with the green bow is the medium sized shade and it was about $9.00 or $10.00.  So another 30 bucks and we have full lamps, but they were kind of boring. 

I made a quick trip to Michael's for some ribbon, plugged in the trusty hot glue gun, and now have custom lamps that match my girls' room. 

DIY Drum Shade Chandelier

Welcome to the first of Savvy Spaces "How to Do It Yourself" blogs!  

I have a client who has "champagne taste on a beer budget!"   I found this chandelier for her dining room, but the price was almost all of her budget for the entire living/dining area, so it was out of the question. 

Solution?  Make it!!

 

Step 1.  Hit the thrift and consignment stores for something super cheap!  I found this at a consignment store for $10.00.  The important part is it has narrow screw type contraption at the top, so when I remove the ugly glass part, I can simply replace it with my drum shade.  We'll get to that a little later.

 

 Step 2.  Take it all apart.  If you need to video or take pictures to remember where everything goes, make sure you do. 

Step 3.  PREP!!!  This is the MOST important step for painting ANYTHING!  Sand off the nasty bits, tape off the bits you don't want painted, and make sure you have a well ventilated work space.  If you're spray painting, PLEASE go outside and use a mask.

 Step 4.  Prime.  Especially if it's metal.  Spray paint is great, but primer makes it better.  Priming this metal base makes sure I'll get a nice finish that will last longer.

Step 5.  PAINT!  YAY!  I chose "Oil Rubbed Bronze" for this fixture.  The other fixtures in the room are the same color, and even though most of it will be hidden by a lamp shade, it's the details that make this special.

Step 6.  Finish the shade.  I bought a nice vinyl decal of a tree, then cut it in half (the long way) so it would go all the way around the lamp shade.  Since the shade is slightly smaller at the top, I had to make some creative cuts to make sure it's as smooth as possible.  The decals are all on the inside.

Step 7.  Put that baby back together.  Here is a close up of where the drum shade fits over the original threaded rod and screw on cap.

Finis!!  Now we have a lovely nature inspired chandelier!

Here is our cost breakdown:

Thrift store light fixture:  $10.00
Spray Paint and Primer:  $12.00
Lamp Shade:  $15.00
Decal:  $13.00

Total Cost:  $50.00 - compared to the original, which was $250.00.  Savings?  $200 bucks!!

This is a slightly more traditional look than the original, which worked out great for my more traditional client.