Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Thrifty DIY: Mid Century Modern Style Groovy Strung-Up Lamp Shade


It's hard to find the grooviest mid century modern style 1950s and 60s lamp shades outside of expensive antique malls and estate sales. I'm always hunting to build up a collection to sell and display in the apartment and haven't had luck so I decided to make my own! It was down and dirty crafting that took hours but it was worth it. Just kidding, takes minutes. Let's do it:


1) I found a beautiful barrel shaped lamp shade and mod-looking (possibly actually 1960s?) lamp at different thrift stores. Using my tap measuring tape I marked a dot with my pencil every two inches.


2) Use a hole punch (I used a small-gauged one) to punch a hole at every mark.


3) String black twine through the holes and tie them together at the ends. I used my roommate's black deer skin twine (she uses it to make bracelets) for the finished product.


I like how this new lamp adds some subtle vintage flair and balance to the composition of the space. (Have I ever mentioned how pedantic I am about stuff like that? I'm crazy.) I'll  be stringing up and playing with more lamp DIYs in the future to satisfy my creepy lamp fetish. I paid $6 total for this craft, better than shelling out $60+ for the lamps I've craved lately!

Been working on any thrifted-item DIYs lately? Or DIYs in general? I'm trying to get back to my roots and craft/make art as much as possible!
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21 comments:

  1. Looks great Van! You're right, some of the vintage lamp shades get a little crazy as far as price is concerned. I've never seen one I could afford. This is a great alternative!
    I've been crocheting some baskets and plant hangers and planning out some diy shelving for my sun room. I try not to keep too much, but what I do have I would like to display in a neat way.

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    1. I need to craft up some apartment herb growning goodness and ample shelving, too!

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  2. Fun, easy update-- hmm... Or would that be a "downdate??" I'm always DIYing something. Being creative, cheap, and broke does that to a person!

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  3. Great idea Van, one I'll keep in mind. No crafts or DIY's lately, but I am feeling the itch so there will likely be some simple up-cycled craft hitting the blog soon.

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    1. I need to be doing the same, gotta schedule it daily!

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  4. I love this idea. Appropriate for the era, inexpensive, and easy to do. You might think you're obsessive about the details, but in my opinion it's the little details that really make a room feel "right." (Or maybe we both suffer from the same psychological disorder.)

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  5. I love this! Simple but super cute and it's a great way to add a little something cute to the lamp. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. One of my favorite lamps is a wonderful, carved Chinese lamp that I got for $1 at Sally's (or Salvation Army to the rest of you...) and it needed a proper shade. I found the right shaped shade and blew up Chinese characters and traced them onto the lamp with a sharpie. Just holding the character to the inside allowed me just enough of a guide to trace with my marker. The shade would look even better if I went over the marker with black paint, which I may do sometime. The little details are what kicks a look up to the next level.
    The dino picture, is that a collage? It is very cool.

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    1. It's a print I found at the flea market a couple years back. You can see it in this post: http://www.thriftcore.com/2011/07/thrift-haul-robots-owls-dinosaurs-and.html

      The lamp sounds gorgeous!

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  7. You're the second blogger I follow who has a lamp fetish :0)

    Right now I am working on a mini shadow box diorama using some thrifted smalls I got at the flea market and at an estate sale. I will be posting about it in my just-launched blog - yes, I said JUST-LAUNCHED :0) - soon.

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    1. I have many a vintage fetsih, too many ;) I love making shadow box dioramas, too. :D

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  8. Great idea. Like the Margaret Keane in the background, too. You are a girl after my own cheapster heart.

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