Inspired by Jonas Bohlin's tulle lamp, seen here in Gudrun Sjödén's catalog

Ever since I spotted Swedish designer Jonas Bohlin’s tulle lamp in Gudrun Sjödén’s catalog last year, I’ve been dying to make my own. I finally did it! I started with Ikea’s Melodi pendant lamp, then added tulle. Never having attempted anything like this before, I guessed four yards of tulle would be plenty. Boy, was I wrong. It actually took 10 yards. No worries, though. At $1 a yard at Walmart, the tulle is quite affordable. This lamp reminds me of a ballerina’s tutu. Imagine a pink one hanging in your little girl’s room. Or a black one in your modern bedroom. Jonas Bohlin’s lamp = $524. My lamp = $25. Woot.

Flouncy tulle pendant lamp

Supplies

• 10 yards of 54″ wide tulle
• embroidery floss
• Melodie pendant lamp
• light bulb

Tools

• large embroidery needle
• rotary cutter & mat (These are essential. It’s impossibly hard to do it without them.)
• binder or bulldog clip
• safety pins
• straight edge

1. Gather your supplies. You can ignore the fancy beaded trim in this photo. It was superfluous in the end.

2. Using your rotary cutter and mat, cut a 17″ wide strip of tulle lengthwise. The mat makes this easy because the tulle is see-through. You might not even need a straight edge.

3. Fold the larger piece (37 inches wide) so that one side of the fold is 17 inches and the other is 20 inches. Lay the 17-inch wide piece on top of the larger piece (17-inch fold facing up). Essentially, this creates three layers: two 17-inches wide and one 20-inches wide. Safety pin all three layers together half an inch from the edge of the fold and spaced every foot or so.

4. Using your mat as a guide, sew a simple running/basting stitch one inch from the edge of the fold. Start sewing about 1-1/2 inches from the end. Space the stitches about 1/4 inch. Clamp your spool of embroidery floss at the end to anchor it and allow for adjustments in length later on. You can baste by machine instead, but I sewed it by hand (because my sewing machine and I are are sworn enemies at the moment), and it went surprisingly fast.

5. Remove the safety pins and gather as you go.

6. When you get to the end, overlap the right and left sides 1 to 1-1/2 inches and safety pin in place.

7. Continue stitching until you reach the other end of the floss. Remove the needle and trim your thread on both sides so you have plenty of extra to tie a knot.

8. Wrap the tulle skirt you created around the lamp, pull tight, and tie a knot.

9. Insert the cord kit and light bulb.

10. Hang it from the ceiling with a hook. Smooth and straighten the tulle. All done!

Hi everyone! Bet you thought I fell into a hole somewhere. Nah, just job hunting now that I’m done with school. Anyone want to hire me? :) Anyway, I attended the San Francisco International Gift Fair last Saturday, and I ran across these flower-covered paper lanterns at the zappobz booth. I begged to take a picture so you can see them. I still like mine best, but I thought the bright colors were fun too. By the way, my favorite booth at the fair was roost. Love, love, love their stuff.

I planned to make a flower-covered paper lantern for months. Not until I found a white poinsettia garland at a Michael’s after-Christmas clearance did it become a reality. Normally, I’m not a fan of fake flowers, but I think this is a great way to use them. I had some leftover pom-pom fringe, so I festooned the second lantern with pom poms. Now I can’t decide which one I like best. I bought these white 12-inch paper lanterns at Ikea years ago. Raise your hand if you hate the cheap white paper lanterns that Ikea and World Market sell these days. Me too.

Paper lanterns, two ways: flowers and pom poms

Supplies and tools

• white paper lantern and cord kit (try this one or this one)
• hot glue gun and glue
• fake flowers
• scissors
• pom-pom fringe
• compact fluorescent light bulb

Flower-covered lantern:

1. Start by removing the flowers from the garland, remove the plastic pieces, and tear the petals apart (some are hot glued together).

2. Then cut the pom poms off the fringe. You can also buy loose pom poms, but I liked these off-white ones better than the white ones they sell loose.

3. Hot glue the flowers and pom-pom centers onto the lantern. Glue them so they overlap to cover the entire paper surface. The garland I used provided just enough flowers for one 12-inch paper lantern. This one required two 4-foot spools of pom-pom fringe.

4. Insert the cord kit and hang from the ceiling. If you use a compact fluorescent light bulb, you’ll never have to worry about the hot glue melting.

Pom-pom lantern:

1. Apply a thin line of hot glue along the paper lantern’s ridges, a few inches at a time. Adhere the fringe to the glue, then repeat. DO NOT follow the ridge all the way around because the frame is constructed as a spiral, so your ends will never meet. So, when you get six or so inches from the end, start directing the line to connect to where you started. I spaced each line of pom poms six lines apart. This one required three 4-foot spools of pom-pom fringe.

2. Insert the cord kit and hang from the ceiling.

I just wanted to thank SunRun for the opportunity to be a judge this year’s Customer Holiday Lights Contest. Congratulations to the winners! Judging the contest was fun, and I’m happy to promote the use of solar energy anytime.

Don’t you just love Christmas lights? As an apartment dweller, decking the yard with lights isn’t an option, so instead my living room is almost as bright as day in the evening with all the strings of lights. They’re the next best thing to sitting beside a flickering fireplace. Check out all the new growth on my little potted Christmas tree. It’s growing fast! The angel on the top of the tree was tatted by my great grandmother—the same one who made these doilies. She made everyone in the family either a boy or girl angel. My father insisted his angel needed pants, so she created the pattern just for him. Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

Inspired by Jill Rosenwald's gorgeous lamps found at mainecottage.com

My friend Julie Chai (watch her videos here) at Sunset magazine gave me this lamp base as a project. Southwest isn’t my style, plus it had rusty hardware and a tattered, taped cord. I adore Jill Rosenwald’s lamps from Maine Cottage, but they’re out of my price range. So I decided to rewire and paint this table lamp instead. I got a bit carried away with all the flowers (in eight different shades of green/blue), but it was so darn fun! All the supplies I had on hand, which would make the lamp practically free—except I got soaked on the $50 lampshade. It still beats $425, though. In the end, my favorite part was the super inexpensive DIY round finial.

Rewired & painted table lamp

Supplies

• ceramic lamp base
• lampshade (I found mine at Lamps Plus)
• various house paint samples
• water-based primer
• 1 small sheet of felt
• 1 sheet of cover stock paper
• light socket & cord—or lamp kit (available at OSH)
• 1-1/4-inch wooden head bead (4-pack for $1 at Jo-Ann)
• clear spray lacquer
• drop cloth or newspaper
• scrap piece of wood & a nail
• craft glue (I used Aleene’s Tacky Glue)
• generic metal lamp finial (like this one)

Tools

• foam paint brush
• small paint brushes
• screwdriver
• scissors
• pencil & mars plastic eraser

1. First unplug the lamp. Remove and discard the bottom felt piece (if it’s still attached), cut the cord, and disassemble the light fixture. Remember how to reassemble the pieces. Set them aside.

2. Paint two coats of primer onto the base. Let dry 15 minutes between coats.

3. Apply two coats of your base color paint. (I custom mixed this color green.) For the finial: Hammer a nail into a scrap piece of wood, then place the wooden bead in the nail to paint it. (Thanks to Highjumpgirl for this suggestion.) Prime and paint the bead as above.

4. When the paint has completely dried, lightly sketch your design onto the lamp base.

5. Using your smaller brushes, paint over your sketch. I used ten different shades of blues and greens in my design—spare paints I had on hand. You can use acrylics from an art store or samples from a paint store. When the paint is completely dry, erase any wayward pencil marks.

6. Spray two coats of clear lacquer over the painted base and finial. Let dry 15 minutes between coats.

7. Rewire the lamp, replacing any necessary parts. I replaced the light socket and cord, but reused the rest of the original hardware. The directions are on the back of your lamp kit. Two of my original hardware pieces were rusted, so I removed the loose rust with a wire brush and spray-painted them silver.

8. String the cord and hardware through the lamp. Assemble the pieces per the directions. Make sure you tie the cord in a knot inside the hole at the base of the lamp to prevent the cord from accidentally being yanked out. Insert the harp into the harp bottom.

9. Trace the base of the lamp onto a piece of card stock.

10. Cut out the card stock and felt the same size. Glue the circles together. Let dry, then glue them—felt side facing out—to the base of your lamp. Let dry.

11. Insert the metal finial into the hole at the bottom of your wooden bead. Press them tightly together. The fit should be snug enough that no glue is required.

12. Attach the shade and finial, then flip the switch. Let there be light!

I have a thing for train station clocks. This one is located outside of a restaurant I have yet to try. The pig adds a little whimsy, don’t you think?

I saw this shelf/table/cart on display in a local shop (photographed with permission). Fabulous design.

I am IN LOVE with this stainless steel mailbox. If I were a homeowner, I would buy one right now. It’s made by Ecco Products, and you can buy it at The Mailbox Works.

I kick myself that I didn’t buy one of these ceramic owl umbrella stands before Urban Outfitters sold out. They’re made by Two’s Company, and you can buy one at BurkeDecor.com (if you can wait until June) or MadisonAveGifts.com (at a higher price).

This weathered light fixture hangs outside a sleek, modern store. It’s so old, they style looks modern again. Love its swirls.

I actually shot this glitter-encrusted mobile last winter. It’s a Christmas decoration. I was going to make my own, but never got around to it. Maybe this year…

I am SO going to do this treatment on a piece of furniture soon. The harlequin pattern is fun, and the shape of the cabinet reminds me of Belle’s armoire in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

This being Craftynest, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the giant nests in a nearby shop window. They’re made by Laura Del Fava, a local photostylist, not giant birds. :)

Inspired by West Elm's gorgeous Abaca pendant lamps

Super talented Heika DeHart strikes again. These pendant lamps she made of hemp string are genius. Plus, don’t you love how they look with her wallpaper? Heika writes: “I fell in love with West Elm’s Abaca pendent lamp a few years ago but, as usual, my taste was more expensive than my wallet could support. However, I was sure that I could copy them at a fraction of the cost.” I love the natural look of the hemp, but you could also use white or colored string. I’ve seen others make string lamps using balloons (which are oval), but Heika has an innovative solution for achieving perfectly round lamps.

Hemp pendant lamps

Supplies and tools

• large bouncy balls of various sizes
• clear drying craft glue (such as Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue) 1 bottle per ball approx.
• hemp string 20lb. weight
  estimated amounts needed:
  16 inch diameter ball—400 yards
  14 inch diameter ball—300 yards
  9 inch diameter ball—100 yards
• plastic gloves (optional)
• trash bag or small drop cloth
• permanent marker
• ball inflating needle (available at sporting goods stores or bike shops)
• light fixture and hardware (any one of these pendant fitters at Lowe’s, Ikea’s Januari cord set or Hemma cord set will work)

1. Draw a circle on the ball with a permanent marker. This circle will mark a space on the lamp that needs to remain clear of string. The empty circle will be used in assembling the light fixture and will allow you to have access for changing light bulbs. If the light fixture you are using has lamp shades, make sure that the circles are big enough for the shades to easily pass through.

2. Cover your work surface with trash bags or a drop cloth, and put on gloves (this gets messy).

3. The best way, I found, to apply the glue is to squeeze a quarter size amount onto your fingers and run the hemp string through the glue and then wrap it around the ball. The string should stick fairly easily to the ball. I tried two other methods that also worked reasonably well, but were much more time consuming and made a bigger mess. You can fill a shallow tub with the glue and run the hemp string through it, or you can apply the glue directly to the string from the bottle.

4. Glue and wrap, glue and wrap, glue and wrap.  Just keep going.  Try to wrap randomly to avoid criss-cross patterns. The more densely wrapped the lamp is the stronger it will be.

5. Make sure to avoid wrapping string over the circle area. If there are any areas that seem weak, you can apply a little extra glue to give it more strength.

6. Repeat the steps 1-5 to make multiple lamps. Let the glue dry completely. (The glue I recommended takes about 48 hours to cure completely.)

7. Use the inflating needle to deflate the ball.

8. Remove the deflated ball from the lamp.

9. This part takes some basic electrical skills. Follow the installation instructions that come with your light fixture. While installing the light string, feed the wires through the circle hole of the lamp and up through the top, so that the light bulb will hang down in the center of the sphere.

Inspired by West Elm's capiz shell table lamp

Some of you may remember my first faux capiz shell lampshade that I made for Sunset magazine. It was originally inspired by West Elm’s popular capiz shell table lamp. I was going for the mod look, but I didn’t quite pull it off. Plus I discovered, after two years of use, that the colored rice paper fades badly. The white circles still look beautiful, however, so I decided to redo it in all white. I used a different type of thread this time (white polyester instead of clear nylon thread), which made all the difference. Overall this new lampshade is easier, cheaper, and classier than my first attempt—if I do say so myself.

Faux capiz shell lampshade

Supplies

• laminated 24-inch by 36-inch sheet of white rice paper (I bought the rice paper at University Art and took it to FedEx Office for lamination)
• white polyester thread
• lamp base
• slip uno top ring (the top ring of a lampshade. I bought a cheap lampshade at Target, then removed the paper shade. The sticky residue came off with lighter fluid.)
• compact florescent light bulb (for safety’s sake and the earth’s sake)

Tools

• sewing machine
• scissors
• 3 circle punches: 1-inch, 1-1/4-inch, and 1-1/2-inch sizes (I found these at Beverly’s)

1. You can skip this step: I took apart my old lampshade to salvage the white circles. I discarded the colored circles.

2. First, punch some circles. From experience, I knew I needed 180 circles of each size. Your quantity will depend on the diameter of your shade and the height you want your shade to be.

3. Sew the circles together with your sewing machine. I used a small-medium-large sequence of 18 circles for each strand. Feed each circle through one-by-one. Use your longest stitch length. Let the machine stitch once in between each circle. Backstitch a couple times at the first and last circle in each strand. Trim the excess threads.

4. Fold each strand in the middle and drape it over the lampshade ring.

5. Continue to hang all the strands (I made 30) and space out evenly. You’re done!

I admit these thrift-store plastic sconces look pretty good in the before photo. But trust me, they looked dated and icky on the wall. Plus they’re broken. Luckily the pieces were broken off symmetrically, so you can’t tell after a fresh coat of paint is applied. I’m tickled that the mirror and sconces look like they were MFEO. I love serendipitous finds like that.

Painting old plastic

Supplies and tools

• Plastic sconces (or any ornate plastic item that you’d like to paint)
• newspaper
• spray paint for plastic (I used Rust-Oleum direct-to-plastic paint in black)
• old toothbrush
• vacuum
• paper towel

1. I started by scrubbing them with a dry toothbrush to loosen caked-on dust. Then I used my vacuum attachment to remove all the loose dust. Finally, I wiped them with a damp paper towel to pick up the remnants.

2. No need to prime when spraying plastic. Just follow the instructions on the can and start spraying. If you’re painting something as ornate as this, you’ll have to spray from every conceivable angle. Then, just when you think you got every spot, you’ll find another you missed. It took me a few coats to make sure I covered the entire surface.

3. Let dry for at least an hour before moving them and at least overnight before using them.