DIY lamp make over

This DIY is for a basic home essential - a lamp. I was given these two identical green lamps by my grandmother, who said I could do whatever I wanted with them. So, I first thought, lets take away the gold and the green! I was looking for some spray paint and decided I would do a simple black with a braided rope lamp shade, which I haven't gotten around to making yet! ( But I have added a different DIY shade that you can use with the pre-existing in the meantime. ) So this tutorial is super easy, perfect for the beginner craft-er.

The supplies you will need for the lamp base are:
lamp
spray paint (in your color preference)
painters tape
windex and a towel for cleaning the lamp before painting


The first thing you will do is begin taping the parts of the lamp that you don't want coated in paint. So obviously you don't want the electrical cord painted or the bulb area painted. Cover 'em up! Make sure when you are applying the tape, that you are sealing the tape well, otherwise paint will drop into the bubbles left and you won't have a clean paint line! :(

I also covered a bit of the gold on my lamp with tape so that it would remain unpainted when finished. ( I did this because I plan on using gold puffy paint to create an intricate design on the base later. )

When you are finished taping, its time to clean. Wipe down the surfaces of the lamp that you will be painting. Rid the surface of any dust or grime that may be there. When your finished wiping, its time to paint!

Making sure you don't get spray paint onto anything, use a newspaper or plastic tarp underneath your lamps for protection. Follow the instructions on your particular spray paint and add coats as needed, (I suggest waiting at least 10 minutes between coats. )

When you are all finished with your painting, LEAVE IT ALONE. Leave your lamp in a cool dry place for it to dry WITHOUT disruption. You don't want it outside where leaves and bugs can damage the paint. I chose to keep mine in my garage to dry.

After 24 hours of drying, remove the tape from your lamps. BEAUTIFUL, right? You're all done with painting unless you chose to puffy paint a design on your lamp on a future DIY post :)

LAMP SHADE:

Things you will need:
shade (old or new)
thumb tacks

All you need to do for the lamp shade is take some thumb tacks, and press them into your shade - anywhere you like. I chose to keep it basic and lined the top and bottom of my shade, but you can do a chevron pattern or flower designs, or whatever. Up to you.

Now your done! Enjoy!