Lamp Transformations

For my birthday, I bought myself a set of lamps. Wasn't that a sweet thing to do? I have been on the lookout for new lamps for over a year. Not just any lamps. Of course I wanted to create my own lamp, but I've had so many ideas running around in my head that I couldn't settle on just one! So, I've been looking, instead, for good, cheap bases that I could work with. Finally, that's exactly what I found!! For less than $10 for two, I finally found lamps with potential!

 Now, I don't know what image pops into your mind when I say "lamps", but these are so unusual that I doubt you are picturing anything like this:

 Weird, right? As soon as I saw them (and especially after I saw the price on the clearance sticker), my mind was racing! They had so much possibility! There was so much I could do! I could work with them as they are, or I could completely dismantle them for parts! I admit I wasn't overly fond of the green- it reminded me of the green shag carpet I had in my bedroom when I was growing up.

Yes, that's right. Green. Shag. Carpet. Pretty.

These lamps sat in my room for a while as I tried to decide exactly what I was going to do with them. Part of the problem was that I had so many ideas, I couldn't choose just one. I was hesitant to do anything permanent that I might not like. So, after much consideration, I decided to play with some ideas that could be easily undone when/ if I changed my mind.  These are my "first editions", and possibly will be changed someday. Until then, I love them!

I love oriental patterns and designs. My artistic abilities aren't the best, and this didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but given the fact that I drew it free hand, although it could be better, it could definitely be worse! (In case you are wondering, the script is Japanese for "Peace")

After working on this for a few days, I decided to do something a little different with the second lamp.

Both designs are super basic and simple. Both are easy to undo, should I change my mind. I started by covering the green base in plain black paper. In both cases, the design elements I chose- the drawing in the first and the doilies in the second- are simply slid underneath the plastic that is covering the lamp shades.

I love the way the base creates its' own shelf-like element. I love my birds but also considered stacking a few small books inside, or a bundle of flowers. What I love the most is that I can change them anytime, very easily! I love my $5.00 lamps, with all their potential!