a tale of two lamps

When I found this lamp for our sideboard, I was sooo pleased. It was my birthday and I had just finished a couple of rooms for some clients and I was feeling flush (having more money than normal !).

When I got the lamp home my pleasure dulled somewhat, because it didn't look as great as I thought it would. Although I still liked the lamp, it didn't really work for me. The shade wasn't nearly as nice lit up and the eclectic look I was going for  just wasn't there.

Even though I could have taken the fabric off and maybe re-covered it in purple ( the colour my phone turns it), the base still bothered me.

On my beach junk post here I mentioned that I had a little idea for all the driftwood. Well, I have been working on it over the last few days, when I wasn't drilling or sawing or generally being noisy.

And I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I started with this -

an old Ikea lamp

And made, this -

A driftwood lampbase !

I feel it goes so much better with the Beatles poster, and I just love it. I had a budget of £10 for the shade and I found one in our town in the last shop I looked in, and it's just the right mix of rustic and contemporary.

I stuck the base onto some driftwood first, because it was a little short. I put a piece of hardboard underneath and nailed through a couple of pieces to give it some stability. Then I just kept adding pieces, while trying to give it some movement.

You can see lots of glue here !

and some below (I got a nice blister on this project!).

I just kept adding pieces, so that it worked with the wide lampshade.

I even made sure the back was ok, just in case it ever gets put somewhere where it is seen from all sides (that would probably mean a larger house - one can but dream !).

To me, the whole sideboard looks alot better and is MY version of eclecticism

(I like to analyze stuff, so this is just my own point of view !!!)

Something old - something new !

 funky (Beatles poster) -  shabby (frame)

rustic (driftwood) and contemporary (shade)

antique (books - well not quite, but very sentimental) and chic (ceramic buddha)

soft (dried eucalyptus) and hard (glass vase)

and of course - add a little sparkle (mercury glass)

This little mantra is what I'm using to try and bring the same feel to the rest of the house. My dear old geezer is definately into the funky and contemporary, so I need to have a bit of something for the both of us.

Before

After

And one day, the sideboard will be painted a blue/grey and distressed heavily.

The other lamp - well it looks very pretty in my tiny office/studio, and I have

a plan for the shade, to pretty it up even more.

Linking up with

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays @ {Primp}

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Transformation Thursdays @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Saturday Nite Special @ funky junk interiors
Debbiedoos Newbie Party @ Debbiedoos

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Wooden block creation 'thingey'

I have been getting on with my 'impossibilities' challenge, but slowly. There have been a few hiccups, and my strength (or lack of it), is holdng me back. Also, for a few hours a day we try to keep things quiet around here. Our neighbour is a milkman and so he sleeps during the afternoon ! And as we live in a terrace, drilling into a brick wall is not the quietest thing to do.

So, I have been working on other stuff. I am trying to get together pieces for an eclectic gallery wall. I have various prints, but I want to add some texture and 'pieces of junk'.

The red paintings are going (I wish the sofa would go too - although it is very comfortable, I just don't DO red sofas ! It's the old geezers) and somehow I need to mix the photos at the far end with some new pictures, and make it work around the little hatch to the kitchen.

I have been picking up pieces of wood - every time the dear old geezer saws something in the garden, I go around picking up interesting pieces (of course, that's my version of interesting). The rest is saved for the log burner.

One of the very many blogland inspirations I love, is the use of lettering. It's everywhere, on furniture, fabric, as subway signs etc. and it's always so effective, so I thought I would combine my chunks of wood and a few numerals and a bit of lettering.

These are my blocks laid out.

So far, so good. I can't be doing with all that printing malarkey. I work off a lap top, so I would have to go to the old geezer and say

                                                 'can I just .......'

                                                 'can you just show me................'

                                                 'can you please get off that computer that you are

                                                  surgically attached to'

                                                  etc.

                                                  etc.

                                                  etc...............................

So, I just got out a paint brush, a pencil and a few match pots, and.............................

probably should have got some tracings done, as I had to re-paint a couple.

He's thinking ' why do we have to be upstairs in this little room, when we could be in the kitchen near all the FOOD'  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, in the end, I did it all/ realised I didn't like it enough/ waited till this morning and cut it in two - now I'm happy.

Yes, it's not straight, not perfect, but I like it; and the big chunk of white wood that I cut off will become a little shelf.

 I added some (badly) cut out metal numbers, screwing them into place, and a bit of left over rusty mesh from my beach junk post and basically it didn't work with all the little blocks. So I am going to turn it sideways and use it as a shelf.

But I'm pleased with my 'block' piece. I painted letters down the sides as well. Added a few metal things I found in the 'nail and screw' tin !!!

The right side reminds me of Frankensteins monster - I got a bit slap happy with the staple gun.

My block thingy, type shelf thing-a-me-jig has versatility !!!

AND, AND ladies - my 'HOME' (from TK Maxx) has never really had a home, and now this little 'home' has found the perfect home on my creation. That was worth the hours I spent on this.

And the cost - well nothing really, as I 'found' or 'had' everything, although I did get through rather a lot of glue sticks - so maybe £2.00 (approx. $3).

Linking this with

Terrific under ten Tuesdays @ At Home With K

Take-a-look Tuesdays @ Sugar Bee crafts

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Show me what ya got @ Not Just a Housewife

Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond The Picket Fence

Saturday Nite Special @ funky junk interiors
Pot Pourri Friday @ 2805
Debbiedoos Newbie Party @ Debbiedoos

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch