GIVE A LAMP SOME PERSONALITY!

When I was still in the classroom, I liked to make my room homey and fun!  If I was going to spend the whole day there, then I wanted it to be a place that was welcoming and happy.  One of the ways I brought  comfort to my little corner of the room, was with a fun lamp for my desk.  I got this lamp for $3.99 from the thrift store, spray painted it black, and bought a shade that was NOT made of that silky, fabric-like stuff.  I wanted to be able to adhere some old book pages onto the shade, so it had to be kind of a papery shade that Mod-Podge would work on.  I have these great old books that were my mom's when she was a girl.  (I have a whole set and I've only sacrificed a few for craft projects.)

I found some great pages that would go with a school/kid theme and pieced them together like a patchwork quilt onto the shade.  Then I "bound" the top and bottom edges with newspaper strips and Mod Podge.  I love it that the shade is made of recycled materials - any book pages would do - just pick a theme and then check out the thrift stores for books that go along with that.

 Then I found some little alphabet charms at Michaels and stitched them onto the edge of the shade with heavy quilting thread.  I don't think there's any name for the stitch I used, but it's kind of like a version of the blanket stitch.  The charms hang loosely enough to move around a bit - the kids used to love to play with them when they were up at the desk talking to me.

The shade is very durable!  There's no evidence of any tearing or sagging - even with all the "attention" it got from curious students over the years.

 On top of the newspaper binding at the top of the shade, I glued letter squares.

 

 This would be a great lamp for a child's bedroom.  You could find book pages or graphics from the Graphics Fairy to go along with any room in your house - from the kitchen to the bathroom!

So, now it sits in my sewing/craft room and is a fun reminder of those days spent with a roomful of 11 and 12 year olds.  I loved teaching, and I loved my classroom.  But this is a different season of my life.  Now I love being home and waking up each morning wondering . . . what should I make today??


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