lamp revamp

Like many laydeez, I love beautiful things - clothes, shoes, jewellery, furniture, porcelain teacups. I am, however, a notorious penny-pincher. I haven't purchased a television since I was a 15 year old with my first job, replacing that TV with my grandfather's, then mother's and now sister's televisions. I still wear the navy velour and black lace goth dress my mother sewed for me when I was a 19 year old babybat. I recently superglued back together a dish I dropped that cost me $4 at a car boot sale in Launceston (I can justify that one though, because it's a gorgeous pink floral Royal Albert piece).

So needless to say, when I broke my lamp trying to replace the globe (I never claimed to know what I was doing), I purchased a cheapie at the House of Target with the plan of discarding it when I finally move.

However, on one of my frequent trips to the Clear It! outlet on Brunswick Street, a lovely metre-wide remnant of Alannah Hill fabric inspired me to cover the lampshade and make look it a little less, well, cheap.

That same day I visited the Rose Street Artist Market and found a beautiful black and gold brooch by Design by Jude that I imagined would look perfect with the hot pink fabric. Several weeks later (because I'm a huge fan of collecting craft supplies and not using them for years - if ever), I found some instructions for covering a lampshade and, though it turned out a little wonkier than I hoped, I covered my lampshade:

I do love it. My mother bought the bead ribbon trim and said the lamp looks like it belongs in a bordello. I'll keep that in mind while I'm house-hunting.