Updated Lamp (Well Maybe)

I don't claim to be a DIY expert. In fact, most of the projects that I do have about a 50/50 chance of turning out how I originally planned. But, half the fun is playing around and seeing what happens. Well...I played around this week with a lamp that I want to use in my classroom. I'm not a big fan of bright florescent lights in my room. I like to have lamps to create a more homey atmosphere. Plus, I'm convinced the dimmer lights make for calmer, more relaxed students.

 

I inherited this beauty awhile back. I honestly don't even remember who I got it from but it has been in my classroom for the past six years. And for those past six  years I've cringed at the country apple and the nasty green dust collector that we'll call a lampshade.  

 

 

 

I decided that a fun way to update the lamp would be to paint it with chalkboard paint. After wiping all the dust off, I gave it a good coat of Zissner 1-2-3 primer. This stuff is amazing!

 

 

 

 

After that dried, I a sprayed on two coats of Krylon chalkboard paint. Oops. I forgot to take a picture of that step. Oh, well. You get the idea.

 

 

Now it was time to focus on the shade. I thought I would get creative and attempt to reuse the existing shade. First, I took off the ugly green fabric. I found this curtain that my students had spilled paint on and I  decided to use it to cover the shade. Don't even ask me how I did it. It quickly turned into a 7th grade craft project gone wrong. I used spray adhesive to get it to stick to the shade but let's just say it didn't go as well as I had hoped.

 

 

Here it is put all back together. Not bad, huh? I thought it looked pretty cute. Especially if you don't notice the seams where I had to overlap the fabric. But then...

 

 

...I turned it on. Hahaha! So bad! What was I thinking? Clearly I didn't think this one all the way through.

 

 

So, needless to say, I need to rethink the shade. I actually recently picked up a lampshade in Ikea's as-is section for $5.00. It's too large for this lamp but maybe I will get lucky and find something that will work. I will definitely keep you posted and will show you the final, final product at home in my classroom.