Waste Basket Lamp

A couple summers ago I did a series of upcycled lamps from cheap parts found in thrift stores, but didn’t finish this lamp in time to add to the earlier post. I’d painted the base in greens and oranges (using the same Porcelaine paint I used on my shoes) to match the scrap of silk I wanted to use for the shade, but didn’t have a frame for the shade until my sister brought home a plastic waste paper basket from the dollar store and I flipped over onto the lamp base to see a surprising fit. I thought of leaving the waste basket uncovered, but decided instead to go with my original idea of using the green/orange scrap of silk for the shade. To finish off the shade, I hot-glued the largest scrap of silk directly to the outside of the frame, trimmed the edges, then added a ruffle made from various scraps of silk. As a finishing touch, I cut the orange finished edge of the silk fabric and hot-glued it to the top of the lamp shade.
You can mouse over the image above to see how the lamp looks when the light is turned on. I love the way the black mesh shows through the lamp shade!

Other Lighting Projects

Upcycled Lamps and More
Steampunk Lamp with Feathers
Chandelier Made from Hangers