Lamp Makeover

When was the last time you bought a lamp? I can honestly say that aside from a miniature rooster lamp I got from a junk store a few months ago, I have not actually purchased a lamp for myself. Ever. We have a few that were wedding presents. I went to TJ Maxx to get a few for our bedroom and dern-- those suckers are expensive! 

Over the weekend, we got new carpet and rearranged some furniture. I decided to get new lamps for our night tables, but I couldn't find any that I loved right off the bat. I knew I wanted something small, something with a white base, and something with teal in the shade. So... I decided to jazz up cheapy Walmart lamps.

 Seriously, the bases were $4.98 each and the shades were $4.98 each. So, that's $20 and change for 2 lamps, plus the fabric ($2.10) and spraypaint ($4.99) I used. So all in all, less than $30 for two lamps that look like they're from a specialty shop. Keep reading to see how I did this (it's easy!).

You'll need:

A working lamp base

A plain white shade without pleats

A lightbulb

White spraypaint that is safe for the substance of your lamp base

Fabric

1.  You'll need to clean and spraypaint your base if you're looking to change it. Follow the directions on the spraypaint-- some take longer to dry than others. I had to start painting mine a day before I made the shades. This lamp base was a tarnished black finish originally.

2.   Make your shade. Be sure to press your fabric before measuring or cutting to avoid wrinkly mistakes. Many new lampshades come shrinkwrapped. An easy trick is to carefully cut off the plastic in one piece, lay it on your fabric, and trace the outline of the plastic + about 1/2 gap on every side. You'll end up with something like this:

This is also a good way to be sure your pattern will be straight.

3.  Grab an extra set of hands and line up your shade with your fabric:

4: If desired, press or hotglue a hem on one of the overlapping back seam pieces:

5. Start gluing and pressing the fabric into place. Be diligent to avoid ripples and skews:

Also, make little slits on the fabric near the "spoke" part of the shade if needed.

Assemble your lamp, and here is your finished product:

Good luck!

Shower Trends

Certainly one of the most luxurious showers you could experience would be a body spray system. Picture it: water hitting you from multiple angles, faster showers, and the therapeutic feel of a whirlpool while standing in a fast shower. Lovely. Many manufacturers make variations of body spray systems, all with their own unique elements.

While body showers are luxurious, they also have a few drawbacks. Every spray or set of sprays has a different knob-- you have to control pressure and temperature with 8 different knobs. They're more difficult to clean because of all the fine details and tiny spaces that now have to be scrubbed. They also look cluttered and can distract the eye away from beautiful custom walls.

The solution: electronic controls. Essentially, a wall mounted remote control for your shower that can control the exact temperature with a digital display and also can control pressure and user settings. These systems are excellent for elderly and disabled users as the shower can be started with the touch of a button- never too hot, never too cold and no knobs to turn. What's even nicer is that they can cut back on the cost of remodeling later on. Simply keep the valve and digital thermostatic pressure control in place and swap out the trim for whatever suits your new style.

This is Kohler's DTV Prompt Digital Showering System.

IDS Lunch & Learn

Hi Readers,

This morning, I hosted a "Lunch & Learn" event at Ferguson Enterprises, where I work full-time. (Jensen Home Staging & Design is just a side business.)  The meeting went very well, especially considering I just found out last night that I have a kidney infection and I feel like my bladder has been stomped on. Not fun. Put praise be to God for getting me through and giving me the confidence I needed to do a good job.

I have decided to write a few blog posts about the topic of the seminar: bathroom remodeling. Be sure to check back soon for blogs on these topics:

What's Trending in Showers
Toilet Statements
Fabulous Finishes
Water Smart Standards
Lovely Lighting (for Bathrooms)

Thank you for reading!