Lace + Spray Paint DIY Desk Lamp Makeover

Dull desk lamp? This project is as easy as pie and easy on the eyes. Read on, lovelies...

So I've had this little gray desk lamp from Target for a couple years now. And frankly, it just wasn't doing anything for me any more. (Besides light up my desk... haha.) I love the gray, but the thing was just dull and humdrum. So I decided there were two options: 1) toss it/donate it/sell it or 2) make it over. Naturally, I picked the second option. Silly me, I forgot to take a complete before picture. Above, you can see that I taped off the flex-neck, part of the cord, and some openings at the top of the lamp where I didn't want to get paint.

Then, I tied some spare lace around the lamp.

I used up some extra sky blue spray paint I had sitting around.

Then, I let it dry.

I was a little nervous about peeling away the lace. (What if it didn't turn out like I'd imagined?!)

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The paint went through the lace just like I wanted.

I peeled off the rest of the tape and... voila!

My boring little desk lamp now has some personality.

The lace detailing is so pretty. :)

I love this project because it can be used on so many things! Desk lamps like this sell at Wal-Mart and Target for usually under $15. So buy the cheapest one you can find and make it over for your dorm room desk in the fall. The lace could also be tied around vases, cans, jars, glasses, mugs, etc!

DIY Cat Barrier for Under $100 (See-Through, Climb-Proof, and Too-Tall-To-Jump)

ICYMI: I gave up Cotton after deciding that after trying so many things, my two adopted cats Dahlia and Cotton were just never going to get along. Long story short: I missed her. And Cotton's back. And Dahlia's not going anywhere. My heart is big enough to keep trying. And my apartment is big enough that if I need to keep them separated long term (or permanently), it can be done.
I'm going to write-up a separate post about some of the solutions I've tried, how they worked, who they worked on, and what I'll be trying next. But in this post, I wanted to share the main 'piece de resistance' of having both cats in my apartment: an un-climbable, un-jumpable, see-through barrier to separate Cotton and Dahlia.

More, please! »

Comments

Unknown said…

oh wow! this turned out suprisingly really pretty -- i LOVE it! it's amazing what you can do with a bit of lace, isn't it??
love reading your crafty tutorials -- i'm in the process of getting together some things for my first apartment. your posts are very helpful!

-alexandra
http://alexisinodak.blogspot.com

p.s. -- love the red hair, by the way!!

June 19, 2012 at 1:06 PM

illusionary said…

OMG! This is fabulous!

June 19, 2012 at 1:15 PM

Elaine said…

try a LOT of personality! love it! Too bad you couldn't have gotten it flat all the way around, but I can't even think of a way to do that... unless you used spray adhesive, but that wouldn't have held up through the spraying. Either way, it's GORGEOUS and I want to try it with a photo frame I think!

June 19, 2012 at 7:55 PM

This is amazing! I've been struggling to find the right lamp for my dorm the past couple of months, and now that I saw this I realized I can just make over the one I have. I just have one question - is it safe to spray paint lamps like this? I mean, it's not like it'll overheat with the new light bulbs and everything. Do you need to use a special spray paint?

Thanks! :)
Lorelei

June 20, 2012 at 1:33 PM

This comment has been removed by the author.

June 20, 2012 at 1:34 PM

Chrystina said…

I love all of your DIY projects. They're going to inspire me when I move into my new place. I really like the idea of spraypaint all of a sudden.

June 20, 2012 at 11:06 PM

Anonymous said…

Try it with the lace flat all the way around. Instead of tying it in a knot at the bottom, why not just staple it tightly -- maybe three or five staples at the very bottom to preserve the uniform and even lace border -- and then spray it.

August 16, 2014 at 12:16 PM