I made several New Year's resolutions. One of them is to FINISH several unfinished projects around our home. Some are big, and will require the help of my husband and his power tools . . . and then there are a few simple ones, like the one that I'm sharing with you today.
I bought this beautiful hand-carved Pottery Barn lamp (above) just before my husband and I got married. I loved its black finish, shape, and the linen shade. Although I spent a mini fortune on it, I knew that it would be a piece that I would hold on to for decades.
A few years later, I decided that I wanted another one for the living room . . . but could no longer find them at Pottery Barn . . . sigh, and so began my hunt.
Luckily, I found a similar one at Restoration Hardware, so I bought it. You can see it in the collage of photos below.
What I loved about the new lamp was its classic black trim on the top and bottom of the shade. My Pottery Barn lamp didn't have a trim. It didn't look hard to put one on, so I had every intention of dressing up the PB shade with trim, but years went by . . . 3 years, I think . . . and I never put one on.
And then I took the photo below a few days ago, and shared it with you in this post . . . I thought about how much prettier the shade would be with trim. So, I FINALLY put one on today. The project took me less than 15 minutes, and I love how it looks. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.
I'm sure that there's a "professional" technique to trimming/embellishing lampshades, but I kept it simple and used BIAS TAPE single-fold (so that it would match my other shade) and Aleene's Original TACKY glue to adhere the trim.
Using a small paint brush, I brushed glue on the back side of the trim, and then gently pressed the single-fold ribbon along the rim of the lamp until it completely circled the shade. It was so fast and easy! It's sure motivating to tackle the other small unfinished projects now.
*If you don't find success with glue, then using a spray adhesive will work too!
LET'S STAY in touch!
It's amazing what a wee bit of trim can make. I love your lamp. As much as I love pastels and whites, I think every room needs a little bit of black!
ReplyDeleteHi Ricki!
DeleteThank you so much for your kind comments! And yes, I also think that every room needs a little black!
Have a great week,
Suzanne
It looks terrific and I love personalizing lamps. There is so much you can do with shades -- they don't have to be white. I do love the black -- very stylish and Chanel.
ReplyDeleteHi Marisa, So happy you came by!
DeleteI just love your comment about the black being "very stylish and Chanel." Love it!
Have a great week,
Suzanne
Dear Suzanne, The lamps both are very nice and very classic.
ReplyDeleteI love to be handy and fix things here and there too. This project did turn out real nice looking.
Blessings dear. Catherine xo
Hi Catherine, Thank you for coming by and leaving such a kind comment.
DeleteI love how the lamp turned out . . . and so happy that it was such an easy project.
Hope you come by again soon.
Have a great week,
Suzanne
I found your blog through the Suburbs Mama link party. The lamp looks great, I love the black trim!
ReplyDeleteYour lamp looks lovely with the trim! Love the simplicity!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kathy!
DeleteHave a great week,
Suzanne
I love that you used bias tape, that is genius. Love how pretty it looks too. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteHI Marty! So happy you came by!
DeleteThe bias tape is thicker and more sturdy, and makes for a great trim.
Have a great week!
Suzanne
I love the update. Simple and elegant!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dee!
DeleteHave a great day,
Suzanne
That simple trim really makes your shade pop now. Thanx for sharing at THT.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pamela!
DeleteI love it too :0)
Have a great week,
Suzanne
I love little projects that make a big impact.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Carmody!
DeleteIt's also a perk when they're quick projects too ;0)
Thanks for coming by,
Suzanne
little details make a huge difference. Love this my friend. Thank you for linking and sharing your sweet blog at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop ♥
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks for sharing this on the Thursday blog hop...I will have to give my lampshades a closer look!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Pam!
DeleteLet me know if you trim any of your lampshades :0)
Happy Spring!
Suzanne
What a simple touch with the ribbon on the lampshade. I will have to try this with ribbon I just purchased.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel! Thanks for coming by.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how it turns out. If the ribbon you have is thin (like satin), then you might have better success using a fabric spray adhesive. Be sure and spray at least 2 feet from the ribbon.
Good luck :o)
Happy Spring,
Suzanne
What a difference that black trim makes! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carrie!
DeleteHave a great week,
Suzanne
Amazing what that touch of black trim does! Love, love it! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
Hi Suzanne! The trim really makes the lamp pop! I have a lot of projects, too, that are in various stages of "finished" so you are inspiring me to get to it! Thank you so much for sharing at Best of the Weekend and pinning to our party board. Have a happy Tuesday and a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteIt does look wonderful, Suzanne. Dearest says I should by tacky glue by the gallon :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
You are very clever! Your lamp looks stunning. I've just pinned this to my say G'day Saturday board.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for joining the linky party. Hope to see you again this weekend!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
PS I'm also featuring your post this weekend! x
ReplyDeleteNice and simple upgrade! Right up my alley!! and yours!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was so fun to see this linked up at our party. I pinned!! Thanks much!! :)
“hugs” Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
One of things I love most about diying is how you have made such an incredible difference in how a lamp shade looks and hence the lamp. Love that lamp and shade, you were certainly smart to make the purchase.
ReplyDeleteI bought a lamp at Goodwill a few months ago for $3.50 on 1/2 off day. I'd been looking at the lamp every time we went in and wondered why it was still there. It was meant for our home. It was a cream color urn like with brass bottom. One day I finally bought it mostly cause it was 1/2 off day. We spray painted it a soft white all over. I bought a new shade at Lowe's just cause I could. It has given our living room a nice look we didn't have before. Even with spending $14.99 on the shade it was meant for us just like your gorgeous black lamp was an investment for you. Now we're going to make a lamp out of a squat biggish glass greenish blue jar/vase. We have couple old lamps to use for parts and I have a shade from a thrift store which will be perfect after we spray paint shade, add some trim. Enjoy your gorgeous lamp. Happy week