It’s been a little over two weeks since I set foot in an Anthropologie, and I’m still ogling their goodies online every day.  Maybe twice a day.  Okay, three or four times a day, but don’t judge me.

There is one particular lamp shade that I am continuously drawn to.  It’s such a unique design, and I wanted to adapt it for use in my own home.  We all know I’m not paying $128 for a lamp shade!

My DIY version of the Anthro shade was very easy to put together, and has added a little spunk to an otherwise boring little lamp.  Peek-a-boo!

Fun, right?

I started with a plain, white shade that needed some updating.  I cut out a piece of burlap to recover the shade using Traci’s excellent directions from last year.  You will want to use a neutral colored fabric, and something the weight of linen would be really nice.  The burlap definitely worked for the final project, but if I did it again, I might choose something more light weight.  I left some excess length on the top and bottom so I could trim it up once it was on the shade.

Then, using the new Silhouette fabric interfacing that’s just come out (LOVE it!), I cut out an ornate frame from a black cotton fabric with my Silhouette machine.  It cost me 99-cents to download that design from the Silhouette store.  If you don’t have a Silhouette (girl, you NEED one), you can either find a clip art frame and cut the fabric by hand (back it with iron-on fusible backing first) or you can paint/stencil it onto the fabric.

I wrapped my burlap around the shade and “dry fit” the frame so I’d know where I want to iron it on.

I carefully removed the burlap from the shade and ironed on the frame.  A word of caution – if you are using fusible interfacing, don’t leave your iron sitting there for too long.  I did that, and it kind of burned my burlap a little bit.  It wasn’t bad enough that I thought I needed to re-do it.

I attached the burlap to the shade in a few ways.  The first thing I did was paint Mod Podge all over the shade with a sponge brush so that the burlap would stick when I was positioning it.  Then, I did a small line of hot glue around about 1/2″ from the top and bottom of the shade so that the fabric wouldn’t peel.  I think using both the Mod Podge and the hot glue ended up working great.  I trimmed around the top and bottom so the burlap was about 1/4″ shorter than the shade.

You might even get yours on straight, unlike me.  Eh, it’s good enough.

I used black 1/2″ bias tape to trim the top and bottom of the shade.  Unless your shade is the same width around the top and bottom, make sure you use bias tape instead of ribbon (which will pucker).

Now, to create the little surprise.  I went back to my Silhouette and cut 3 little chair shapes from black cardstock.  Again, you can do this by hand if you need to.  You can pick any shape you want, but I encourage you to pick a) something with simple lines that aren’t too thin and b) something fun and whimsical.

I cut three because I want to layer them to create one really thick shape.  I glued them together with a plain ‘ole glue stick.

You will then attach your peek-a-boo surprise to the inside of the shade.  I suggest using a glue that isn’t runny so that it doesn’t run down the shade.  I actually used some Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue and just brushed it on to one side of the chairs with a sponge brush.

Then, just press your little surprise onto the inside of the shade, positioning it so that it’s inside the frame.  I found it easiest to put the shade on my lit lamp so that you can see exactly where to place shape.  Take the shade of the lamp and press the design on firmly.

When you’re finished, you’ll have a fun lamp by day and a super fun lamp by night.  I can’t stop staring at my new shade!

What peek-a-boo design will you put in your shade?

P.S. If you are in the market for a Silhouette SD of your own, you can use the code ‘LINDSAY’ at checkout to receive a great deal.  You’ll get a Silhouette SD craft cutter for the discounted rate of $229 (that’s $70 off) – PLUS, a free bonus package of sewable fabric interfacing, clean cut fabric interfacing, and a roll of flocked heat transfer material.  Just use this link, add the machine to your cart, and enter the promo code to see your discount and free bonus goodies.  This promotion runs through March 27th.

P.P.S. Already have a Silhouette and want to pick up some of this fabulous new fabric interfacing?  Save 25% off of both types of the fabric interfacing.  Just use this link, add some fabric interfacing to your cart, and use the code ‘LINDSAY’ at checkout.  This promotion runs through March 27th.

P.P.P.S. I am an affiliate with Silhouette America, meaning I make a few dollars if you use my link when shopping on their website.  It helps to cover the cost of my glue sticks.

Shared at Made By You Monday @ Skip to My Lou and I Heart My Crafty Cutter @ Serenity Now.

When the February issue of Country Living arrived in my mailbox, I was happy to see it was the white issue. I had just completely undecorated my home, and the fresh, clean white designs in the magazine where just what I needed.

Country Living highlighted a few of their very favorite white accessories, and these etched silhouette hurricanes from Ballard Designs certainly caught my eye. I am obsessed with silhouettes, so when I love something, it becomes all I want until I get sick of it. Wait until you see what I’m going to show you in the next week or so…

Anyway, I only wanted the male version of the vase, but at $49, I really couldn’t justify it. Then, I remembered that I had my Silhouette machine and etching cream. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve totally screwed up glass etching before (just ask my friend Kelly why she doesn’t have a full matching set of monogrammed glasses I gave her when she got married), so I was a little concerned about messing up a hurricane.

Well, Silhouette America came to my rescue! They now offer frosted vinyl that looks exactly like etched glass when you put it on clear glass or a mirror. I love that I can apply the frosted vinyl to get the look I want, and then remove it when I’m ready for a change.

I set out to make my Ballard Designs knock-off with a large hurricane that Tom and I had received as a wedding gift. It wasn’t footed like the Ballard hurricane, but it was free, so it was good enough. I googled “Victorian Man Silhouette” – lo and behold I found the EXACT same silhouette Ballard Designs used to make their etched version. Score!

With the Silhouette software, it’s easy to make a vinyl (or paper) cut out of a silhouetted shape. You simply open the picture in the software, open the trace window, and select the silhouetted shape as the area to trace. Then, uncheck “High Pass Filter” and select “Trace Outer Edge.” It’s really that easy.

Now that I had my outline, I added two ovals with the Ellipse Drawing Tool and I was ready to cut.

I didn’t realize that applying vinyl to such a large curved surface would be so difficult, and it was a miserable failure. I cut it 2 or 3 times and tried different application techniques, only to get folds in my vinyl. I’ll have to work on figuring out how to do that.

So, I went back to the drawing board and remembered that I had a lovely square glass bowl that we also received as a wedding gift. I cut two smaller versions of my silhouette design (since I figured I’d screw one of them up!) and applied only one on the inside of one of the bowl’s sides.

I am really happy with the way it turned out. I think the juxtaposition of the vintage-themed silhouette with the modern lines of the bowl is really fun. What do you think?

P.S. Silhouette is running a great promotion this month! If you go here and use the code LINDSAY, you can purchase your very own Silhouette SD machine package that includes 2 rolls of premium vinyl, 1 roll of transfer paper and a CD of Home Decor designs. This is a $395 value, but the code lets you grab it for $225!  This promotion runs through January 22nd.

P.P.S. Already have a Silhouette SD but need more vinyl – if you are like me, you can never have enough! Go here and use the code LINDSAY to purchase the premium vinyl (the indoor/outdoor stuff) for 25% off. This promotion runs through January 22nd.