Adorable Valentine's Lamp~

This post is reaaaaaaaaaally cutting it close, but it's here! The week has been crazy busy, second week of the second semester and I've already had a ton of homework. BUT I am really happy with the project this week~

Anyone who knows me knows that I looooove Anthropologie! However, they are generally waaaaay too expensive for me, unless something is on super sale. The last time I went, I fell in love with this lamp. Unfortunately, it costs $388!!

 (via anthropologie)

So, of course, I set out on a quest to make my own~ I got a lamp and lamp shade from Goodwill for a total of $10. The lamp stand ($6.99) originally came with this weird knitted shade that smelled really bad, so I bought a plain shade that fit it ($3). And then I got to work! Here's the before:

 

For my paper, I used a book of English Romantic Poetry that I had to buy for my English class senior year, and a book of hands that I bought a few years back. The Anthropologie lamp uses dictionary definitions and they are cut out in rectangles, but in honor of Valentine's Day I cut my paper out in hearts~ I did big and small hearts, but mostly big (because they take up more space, ahaha!)

 

I used matte medium to paste the hearts overlapping on shade. Before it was all the way covered, it looked sort of gross because it made the shade darker. And I was really messy!

 

I also had to paint the base. Besides the fact that it was a boring color, some dummy wrote the price on the top of the base in Sharpie! Why would you ever do that??? It had already been painted once, so I didn't prime it, but it did take two coats of acrylic paint. After it was painted the color looked really pretty~

 

The edges of the shade were a little bit rough, so I used a trim my mom had on the top and the bottom, just using hot glue. Little bows cover up where the edges meet. 

 

(that's also my favorite part of the lamp! I loooove the holding hands, although looking at it I think it might just be one person's hands. whatever!) Now that it's all done, I think I love it even more than the Anthropologie one! This project may have come late in the week but it is definitely my favorite so far~ 

There are so many variations you can do to make this project all your own!!

xo, caro