19 Mar, 2024
3 mins read

Bright Ideas For Lamps and Lamp Shades For Frugal Home Decorating

It’s not the light of the lamp that brings out the best in illumination, it’s the lamp and lampshade. Here are some simple frugal home design lamp ideas to give that old lighting standard a new look. Let’s start with the shade: Did you know you can paint most any fabric and paper shade with either a commercial spray paint or a home made spray paint application? The home made formula consists of 1 part paint (latex or craft) to 10 parts water. Measure the parts based on the size of a standard plastic spray bottle. All you need to do is choose your color and apply it in one or all of these decorative applications.

– Tape off diagonal lines or stripes with painter’s tape. -Create some basic stencils creating your own designs or browsing your local craft store. -Instead of spraying on paint, apply the paint with a sea sponge to give it an entirely different look.

Be sure your shade is dusted before you get started so the paint will adhere solidly. All paint aside, another way to give that shade a fresh designer look is to apply dark paper silhouettes to the inside of a lighter shade. Create a seasonal lamp shade accent by changing the shape as appropriate. For example, place stars or Christmas tree silhouettes during the Holiday season. Rabbits or egg shapes will look just right for Easter. Simple floral leaves, stems, and any shape you might need can be downloaded from free click art web sites.

Be sure you don’t allow the loosely tacked silhouette which is taped to the inside of the lamp shade be too close to the light bulb. Now let’s take a look at the base of your lamp. Here is where creativity is unlimited. It’s simple to create a lamp base out of almost any sturdy 3 dimensional shape:

Yard Sale Vases

Large Soup Mugs

Bowls turned upside down

Terra Cotta pots

Books That have been glued together in a horizontal stack

Wooden boxes with your decoupaged touch

Teapots

Antique Bottles

Anything!

Most of your home made bases will need a hole drilled at the bottom or on the side to run the cord down and through. Unless you have an old lamp shoved in storage somewhere that you can take apart and reinstall to your new lamp, you will need to purchase an inexpensive store lamp kit. This kit provides all the hardware and electrical parts you need to put your lamp together.

The other tried and true frugal home design option to resurrecting a lamp is to paint the base. Here again the choice of application is really up to you. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Guild

Decoupage

Etch

Stencil

Add colors that accent wall art

The most important point to remember when planning to paint your lamp, is to buy paint that is suited specifically for the the type of object; glass paint for glass, metal for metal, …

2 mins read

How To Care for Your Antique Rug

Antique rugs are intricate works of art that grace many of Atlanta’s most stunning homes. It doesn’t require much time and effort to keep them looking their best. Here are some suggestions to help maintain the condition and beauty of your rug.

Keep it Clean

The most exquisite rugs usually consist of durable fibers. Using a suction vacuum once or twice a month can provide a safe and thorough cleaning. For spills or stains, carefully blot the rug with water and keep any wet areas off the floor until they are dry. Never use commercial cleaners or chemicals, which could cause colors to run.

Get Repairs

If your rug has stains, tears or holes, don’t be overly concerned. A specialist in antique rug repair Atlanta GA can skillfully handle many different kinds of damage. Proper restoration can extend the longevity of a rug for decades.

Moth Control

If your rug has survived long enough to make it into your home, you can rest assured that it is very durable. However, most antique rugs consist of pure wool or silk fibers and can quickly become ravaged by moths. Professional cleaning is mandatory to prevent further damage.

Avoid Sunlight

Like many antique furnishings and paintings, antique rugs should avoid direct sunlight to prevent fading. Be sure to use window shades when the sun is at its brightest.

Store Carefully

If you need to store your rug for any length of time, roll it in a breathable material in a low-humidity environment. Ideally, you will not store your antique rug for many months at a time. If you can’t avoid this, be sure to unwrap it occasionally to be sure it is still intact.

Caring for antique rugs requires surprisingly little effort. With proper care and maintenance, a beautiful rug can remain in your family for many generations.…