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During my master bedroom make over I had hoped to find some pretty white gourd lamps for our nightstand. Turns out they aren’t 1. Easy to find and 2. Cheap. Time to dig in and figure out a plan as one does when they are obsessed with finding a cheap gourd lamp!
I found these at HomeGoods, which is always an amazing source for lamps, and decided that they were a good shape and size and had the potential to work as is… but we all know that’s not how I roll. So she got taped up and spray painted a gorgeous glossy white!
They came with a very standard lamp shade and of course in my eagerness I only snapped this picture but here is the shade prior to it’s make-over!
And what you see right there in front of the shade is my new secret weapon! I decided to go dramatic and wanted black shades- but wasn’t going to buy them when I had two perfectly fine ones. I considered trying to spray paint them, fabric paint, and even rewrapping them in black fabric- but then the wheels turned one more squeak and I thought… what about a screen print ink? It’s for fabric, it has great coverage, and dare I say, affordable?
Speedball Screen Printing Ink is what I went with and I am thrilled with the outcome- especially for $6. You can find several colors here or I have seen them at local craft stores- just ask for screen printing ink.
I was unsure at first on how heavily to paint it on- but realized quickly that it goes a long way and using a bit more actually just gave better coverage and then I wouldn’t have to go over spots a second time. You can see in the above picture that there were a few areas that I had to go back in and paint some more. (I used a disposable brush so I wouldn’t have to worry about cleanup)
After making sure it was covered well, I decided to add a fun accent. The fabric on the inside of the shade was covered with thick, smooth paper, so I decided to give it a little pop with Martha Stewart Metallic Silver Paint!
I debated on gold or silver for awhile and my natural pull was towards gold but because I have more silver accents and cooler colors in the room, I ended up with the silver. I did two coats and here’s a tip- I did the first coat just painted straight strokes- but the second coat I did in half moon shapes to give a more silver leafed look.
It doesn’t look pretty until it’s all dry and the light hits it- then you will smile like a fool just like me! And don’t think for a second that you won’t see some other lampshade in my house with a gold interior soon 😉
This was pretty big departure for me and I questioned myself every step of the way but I am so, so happy with how these turned out!
You can read about the details and sources in my Master Bedroom Here.
I just love the glimmer of the silver!
I’m excited to have this room pulled together!
If you are looking for my other go to Craft Supplies and Tools, you can head to my Amazon store which will have links for them all Here. Hope you are having a wonderful day!
xoxo
B
**Affiliates present**