How to Create Bohemian Lamps

Starry nights, with a teal shade

If you're partial to beads, baubles, sparkles and glitter, match them up with soft pink ambient lighting and try your hand at jazzing up a regular lamp and lampshade.

Things You'll Need

• Lamp base
• Lamp shade
• Lightbulb
• Craft paints
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Strands of beads and other decorations
• Art stamps

Instructions

1. 

   Inexpensive but safe and functional lamps and shades can be purchased at your local dollar stores, or anywhere for that matter. The best type of shade to work with is a smooth one, non-pleated or non-accordian. Purchase craft paints (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.) that will be used to paint the shade and the base if you so choose. Pick whatever paint color that suits your fancy. You can be outrageous or more conservative. It's your lamp, your house and your project, so do as you desire. Put some paint in a plastic or glass bowl and add some water. The more water, the more diluted your paint color will be. If you think you've added too much water, counteract that by adding more paint. If the paint seems to be too thick, add more water.

2. 

   Use a regular sized paint brush to apply the paint to the shade. Again, you can put the paint on as thick as you choose but I've found that doing a wash with the paint (the paint is watery) ends up in a better result. The paint will dry rather rapidly. If you're not satisfied with the result, add more paint to the shade for a deeper color. When the shade has thoroughly dried, get out your glue gun (glue sticks are required) and decide what kind of fringe or beads you would like to attach. You can attach them to the rim of the shade and around the top opening. Be careful not to burn your fingers with the hot glue.

3. Apply the glue to the rim of the shade and attach the strand of beads. Voila! If you want to paint and decorate the base, go right ahead. The craft paints work ideally on the base and beads and fringe adhere to the base with no problem. Do not glue individual beads to the shade because, once the light bulb is turned on, the heat will cause the beads to fall off.

4. 

   Remember to use the appropriate wattage for safety reasons. Try using a soft pink 60-watt bulb because they cast a beautiful glow. The lamps can transform your room from the unremarkable to suggesting the mystery and allure of Arabian nights: sexy, sultry, sparkling, glimmering, a little bit decadent and maybe a little bit naughty.

Tips & Warnings

• The best beads that I found were purchased online from Decorating Studios. The site has an awesome selection of exquisite beads. They're in a strand so they're easy to work with.

• Make sure the lightbulb wattage is suitable for the lamp that you're using.

Resources

• Decorating Studios