Bedroom Lamp DIY

So, I promised a little sneak peak at a DIY project I worked on last Thursday night.  Meet my inspiration...

Eww.. I sort of just want to cringe when I look at it.  I scored this lamp at Gordman's while I was in college and got it on sale for some ridiculously low price that I just couldn't pass up.  To be fair, I loved this lamp until recently.  Then one day I just decided it was the ugliest thing I've ever seen.  So I immediately unplugged the lamp, relocated it to its new spot in my pile of "get rid of this junk" in my spare bedroom/craft room, and temporarily replaced it with a more suitable spare lamp.  I was ready to give that ugly lamp away to the next taker and go out and search for the perfect replacement {that would've been mine for a not-so-bargain price, I'm sure}.

Then, it happened.  I was reading one of my favorite new blogs and saw a link to one of their most popular posts which just so happened to be about a lamp DIY.  I read, and fell in love.  I'd seen the idea on Pinterest before, but never did the idea of covering a lampshade in paint stirring sticks sound appealing.  Until, well, now. 

So the hunt for those precious sticks started.  I began at Lowe's and offered to buy 50 sticks off of them, to which the manager declined and said that was "too many to give away and the sticks couldn't be sold, either."  RUDE.  They offered to give me only 15 sticks, and I was on my way - on the search for just 30 or so more.  My dad mentioned that Walmart sold the larger paint sticks, so I called one of our local Walmarts to check on the price.  I talked to the sweetest lady in the world {shout out to you, girl!} and she said they'd be HAPPY to bag up 30 paint sticks and leave them in a bag on the paint counter just for me!  So I took a little trip to Walmart after work to grab said sticks, some wood stain, a plastic drop cloth, and gold spray paint. 

The project was simple, but just a little time-consuming.  I spray painted the base of the lamp in a fun, light gold color and, while that was drying, painted wood stain onto all 45 of my paint stirring sticks.  Then, I used hot glue to apply my stained sticks all around the lampshade, put that bad boy on the base, and voila!  Mine looks a little less than perfect because my lampshade is a funky shape and there are some spots where the hideous former lampshade pattern is shining through.  I had a few sticks left over, so I covered up some of the more obvious imperfect spots.  That meant some doubling-up of sticks in some spots which I, at first, thought I would hate so much that I'd be throwing the new lamp in the dumpster within 24 hours.  But, once I finished gluing on some of the leftover sticks, I kind of became obsessed with the imperfect-ness of the lamp.

Let's just say I am in LOVE with the finished product!  It looks so rustic and fun - the perfect addition to my nightstand {which is an old record player console that I scored at a vintage flea market}.   My dad stopped by my house on Friday and commented on how much he loved that the lamp looked like old barn wood - just the look I was going for.  Love that smart man!