Nurturing My Creative Side ;)

Bird prints on my balcony.

I don't make New Years resolutions because there's not usually stuff I need to make resolutions about, but this year I decided I would because I think I need to. One of them is to give into creative urges (sounds lame yeah?). There are other important ones that address big issues but this one is important to me too. I love creating things. I love art and crafting and all that.

I bought a canvas drop cloth for a few dollars because I was intent on making window coverings. I thought I bought a certain size, but it turns out I bought a much larger size. Sweet! Extra stuff to make stuff with! So I began testing ways to make window coverings and found that I didn't like the way it hung, or looked; and because of my oddly constructed windows, anything I would have made would hang awkwardly lower than it should. I've decided to postpone the window coverings; however, that still leaves me with quite a bit of leftover canvas.

I began making things. I made two, hand-painted tote bags one day, two wine bottle totes another day, a hobo style purse with a re-purposed t-shirt, and a cosmetics bag. You can see all that by going here.

Then, while perusing some DIY posts I came across a dip-dye technique that they used on a lampshade. It looked so pretty! Thus, yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby to use the gift card Joe's parents got me. Nearly everything was half-off. I got two dyes (blue and green duh!), two 18x24 canvases, some multipurpose paper, and a frame for the painting I made Joe.

Now, the lampshade that became subject to creative inclinations was given to me by my grandmother. It was on a lamp-side-table combo made by Ethan Allen which I picked up on the side of the road in Wisconsin and immediately spruced up and rewired. Free Ethan Allen table people! They were throwing it away! Anyway, back to the lampshade... It was pleated, perhaps a 90s style. I don't know. But, it didn't really go well in my apartment. So... with all my extra canvas I cut and sewed a new lampshade. Then I dyed it. And it looks awesome. Here's the process:

Rip off the old lampshade. This is satisfying when you're in a bad mood. Admire the naked lampshade, I had no idea it was curved! Cut a new lampshade by rolling the skeleton and tracing with a pencil.

Mix up your dyes, adding more for darker color to create gradation. Hang to dry. I got impatient and blowdried it.

Iron. It's wrinkly. Pull it over the lampshade skeleton.

Sew edges. Devote way too much time to this process. As in several hours. Admire lampshade.

Admire lampshade on Ethan Allen lamp-table.

 And that is my new and appropriately colored lampshade.
Now off to research some companies for prospective jobs.