It never fails. As soon as your wallet shrinks to its skinniest fiscal capacity, you realize how hideous some aspects of your home are.  “My, my, that kitty cat lamp… how did that horror sneak in here?”

I am here to stop the madness of ugly and to do it for cheap. What gives me that right? I am the holy trifecta of frugality – the oldest of 6 Polish children whose father was an elementary school teacher and whose mother loved artistic shenanigans. A desire birthed from desperation. I remember clearly my mom staring intently at an empty tablescape prior to each of our birthdays mumbling, “What can I do for about $10?”.

Well, you might be surprised what you can do.  So, let’s go back to the nasty lamp. Are you experiencing situation resonation? Well then, prepare yourself for fabulousness.

First, start with supplies & tools: A nasty lamp, spray primer, 1-2 cans of spray paint, ribbon/hotglue/hotglue gun  or doily (disposable), and painter’s tape.

Second, let’s prepare: your lamp is made up of  basically 3 parts: the shade, the base and the guts (hardware). You’ll need to prepare your lamp baby for surgery. This project will require a shade that is flat, not shirred. If the shade is already trimmed with textural ribbon, make sure to remove it.

1) Cover the guts, shade interior and any metal parts with newspaper and painters tape.

2) Lay down a dropcloth and make sure your work area is well-ventilated.

3) Spray both base and shade in even strokes with primer and allow to dry.

Third, decide on your style. A few options:

Mod—Pull out your most delicious shade of high gloss spray paint and give the base and shade 2 coats. The best part? Trim the bottom of the shade in a contrasting ribbon using hot glue and a steady hand. Pull off the paper & tape, you’re done. SO slick in high gloss white trimmed in orange, or lemon yellow, or red, or…

Romantic – This fantastic treatment involves you and a doily. You’ll need 2 soft shades that are close in shade or tone in a matte or semi-gloss. Spray the base in 2 coats of color. Spray lampshade in 2 coats of a different color. Lay the doily on the dry lampshade and lightly spray. Lift, lay and spray in a loosely overlapping pattern. This looks gorgeous in combos like buff/apricot or charcoal/black.

Happy Lamping!