A Bit Of Whimsy For A Basic Lampshade & Basket

On Monday night, I finally bought myself a glue gun. It’s one of those crafting staples that I keep forgetting to swipe borrow from my mom. Armed with my not-very-dangerous low-heat weapon and a cart full of ammunition from JoAnn Fabrics, I set out to spiff up some basics for the nursery.

Project #1: Lampshade Embellishment

This Eiffel Tower lamp from Target has been carted from my dorm room to my apartments and finally to my house. The base fits with the nursery’s travel-inspired “theme” (a term I’ve applied very loosely), and although the shade has suffered a bit during the moves it’s still in decent shape. I would have preferred to add a drum shade, but did not see the point in spending money on something new for a cheap, old lamp.

With $6 worth of pompoms (2 yards) and my glue gun, I added some whimsy to this basic shade. The green pompoms coordinate well with the green polka dots in the room’s rug. To avoid puckering, I specifically chose pompoms that were attached to a very flexible fabric tape and it worked out perfectly. I applied the pompoms to the bottom of the shade first, and then attached a row to the top with paper clips to see if I preferred the embellishment on both ends or just the bottom. Both won – might as well go all in!

Project #2: Basket Upgrade

This basic lined basket (purchased for $5 at 50% off) was fine, but is now much cuter with a little ribbon and a 59-cent pre-painted wooden airplane. Rather than running a line of glue all around, I put small drops on the front, back, and corners to hold the ribbon in place. The basket will be put on the dresser to hold small toys to keep the munchkin occupied while I deal with his poopy diapers.

Both of these projects took less than 30 minutes to complete from start to finish with no skill involved. It’s amazing what I can accomplish when I pull myself away from “The Bachelorette” on a Monday night!