Paper-covered vases trade flowers for light

Dear Sandi: A friend of mine said she saw you turn a glass vase into a lamp. I have a large vase that belonged to my husband’s mother, and I think that it might work for this. —Marty D., Salem

Hi Marty: I think I know the lamp you are talking about, and yes, it is a good way to reuse a piece you already have.

Generally, I would say this technique works best when you are going for something that is more decorative versus trying to use it to provide needed light.

The shape and size of the top opening will determine the size of the bulb that can be safely used. You should be able to reach into the vase to put in the bulb.

We started with one of our large beach glass compotes. It has a great shape for this type of application, and the top opening is large, making it easy to change a bulb and it also lets lots of the heat generated by the bulb escape.

You are going to need a way to wire the vase, so a hole has to be drilled near the base of the piece. You can take your vase to a glass shop and have them do the drilling or you can do it yourself, if you have the proper drill bits designed for working on glass.

We drilled our own, but I have to tell you, the mortality rate is high — we lost the first two pieces we worked on. Fortunately, we had a good supply to work with, but since you only have the one vase, you may want to take it to a professional. If you do opt to try it yourself, be sure you have a number of different size drill bits and start with the smaller, gradually working up to the larger ones. This will reduce the chances of you cracking the vase in the drilling process.

Whether you're looking for handmade paper, furniture, fabric or accessories, you will find it at loose ends. If it is unusual, organic and fabulous, then loose ends is the place. Showroom hours are 8 am to 5 pm weekdays and the first Saturday of each month 10 am - 3pm at 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, or visit us online at www.looseends.com Questions? Give us a call at (503) 390-2348.

The lighting fixture we used was one of the kits available in craft stores. They are designed for the “jar” lights that are made from canning jars. The fixture sits in the bottom of the vase, with the wire running through the drilled hole.

There also are a number of other types of light kits available at home-improvement stores. Depending on the glass piece you are working with, you will need to determine what will work best for you. If you are uncertain on this part, lighting stores can help you.

Now comes the fun part: the decorative work. There is no end to the different types of paper you can use for your surface decoration. Obviously, the more sheer the paper, the more light will come through. However, you do not need to limit yourself just to the more transparent papers. We have created some stunning pieces using handmade papers that have a heavy pulp in some areas, then a thin pulp layer embedded in a design, such as a spiral, or a grid.

This is completely a matter of personal choice, and I can tell you from experience that choosing what you want to apply to the surface probably will be the hardest part of this whole project.

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

The piece pictured used a very sheer paper called Forest Whisper, that has globs of color scattered throughout a neutral background. The paper is so lightweight that we applied our adhesive (in this case a white glue and water mix) to the surface of the glass, then gently applied torn (never cut) pieces of the paper to the vase’s surface.

The wrinkling and overlapping of the paper is what creates the aged and veined look that makes this piece so distinctive.

One of the wonderful things about working with this type of paper is you can apply the paper in small, torn pieces in virtually any manner you want, working the various colors in as you go. If you are working with a paper that has some type of design in it, you will, of course, need to work with larger pieces to be sure your design is placed in the desired manner.

After you are happy with your paper application, let the entire piece dry overnight. Once it is dry, apply a protective sealer. Any acrylic sealer will work. Sealers come in a shiny or matte finish.

Since it may be handled often, I would apply at least three coats of whatever sealer you decide on, making sure you give each coat a chance to dry before applying the next.

Try out a palette of colored bulbs to see what interesting effects you can get.

One last idea Marty: Think about filling your vase/lamp with a string of tiny Christmas lights for a delightful twinkling effect when the holidays roll around. Absolute magic. August 26 , 2005