Layered rose petals highlight lamp makeover

Dear Sandi: I saw your article about turning an old lamp into a romantic reading light. I love the idea and wondered if you could give me a few more ideas on creating this look. —Millie D., Salem

Hi Mille: This is such a popular look right now. Probably my personal favorite was our rose lamp we created for one of the HGTV shows.

For some reason, lamps seem to be one of the easiest-to-find items in any garage sale, flea market or yard sale, so finding qualified candidates usually is pretty easy.

We decided we were going to cover the shade with hand-colored paper rose petals one of our paper vendors produced for us. You also could work with “silk” rose petals or dismantle faux flowers.

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.

After finding the right lamp, we chose a handmade paper for the lamp base that would complement the petals without taking too much attention away from the shade, which was our “piece de resistance.”

Although you can work with a variety of different adhesives on the lamp base, we often choose to work with liquid laminate. After an application of a few coats, the paper surface will begin to take on the appearance of old cracked porcelain, and this was exactly the look we were going for. When working with liquid laminate, it is best to apply a coat on the piece to be covered, then apply another coat to the back of the piece of paper. Also, remember that when working with handmade paper, you want to tear, not cut, the pieces into workable sizes. This way, the edges will easily and invisibly blend into one another.

We also covered our lampshade with a piece of the same handmade paper used on the lamp base for a consistent color base.

Starting at the bottom edge of the shade, we started gluing on the rose petals, using a pale-green petal only for this row. Although you can also use the liquid laminate for this job, we like a hot glue gun since the work will go faster. As you glue, you want to be sure that the edge of each petal slightly overlaps the one next to it.

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.

For the second layer, we used a two-toned pink petal. As we glued each petal down, we let the top edge overlap the first row just slightly, staggering the petals so the full petal on the second row hit the middle between the two petals on the first row.

We continued until the entire shade was covered, folding the bottom of the last row of petals to the inside of the shade to give a finished edge. For a final touch, we added some pastel ribbons cascading down the shade’s side, with a small paper rosebud at the end. Another option would be to hot glue on a few full roses made up of the same petals used for the shade.

This is a fun and easy project, even for a beginner, and the finished result looks very much like the very expensive editions in catalogs. October 22 , 2005