See How I Transformed a Weird $5 Goodwill Find into the Cutest Lamp Ever

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

PROJECT TYPE: Decor Items & Accessories

STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: Yes

I have this condition where I can visualize absolutely anything as a lamp. So, of course, when I came across this adorable porcelain cat at Goodwill, I couldn’t get it in my cart fast enough!

The cat was $4.99, and I was lucky enough to find a very tall, dunce cap-esque shade at the same store for $2.99. I instantly had a vision of vertical stripes for the shade, with ball trim to really bring home the kooky ’60s cat-lady vibe I was going for.

Use DIY know-how to begin the transformation.

In my experience, you only need a few supplies to turn anything porcelain into a lamp: a ceramic drill bit, a lamp kit, E6000 glue, and a screwdriver. I’ve found that when drilling into a ceramic object that you really need to go slow — and don’t apply too much pressure.

Use a piece of masking or painters tape to give your drill bit something to grab on to, and spray water from a bottle to keep dust and larger particles from creating a mess.

Add flare with a striped shade.

After I assembled the lamp kit, I started on the lampshade. Initially I wanted to create a striped satin cover to go over the shade, but I eventually landed on a different approach: a loose, hand-painted look. I used blue and white acrylic paints to add color and depth.

I knew I wanted ball trim and tried a few different colors before ultimately gluing on a soft peachy pink fringe trim (like this one) that matches the cat’s tongue.

With the fringe in place, my $31 cat lamp was complete. I love how it turned out! It’s a perfect fit in my daughter’s bedroom, and I’m trying to stop myself from completely redesigning her entire room around it!

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Further Reading

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See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room