HomeTutorialsHand PaintedTablescapes

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Faux Zinc Lamps with Grain Sack Shades


I found this pair of lamps at the flea market quite a while back.  It's hard to find pairs of lamps so I scarfed them up immediately.  They had a bronze finish and silk shades.  I had too many lamps in my space so I decided to bring them home and reinvent them.  I've shared this finish with you before.  It was inspired by Lorraine at missflibberigibbet.blogspot.com.  Click here to see the tutorial.  This is a great finish if you love the look of zinc which I do.
 Now that the lamp bases were modernized, I decided to tackle the shades.  I used an image from the Graphics Fairy which you can find here .
 I follow Rosemary at Villabarnes and she has done some wonderful transfers with Splendid Blenders so I decided to try my hand with this technique and I must say I love the result.  It was easy to do and transferred like a dream.  The only catch is you must use a laser jet copy, not an ink jet.  So I took my image to Kinko's and reversed the image and brought home two copies to reinvent my pair of lampshades.  I couldn't find the Splendid Blenders locally so here is the information on where to get them.  The pen says Chart Pak Woodcrafter's Marker.  The color is Splendid Blender WO.  Use these in a well ventilated area.  They are potent.  I ordered them on line from WNC Supply at http://wncsupply.com.  Their phone number is (623) 594-4602.
 I simply taped the laser copy with the image side down to the shade.  Then I held my fingers behind the image on the inside of the shade and rubbed it with the Splendid Blender.  It transferred like a dream.  Give this technique a try.  The following photo is my test run on a piece of muslin.

As always, I appreciate your visits.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


25 comments:

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Beautiful, Maggie! Love how the shades turned out. I've used the Splendid Blender pen on fabric, too, and love the way it comes out. I did an apron and it made for a great transfer {better than any iron on}.

Pat C. said...

Oh, my goodness, Maggie, those are stunning--both the bases and the shades! Beautiful job!

xoxo

Wanda @ Just Vintage said...

They look great! I really want to try both the techniques. Have to find somebody locally who has a laser printer, though. Our nearest Kinko's is 40 miles away. :-(

Susie said...

Your lamps look great. Love those redos. Smiles, Susie

Jennifer @ Town and Country Living said...

Love these! I've been looking for lamps, too, but no luck yet. Thanks for the info on where to buy that pen. I've been looking all over!!!

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Wow! They look fabulous! I'm going to check out how to do the zinc finish...so pretty! And the shades are wonderful! I have to say I'm addicted to pairs and almost always have to buy both...can't leave one without his brother! lol Happy Sunday!...hugs...Debbie

Rosemary@villabarnes said...

Thanks for the shout out, Maggie. I love how your lamps turned out.

Vickie @ Ranger 911 said...

Love those shades! I have two very similar lamps that could use an update like this. You make it sound easy!

Gail said...

Your lamps are beautiful Maggie! I LOVE the shades. I've tried the Splendid Blender pen and mine didn't turn out:( Oh well, practice makes perfect! Hope you have a wonderful day, Gail

One bolt short of a toolbox said...

I have two lamps that this would look amazing on, but I'm terrified of wrecking them!

Gypsy Heart said...

Love them! Thanks so much for sharing the info and technique as to how you did the shades.

Pat

Bliss said...

Pinned.

~Bliss~

karen@somewhatquirky said...

I really like the transfer on the shades! Another transfer method to try... yeah!

miss flibbertigibbet said...

Thanks for the shout out Maggie! They look wonderful!
Lorraine

miss flibbertigibbet said...

Thanks for the shout out Maggie! They look wonderful!
Lorraine

Unknown said...

Beautiful job - just love the finish and transfers are perfect!

Rita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rita said...

Oh Maggie,
your lamps are stunning. I love the rustic zinc look and those shades are 2die4.
I was really keen to try my hand at image transferring with the magic blender but unfortunately we do not have such blender markers in Italy...
I read somewhere that acetone can be used for image tranferring but i'm not sure it would really work!

Kathryn Ferguson Griffin said...

They look so beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Visiting from WUW. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/make-it-pretty-monday-week-15.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

Jessa Scott said...

I haven't tried this technique yet...it turned out very pretty. http://apalaceinwonderland.blogspot.com/

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

LOve both the zinc bases and the transfers on the shades. I admire your DIY skills....they look wonderful! :)

Unknown said...

Wow. I really do love it!!!! Thanks so much for linking up to the French party!
Bisous
Isabelle.

The Charm of Home said...

That turned out fantastic! Thank you for joining HSH!
Sherry

Maureen said...

I love the look of a zinc base for a lamp and these are just fantastic. You did a great job with the shades. Very inspiring!

Patty @ That's So Pretty said...

Just found your blog through googling stencils????Love the tranfers. I am now following!
Patty@creativeideasandtips.blogspot.com