Monograms and Lampshades

$69 lampshade from Shades of Light.com

My vintage lampshade redo for around $14. How's that for cost comparison? I had not even seen the Shades of Light shade until recently, so I'm happy for such a great visual on how a DIY project can save so much moolah. Keep reading for some other lampshade ideas that you can DIY....

It sure is fun to have a friend who has her own monogram business...with a big monogram machine that will do all of this. My friend from church, Lynn, asked me to help her with some of her decorating dilemmas and she in turn is monogramming for me everything I can think of. Isn't that a great trade?
She loves decorating too and so we've been thrifting and doing some projects around her house the last couple of weeks. We're also walking buddies. She loved my lamp project that I did with the old yardsale lamp (above) and she and I were out at church yardsale recently where we spied a vintage lamp very similar to the one I had refurbished. She got this one for $1.50! So, we bought bought supplies for redoing shades and she did all the monogramming on her super machine. I spied this burlap at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a yard and thought it would be great for recovering shades and putting on a monogram. Doesn't it look great? This is Lynn's new vintage lamp all redone in her livingroom. The key to getting a monogram on a lampshade that you are recovering is to cut out your fabric ahead of time & lay it out on the lamp, so you will know exactly where to place the monogram.

So, now the monogram lampshades for my diningroom are a reality. All it took was about a yard of burlap from Hobby Lobby. I originally had planned to get some linen, but after spotting this burlap, I was sold. I love the texture it has and I knew it would look great sporting a crisp black monogram. That machine is amazing. She plugs in the disc with all the details on there of exactly which font we chose, plus the color of the thread, and that thing goes to town and zips out a monogram in no time flat. Check out my lampshade tutorial from last year if you'd like more details on how to do your own lampshade. It's so cheap to cover an old one! And here's the post on the vintage one I covered with the damask fabric too, for a reference. I love a good lampshade update and I love what it adds to the diningroom!
Next, we added a pretty lime green "R" to my new black and white purse.
And another "R" to another yardsale purse that I found last year. I think I will have to monogram something else now. You can be sure I'll be looking around the house for something else to stamp with initials!

For another fun project to check out that I think is absolutely stunning, head over to a new blogger that I've met recently, Kara, at Inspired Kara for a recent headboard project that she just finished. It's a mantel mixed with fabric and it looks fantastic! Check it out...great job, Kara! I'm going to be on the lookout for more projects to feature from time to time from all of you out there

It's Friday, I'm heading over to Atlanta with my friend, Lynn, to the Market. They are letting me tag along to see what they are buying for their new monogram business and I'll have fun checking it out for myself too. I've been before, but it's been a long time. Who knows, I may be buying at the Market one day? Hopefully, I can take some pics to share. If anyone would like to have some monogramming done (especially here in Birmingham), please let me know and I'll give you the information for Lynn's business. They have totes and all sorts of things, like pillowcases and laundry bags that can be monogrammed, so if you need some gifts for a special occasion, think monograms.