Car Seat into Lamp- Extreme Recycling!

What is the weirdest thing you've ever recycled? This week I turned a car seat cushion into a lamp, sort of.

I was fixing up our guest room, attempting to take it from a mile high stuff pile to a place fit for humans to inhabit. There's no overhead lighting in the room, so I had to bring in an old, cheepie floor lamp I bought for our first apartment, 5 years ago.

Beaded Lamp Makeover
Needless to say, that thing had seen better days. It's scrawny and battered. Once you get over the generally cheap and ugly vibe in gives off, you will probably notice some squashed bugs on the accordion lamp shade.

Bug guts.

Adds character.

While the rest of the room was coming along nicely, a new comforter from Target, and handmade art on the walls, that lamp was tormenting me from the corner of the room. I had to do something to that lamp!!

I made this frame for my ill-fated gallery wall last year. It has the military words for each letter in our last name, Wine :)

Put A Bead on It.
My inspiration came in the form of a large bag of wooden car seat beads my mom gave me for my craft problem passion. You know, the old person kind of seat cushion? *cough, sorry mom.

Beads off the string

I figured I could use these beads to beef up the neck of the lamp and make it look a little more Pier One and a little less Good Will shop window.

My craft endeavors typically range somewhere from, "meh" to "boo yah!". But occasionally there's the,

 "OMG call the relatives!! Hello? Hi, you've got to come over right now! what? No, no one's dying, and... huh? no I'm not pregnant! It's my lamp... you HAVE TO SEE THIS!!" reaction.

yeah, I was pretty stoked by the results.

I love this lamp now! And it was as easy as stringing the beads on thin cord, then stringing on about a bazillion more.

I looped 6 beads around the base then threaded the string through bead #1 to form a circle.

Then I wound the strand around and around the lamp base. This was actually pretty tricky because the beads would kink up and not bend if I didn't leave enough slack in the line. I may have done a modified May Pole dance. Get your mind out of the gutter, I said May Pole.

At the top I knotted the string and taped it to the metal neck for added insurance. That's it! No gluing at all, just a strand of beads wound all the way up to the top!

After
I threw out the bug smeared shade and swapped it for this one from Walmart for $14.97.

Operation lamp makeover- success!

It was hard to get a good shot of the whole thing. I love how the beads "twist" up the lamp, I had no idea they'd do such a cool effect!

The neck is now way more substantial. At least it doesn't look as cheap anymore.

I'd imagine this technique could be done with any kind of beads, rope, or cord.

In family news this week, Andrew and I took a day to explore the local children's museum. He had a blast! And I did too! All sorts of things kiddos can touch and play with and NOT get in trouble for it!! His favorite part was pushing around the mini shopping carts. That's my boy.

What were you up to this week, are you a recycler too? What have you transformed lately??

Hyperlink- it's good for the blogger, it's good for the blogee! :)

Sharing this Thursday at My Repurposed Life

Friday Happy Hour Projects, Romantic Home, Fox Hollow Cottage, Naptime Crafters, One Artsy Mama, See Vanessa Craft, My Simple Home Life, Tatertots and Jello, Shabby Nest

Saturday Love and Laundry, Be Different Act Normal, Six Sisters' Stuff,

Too Much Time on my Hands, Young and Crafty
Tuesday Someday I'll Learn, A Diamond in the Stuff, Crafty Texas Girls, Creative Living,
Not Just a Housewife

Craft-O-Maniac