A lamp of their own

Published 7:00 pm Saturday, October 24, 2020

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Area businesses demonstrate different upcycle techniques

Lighten up

Lamp upcycle by Andrea Strom and Penny Thompson, owners of Junktion Market, 136 S. Broadway Ave. in downtown Albert Lea. Junktion Market is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Extended holiday hours will be shared to the business’s Facebook page.

1. With maple being a hard, non-porous wood, it normally needs sanding for paint to adhere. Instead of sanding, we used Swamp Mud, a product we carry which is a primer made to help paint stick to slick surfaces. Apply one coat and allow to dry for one hour.

2. Paint. We chose the color “Pebble” in our Miss Lillian’s No Wax Chock Paint line which is made in the U.S.

3. Allow paint to dry. If distressing as we did, distress within a few hours, as the paint has not completely adhered.

4. Distress lightly with fine grit sand paper. Distressing gives an aged, farmhouse feel.

5. Allow to cure for 14 to 21 days before going without a coaster on the table base.

A little goes a long way

Lamp upcycle by Karen Vanderploeg, owner of Yesterday’s Barn, 28674 810th Ave. in Hollandale. Yesterday’s Barn has occasional sales in the spring and fall. Sales are announced on the business’s Facebook page.

1. Paint. I found this lamp at the Salvation Army, spray-painted it black and then applied a clear top coat.

2. Recover the shade. I found the original lampshade at a thrift store and recovered it with different fabric.

Wire it up

Lamp upcycle by Mary Chicos, owner of Someday Isle, 163 N. Broadway in downtown Alden. Someday Isle is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, or by appointment.

1. Lightly spray paint the base; I chose silver to give it a shimmer. The socket and harp were also painted silver. The fabric was removed from the original lampshade, which left the metal frame. This was painted silver as well.

2. Cut a piece of chicken wire to fit the frame. Then weave the wire around the top and bottom of the frame to secure the chicken wire in place.

3. Using an Edison light bulb can give lamps a vintage feel, and I tied a burlap ribbon around the chicken wire to enhance the rustic look.

4. Pick a color for the base of the lamp. I painted the originally gold base of the lamp with a bronze metallic paint to match the brown tones in the Edison bulb and burlap ribbon.

Minnesota pride

1. Paint. The maple wood of this lamp was painted black.

2. Redo the lampshade. The original shade on this lamp was a dingy off-white color with lace trim on the top and bottom. Three coats of paint were used on the shade, which was lightly sanded in between each layer to smooth down any roughness.

3. Add some ribbon. The red, white and black plaid ribbon on this lamp was applied to the top and the bottom of the shade using a hot glue gun to cover the lace trim.

4. Make it your own. On this lamp, the shape of the state of Minnesota was cut from a piece of adhesive black vinyl. Red heavy felt material was chosen for the rough outline of the state, because the edges will not fray when cut. The final touch was placing a red and white button on the state, indicating the location of Freeborn County.

Going green

1. Redo the lampshade. This one had pleated fabric that I removed. I then covered the shade with green and blue paisley fabric using a hot glue gun.

2. Paint. The maple wood was first painted with a moss green color, followed with a light coat of a blue paint “wash” to accent the blue in the shade.

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