Coastal Lamp DIY

Greetings! I thought I'd kick things off with my latest DIY project inspired by this gorgeous lamp from Shades of Light. I loved everything about it...except the $269 price. So I decided to make my own version.

Shades of Light Demijohn Lamp $269

My version $48

First, I trotted over to Home Goods to look for a suitable base. Home Goods came through, as always. I found this recycled glass vase/jug, complete with jute trim, for $12.99. The rest of the supplies were from the hardware store: a lamp kit ($11.99), a tube of silicone glue ($4.99--with plenty left over for future projects), and from the plumbing aisle, a shallow pipe cover for $2.39 (more about this later...).  

The only other thing I needed was a lamp shade. I found the perfect one at Target--burlap covered with jute trim for a mere $14.99. All that remained was to put it all together.



The first problem I ran into was the size of the opening in the jug. It was big...much bigger than the adapters that came with the lamp kit. I headed back to the hardware store. I spent an hour a short while browsing the aisles, looking for something round, preferably with a hole in the center, about the size of the opening in the jug, and rigid enough to support the lamp parts. I finally came across the pipe cover--which is that little doohickey that covers the hole where the pipe from your shower comes out of the wall.






Back home, I assembled the pieces of the lamp kit. I threaded the nipple (the hollow pipe that forms the stem of the lamp) through the largest adapter (slightly larger than the hole in the pipe cover). I slipped the pipe cover over that, followed by the metal base of the socket, topped with a threaded washer to hold it all together. 

The next step was to wire the socket. I strongly recommend that you read the directions thoroughly and test the wiring out with a light bulb before completing the assembly. That way if you have the wiring reversed you'll be able to fix it. 





Once I was sure the wiring was good, I assembled the socket and attached it to the rest of the assembly. Then, using clear silicone glue, I secure the assembly to the mouth of the jug. It's important to make sure that the assembly is level and straight before the glue dries. I let it all set overnight. By the next morning everything was in place and secure. I added the shade and the bulb and that was it! Not bad for a total expenditure of less than $48!