An Upcycled (or ruined !!) Lampshade

Good Wednesday Morning to you all dear friends & readers 💚

Early last month - when I should have been working on Orders but was distracting myself - I decided I was 
tired of my coffee table display & thought it was perhaps about time I put my Easter things away (!!!) 😕

I found this lampshade on top of a wardrobe in my sleepout - it had been a $5 purchase from Hospice sometime 
last year
As you can see it was in excellent condition but the fixture inside where it could be fitted to a lamp stand, was missing.
I decided to pull all the covering off it including the wrapping around the sides of the frame 
 I had a "sort-of-an-idea-floating-in-my-head" that I wanted to rust it

I soaked it in a mixture of vinegar & salt - as I only had a shallow plastic bath I had to rotate it over several days 
but finally I could see the rusting process beginning
 I left the top & bottom of the frame with the wrapping on as I planned to re-wrap this with new fabric

Once I felt it had rusted enough I rinsed it well with cold water (you need to do this in order to halt the rusting process) then left it by the fire with Miss Pippi to supervise while it dried.

This is how it looked once I had wrapped the top & bottom of the frame in a dull brown fabric - I wanted a rustic primitive look - you see I planned to use the frame as a sort of "rustic cloche" on my coffee table

Here it is all set up on a vintage crochet doiley with my fairy lights wrapped around it 

I used a small stack of vintage prayer books & some other rustic looking objects as a display under my "cloche"

The hessian table runner just seemed to compliment the display perfectly

Down one end I displayed the soy candles I had made in some gorgeous crystal jugs gifted to me by 
my dear friend Sue 
I am really thrilled with my new/old display - however when I showed The Mr my finished cloche, his only 
comment was "I think you have ruined a perfectly good lampshade !!" 😉

Speaking of rustic things - I have been working outside on the very occasional days we have had fine weather - these are few & far between!

This rusty old tin hatbox was out in the woodshed so I lined it with a black polythene bag & then planted it with 
some succulents that were ready to be transplanted out

I am hoping they will multiply & spill over the edges

Whilst weeding an area of garden I noticed some pots tucked under a shrub & upon pulling them out, I see 
they were my hyacinth bulbs from last spring - just beginning to flower.
The scent from the white one is beautiful 💚

Last weekend before the wild weather came again I picked a large vase of daffodils & two jars of white Daphne
 to enjoy inside instead of watching it all get bashed around in the garden.

My friend Denise posted this little Verse on Instagram - I just loved it & asked her if I could share it on my blog 
 I hope you can read it okay - it is titled  "Seenager"

Thanks again for your visits & your lovely comments today dear friends,
It is nasty weather here again today & Miss Pippi is tucked up on the couch by the fire sound asleep

You can forgive her anything when you see her like this!
(including the mouse she bought in at 5.30 am this morning!!!)
Have a wonderful day dear friends,
Much love & friendship to you all 💗
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x