diy anthro inspired tea party lamp.

here is one of the projects that i have been working on this month. i am so excited to show you this anthropologie inspired "tea party" lamp, as i like to call it :) i have been obsessed with anthro's "one- lump-or-two" lamp forever now, but didn't believe in shelling out the cash for it. i did some research and asked my wonderful, handy dad if he would help me make one. i am so happy with how it turned out...i think it looks just like a whimsical little tea party! 

here is what you'll need:

1. various sized plates, bowls, tea cups & saucers, and a tea pot. 

2. ceramic and tile drill bits

3. a cup of water

4. epoxy gel

5. a lamp kit

6. a dad who can literally do anything...not mandatory, but definitely an advantage :)

first, you will need to spend some time arranging your dishes to get your desired layout. (a little side note...your top dish or two will be hidden by your lampshade... my silly little brain forgot this part and now my cutest teacup is hidden)

next, you will need to spend some time drilling holes through your dishes. this is definitely a two person job. i held the dishes in place while my dad did the drilling. it's important to drill slowly, but steadily, and to dip your drill bit in the cool cup of water every now and then so the bit won't overheat and crack your dishes. also make sure you drill your holes fairly large so your lamp cord can go through the finished base without any issues. make sure all your holes in each dish line up!

your top dish is what will hold your lightbulb. once all your holes are drilled, insert the part from your lamp kit that holds the lightbulb in your top dish. make sure it is screwed in tightly. 

next, apply epoxy gel to the bottom base of your dishes, one at a time (starting with the bottom dish). place the dish on top of the previous dish and let sit for a minute for two before applying the next dish. it might help to do this part in segments. we built the bottom half and the top half separately, then applied the top half to the bottom half with the epoxy gel. 

i recommend not touching your dishes once the base is built and letting the epoxy bond the dishes together for 24 hours. after 24 hours, add the wiring from your lamp kit. finally, add a lightbulb and a shade! :D

my silly dad didn't want anyone to know that he helped me with such a girly project, but i wouldn't feel right without giving him some credit. i couldn't have done it without him and i owe him a peach cobbler or something for all the time he spent helping me ;)

i adore it! i cannot wait to put it in our living room. 

im thinking i want to make more?!

after writing this, i can see that i should've taken more pictures of the building process to make the directions more clear. sorry! here are some other great teacup lamp resources that helped me:

dream book design blog

vintage revivals

diy coffee table tray.

so ive been having decorating fever lately and actually made something i saw on pinterest! a coffee table tray out of a picture frame! the original project can be found here... although she seemed to put a little more work into it. 

i have been wanting to add some subtle sparkle to our home, so i first found the background that i wanted to use for the tray and worked around that. i found some gray paper with metallic gold stripes at papyrus...it'a paper, but still much thicker than regular wrapping paper. 

(forgive the not so great camera)

i simply wrapped the back of a 11 x 13 wall frame, just like i would wrap a present:

then i drilled some hardware into the sides of the frame (both the frame and the hardware were 50% off at hobby lobby...cant beat that!)

i put it together and voila! i made some coffee table decor! i love how the metallic stripes in the background and the metallic sheen of the frame add a teensy bit of glamour to our living room.

for now i have a winter piece on it with a candle and candy bowl... but i also want to use it for books, flower vases, and maybe tea kettles and cups! 

it was so easy that i am considering making more... maybe one to display my perfume and a few pieces of jewelry? 

pretty & whimsical wall decor.

this is my latest wall decor. decorating a house is a slow process, but the slow additions are fun :) i hung this picture up in my kitchen last night. i was in anthropologie recently and they had these cute teapot hand towels on sale and since it conveniently matched the color of my walls, i thought i would make use out of it. 


however, i think it's much too adorable to get dirty over time by actually using it to dry off hands so i made other plans. i had the frame at my house already and thought it would be perfect for displaying this pretty & whimsical towel. the black and white background is simply the wrapping paper i am wrapping gifts with this year! voila. wall decor.