Revitalized lampshade, Re-purposed stamping blocks , New file, and More snow!

OK, Froggers (remember, that's my abbreviation for "friends who are bloggers")! I had to run the snowblower AGAIN this morning. Actually, I really like it, but I just wasn't expecting another big snow and a school cancellation. I mean, some of our biggest snows have actually been in March. WHY on EARTH would I expect another big snow in February??? Sheesh. Well, since the weather isn't cooperating for outside activity, I'm doing a little more crafting than usual. I have this delightful little lamp- Baldwin brass- that I bought at a midnight sale when I was about 21 (uh-um...a few years ago). It was a really fun sale. The later you came after midnight, the deeper the sales were. I don't remember what I paid for this little gem, but it wasn't a lot.

As you can see, the shade is rather boring. I believe it's the original shade. So, I decided to spruce it up while I was waiting for my pasta to cook. I often sneak in little projects while dinner is in the oven or I'm thawing something in the microwave. I'm so efficient with my time like that. I would never waste my time on the internet, browsing blogs for hours at a time to get decorating or crafting ideas, or checking my Facebook account for the most up-to-date updates. No, that's not how I roll (please, God, forgive me for lying). Anyway, here's what I came up with for an extra little punch in my bedroom....
I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I did, however, have an acrylic paint emergency. You know- the time when you have a few minutes to paint and you discover that you don't have black acrylic paint? How can that possibly happen? It's like discovering that you've run out of milk or toilet paper, which I can't imagine happening in this house. Well, thanks to my neighbor, Krafty Kim, I was supplied with an emergency ration to complete the job. For those of you who've never done anything like this before, it is easy-peasy! You pick a font you like on your 'puter, blow it up to the appropriate size, tape it to the inside of your shade, use a small paint brush and acrylic paint, and voila! I think it adds so much charm to this little lamp.

My next fun project was to use up those wooden blocks from which I unmounted my rubber stamps. I just knew there was something I could do with them, and I think I did this one while my chicken was baking. You take a wood mounted stamp like this:

You unmount the rubber. Keep the sticky stuff on it. That will help with mounting your paper.

Then, you just decorate it. Pardon the pics. They aren't high quality (I think they were done with my cell phone). Here, I painted all sides except the sticky one. I distressed them with a sanding block. Then I took some sheet music, glued it onto the sticky part, sanded the edges, inked the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo, added a layered flower that I had stamped with a word stamp, added a brad-type thingy (found in the jewelry section at Michael's, on sale, of course), then added the little number medallion (again, found in the jewelry dept.). I also mod podged the sheet music after I applied it to the block. I think it is just charming (I just finished watching Downton Abbey on PBS, so I'm feeling a little British).

  

I believe that's it for today. I'm going to be in keeping with my traditional snow day by refusing to don the appropriate garments befitting a lady (if you know what I mean). Can you say COMFORTABLE???
Fondly, Tami