anthropologie teapot lamp knockoff.

my heart stopped a little when i saw this lamp almost three years ago:

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my mom and aunt had come to visit me in dallas right after bella was born.  we spent one afternoon browsing stores at an outdoor shopping mall and we went in to anthropologie just so i could covet everything in the entire store.

and then i spotted the most perfect lamp in the entire world.

i gasped and showed my mom, who promptly told me i could make my own (to which i scoffed).  but due to the hefty price tag, it looked like i would have to if i wanted the most perfect lamp in the entire world anywhere near my home.

so, i started collecting white china.  goodwill.  homegoods.  the salvation army.  i found the most perfect pieces and then they sat.  in our basement.  for two years.  i was just too scared to drill through any of them and have them break.  thanks to google, i actually found out that other people had made their own anthro teapot lamp knockoffs and found a few good tutorials.  i read, researched, figured out my plan of attack.  and yes, this happened over the span of two years.

and then, finally, last week my entryway buffet was getting a little impatient waiting for it's last decorating touch, which was to be my teapot lamp.  i mustered up the courage to tackle this project and more importantly, i enlisted the help of my oh-so-handsome handyman (hi, husband) and we began the project.

and you know what?  not a single piece broke.
aaaaand it was actually super easy.
also? i love it.

here is a step by step tutorial so you can make your own!  and save like five hundred bucks (okay, more like one fifty but you know me and my love of exaggeration).

anthropologie teapot lamp knockoff

materials:
* your china...teapot, teacups, creamers, saucers
(note: i recommend getting a ruffled or scalloped bowl for the bottom as your lamp base, otherwise you'll need to drill a hole on the side of your bowl base for the cord to come through)
* 1/4 or 1/2 in diamond drill bit used specifically for glass, ceramic or porcelain
* gorilla glue
* lamp kit

steps:
- after you collect all of your pieces, play around with them a bit to see what arrangement you like best to make sure you have what you need.  i ended up using two bowls, two saucers, a teapot and a creamer.

- now it's time to drill.  don't worry; just use a whole lot of patience and a gentle hand and it will be fine!  it also helps to enlist the help of a man.  this was definitely a team project thanks to my husband!  we drilled in our garage; it can be a little messy.  coil up a towel and secure your item in the center.  have a small pitcher of water next to you; you'll need to pour onto the surface of your ceramic item as you drill, little by little (the drill bit gets super hot and you'll need to keep the surface lubricated for drilling).  it took both of us to get the hole started to ensure that it would be in the middle (it will drift until it catches and begins to drill in the same spot).  nick went super slow and let the drill do the work; applying little pressure.  it will feel like you're drilling to the center of the earth, but just be patient... it will finally break through!  and you will probably cheer when it does, if you're anything like me.

- now's the fun part!  once you have all of your drilled pieces, you can begin to stack, wire and glue.  it was easiest to thread the cord from my lamp kit as i glued otherwise i would've had to thread it through all of the items afterwards.  i lined up each item, threaded the cord through and glued; stacked, threaded and glued, and so on...until i was finished the whole stack.  be sure to be super careful to get them as centered as possible; i wasn't paying attention to one angle and so my lamp is a bit crooked from the side.  ahhh well.

- make sure you wait 30-60 minutes for the glue to dry... i placed a couple books ontop to clamp all of the pieces together as it dried.

- next comes the lamp assembly.  simply follow the instructions that come with your kit.  first, you'll need to secure your harp base.  i read several ways that others did this, but i decided to just use gorilla glue to secure it to the top saucer on my stack of dishes.  super easy.  don't be intimidated by the electrical part of this; the kits come with really detailed instructions and i was able to do it on my own, on my first try.  which means: anyone can do this.  seriously.

- once you're done, add your shade (i chose a burlap drum shade i found at homegoods) and if you like, you can find a tiny teacup to glue onto the finial.  i think that is my favorite part!  sadly, mine wasn't completely dried when i moved my lamp; it fell and the little handle of my tiny teacup broke :(  oh well.  i guess it adds character...

- find a good place to display, plug in and admire all of your hard work!

i think this is my favorite project i've ever done!  it's vintage, eclectic and whimsical which sums up everything i love AND it perfectly completes my entryway buffet.
i can't stop staring at it.

cost breakdown:
lamp kit: $10
saucers, teapot, teacup, bowls: $20
lampshade: $20

anthro cost: $200
my cost: $50
happiness :)

let me know if you make one, too!  happy teacup finding :)

this post is linked to these *lovely* blog parties:

do small things with love
the shabby nest
liz marie
shaken together
diana rambles
five days...five ways
two girls and a party
diy showoff
creatively living
diy by design
the diy'ers
the shady porch
southern lovely

there's no place like home.

i've always loved decorating.  even from the time i was in high school.  maybe even middle school.  i get it from my mom.  she taught us how to make a house into a home; she's really great at making things pretty.

so naturally, i really, really enjoy it.  i don't do it because i think our home needs to be impeccable.  quite contrare.  i love decorating because honestly, it makes me happy.  it's a fun little hobby that brings me a lot of joy.

when nick&i were engaged, we started picking out items for our first home.  we registered at crate&barrel and at the time, dark was in.  dark wood.  dark, warm colors.  oranges, browns, reds, blacks... in an effort to "keep up with the times", that's how i decided to decorate.

but it just wasn't me.  

i've always loved white.  and bright colors.  antiques.  lacy doilies.  old plates on a wall.  funkified grandma, really.  slowly but surely i ditched much of our home decor from those early years of marriage and transitioned into something that's way more me.  nick still has much more modern taste than i do, but he leaves the decorating up to me.  i always run things by him, and even if he's not crazy about it at first, he ends up really liking it in the end.  the other day he said to me "people always tell us that our home feels cozy and happy.  it really does."  hearing him say that made me so happy.

i'm a firm believer in filling your home with things you *love*.  after all, it's your home.  it should reflect you, what's important to you, your personality and style.  when i first started blogging, i was a little timid in putting myself out there.  especially my decorating.  i knew that not everyone would like certain projects or decor and that i would be critiqued.  now?  not so much.  in order to have a home that you feel good about, you need to be okay with some people not liking your taste.  after all, they don't have to live there, right?!  taking risks and trying new things is really important when it comes to decorating your house.  do what makes you happy.  not what the trends say.

decorating is so personal.  a home should reflect the people living within its walls.  be true to yourself and confident in what you like; it doesn't matter what other people say or think.  you will always have critics.  principles to live by... and decorate by ;)

 i've taken a lot of time gathering things and thoughtfully decorating our house.  there are some projects i'm already itching to redo or update, but mostly i really, really love our house and i'm super proud of all of our hard work.  we still have a few spaces to finish (the dining room and the entryway), not to mention our front yard and landscaping.  but we've worked really hard and i have made it my motto not to decorate for anyone else, but myself and my family.  my taste is a bit quirky and eclectic.  it's me, and it totally fits us and our home.  i love the mixes of bright fabric, gold frames on a robin egg blue wall, fabric birds perched above bella's closet, scalloped lace curtains that pool on the ground, vintage aqua mason jars, milk glass vases, lacy white flowers hanging on the front porch in baskets, colorful eclectic prints, crystal knobs on antique furniture, emmy's name above her crib, pom pom trimmed pillows.

i really love having a home i feel so happy in.  most of the time, it's littered with crumbs, strewn with toys and pillows are tossed haphazardly about.  but that's not what's important.  besides the decor, the sounds of my girls playing together, laughter and music, singing and dancing, fires in the backyard and rocking on the front porch...

you don't need a fancy home or expensive decor for it to make you happy.  if it reflects you, it will do just that.  especially the sweet little ones, sounds, scents and memories that fill it's walls.  those are the things that will bring you the most joy.

after all, there's no place like home.  dorothy knew what she was talking about.

"you are my sunshine" party.

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i have been wanting to do a "you are my sunshine" themed birthday party for a while  now.  when i first thought of the theme, i thought it was so original.  i hadn't seen any other parties like it.  but i decided it would be a perfect theme for emmy's first birthday party, and over this past year it has become a super popular!  ahhhh well.  there's only so much originality when it comes to themes for kids birthday parties.

i sing "you are my sunshine" to my girls a lot and one of my favorite prints by katie daisy i have hanging in our bright kitchen.  little did i know that when i decided a year ago (i know, i'm such a nerd) on this party theme for my little emmy faith how *perfectly* it would fit her personality, and also her role in our family.  if you're a friend of mine, or if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that i lost my father when i was about 4 months pregnant with my sweet ems.  god's timing of bringing her into my life at such a dark, dark season is such a reminder to me of his faithfulness to produce beauty even in the rain.  she has been my calm during this stormy season of life.  not only was her arrival in our family so timely, but her little personality just exudes sunshine.  she always has us laughing, and she is such a happy little girl.  as cheesy as it sounds, she truly our sunshine.  i love seeing god in the details of life; even in party themes ;)  this one was just perfect for emmy.

i was starting to feel guilty because in the weeks leading up to bella's first birthday party, i was a busy little bee making everything and spending hours crafting to create a beautiful party.  the weeks leading up to emmy's were filled with painting our kitchen, finishing some other home projects and doing yard work.  needless to say, i didn't even begin her party decorations until two nights before her party.  poor second child.  but i have to say, i think this party was my favorite.  so bright and so cheery; just like our emmy.

table:

- a white eyelet tablecloth under a yellow floral vintage one i bought on ebay for twelve bucks

- i used my favorite print as the centerpiece, along with a yellow ranunculus plant in my favorite little ikea planters.

food:

- cheese crackers in mason jars

- lemon squares

- banana cream pie

- pink lemonade cake

- cupcakes

i made a doily bunting out of paper doilies i got at the dollar store, layered with some pennants i cut out of pretty scrapbook paper.  i hung them on yellow and blue baker's twine i bought on etsy.

i made the white tissue poms and fastened them to the ceiling with pushpins, and used a yellow punching ball from the dollar store for the "sun".  i cut raindrops out of scrapbook paper and glued them to white thread dangling from the tissue pom "clouds".

timeline photos of each month of her first year.  this bunting hung over each doorway in our living room.

dollar store mini bubbles that i wrapped with yellow and blue baker's twine.

i put them in this pink basket filled with vintage hankies and doilies and the kids went to town (mostly spilling them) since it was such a beautiful day outside!

an old shutter i fastened my favorite photos of emmy's first year to using mini clothespins.

drink station with lemonade and water and a cute "you are my sunshine" sign i purchased from groopdealz.com.

lemon squares on antique platters.

centerpiece; i used this print as the inspiration for the color scheme for the party.  love all the bright, vibrant colors!

cupcakes in yellow and white striped paper cups topped with frosting and aqua colored "pearls".

homemade banana cream pie topped with bunting; two kabob skewers i tied baker's twine to and threaded the paper pennants.

close up of the table.

pink lemonade cake.

ranunculus.

me and my girl. 

(i know; i dressed to match the party scheme.  told you i was a nerd.)

family shot.

the birthday girl!

loving her first cupcake :)

it was a beautiful day; gorgeous weather, lots of family and friends, and a special time celebrating our sweet emmy faith!  couldn't have asked for a better party for our little sunshine.  ended the day with such full hearts, feeling very blessed that our girls are loved so well both near and far!  holding onto all of these moments and savoring each of them before they are gone and she is grown all too quickly.

we love you, sweet emmy faith!

this post was linked to these *lovely* blogs:

liz marie
shaken together
shabby nest
diana rambles
five days...5 ways
sun scholars
one artsy mama
a night owl
six sisters stuff
tatertots and jello

home tour {bella's room}.

bella's room has been a work in progress for about a year.

not even joking.

when we first moved into our house, she was still in a crib... once we transitioned her into a big girl bed, we switched her to this room; the former "den" when my grandparents lived here, that once was bordered with floral wallpaper and had old white carpet.

i had a vision in my head of what i wanted for this room.  vintage-eclectic, with lots of color and a touch of whimsy.  first, it got hardwood floors with the rest of our house.  next, we scraped off the wallpaper border and nick painted it a lovely aqua (aqua glow, by valspar).  i found sheets i loved at target and ordered a few sets, the colors and birdhouse pattern was just perfect.  after an urban outfitters rug, the room stayed at that point for about a year.  bella was in a bit of a rambunctious, destructive stage and i didn't trust that she wouldn't tear apart what i wanted to do.

so, we waited.

i sewed fabric birds, painted birdhouses from the craft store, gathered picture frames and little treasures for her room.  i knew i wanted to use a picket fence for her headboard, and one day i spied that our neighbors had put one at the side of the road to be collected with the trash.  i ran over and asked if they minded if i snagged it (they happily turned it over) and we kept it in our garage until we were ready.  finally, a couple of weeks ago, we decided it was time to decorate it and get the room finished.  we made a superrrrr big deal out of it to bella, that she was going to have a special, beautiful room.  nick&i took a few days and worked on some of the projects in the room, and then our amazing babysitter took she and emmy for a day so that we could complete it.  it was fun getting to work on it together; we worked all day long, and we were so happy with the end result!

whimsical, eclectic and colorful

bed with picket fence headboard

circo brand sheets from target with the perfect colors: aqua, pink, red and coral.

vintage nursery rhyme prints: "twinkle, twinkle little star" and "mary had a little lamb"

the quilt on the foot of the bed was made by nick's grandmother

nightstand

i made this framed art using a cricut and some scrapbook paper; "oh how i love jesus" was one of my dad's favorite hymns

chevron rug from urban outfitters

a family heirloom rocking chair spray painted "coral isle" by krylon

patchwork pillow i sewed from my fabric scrap stash

gold gallery wall with some of my favorite photos of my girl

another wall hanging i made with our special saying

this was the scrapbook paper i used in the artwork in her room; i loved the print and the colors

tree branch curtain rod

dresser

antique lamp, dollar birdhouses i painted, pinwheels in a chicken wire basket

pinwheels made by my sister; the colors worked perfectly!

i love old books and this one was found at our old family camp, with my maiden name in the title

fabric birds on a branch

perched above bella's closet

view from the doorway

bella is so happy with her big girl room.  it was really fun for nick&i to get to surprise her with it after all of our work.  i'm glad that we waited until now to decorate it all and make it special for her; she's old enough to enjoy it and she gets really excited and proud to show it off to everyone who comes to our house.  i'm also thankful for the time i took collecting items for her room and thinking about how i wanted to put it all together.  i tend to not be the most patient person, especially when it comes to decorating.  in the past, i've rushed to get things done, but haven't really loved how they came together.  i've been careful not to do that with our house, and bella's room is a great example.  i made sure i had things that i really loved and knew worked well with the overall scheme of the room.  it pays to be patient... even though i'm really bad at it!

i'll post some tutorials soon of the picket fence headboard, tree branch curtain rod and the fabric birds.  stay tuned ;)

thanks for stopping by!

this post was linked to these *lovely* blogs

the shabby nest
one artsy mama
liz marie
shaken together
diana rambles
tatertots & jello
a night owl
classy clutter
will cook for smiles
diy showoff
i should be mopping the floor
rain on a tin roof
chef in training
twelveOeight
diy by design
vintage gwen
shabby creek cottage
the shady porch
setting for four