DIY Cabin Lampshade

I know that mid century modern is very popular right now,

but it was never a style that really resonated with me...I always

hated that look. When a friend of mine bought a little house in Lake Tahoe, one of the things he inherited was a "swag" lamp with this gold flecked, pale pink shade.  I don't have a picture of the lamp hanging, but it had a big "antiqued" metallic chain draped across the ceiling and down the wall, and it was hanging from  a Victorian looking, ornate hook in the ceiling. Never my favorite look.

My friend was trying to keep a "cabiny" feeling in his decor, and a pink and gold flecked lampshade was definitely not what he had in mind.

He was going to toss it.

The first time I saw the lamp, I looked at the whip stitch trim, and the translucence, and thought "I can make it look like rawhide." Now, I agree that cabiny rawhide looking lampshades are just as kitschy in their own way as pink fiberglass "parchment", but even so, it would be the right look for a Tahoe Cabin.

Here's how I transformed it:

I cleaned the entire shade and trim with some mineral spirits, to get the dirt off and to remove any finish or sealer it might have had so that it could absorb the stain.

Then I applied Minwax, dark walnut (which I had in the garage) with a brush, and wiped it with a rag until I had a nice, warm, more rawhidey looking color (with no sign of pink).

With a black permanent marker I drew in bears (of course), and some landscaping.

 

And then, because it was still looking kind of bare, I added a few pine trees.

The final look was worthy of any cabin, and when it was placed on a tall brass floor lamp, it was just perfect.

Cost: $0

Time: About an hour

You could do it with any old lampshade...