Bubble Lampshade Project

I stole yet another project here, and as I told Bud about it he was all, yeah, I know what you're talking about, didn't you ever do that in school? No I did not, THANKS A LOT FAIRFAX COUNTY. WHAT ELSE DID I MISS? 

So in an effort to fill in a few school gaps, we worked on the Bubble Lampshade Project this weekend. That and I've been looking for a new light fixture for our eat-in kitchen area. Bonus, the way it looks on the website is super cute so no doubt that's how fashionable our house will be once we're done, right? RIGHT?

Step 1: gather materials. I do not have pictures for this as I don't routinely carry my camera into WalMart. That though is where we found the yarn (all cotton, ended up needing two spools? Blobs? Because they were the small...spool/blobs) and balloon (we had to get one of those large balloons with the rubber band on the end because the birthday party variety were too small. Yeah. The kind you whap into your siblings faces until your mother threatens to PULL THIS MINIVAN OVER RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL.) We got the wallpaper glue and light/cord set at Lowe's.

Right. Step 2:

Inflate balloon until dizzy. No joke. I sat there panting and asking Bud how come during the Just Say No campaign no one ever warned us to just say no to blowing up really big balloons because WOW is this room spinning OR WHAT?

Once recovered, hang the balloon in a place you don't mind getting glue-y. Um, I'll digress a minute. The glue, looked like...um well I don't want to use the word but let's just say in vernacular it rhymes with ms. and it gets EVERYWHERE.

Step 3:

We chose to spray paint the ugly brass pieces of the light fixture a white, since the brass was super ugly and stuff.

Step 4:

Lube the balloon up with Vaseline I kid you not. This is to prevent the balloon and string from sticking to one another upon poppage. It is also so you can watch your husband rub Vaseline on a balloon and say things that aren't the least bit funny like, Do I need to get jealous of this balloon?

Step 5:

Argue over whether string should be unraveled before dunking into glue mixture, or just plopped in there as-is. We began with unraveling but quickly realized THE DIRECTIONS WERE CORRECT and plopping entire yarn ball into glue bucket made more sense. I squatted on the ground and fed the yarn to Bud while he wrapped it around the balloon. That way it didn't get tangled and I could make sure the pieces were good and sopping.

Step 6:

Wind the string around the balloon for, like, ever. I let Bud do this part because he is much better at things like patience and seeing where there is a blank spot. Also, pretty much everything handy.

Step 7:

Put baby in ghetto-makeshift playpen. Throw in a few non toxic items for amusement. Re-think the whole damn idea when baby nearly tips himself out.

Step 8:

Let the whole thing dry for also, like, ever. I don't have a picture of the drying, but clearly you do not want to pop the balloon before it has solidified. Ours took from Saturday evening to Tuesday night and even then there was a little dampness. But it worked out.

Step 9:

Go to bed really early on account of baby's schedule only to wake up to Surprise! Handy husband hangs hampshade. Okay whatever I wanted it to alliterate. 

I'd show you an entire picture of the room but it's so not finished so you'll just have to imagine a really cool, trendy-but-tasteful space. Of someone else's house.

Comments

[Nancy]

Hope! So clever!

[Summer]

So amazing!! Why didn't we ever learn to do these before age 30?? I love it! How did you know what tools to get for the wiring?
I love that Bud had it hung and working before you even got up...shhhhhheeeeeeesh!!!!

[Hope Sypert]

That was all Bud, Summer. He just KNOWS these things. But I'm pretty sure you can get kits for the cord/lightbulb and then to actually set up, well he created something with a little disk of wood but I'm sure BW could think of something similar. Isn't that cute, I walked into the kitchen this morning and there it was!

[The Mom]

How did you remove the popped balloon and how did you insert the fixture and bulb?

[Sarah S.]

Wicked awesome. Will now have to trek back to your house to see in person.

[MIL / Granny]

What do you mean blowing until you nearly passed out, Bud won't let you use his air compressor?

[Hope Sypert]

Mom - use a Sharpie and draw a 4-6 inch circle on the top of the balloon then avoid draping yarn over that portion. That'll allow the light to fit inside etc.

Bonnie - good point. Hmmm.