DIY Anthropologie Style

Updates for my store

I now have a nice widget for you to access my Etsy store on the right side of my blog!

I am continuing to edit photos and add items, so expect it to expand even more. And remember, I am offering free shipping on everything!

So enjoy your weekend!

Anthropologie's Round Felt Pixel Rug for half the price... if you DIY

*If you read this earlier and noticed that I forgot to appropriately convert inches to centimeters, I have now fixed the problem, so the math is sound. You know, as sound as it gets for a close approximation. I also found a wholesaler who does huge bulk, so that is also reflected in the math. Carry on!

The felt pixel rug from Anthropologie is beautiful.

I have to admit, that I have already conceived this idea in the past, but never put it into works. It looks like I should have, especially checking out the $998 price tag on the round one.

 

The concept is simple. String wool beads on a sturdy nylon string, then sew them together as you would a rag rug. If you wanted extra stability, you could affix the rug to a padding of your choosing. The project should be relatively easy and quick to assemble.

You are definitely going to want to buy wool felt beads in bulk if you can find them, so for math's sake, I will be using Nepal 1 Craft Center's 2 cm prices at $28.00 per approx 900 as a jumping off point to price out materials. If you find a place offering some even better bulk pricing or larger beads, let me know, and I will add it here. Using 2cm beads means either the rug will be smaller, or you will have to use more to make it the right size. but the principle is the same.

In the 5 x 7 rectangular rug, I able to determine that you would need approximately$280 worth of beads. Now, it will vary a bit, depending on how tight you want the ball spacing, but it should be close.

Now, the round rug is a different story and a bit more intense math. Taking into account that the beads used did not appear to be uniformly placed all around the rug,  I used the photo to count the approximate number of beads in the outer ring (160 circumference) and count how many rows of rings there were (25 radius). I then plugged the numbers into an equation to get the area and used the known radius to check it's accuracy. The math gave me a 25.46 radius, so  it was close. I was able to ascertain that it was close enough to give a decent price estimation an substitute in the appropriate dimensions of the 2 cm felt balls and realize that I needed to multiply everything by 3.

I was able to figure out that it would take about 6100(give or take, based on your desired spacing) felt beads to be a perfectly uniform 5 foot diameter rug.  The cost would be $196 in felt beads, before tax. That is less than a quarter of the price to buy the rug outright. And the fact that it would probably take very little time to make would be worthwhile for the crafty.

I definitely suggest scrutinizing the photo of the rug. You can probably get away with spacing the beads better to save money. I would consider buying an initial package of the beads beforehand to test the best way to make the rings and sew them together to see if you need to adjust your math.

I can think of many ways to create this rug, or edit the shape and size to suit your needs. I am thinking, "swirl" and "scallops". In fact, I may have to buy some beads myself and turn this rug into a sexy doormat, or bowl, or table runner.

I would love to see some "after" photos of your own felt bead project, and I plan to be making something of my own soon, so send those photos so I can compile them.

DIY Anthropologie Songbird Chandelier

Welcome to my newest, and hopefully funnest endeavor. I am republishing a post from House of Devign as an intor to this site, and will have many more as time goes by. Hope you enjoy it!

No doubt you have seen this Songbird Chandelier at Anthropologie. The first time I saw it I knew I wanted it.

Then I looked at the price and fell off my chair.

Really... $800??? I mean, I can appreciate good products and am willing to pay the price if I deem it worthwhile, but then I zoomed in on the shade. I tell you this... It is chicken wire and copper wire with about $20-30 worth of birds on it. I decided then and there, that I would make my OWN. So, I did.

 

 

Sorry the pictures aren't the best, but I just wanted to give you an idea.

All in all, I spent about $50 on materials which is just 6% of Anthropologie's version, and I think it turned out perfectly. I have enough materials left over to make a smaller shade for my livingroom lamp, which I will do, as soon as my scratches heal.

I changed a few things from the original, mostly because I couldn't find the really large holed chicken wire, and I did want more color and whimsy. Besides, I wanted mine to be one of a kind!

You can easily make one for yourself, and I will tell you how.

1)First of all, you need to decide if you want a swag lamp or a hardwired version. I was lucky enough to have a leftover pendant lamp that had the correct fittings for it. Whatever you decide, you need to make sure that your pendant has the giant nut that screws on to the socket portion to keep the shade on. Here is a good cheap hardwired pendant canopy kit that will serve it's purpose well.

2) Decide how large you want your shade BEFORE you go to the hardware store, so measure it out at home. You will need to know the circumference and approximate height as well as radius and the circumference of the socket.

3) Do the math. 2 x circumference of drum + circumference of socket + 3 x radius + 10% to 20% extra for end connections and error = the amount of copper wire you need. The basic circumference and height will be enough for the chicken wire.

4) Buy supplies. Unless you are going for an extremely large shade, One small roll of large-holed chicken wire should do. The larger the holes, the better. Now, when you buy your copper wire, you can buy what you need in 8 guage. But, I recommend buying 12 guage copper wire for the everything but the basic circles for the shape. It is easier to bend.

You also need:

Quality wire cutters (trust me)

Assortment of pliers

32 guage floral wire (or as clos to that guage as possible)

several small wooden dowels (make sure they fit through the squares in the chicken wire)

Assorted birds, butterflies, etc. that you want on your shade

E6000 glue

Assorted ribbons

I also recommend work gloves. I didn't use any to make the drum shade, and I wish I had. It was hard on the fingers.

5) Unroll the chicken wire. It helps to have another person to grab the other end and aid the flattening of it. It doesn't need to be perfectly flat, you are just trying to make it workable. Cut the shade to approximate circumference and height. Make sure when you snip the wire on the circumference that you cut one side before the cross wire and not after, you will want the wires sticking out so you can close the circle. To save yourself from unnecessary scratches you can cut the height after the cross wire, just make it a bit longer, then snip it before the cross wire when you are ready to wrap it.

6) Close the circumference of the drum and interlace the wires through the vertical wire on the other side. Gently fold a few of the wires over the opposite side (they can break easily) so you aren't fighting with it. Now start the task of folding every single wire over the . Try not to do a sharp fold, instead curl  the center of the wire with needlenose pliers and work back to where the wire crosses with the vertical wire. It will take a bit of practice, but it works well. Once you get the wires folded in half, wrap them around all the way with the pliers until you run out of wire. If you are having issues with completing the wrap, you can wait until you have the circles inside the form to do it. Just fold the wires over until then.

7) You should have a semi-heart shaped drum right now. Take your 8 guage Copper wire and make it into a circle, use the plier to make one end a small loop, thread the other end through, and make a larger loop that can be easily increased or shortened. This loop is meant for "give" to keep you from having bubbles in the wire. Shimmy it inside the drum. If you haven nipped off the horizontal wire running around the edge, now is the time to do it. Using a pair of flat- nosed pliers (if you have them), curve the wires over the copper wire by clamping and rolling them. Repeat this step on the other side. You can now rebend the shade to your liking.

8) Now for the part that connects to the actual lamp. You can use the 8 guage wire, but it is tough to bend, so I use the 12 guage. Use the bulb socket as a form and make a circle, slightly larger than the socket to allow for the 3 supports we will be making, hook it shut (you'll be opening it again shortly, so a hook and loop will suffice), and double check it to make sure it won't fall off past the giant nut.  Make 3 straight sticks with small loops on one end that are 1 inch larger than your overall radius. Run them through the circle, and permanently close the hook into a loop after you are certin the circle still fits over the socket.  Place the center piece on the ground and make each stick equidistant (120 deg) around a circle. Place the drum on top, and do a quick measurement to make sure everything is centered. Fold the ends of the sticks over (nothing fancy needed) the copper ring on the drum. NOTE: the tighter the centerpiece, the tighter it will hang, but it will also make it more trilobal instead of round. Not to fear, once it is hung, you won't even be able to tell.

9) Now comes the fun part. Insert the wooden dowels however you like. I inserted mine at different heights, but equally spaced around the circle.  leave the ends out about 1/2" to 3/4" . Secure the dowel to the drum at those points. I was able to do it with minimal looping, but you can most certainly glob it on if you like the look. Make sure you test the movement.

10) Now you can start inserting the ribbon. I used small ribbon and basketweaved it in. Anything small enough to fit doubly through the holes, I did so. As far as the novelty flower ribbon goes, I experimented with using different looping patterns before I came up with the final configuration. Be creative and come up with your own design.

11) The final bit of work was to put in all the insects and birds. I used the e6000. I didn't want to use the hot glue because it can yellow, is stringy in application, and with the heat of the lamp, I didn't want to chance things popping off into dinner.

I have resolved to add more things to my shade,  most likely more insects, interesting birds, and maybe some vintage flowers. I did end up trimming all the ribbons to about 3 inches wich made it much more manageable and modern.

I wold love to see your interpretation of this shade!