Refashion, old to new

New shades made from window screen and painted to match lamp.

Things get old, fall apart, break and are rendered useless. But do not give in, you can be creative and repair or remake the offending item.
We have a floor lamp with three lights at the top, each with their own shade. The shades were just hard plastic. They have become brittle with age and were beginning to show cracks. Then one broke enough to touch the light bulb and started to melt. What a stink!
After looking at many floor lamps in stores and online we could not find one we liked that would replace the one we have. Finally an idea struck that we could make new shades for the one we have. In our online search we got an idea from a lamp that someone used mesh window screen to make a shade around one light bulb.
First we purchased a roll of aluminum window screen. Next we made a pattern from newspaper, a 14-inch diameter circle. Tracing around the pattern onto the screen gave us a guide for cutting out the screen circle. Then we cut a 2-inch diameter hole in the center. We folded the edges in about a fourth-inch and then pleated the wire until it stood up in the shape of a bowl.
After making two more we had three new shades. They fit over the bulb sockets and are held down with the plastic rings that held the old shades on. To finish the look we spray painted them bronze to match the rest of the lamp.
Our old lamp now has a new look. And the cost was far less than a new lamp would have been. Not bad!
The project was simple and quick. The thing that took the most time was coming up with the idea. But it was worth the time. Now the money we saved can be used for something else.
Recently we were also looking to buy a new coffee table. Our old one was large and took up too much space. We looked in many furniture stores and even online. Nothing looked just right or was the right size.
Then on one of our thrift store shopping sprees we found just the thing. It was an extra large end table in just the style we were looking for to replace our coffee table. For only $17 and a good rubbing with polish we have our new coffee table.
Refashioning and refinishing old items to make new ones can be challenging but rewarding. We would like to hear about your remade items. Post them in comments below.