Next time you break a cup or saucer, consider how you might use the other half - the still intact piece. Sometimes it seems a shame to trash something that's not broken.
Stay tuned this month for craf-tea Fridays - where we'll discover great ways to recycle teaware pieces and transform them into lovely, kitschy works of art, or at least give you a few ideas on how to give those pieces a new lease on life!
This week's project is by far the most ambitious. If you didn't have enough cast off pieces to assemble this, you could easily pick them up at garage sales (yes, it's that time of year again!). This craft appeared in a recent Country Crafts magazine and also appears in the online magazine.
Choose color-coordinated, simply shaped teacups, pots, bowls, and saucers that would stack easily. To create a balanced arrangement, select components that would form a pyramid — with large, heavy items on the bottom (like an overturned mixing bowl) and lighter teacups up top. To start, fill the top cup, a demitasse (hidden under the shade, right), with Amaco self-hardening clay. While the clay is still wet, press in a socket-and-cord unit from Ikea and a harp from Lowe's, an inch deep. Allow the clay harden for 24 hours. Glue the remaining elements together with a thin line of Super Glue gel, letting each piece dry for a minute before adhering the next. Wait a day for the lamp to set, then screw a standard shade to the harp's finial. You might find the shade at a garage sale, or at stores such as Ikea. The wiring of this whimsical creation doesn't require any drilling, because the cord runs behind the lamp instead of through it. Keep the cord flush against the base with a few pieces of electrical tape, and then position the lamp against a wall. The finished product can sit on a bedside table, where it adds a cheerful touch to the room.
TIP: Sandwiching saucers in between the teapots and cups gives the lamp added stability.
To see a more elegant version of the teacup lamp, click here.
