When we came across these aprons, made by Amy of nanaCompany, we couldn’t decide which one to feature, so we chose five! The fabrics and frills are bright and happy, just in time for spring. And honestly, what kitchen is complete without a tutu in it?!

We are very excited to bring you this tutorial in conjunction with Diana of Sämyii, a very creative crafter based in Italy. Diana puts her bright and fun spin on projects ranging from Panty Pouches (panty-shaped change purses) to adorable creature Moleskine covers. Today, Diana shares with us her tutorial for making a super cool lamp with hanging fruit charms. Diana notes that you can use any charm, but has chosen fruit for summer.
TIP: Change the hanging charms to match the season or your room decor!

If all goes as planned, your finished lamp will look like this:

Let’s get started!

Materials needed:
» Acrylic sheets
» Scissors
» Plastic fruits
» Invisible nylon thread/fishing line
» A cord light kit (available at your local hardware store for around $10)Step 1
Save this template to your computer. If you would like a bigger lamp, resize the image in a photo editing program. Print and cut out template.

Step 2
Using your template, cut 30 shapes out of the acrylic sheets.

Step 3
Start to assemble the pieces: the shapes have two pairs of matching corners, opposite diagonally (marked by the asterisks and arrows in the previous image). Fit together matching corners of the pieces, slowly “knotting” them together. There will be two different knots: the asterisk corners need 5 pieces to form the knot, and the arrow corners need 3 sheets to form the knot.

Step 4
Continue to assemble until you create a star, then fit in the remaining pieces in the same way.

Step 5
Continue until you create a sphere. Before completing the sphere, be sure to insert the light bulb end of the cord kit into the sphere.

Step 6
Cut as many lengths of nylon thread as pieces of fruit. The length of the thread can vary, depending on how high or low you want the fruit to hang. Tie a piece of nylon thread to the stalk of each piece of fruit.

Step 7
Make a slipknot at the other end of the thread.

Step 8
Hang the slipknot in a knot under the lamp. Continue to hang fruit in every knot of the lamp.

Voila!

We’d love to see your finished lamps! Photos of your completed projects can (and should!) be added to the craftershock Flickr photo pool!

Big thanks to Diana for sharing this tutorial with us! To see this and many more of her projects, check out her blog and Flickr photos. To purchase her goodies, head over to her Etsy shop.

Enjoy!

Pam Vale of Creative Potential makes beautiful jewelry. This pendant is one in a series of leaf-pressed designs that we just love. They are elegant yet simple, and the craftsmanship is excellent. You can purchase her jewelry through her Etsy shop and be sure to check out her blog.

We’re very excited to announce Craftershock & Awe, a monthly crafting contest coming your way soon. We will supply a list of craft supplies and a theme, and it’s up to you to create your best craft, representing the theme and using only the listed supplies.

More details and prize info coming soon!

We’re big fans of the wallets and bags that Patty of L & B Accessories creates. After sketching the fun designs, she recreates the image on her computer, sends it to an embroidery machine, and voila!

If you’d like to get your hands on one of her creations, check out her Esty shop!