Customer Reviews

Making Great Lamps: 50 Illuminating Projects, Techniques & Ideas

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This is an absolutely wonderful book for any craft enthusiast and would make a great housewarming gift. The book is filled with beautiful color examples. For each project there are clear written instructions, a complete supply list, & before and after pictures.

First it takes you step by step with both text & photos on how to assemble & wire any lamp. Then it shows you how to build a lampshade from scratch. Types of light bulbs and how to pair a shade with a base are discussed.

Next, it explains how to make lamps out of common objects. In this section, one unusual one is made with tin cans, while another is created with gift boxes. However, my favorite was made out of a birdcage lined with paper.

How to transform an old, plain lamp into an extraordinary one is demonstrated. Many techniques including decoupage, beading, wrapping with plaster & the use of mosaic tiles are shown. My favorite was a ginger jar with a painted fish.

Lastly, making a lamp from scratch is detailed. My favorites here were a hanging lantern & gourd sconce. I also loved the fabric canister made of PVC pipe and cloth. The beautiful gallery, artists list and suppliers list were a great end to the book.

If you want to make lamps this book will not be much help.
This book has a few interesting ideas, however, on the whole it was a disappointment.
I bought the book because I want to make my own lamps...many of the projects call for starting out with a lamp in working condition, which is not what I expected as per the title of the book.

The projects that actually are about MAKING lamps refer you to the suppliers list on page 142.
THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM because that suppliers list is NOT in the book. Page 142 is the book's index. The suppliers list was omitted from the book. I contacted Lark Books, (the publisher), about this problem, and received an obnoxious and very unbusiness-like reply from Chris Winebrenner, Customer Service.

Having worked at a publishing company myself, I understand how mistakes like missing pages happen. I also understand that it's the publisher's responsibility fix the problem. Lark Books isn't
interested in fixing the problem so I have contacted Sterling Publishing (Lark's parent company) about the problem and have not heard back from them.

I'm sorry I wasted my money on this book and will not buy anything else that Lark publishes. I certainly do not hold Amazon responsible for missing pages.

On a happy note I also bought "Paper Illuminated" by Helen Hiebert. What a wonderful and informative book, much more than the title implies.

I am really just writing a follow-up to the last review . I have a copy of the book so I was able to check page 142 and mine does contain the Sources for Lampmaking Supplies (pg 144 is the Index). Mine is the 1st edition of the book so possibly the sources were omitted from a later printing or possibly the other reviewer received a defective copy.
This book has some beautiful lamps to make as well as a few odd ones depending on your taste. There are lamps made from such items as stacked books, stacked tin cans, gourds, vases, a coffeepot, a birdcage, flowerpots and one even made from steel colanders. If you can't find one you like you'll at least get some ideas.