Inspire me please, you crafty lot!

Apollonia

bigmomma051204 wrote: »

Hi all... i need some help as i am extremely UN-crafty! Basically my little boy of 7yrs has FINALLY realised the joys of reading to himself - as i have always been a MEGA reader, i told him tales of how i would keep my bedside lamp on for hours reading and would then read under the covers with a torch etc LOL...... So, of course now HE wants to do the same! I have veto'ed the torch thing (how my poor eyes still work i shall never know!) but have told him i will get him a bedside lamp with his favourite characters on. Have just looked and A) nowhere seems to have lamps with the characters he likes on and anything slightly suitable is MEGA pricey!!!! SO... i have an old plain cream bedside lamp - how could i Jazz it up for him? Stickers look a bit tat IMHO and tend to come off with the heat of the bulb... help?!

You didn't say what the shade is made of but if it is safe to get it wet (or look for a cheap fabric shade to put on the lamp) then Dylon Image Maker might be good:

http://www.dylon.co.uk/product.php?alias=image-maker&products=product-info&alias-product=image-maker#instruction

But it seems to me that you've vetoed the torch because you think it'll damage his eyes? That's a myth and he won't cause damage reading by torch light.

The link below takes you to the British Medical Journal's "Medical Myths" article, where the following seven myths were investigated:

• People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
• We use only 10% of our brains
• Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
• Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, or coarser
• Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
• Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy
• Mobile phones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals.

http://www.bmj.com/content/335/7633/1288

So the 'wind-up' torch is probably the easiest and best mse solution.

meritaten

You can print off transfers of cartoon characters etc using special paper which you can then iron onto the lampshade.
or trace them and transfer them onto the lampshade using felt pens such as 'ProMarkers' - bit pricey but well worth the money for a professional finish.

rosie383

Sandollar wrote: »

What about a wind up torch?
I have one I keep in the car and another in the fuse box.
2 minutes winding gives 30 minutes of bright light. If you're still supervising teeth brushing you could be winding it while he bruses his teeth. This way you are teaching him how long to brush his teeth for and make him look forward to jump into bed. It would also serve as a timer for how long he can read for. If he falls asleep reading it doesn't matter as the torch will go out when the charge is gone and of course there is no worry if he outgrows his favourite characters.

hth

Can I ask where you got your torch? I am after one for reading, but the last one I had was rubbish and didn't hold its charge and was noisy to wind.

Sandollar_2

rosie383 wrote: »

Can I ask where you got your torch? I am after one for reading, but the last one I had was rubbish and didn't hold its charge and was noisy to wind.

I got mine maybe 5 or 6 years ago from QVC. I think I paid £10 for the 2 of them. They were definitely a good buy. The winding mechanism is smooth but there is a little whirring noise as you are winding it and they still hold a 30 min charge.

PixieDust

I don't honestly think that reading by torchlight damages eyes at all

How about getting him a good head torch, so he;s hands free (use rechargeable batteries - we do!), or in P0undl@nd they sell booklights and they also sell sheets of the button batteries so for two quid you could have a LOT of reading time )

Knitting_Nora

bigmomma051204 wrote: »

Hi all... i need some help as i am extremely UN-crafty! Basically my little boy of 7yrs has FINALLY realised the joys of reading to himself - as i have always been a MEGA reader, i told him tales of how i would keep my bedside lamp on for hours reading and would then read under the covers with a torch etc LOL...... So, of course now HE wants to do the same! I have veto'ed the torch thing (how my poor eyes still work i shall never know!) but have told him i will get him a bedside lamp with his favourite characters on. Have just looked and A) nowhere seems to have lamps with the characters he likes on and anything slightly suitable is MEGA pricey!!!! SO... i have an old plain cream bedside lamp - how could i Jazz it up for him? Stickers look a bit tat IMHO and tend to come off with the heat of the bulb... help?!

Wow, some really fab ideas already on here - mine's a bit more basic!

I was wondering whether you could simply stick pictures of the characters onto cardboard, cut them out (in your best Blue Peter style, of course), and hang them on thread, twine or whatever from the edges of the lampshade...a little like those cork hats...but, well, a lampshade...and unlike in this piccie, not a cake!!



Let us know what you eventually go with!

Nora.x

Pearla*Merle

Ooh, I like the cork hat-style idea!

If you wanted to cause yourself some real toil and trouble, then there is a great tutorial here, showing how to make a fox lamp, but it could easily be adapted to anything you wanted to make. It might be a bit pricey if you've not already got some crafty supplies lying about, but I figured I'd throw the idea out there anyway.

I'm not sure if you can get the same product over here that she used to make the fabric fox stiffen up, but I daresay there will be a fabric stiffener equivalent available in craft shops.

kalsha

rosie383 wrote: »

Can I ask where you got your torch? I am after one for reading, but the last one I had was rubbish and didn't hold its charge and was noisy to wind.

I bought mine from Wilkinson for £4.99 (or was it £3.99) this time last year. I also bought one from pound shop and that was not wind up but it had different mechanism - hold it in your hand and do pumping sort of action. Both are good. We took them on holiday to Africa and used them every single day! Back at home one is kept in the meter cupboard and the rest are on the bedside tables. Very useful and easy to windup.

spend_thrift

Get him to decorate the lampshade. Use wax crayons or fabric crayons (heat from the bulb will set them). He'll love being involved and will think the drawings are great because he did them. Very inexpensive and could be quite cute.