wire lampshade mobile

you've all read my statements that 'i see things differently'
and 'i never really use things the way they were intended to be used!', right?
i'm very into 'use what you have' decorating & crafting using 'everyday' elements.

one day in 2020 when i was bored outta' my skull here at home,
i looked at a stack of wire lampshades and wire domes in the corner of my studio,
 and just played around to see what i could DO with them.
they ended up as a giant kinetic sculpture / mobile hanging from my studio ceiling.
and i shared that version here on the blog.

since then, i've changed it up a bit, and added a new element that makes me smile.
wanna' see?

...continue reading for wire lampshade mobile part 2!

the photo above shows the mobile in its entirety.

here's a look at each element and how i embellished them:

this tiny curvy wire dome is over 20 years old!
i made it after being inspired by a quirky wire 'cagelet' created by Amy Powers,
a darling girl who is always inspiring others with her innovative crafts.

i've used this thing in SO many ways -
as a Christmas tree topper, over a nest, over a bowl filled with my sweet sweater pumpkins.
and now it hangs from my ceiling as the smallest element in my mobile.
it is so light that i was able to hang it with twine from a pushpin!
it is adorned with vintage glass beads from a broken necklace 
and a chain of square crystals from an old IKEA candle chandelier.

beside the tiny dome is a large fluted wire lampshade,
suspended from twine, tied to a chenille stem that is attached to the ceiling heater vent.
i painted some white ribbon with yellow stripes for the top of this shade,
then hung tiny crystals around the lower edge.

hanging from the middle of this is a large wire ring from a wire tomato cage...
suspended from twine that connects to the large shade's top.
(i added a yellow paper drink umbrella to the twine for a tropical touch)
the ring is adorned with thin strips of vintage ribbon and a central strand of crystals -
and three metallic bird tree ornaments, placed on the ring in a way that reminds me
of the birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland -
my grandpa Ward helped build that!

moving further to the right, there is a large cylinder lampshade.

adorned with three bands of vintage ribbon and small crystals around the bottom edge,
it also hangs from twine tied to a chenille stem that is secured to the heater vent.

beneath the cylinder lampshade, there is a large wire dome - 
one i made from a wire tomato cage years ago!
some large crystals hang from yellow rickrack trim in the center of the dome,
and more tiny crystals are placed around the bottom edge.
it hangs via twine from the top of the lampshade above it.

together, they make a fun and funky - and FREE! - piece of art that i enjoy.
at certain times of the year, the sun streams in another window to make the crystals sparkle
as the mobile spins and turns.

 

the whole 'sculpture' is constantly in motion,
because the air coming from the ceiling vent (heat, air conditioning, or house fan)
is *just* enough to make everything spin!

i shared the mobile in action in an Instagram reel:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deb (@debiwardkennedy)

would you try to turn wire lampshade frames into a mobile - or something else?!

links to previously related content:

wire lampshade mobile part 1

wire cagelet as tree topper

tomato cage dome

wire lampshade as a table 

wire lampshade Christmas tree

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