Sweater Surgery Light up Christmas tree inspired by The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life

Two of my favorite things, making decorations and lighting. Well, I was flipping though The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life and there were all sorts of cool lampshade and lamp base projects. I just got my front Christmas lights up (yup I did, and I'm not the first one in the hood either) so I have holiday lighting on the brain. I had just scored (aka garbage picked) a whole bunch of tomato cages that I planed on making yard Christmas trees out of and they look a lot like lamp shade frames. So you see where this is going?
My first question was what can I cover the framework with?

(insert Final Jeopardy music here)

A recycled sweater of course, that's what I cover everything with!

Off to the stash and I landed on one of the remnants of a sweater from one of the projects from Sweater Surgery. Oh and I should mention it's going into it's third printing! Whoo hoo!


I used just the sleeves to make this lace up the back shrug so I had the main body of the sweater left, perfect.
I stitched up the top (neck opening) and the sleeves.
I taped the top points of the tomato cage together and loosely taped the Christmas lights onto the tomato cage.
Then I slipped the sweater over the cage and poked the lights through the sweater.
A bow (plaid of course) was added to the top.

DISCLAIMER! If you try this- don't leave it on unattended, I will be watching mine closely as I am not sure how the lights will be with the sweater. I think these little lights should be totally safe but I have not safety tested all fiber contents of sweaters with tiny Christmas lights!

So do you want to light up your life and looking to craft of some shades and bases? Check out this idea and technique filled book:
The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life: 50 Custom Lampshades and Lamps
By
Judy Lake

From the Publisher:

They Call Her The Lampshade Lady When Judy Lake turns on a lamp, she doesn’t just light up a room, she brings it to life. And with her help, you can too. Turn those boring old lampshades into perfect accents for your home decor. If you can cut and glue, you can renew and revive old shades, dress up flea market fabrics, and transform inexpensive basic frames into inspired designs that complement your home, style, and personality. From nightlights to table and floor lamps, sconces, and even chandeliers, The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting Up Your Life will forever change the way you look at lampshades. The Lampshade Lady shows you the basics of construction and gives you the skills and confidence necessary to let your imagination run wild. Materials like vintage postcards, classic children’s books, baseball cards, heirloom photos, fabric, trim, and even simple embroidery thread produce surprising and delightful opportunities for creativity. From the stately Antique Map Shade to the charming Mama’s Pretty Apron Shade to the To-Die-For French Fabric Shade, these fifty projects are sure to make you look at every lampshade in your home as a chance to create and re-create–all without breaking your budget. Plus, you’ll learn how to make your own lamps out of even more thrifty finds like candlesticks, kerosene lamps, cowboy boots, and just about anything you can run a wire through. Discover how the Lampshade Lady’s designs and ideas really will light up your life.

It did mine!