Crowd Notions

If you are going to be making your own lamp, then the best place to start is by choosing the base. Lamp bases can be almost anything. The only requirement is that you can drill a hole through it so that you have a place to hide the cord. Some people stick to objects that have the same basic shape of a normal lamp base like vases or pots. These items make good lamp bases if your shade is going to be large or heavy because they are also heavy. A sturdy base is essential to balance a large lamp shade. Other people get more creative with their lamp bases. For example, I had a college roommate who took old textbooks and arranged them in an untidy pile, then glued the stack together. Then she drilled a hole through the whole stack and used that as the base for a study lamp.