Going 'round the bend

I’m new to this woodworking thing, so I’m trying lots of different things (except joints), in the hope I can find something I’m actually good at.
So I’ve had a go at bending some wood.
Cut a beech offcut left over from the outdoor bench into thin(ish) strips (table saw would have been useful – where’s Father Christmas when you need him?).
First attempt I soaked overnight in the bath before bending around a big glass bowl thing we have, but there were too many gaps so that’s become scrap. I don’t think it was the wetness – rather not clamping carefully enough.
Next attempt I did without the water, with more glue, more careful clamping and that was better. It’s 3 strips together and the problem was laminating the cable in between. The “base” bit is half the size and went, well, err, perfectly – you really can’t tell it was 3 strips glued together, even up close and personal.
I’m not happy about the cable coming out the front like that, and now I need to build a lampshade that goes.
I decided against attempting to put a secret compartment in this piece.
(PS before you ask – the table it’s on is an old heirloom – I didn’t make it, but if you’ve seen my previous projects you could probably tell that!)