Save those Lamps!

It's time again for Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on The Porch.  It's Thanksgiving week already, can you believe it?  It's going to be a busy week for all of us, so today I will show you a quick change.  I know this party will be full of Christmas ideas and I will admit I have some things mentally planned, but in my house those boxes don't come out until the calendar says December! 

This is a good time to finish up some home decorating before you put up all your decorations.  Fancy decorations don't cover up unfinished projects or poor design.  So use this time for a quick project or two and your decorations will look that much better.  As I have mentioned several times, before we left NJ to move here to Florida, I sold most of my furniture on Craigslist.  I sold everything in my living room, 2 matching sofas, an area rug and my coffee and end tables.  The only thing that didn't sell were my lamps.

They were only a few years old and I had bought the pair at Home Goods for $80.  They were a nice quality but maybe the blue and floral design turned people off.  I, personally, think they were pretty!

I can't remember what I was asking for them.  I'm sure it wasn't much but I never got one call.  I decided to pack them up and move them.  As I expected, there really wasn't any place for them in my new house but we used them in our bedroom while we waited to buy new furniture.  After looking at some lighting for the rest of the house, I began to appreciate the quality of these lamps and decided to give them a little makeover.  After reading the advice of some DIY bloggers (this was before I was one of them!) I went to work.

  Using painter's tape I covered all the parts I didn't want to paint.  Make sure you do this carefully.  If you get paint on these parts, it's not coming off easily.  TIP: I always wrap up the cord and put it in a plastic bag and then tape the rest that leads to the base. 

  First, I used primer with a darker base and after a light coat had dried, I followed up with a few light coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze.

I didn't change the shades since I thought they went well with my decor but I could have tried something different.  I found the tassels on clearance at Bed, Bath and Beyond and thought they tied in nicely with my bedding.

The raised design is still visible and I think it adds a nice texture to the matte finish.

My master bedroom is still a work in progress but at least I won't have to buy new lamps!

Think twice before getting rid of a quality lamp. How many times do you turn your bedside lamps on and off?  This isn't the area to skimp on quality.  If you don't have an old lamp, there are plenty of them in thrift stores and Goodwill.  Just be sure to get a well made one.  These have 3 way switches which are essential in a bedroom. This is so easy to do as long as you take your time and follow all the steps.  I'm so glad my lamps didn't sell on Craigslist!

Please visit my sister at Creating Wonderful Spaces.   Make sure to come back next Monday when I will be having my first Giveaway (so will my sister!).  Here's a hint:: there's "bars" involved but it has nothing to do with drinking!  Leave me a comment if you want to share your tips for spraypainting a lamp, if you have a guess as to what the Giveaway will be, or if you just want to say hello!

I am also linking to Debbiedoo's Newbie Party.  Hope you stop by there too!