THRIFT STORE LAMP TRANSFORMATION

I know these kind of before and afters are all over the internet, but for me they never get old!  Call me weird, but I get excited about seeing the possiblilties in what someone else thinks is junk!

During a quick run-through, I spotted this pair of lamps at the thrift store:

Aren't they beauties?  Ok, maybe not, but I saw the beauty hiding within!  They were still full price-$12.99 each- the day I saw them, which I did not want to pay.  If I had, by the time I got new shades for them and spent the money on supplies, I could have had 2 brand new lamps!  So, I walked away.  I had to wait a whole week for the next mark down day, when I knew they would be half price.  That week was torture, but I just knew no one else would want those ugly lamps.  :)

On markdown day, I was waiting at the door at opening time and made a beeline to the back and snatched up MY lamps!  I'd had a whole week to think about how I wanted to transform them, and here's what I came up with-

I knew I wanted them in the entry, and I thought a big shot of *green* would look great with the black dresser and doors.  I also love the color combo with my new clam shell arrangement. 

After a good cleaning and coat of primer, I sprayed a couple of coats of Rustoleum's Meadow Green.  They seemed like they needed a little more definition, but I'm such a visual person that I had to play around with my options.  I used Courtney's trick of painting tape and applied some Rub & Buff to painter's tape, cut it in narrow strips, and played around with options of where I wanted some gold detailing.

I used a small paintbrush and "Pure Gold" acrylic paint to paint the rings.  Not gonna sugar coat it, they took forever...like 2 1/2 nights while watching shows.  But, I think the extra touch was totally worth it!

As I mentioned in a previous post, the largest drum shade at Target was still a little too small, so after converting the Ikea Jara pendant shade to fit on a harp, I added some greek key ribbon to the bottom.  

Here's a little tip- If you want to add some trim to a shade but don't want to ruin the shade with hot glue, just add one little dab at the seam, and wrap your ribbon tightly around the shade. To finish, secure the loose end by putting one more drop of glue on the end that's already glued down, and press down the loose end.  You'll only have one little drop underneath if you ever want to change it down the road.  The sides of my shade are a bit sloped, so I also used 2 or 3 adhesive glue dots (found with the scrapbooking supplies)  around the bottom to keep the ribbon from slipping.  If I ever remove the ribbon they should come off without leaving any residue.

Just to get a feel of the size, here's a comparison shot with the lamps that I used to have here.  I still love them but have found another home for them.  I like the presence of the larger lamps in the space.

Now, I just need a great sale at RugsUSA so I can get a new entry rug.  That one is over 10 years old and has served it's time.
(Psst...after I wrote this post I discovered that RugsUSA IS having a great sale...there is a large group for 80% off!  I just might have made a purchase-stay tuned!)

All of the lamps in my son's and daughter's rooms are also thrifted transformations.  What about you?  Do you have a love of thrifted lamps?

*Edited to add:  Here's a photo with my new rug-

and I've since changed the trim on the lamps to this fabulous new greek key trim from Hobby Lobby.  Love it so much more!

  

Linking up with
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Home Stories A to Z
The Shabby Nest 

Thrifty Decor Chick Before and After Party
Our Fifth House
Primitive and Proper: Swap It Like It's Hot