The Story of a Mom, a Wife a Small-Business-Owner-Hopeful (Happy Baby Designs) and a Craft Lover, trying to be present (not just exist) in my life with my children, my husband and myself. Follow along with me as I chronicle my crafting and business endeavors, my true life and some mommy moments along the way .


Monday, June 7, 2010

"New" Lamps

Remember these amazingly outdated brass lamps I got the other day at a church garage sale for $3 each?


With a little spray paint and a gorgeous new shade, I have turned them from brassy eye sores to beautifully chic!

Don't you just love it now? They are going in my soon-to-be-made-over living room/dining room. Since the room also doubles as a guest room, they will make great lamps for reading in bed!

I simply cleaned them and taped off the areas I didn't want to paint.


Then I started spray painting. I will recommend investing in a good paint sprayer. I got this one for about $6 at Lowe's and it is TOTALLY worth it. It will save you from ending up with cramped fingers and wrists. (If you buy this same one, put band-aids on your fingers first because I did end up with a blister, but with the band-aid, no problem).


Now I will say that I don't love this spray paint (Krylon H2O Latex). I had never used it before, but I liked the color so I gave it a try. Maybe it just didn't like the metal of the lamp (I'm not sure it's actual brass, maybe just metal), or it was too hot or humid that day, or maybe Jupiter wasn't in line with Mars. Who knows? Regardless, when I sprayed it, it kind of spit out the paint and it was really wet. I even primed the second lamp before painting it but it didn't make a difference.

It does look a lot better after it dried. You can't really tell in the finished product unless you look really closely, but I don't think I'll buy it again.

Now... let's talk about that shade! It's from the Liberty of London collection at Target (which I love!) that I found on sale for $12.58! Can you believe that? I love the bold, black and white flowers and I think it really updates the lamp. Can't wait to see them in the room after it's finished!

Don't you just love it now?


I'm linking to these fun parties:

Visit thecsiproject.comJoin us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party!
Decor MammaShow and Tell Friday at My Romantic HomeHookingupwithHoH
Beyond The Picket Fencegiveaways http://www.thethriftyhome.comPhotobucketShow and Tell Green
All Thingz Related
Twice Owned Tuesday at House of Grace http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
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35 comments:

  1. Cassie BustamanteJune 8, 2010 at 7:08 AM

    GORGEOUS!!! i love the color with the lampshade- they are perfect!

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  2. MelissaJune 8, 2010 at 7:36 AM

    It is a pretty color and I love the shade. I wonder if they are still for sale? I have a lamp that we are looking for a shade for....

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  3. Our Funny Little FamilyJune 8, 2010 at 7:46 AM

    So pretty!!! :)

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  4. JulieJune 8, 2010 at 7:49 AM

    Just did this recently in a color very close to that! & I love my paint can trigger, too!

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  5. ChrissyJune 8, 2010 at 8:18 AM

    Love the color! I just did brassy lamps too! What a difference it makes! And your shade is just awesome!

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  6. the cape on the cornerJune 8, 2010 at 10:01 AM

    looks great, love the bold color combo!

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  7. Kimberlee, The Spunky DivaJune 8, 2010 at 10:17 AM

    Those did turn out totally chic! It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do.

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  8. ShaunnaJune 8, 2010 at 3:52 PM

    LOVE that color and LOVE that shade! So thrifty, too! I'm so glad you found my blog and are enjoying it--that means a lot! So nice to meet you -shaunna :)

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  9. thegirlwiththeplanJune 8, 2010 at 3:54 PM

    I hopped over from Better After. Just had to comment because I think we are living the same life. I too am a "retired" social worker with a 3 and 1 year old, enjoying mothering and crafting and thrifting. Maybe we were friends in another life.
    Thanks for the beautiful blog

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  10. Papgena Made ItJune 8, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    amazing!!

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  11. Liz @ the Brambleberry CottageJune 8, 2010 at 10:23 PM

    The lamps look great! Projects like that are perfect to share on my Time Travel Thursday linky party.

    I would like to invite you to visit the cottage, and join in on all the fun for my three linky parties:

    ASK THE YANKEE - MONDAYS
    TIPS & TRICKS TUESDAY
    TIME TRAVEL THURSDAY

    You can get the details here:

    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2010/06/brambleberry-cottage-linky-party.html

    Hope to see ya there!
    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  12. AnonymousJune 9, 2010 at 11:33 AM

    WOW -- That looks like a million bucks. Your link caught my eye immediately -- so "high style". The color for the base is perfect and what a great shopper you are to find this shade. I love it! Thanks for linking to the Boardwalk Bragfest. This is a great "bragable"

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  13. Handbags*and*PigtailsJune 9, 2010 at 12:25 PM

    Love em! Great project, beautiful colors and the shades...perfection!
    Sarah
    HandbagsnPigtails.blogspot.com

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  14. UnknownJune 10, 2010 at 9:12 AM

    YES, I DO LOVE IT!!! hahaha :0) I just sprayed a lamp the same color for my living room redo! Like your shade a whole lot better though...and my lamp was a rooster :0) hehe

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  15. UnknownJune 10, 2010 at 12:18 PM

    Beautiful lamp! Love it!

    ~Chelsea

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  16. PamJune 10, 2010 at 1:38 PM

    I pass up brass lamps all the time, but not any more. Excellent redo! The color of the shade against the lamp base is way cool!

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  17. UnknownJune 10, 2010 at 2:55 PM

    Really nice...I have had good results with Krylon indoor/outdoor paint.
    I love the color you chose, and that lampshade was a real find!

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  18. KatieJune 10, 2010 at 11:19 PM

    I'm totally lusting after those lampshades and they pair perfectly with the redone lamps. Fantastic job! And thanks for the heads up on the paint. I was actually contemplating buying some of that brand the other day.

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  19. ErinJune 11, 2010 at 12:43 PM

    these are great!

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  20. LisascraftiquesJune 11, 2010 at 2:53 PM

    Beautiful Job! I love the color you chose for the lamp and the contrasting fabric on the shade:)

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  21. LauraJune 11, 2010 at 3:50 PM

    It looks gorgeous. And the shade it awesome...I can't believe how cheap it was. Great job!

    Laura @ alomg for the ride

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  22. BeckyJune 11, 2010 at 8:32 PM

    Cute lamps! I love the black/white contrast with the turq bases!

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  23. nest of posiesJune 11, 2010 at 11:03 PM

    i love the color combo as well.

    i have the wild print (orange & turquoise) liberty of london lamp shade for my ofice/craft room. but...i paid full price. but that's okay, i still love it.

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  24. Jen @ tatertotsandjello.comJune 11, 2010 at 11:46 PM

    I love it! I bought the quilt that matches that material. And I'm redoing my bedroom in that blue with the black and white. I love those colors together.

    Very cute!

    XOXO
    jen

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  25. SuzanneJune 12, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    Fabulous lamps -- love the colors and the fabric on the lamp shade!

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  26. AnonymousJune 12, 2010 at 9:57 AM

    What a fun project. And i thought I'd tried every kind of Krylon out there. Thanks for the tip on the sprayer and using a band-aid. Love the L of L lampshade you got for a song, too.

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  27. LauraJune 12, 2010 at 7:17 PM

    Love them!

    Thanks for linking up at Saturday is Crafty Day!
    Laura @ along for the ride

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  28. UnknownJune 14, 2010 at 3:23 PM

    Great transformation! Love that shade!
    Thanks for sharing @ Anything Related!
    {Rebekah}

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  29. Vintage Dutch GirlJune 30, 2010 at 3:49 PM

    Gorgeousness! AM LOVING the blue...I was already planning a lampshade redo on my bedside lamps but never thought to paint the bases. Off to the hardware store I go!

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  30. JennaeJuly 1, 2010 at 7:51 AM

    This is GORGEOUS! I have a can of blue spray paint, but couldn't decide what to do with it. Now I know! Thrift store lamp, here I come!

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  31. Thomas FaulkJuly 22, 2010 at 10:09 PM

    This is too funny. I have that VERY lamp scored from a thrift store. AND I redid it too. I painted it a gloss black with a Target shade too. What a crazy coincidence! I wish I had a good before pic, I want to subit it (and chairs, etc) to BetterAfter.

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  32. She's The Love of My LifeAugust 17, 2010 at 2:53 PM

    The lamps turned out so great. What a fun idea,

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  33. KarieAugust 17, 2010 at 4:53 PM

    Your lamp turned out cute. Love the color. And the shade. I don't like Krayola spray paint either. Never has worked for me. I do need one of those sprayers though. Thanks for sharing.

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  34. Jekka LaineAugust 19, 2010 at 9:05 AM

    I L-O-V-E this lamp. I want one! I'm going to start looking for a lamp to paint. I love the print on the lamp shade.

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  35. Serendipity Chic DesignMay 16, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    That makeover is like night and day! The colors combo you chose is so eclectic chic!

    Thanks for joining "Meet Me On Monday"

    Take care,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete

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