I scooped it up and carried it home for a mere $7!
I couldn't wait to show my husband, Scott, when he walked in the door from work.
He stared at me in kind of a funny way.
He tiled his head to the side.
He said "Um... that's nice,Sweetie... I can imagine you have some kind of big plan for it, right?" Then he smiled at me the way he does when he's thinking I'm kind of nuts. That's why I love him.
Anyway, this brass and burgundy lamp had all of the makings of a shapely classic, it just didn't know it yet. I planned on making a metal finish like the one I put in my bedroom idea board:
Mercury Lamp: Pottery Barn, $259 (I don't think I would ever spend $259 on a lamp, I'm just not that kind of gal, but I do like it. a lot.)
I even practiced with two kinds of spray paint and came pretty close to that look, a very similar finish, but when I primed this baby that all changed. It looked so good in white that I lost my desire to do anything else with it, so I sprayed a nice coat of glossy white (rustoleum makes a line that has an upgraded sprayer, it went on super fine and left a perfect finish, not a single blob, smear or run!)
I found the shade at Target, I think they work quite well together. It's different than I planned, but I love it more than I imagined!
Can you believe that brassy and burgundy thing turned into this?? Spray paint, people! Love it!
I liked it so much I carried it around the house, trying it out in various places.
It's possible that I'm slightly neurotic.
I for sure want it to go in our bedroom, but I liked it on my (new!) black table in the living room too...
time for a trip back to the D.I. to find another one, maybe I'll do a blue one for my living room!
Wow, so cool! I love your house.
ReplyDeleteI only wish I had your mind. I would be like Scott when I saw that lamp. I don't see the potential that you see in things. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Isn't it amazing what spray paint can do? I too just completed a SA lamp makeover. Currently it is sitting in the living room but before that it was in the guest room. I even purchased two different shades from Target b/c I can't decide which one I like better. Check mine out if you are interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://mommatobug.blogspot.com/2010/06/wooden-lamp-makeover.html
-Desiree
Wow! What a difference a little paint makes... I love it! Might have to steal your bedroom board ideas too, I love the colors.
ReplyDeleteOodles and oodles of gushing over here Mindy! Love, love, love it!!! Is it possible for white to be a favorite color without sounding too boring? I think that lamp is perfection! Doesn't need a thing more. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, gals! Your comments all make me smile. And Holly, I think it's totally acceptable for white to be a favorite color... I choose white for lots of things and sometimes a nice clean crisp white can make me happier than any color. :)
ReplyDeleteI love it! It turned out so pretty!
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS! I love what you did with that -- it doesn't even look like the same light! And I have to say I LOVE a good PB knock off!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good - amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good - amazing.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love your "new" lamp. :-) I like transforming lamps, too.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so cute. I also have 2 little boys. :-)
Great find!
ReplyDeleteLove it! It turned out fabulous. I need to make time to go visit the DI.
ReplyDeletei really like your lamp. i bought 2 lamps at goodwill the other day to re-do! i REALLY REALLY want that mercury glass lamp from PB too!!!
ReplyDeletewhat paints did you experiment with that made it close to the PB one???
I love it! I had to do a double take at the "before" lamp because it looked so amazing afterward. :)
ReplyDeleteJessica, for the look of the mercury lamp I practiced on a few old spray paint cans, and other things I could find laying around. I did a primer coat, and then a shiny chrome coat and then a hammered nickel coat on the top while the chrome paint was still wet. It wasn't exact, but pretty close... good luck, I hope it works!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your nice comments and new friends for stopping by! I'm glad you all liked it as much as I did!
You can try silver leaf if you want a shiny silver surface like the mercury lamp. That is if you find another lamp that you want to tackle later on. I think this one looks great in white though.
ReplyDeleteHere is a lamp I transformed with silver leaf a while back if you want to see what I am referring to.
http://www.talesandtrials.com/2010/02/silver-leaf-lamp-tutorial.html
Oh, wait. This is the burgundy one. It is beautiful. Love the shade too. Your pics are amazing!!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I just found you and I love how you took a scary brass lamp and made it beautiful! I am definitely going to think about this next time I see a glaring brass staring at me!
ReplyDeleteI love how this turned out!!! I'd love to know where you got the shade - it's gorgeous. I have been coveting that exact same PB one too, but I'll never spend the money :)
ReplyDelete