Monday, February 10, 2014

Revitalized Lamps

 
 

All this bedding from an estate sale!
 
 
At an estate sale, I found a hand-made blue and cream Country French toile bedspread set with two matching shams, curtains, two decorative pillows, a round table cover, an extra bolt of fabric, and three lampshades.  Two lampshades were smaller, so they needed a small lamp base. Since I needed a couple of small lamps for a bedroom table, the one I use as a desk, finding the entire set with the two smaller shades was serendipitous. 
 
The photo shows the larger lamp shade.  I found a cute bird base for it.
 



After searching for lamp bases in local stores with little success, I finally found two at an on-line trading site.  They would need painting, but I fancied the shape with its old world style.
 
The gold color seems original, but the aqua looks sprayed on.
 
The lamps had been painted an aqua color that faded to gold, probably the original color since the bottom was the same gold tone.  Judging by their heaviness, they could have been expensive when they were new.  However, the gold with the painted-on aqua had to go. I found a small container of paint, Sophisticated Finishes, that can be used on many surfaces, including metal, in a blackened, oiled-bronze color.  It matches the oiled bronze finish in my kitchen. 

One coat on one lamp.  It only took about a teaspoonful of paint!

I left a few tiny areas of the aqua showing, as if it were bronze on copper.  I purchased the bottle at Michael's, but you can also find the paint here: http://www.misterart.com/static/images/grouppix/210x280/2000/g2175.jpg
Isn't it beautiful?


 
A funny thing happened on my way to take the lamps upstairs: I did a kind of double take and noticed that one of these lamps would fit in my kitchen where I worked on my laptop.  Since the original lamps came with nice quality white, but somewhat dirty shades, I  gently scrubbed them with a toothbrush, using a hydrogen-peroxide and Dawn solution.  They came out beautifully white, so the original plan was dashed.  The lamp bases have been reunited with their original shades.  So, instead of using the lamps in the blue toile bedroom, one of my new lamps has a new home in the kitchen where it matches other oiled bronze fixtures.  The other one found a spot atop a guest room dresser.  Perfection.

 
 
Now to find some lamp bases for the toile shades in the bedroom.  Deja vu?



 
 

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