Lamp Revamp

So it all began with a spontaneous trip to a thrift store in Atlanta while visiting my sister. We had been antique shopping all day and decided to stop in a few thrift stores on our way to dinner that night. I'm so glad we did because I found this beautiful iron lamp, a needlepoint pillow, and a fabulous bench for $20 that is currently getting reupholstered- I can't wait to share that project! 

The iron lamp I found was bright purple, but I could clearly see the beautiful details and finished product so I had to buy it. It just goes to show that you never know what you'll find when you have a totally different vision for thrifted items. 

Here's what it looked like before. 

Now since I painted it with several coats of light gray paint, it looks so much more sophisticated and now it's ready to shine!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I'm sharing at The Shabby Nest, Liz Marie Blog, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, City Farmhouse, Kammy's Korner, and Redoux.

Lamp Revamp

I'm really starting to think that I have a lamp addiction. Recently I've bought several (okay, eight) new lamps for our house. I'm in the process of changing several things out for the new house and thought I should start with one of my favorite accessories first. Lamps can be really expensive, but all of the lamps that I found were really great deals!

I love mood lighting and ambiance, I have at least three to four lamps in every room. I love how they make a room feel warm and cozy without using an overhead light.  

 I found this lamp and loved the shape of the base, but I wasn't really crazy about the green speckled finish. So with several layers of paint later, I finally had it toned- down to a more neutral creamy-gray color that I love.

I'm sharing my lamp with Someday Crafts, The 36th Ave, Green Willow Pond, Savvy Southern Style, Clean and Scentsible, Rain on a Tin Roof, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Vintage Farmhouse, Common Ground, Too Much Time on my Hands, Tatertots and Jello, Primp, A Stroll Thru Life, Knick of Time, Cozy Little House, Coastal Charm, Three Mango Seeds, Vintage Gwen, Mod Vintage Life, Elizabeth & Co. , TwelveOEight, 504 Main, The Shabby Nest, Liz Marie, DIY Showoff, and The Farmhouse Porch.

Metal Basket Pendant Lights

Think outside the basket?

We are always told to think outside the box. Well it’s time to turn things upside down and think outside the basket.

Vintage industrial baskets can make great storage containers. They can hold just about anything and they look great just about anywhere. By turning metal baskets upside down- they make unique industrial lighting. Just like pendant lighting, this basket light will shed light on your work or counter space and bring real vintage charm to your home. 


I LOVE the industrial look of these lights. I can see them hanging in a kitchen over an island, over a dining table, and outside under a covered patio. There are so many places these lights could go.

I recently posted about Bucket Lighting Inspiration. I shared inspiration using upside down metal baskets and buckets repurposed into beautiful lighting. 

Now they are hanging pendant lights for sale in our store!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking to Common Ground, Finding Fabulous, Five Days Five Ways, One Artsy Mama, 504 Main, Redoux, The Shabby Nest, Simple Home Life, Kitchen Fun Crafty Party, Tatertots and Jello, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Whipperberry, The Rooster and The Hen, French Country Cottage and Funky Junk Interiors.

Bucket Lighting Inspiration

I went to my first Atlanta Market two weekends ago and LOVED the experience along with getting tons of beautiful inspiration and ideas. A trend I saw over and over again was industrial, vintage inspired, natural materials and so many repurposed pieces. I was in heaven looking at all the new products coming out! We had such a nonstop weekend "working" and buying, which is one of my favorite things about what I do. I'm looking forward to the next one in April. 

Making lighting from repurposed metal buckets is a huge trend this year. Here are some beautiful lighting inspiration and ideas that I saw all over the market stores! 

I'm obsessed with these lights! 

I also love these looks too.

Who would have thought buckets turned upside down would make such gorgeous lighting!?

I just can't get enough of this trend. I bought a few buckets like the ones in the very first photo. I plan on making pendant lights using them. I'll let you know how the finished product turns out.

Thanks for stopping by.

DIY Bottle Lamp

I love the large clear bottle lamps from Pottery Barn, but they're a little pricey for me {$210-$350 each}, so I decided to make my own for a lot less. {$40}

Inspiration Lamps

First find a large wine bottle or jug. I found mine in a basement at an estate sale.

The story: I decided to stop and look around at an estate sale not far from our store after a customer of mine told me they had great things. After walking through the entire house and basement with my hands full from all the great treasures, I found a whole closet full of old wine in these beautiful bright green and clear glass jugs for $3 each. I took advantage of this great find and grabbed 10 or more. People just kept eyeing me and asking me, "Your not going to drink that are you?" I said over and over again, "I'm not; I'm just using the empty bottles." They couldn't see past the nasty old wine in the bottles, all I was thinking was these bottles will make beautiful lamps and vases when I get them cleaned up! You never know what you’ll come across; I’m constantly on a search for great pieces to repurpose.

Next you will need a bottle lamp kit which you can purchase in any craft store or hardware store. You can find a cork in your bottle lamp kit which is to cover the opening of the wine bottle. Bottles in different sizes are also applicable to most bottle lamp kits. If not, have your local lighting or hardware store assist you in the parts you may need. I decided to run the cord from the socket instead of the base of the lamp, so I didn't have to drill a hole in the glass bottle. Finally find or buy a lampshade, harp and finial of your choice to finish off your bottle lamp, now it's ready to shine.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking up with House of Grace, Show and Share, Thrifty 101,

Stuff and Nonsense, Feathered Nest Friday, Meg and Mum, Common Ground,  

Thrifty Decorating, No Minimalist Here, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Southern Lovely, Girlish Whims, The Shabby Nest, The Shabby Creek, Very Merry Vintage Style, Primp, Wow me Wednesday at Gingersnap Crafts, Lil Luna, Clean and Sensible, Restore Interiors, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm, Tip Tuesday at Home Stories A to Z, Time to Shine, Thrifty Decor Chic, Trash to Treasure Tuesday, Nifty Thrifty Things, Liz Marie, and Not JUST a Housewife DIY Contest.

Converting a Tripod into a Lamp

I've been on the search for a {how- to} on converting a tripod into a lamp. I have an old telescope tripod base that I want to make into a floor lamp. So, in searching I found this creative idea from The Painted Hive. Kristine was very resourceful and created a lamp out of an old music stand. I just love this lamp!

Here's the HOW-TO:

First you'll need something
to form your lamp base:

{She found this stand for $6 on a thrifting adventure.}

And the following items are all available at any hardware store...

A lamp switch:

A power outlet head:

A length of power cable:

The steps….

1. She removed the sheet music holder from the top of the tripod which left a nice hollow shaft perfect for housing the power cable.

2. To securely attach the lamp switch to the tripod, she first inserted the plastic thread (which comes with the lamp switch as shown above) into the top of the shaft and glued it firmly in place (you can see what she meant by this in one of the following pics).

If your lamp base won't easily accommodate the plastic thread then put your thinking cap on for a way to make it work.

3. Once the glue dried, she inserted the power cable into the hollow shaft so it protruded from both ends.

4. She wired and attached the power outlet head to the end of the cable as per the packet instructions.

If you're lucky enough to have a lamp kit this step is already done for you.

5. She wired and attached the lamp switch to the top end of the cable as per the packet instructions and screwed it onto the glued-in thread.

Because the thread would only fit into the fat section at the top of the shaft, half of it was still visible once the head was attached (as can be seen above). She could have cut it down though instead decided to keep the extra length for greater stability and simply wrapped it in some twine as a camouflage.

6. She inserted a bulb, turned the power on and crossed her fingers...it worked!

 7. To finish she simply added a budget K-Mart linen shade.

Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a DIY lamp kit then this project gets a whole lot easier!

Sooo, from this:

BEFORE

To this:

 AFTER

I'm lovin' this lamp not only because of the repurpose, but because it can be easily adjusted for the height, and the splay can be altered to best suit it's chosen location.

Rarely have I seen industrial style tripod lamps like this selling for under $150, so for around $30 she spent on this re-invention, it's well worth it!