This Little Light of Mine...

Do you remember the lamps that I bought on my thrift store shopping trip? Well, I decided that it was finally their time to shine (nice pun, huh?).

Although, I hadn't decided what I wanted to do with them yet: paint the base white, silver or keep it gold. With Kimi's recommendation, I went with white. It just seemed to match better with the crisp white duvet cover that our bed was sporting these days. Yes, the lamps are fully functional and in great condition. I even felt kind of guilty as I walked them down to be stored in our basement, but I knew that the revived lamps would look even better in the space.

So armed with my trusty tools, I got to work on makeover fit for Nate Berkus. Okay, maybe that is a stretch, but as my celebrity boyfriend, I knew that he would appreciate it.

Using a grocery bag, I cut a small slit in the bottom center of the bag and pushed the socket through the hole. I took small pieces of painter's tape to line the perimeter of the cap and cover the top of the lamp that was exposed. Taping always feels like the most unproductive part of the process, whether it be a small piece like these lamps or the walls of a room. I loathe doing it because it feels like a waste of time, but whenever I try to get away without doing it, I regret it. Since my mind was filled with visions of grandeur, I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Pulling the bag tight, I cut the handles off to create an "even" opening. Removing the handles made it much easier to tape the bag closed around the base.

Wasting Using a lot of tape, I secured the bag to the base. Because of the curvature of the lamp, ensuring that only the base was exposed proved to be quite challenging. I tried to create a cone shape with the tape. In my mind, this seemed like an easy task, but not so much...

I wasn't in love with the brown cord, but knowing that it would hang behind and blend in with our nightstands, I taped the end to prevent the white from spreading. I ended up putting the length of cord in another grocery bag to keep it clean during the painting process.

Now for my favorite part of the process - PAINTING! It is so rewarding to see new life given to an item with a simple coat of paint. In my experience, I have found that Rust-oleum has the best paint. Not only do they offer a HUUUUU-GE selection of colors, but they offer "Ultra Cover" for 2x the coverage! This cuts down on the number of cans and the number of coats. Plus, it seems like it is easier to prevent drips because it is easier to control the coverage. No, I am not being compensated for saying this, but I wish I was!

Anyways for this project, I used the Ultra Cover Primer and Semi-gloss White paint - 1 coat of each. Priming really helps to provide an even final coat. (Oh I almost forgot! I covered the socket with tape to avoid painting any electrical connectors. I didn't want to get through the whole process only to find out that I damaged the connectors by painting them!)

Another benefit of the Ultra Cover Rust-oleum Paint is the short dry time! I told you that I like to see quick results! I waited about 20 minutes in between coats and about 2 hours before I moved them inside. After peeling off the tape, I was ecstatic about the results...



BEFORE



AFTER



  The lamp matches our curtains perfectly and offers the perfect pop of color in our room. Next step: Artwork for above the bed.



Have you ever purchased an item from a garage sale, thrift store or even rescued it from the dumpster with hopes for a makeover? Do you think Nate Berkus would love my results?