LIFE AT THE COTTAGE

Friday, May 14, 2010

An Illuminating Experience





What do you see in the jumble of junk in the images above? 
One of the things the Yankee and I envisioned was a lamp—
patiently awaiting its creation.


As you might have guessed by now, we have amassed quite a collection
 of salvage bits and pieces during our many scouting trips
 through, and dismantling of, old houses, barns, and buildings, and from
our frequent visits to our favorite junk yards. 

The Yankee jokingly quips that our barns are virtual Cline's starter kits.  Truthfully,
 much of the goods have come from there—including the
chippy baluster above.

When the Yankee spotted it,sometime ago, he instantly foresaw
a lamp transformation in its future.


I'm quite fortunate to be married to a man who owns every tool ever invented. 
OK, so that's a slight exaggeration.  But, not much of one—
although the Yankee would say differently.

The drill press, pictured above, was instrumental in drilling the hole
necessary to house the electrical wiring for the lamp's cord and socket.


If the supply of tools around your house is not as abundant
as that of The Brambleberry Cottage, and you lack a drill press, a good quality 
hand drill will do—as long as it is one that will accommodate the extra long
 bit...in this case, 12".  Just be sure to adequately secure the piece to be drilled in a vice,
so it will not shift.


Once you have drilled the base of the piece you're using for your lamp,
you can proceed to the other steps involved in its construction.


This small brass base was another piece picked up at Cline's.  It was
originally chosen to be used as the base of a decorative, miniature birdhouse. 
That was not to be its destiny, however. 

The Yankee found it to be a perfect fit for the chippy baluster...
and the rest is history.


I choose a piece of vintage decorative molding from our
stash as a bit of embellishment for the base.


After cleaning all the components, each piece was given a dose of one of the two main staples for most of our current makeovers—Rust-oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze
spray paint and Deft satin finish lacquer.

I absolutely love the look these two products impart and, consequently, use them often.


In this case, the ORB spray paint was used on the brass base and
the Deft on the molding and baluster.


The same paint was also used on the decorative fitting connecting the baluster
with the electrical socket, the lamp harp, and the finial.  I felt that doing so
would give the lamp a more cohesive appearance.


While I was pulling together all those little details, the Yankee was
cutting the baluster base down to make it more pleasingly proportionate
for the piece we were creating.


I found this gorgeous beaded lamp shade, quite some time ago, at one of our
local thrift stores for only $5.00!  It was still in its factory wrapping and wore its
original price tag from one of my favorite retail stores—
T. J. Maxx Homegoods.   ; )

At the time, I purchased the shade with no specific project in mind,
but I was confident that it would be put to good use..
eventually.

Once all the pieces to the puzzle were in place...


a jumble of junk morphed into a thing of beauty.

Others' trash became our treasure!


This week, I would like to introduce Lynn of Tea Cup Stitches as a new blogger
and new Pink Saturday participant.  I was first introduced to the incredible 
creativity of this lady when I discovered her on eBay a few years ago, as I was starting up my own
eBay business.  She creates such beautiful home decor items. 

Please be sure to visit her and tell her you came by way of Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage.


Now, let's join Jane with this frugal makeover for Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
and Jessica for Favorite Things Friday.
Since we used some funky junk for this little creation, let's visit Donna for Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special.
I'll also be showing off this pretty pink shade at Beverly's for Pink Saturday.
I'm linking up with Debbie for her brand new Debbiedoos New Linky Party to show off the thrift store shade.
I think this metamorphosis qualifies for Susan's Metamorphosis Monday event and
my lovely DIY is perfect for Roeshel's DIY Show Off.

45 comments:

  1. That will make a pretty lamp. LOL it would go very nicely on my porch outside. Ya know you just gave me an idea. We've been looking at outdoor lamps that can take weather..at Lowes of course...but they're pricey. Wonder if we could take a pile of junk..as Jim would say...and build an outdoor lamp...hhhmmmmmm

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  2. Well, I can envision a lamp as well. Can't wait to see the finished project!
    Fondly,
    Ann
    @
    The Tattered Tassel

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  3. I see incredibly expensive (these days) workmanship, and wonder what quotidian Home Depot special replaced the railings...

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  4. The lamp looks absolutely fantastic! Its just amazing how all those odd bits and pieces came together to make such a wonderful piece.

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  5. Oh I love that lamp, if you ever want to unload it, send it my way! Great job!

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  6. Beautiful lamp! What a great transformation!

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  7. I REALLY enjoyed your tutorial! Especially about the cool new tools I've never seen before. So cool! I just love your new creation.

    Thanks for sharing it on SNS!
    FJ Donna

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  8. oooooh I am so excited! I have two old balusters waiting to be put to good use!!! my hubbie will be glad that they are not just collecting dust any more. Thanks for posting your GREAT idea :)

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  9. Thanks for the e-mail...LOVE your new er' old lamp! It's just so beautiful and has so much character! thanks for sharing and for linkin' up to FF!

    ps. I will for sure feature this one!

    Jane
    Finding Fabulous

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  10. Now this is one sweet lamp creation!!

    Great job!!

    HPS!!

    Debbie

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  11. Well, what a beauty!! I knew it was going to be good. I think it is amazing what one can envision from old worn out material.
    I love the finished product.
    Fondly,
    Ann
    @
    The Tattered Tassel

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  12. Nicely done, it is nice having a hubby with tools. Welcome to PS.

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  13. What a beautiful lamp! You did a spectacular job; love it! The whole thing turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing and Happy Pink Saturday to you.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  14. Oh Liz I'm having a GASP Moment! What a nice surprise and super sweet for you to mention me!! I am smiles from ear to ear :-)
    I am loving you and the Yankee and your collective creative minds! I truly enjoyed the journey of a gorgeous lamp from inspiration to final project! You must have flipped when you found that perfect base!
    I am your newest follower and will check in often!
    Thank you again - wishing you a weekend filled with treasure hunting!
    Lynn

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  15. Looks great! You did a wonderful job of turning "trash" into treasure! I would totally buy that lamp :0)

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  16. Good heavens that came out beautifully!!! Tell the YankeeI like his way with tools! I am going to show AG and get him moving....he will certainly have "hole press envy"!

    Really the lamp is a great example of re-envisioning the possibilities for our broken parts!

    Thanks for you stop over! I loved it....


    kelee

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  17. Hi..
    just wanted you to know..
    I've posted about your giveaway on my Blog..
    Mountain Mermaid
    http://mermaidlouie.blogspot.com
    warmest hugs..
    Loui♥

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  18. Wow, that's pretty neat! I enjoyed seeing the transformation. Great job!

    Jillian
    Bella Rosa Antiques

    PS. Thank you for stopping by my anniversary post and leaving a nice oomment!

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  19. Great proyect.
    Beautiful!!

    Hugs
    Charo

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  20. Well you know I already love this lamp, saw it the other day and I was in awwww of it. Thanks so much for participating in my first party....look forward to seeing you more in the future. Debbie

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  21. I love this lamp! I recently got my fathers old drill press. Now I just need an old balustrade. I would love you tear apart old buildings and have a stash like yours!

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  22. I'm soooo in love with this "COOL" lamp...awesome style!

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  23. Such a clever and creative girl. My heart is going pitty pat.

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  24. What an awesome buy and transformation! Amazing what a few "tools" can do for a piece!! Saw your post on Debbiedoos' party!!

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  25. That is gorgeous, I am so in love with the shade!!!

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  26. Amazing ~ Wonderful ~ Gorgeous ~ Beautiful ~ Clever!! I can't come up with enough adjectives!! What an awesome use of something that someone was foolish enough to throw away!!

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  27. Love this lamp!! The vintage shabby post with the upscale metal base and shade are just perfect! This is what style is all about today. Excellent!

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  28. It IS perfect for the DIY project parade! What a great idea and beautiful result! I LOVE it! Jealous of your finds and those tools! ;)

    Thanks for sharing!
    Roeshel

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  29. Terrific photos and an interesting lamp. Jane F.

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  30. Wow! What a fantastic lamp. I love it!

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  31. Wow, Liz! It looks fabulous, and the shade is gorgeous.

    Happy Pink Saturday.

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  32. What a wonderful creation! I love the lamp!!
    Blessings,
    Donna

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  33. Beautiful project! I love the mix of the rustic and the elegant. Gorgeous!

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  34. catiaporceddu@libero.itMay 21, 2010 at 11:37 AM

    sono una signora italiana e ammiro tantissimo il suo blog,è bellissimo, ricco di cse stupende.Anche io amo tanto il buon gusto e mi piacerebbe sapere dove posso trovare gli oggetti ch fotofrafate. Sarebbe così gentile da segnalarmi qualche negozio di oggetti inglesi, porcellane e altro chespedisce in Italia? Con simpatia Catia Porceddu Mi piacerebbe ricevere da parte sua una risposta, grazie.

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  35. LOVE the lamp! Can I get one too!?;) I wish we had some good flea markets around here.

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  36. Part way through, I skipped over the instructions, because we are not handy here. When I got to the final product, I was amazed. That's a beautiful lamp!

    I love the photos of the "stuff" in the salvage places, too.

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  37. Genius! How lucky are you to have a man that will junk with you. Mine is starting to come around. Could be lucky me!

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  38. That is fantastic! I was wondering how you drilled the hole for the wiring! Great work!

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  39. That's one of the coolest lamps I've seen in a long time. You couldn't have MADE a better shade to go with it too. Perfection !

    Lisa

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Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to comment.