Time Travel Thursday #34 - A Table Chandy From Flea-Market Finds

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams

~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 34th Time Travel Thursday linky party at The Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects? Great!

The Yankee visited Texas in 2008, a month after

Hurricane Ike devastated the area.

While there, he decided to browse through some of the thrift stores and flea markets—

hoping to score a few fabulous finds.  He purchased this lamp for

a song because of the damage it incurred from the storm.

Unfortunately, it has been sitting in the barn untouched—along with numerous

other trash-to-treasure projects—while

we've been waiting for inspiration hit.

And, of course, while he was away, I was out searching for my own treasure.

I was delighted to discover this vintage chandelier—a mere $5.00—

at one of our local Habitat for Humanity stores.  Alas, it sat untouched for some time,

awaiting its own future transformation and debut.

During one of our many brainstorming sessions we discussed

the plethora of projects in need of our attention and decided to pull some of the miscellaneous pieces out of the barns—to see if

they could tell us what they wanted to be when they grew up.   ; )

We also toyed with the idea of using vintage silver plate

in some of our designs.

Years ago, I found a group of 1930s New England patterned forks and spoons—

in yet another thrift store—and had tucked them away for a future project. 

I retrieved them from storage and had the Yankee

cut the handles off a handful of them and

drill small holes in the ends.

We disassembled the lamp and chandelier and sprayed both with our

favorite Rust-Oleum paint color—Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Once the paint dried, I distressed the metal with sandpaper,

to bring out some of the ornate detail in the pieces.

We decided to marry the vintage chandelier to the lamp and the two became one. 

Then I "prettied it up" with some vintage crystals and

the revamped—and polished—silver plate.

I liked the somewhat offbeat vibe created by blending

the crystals and the silver pieces.

Note the highlights on the metal where I distressed the surface with sandpaper.

If you look at the first and second lamps—of the Yankee's design—

and compare them to my designs, back here and above, you'll understand the

dilemma I face in attempting to create a home where the rustic and

the refined, the prissy and the primitive live happily together.

But I'm quite thankful to report, those four lamps do not

all reside here at the cottage.

Our son greatly appreciates the artistic value of his dad's designs,

so he was gifted the two rusty metal lamps.

Our daughter fell in love with the table chandy, and as soon as I tweak

a few of the details—change out the gold wires for silver—

she will be gifted that one.

Whew!  That was a close call.

Had I been forced to keep all of those lamps together, in this tiny little cottage, 

I assure you the words "and they lived happily ever after" would not

have been my words of choice!   ; )

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.