New Life for an Old Lamp

Hi Everyone!
It's time for another Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by the the ever-so-gracious and talented Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Please visit Susan to see her latest and to view the list of participants.

Thank you to the fabulous Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality for hosting another "Today's Thrifty Treasures" party! Visit her at http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/.
She just reached a very impressive 1000 Followers! Make sure and stop by and offer your congratulations, OK?

Now on to my latest:

Today I thought I’d share one of the simplest possible transformations. It’s inexpensive, involves only one step, and can make a HUGE difference.

Naturally, there’s a story involved. I noticed this rather forlorn-looking lamp on a sale table in an antique shop in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. It’s one of these places one finds open “by chance.” There’s hand-lettered sign on the front door. It suggests calling if you see something through the window that you find interesting.

I’ve dialed that number twice now. The first time, the owner returned my call a week later (days after I’d returned to Tennessee!). A year later, I tried again and she answered. She told me she “hoped” to be there around 10am the following day. I returned at the appointed hour, and she was open!




The lamp was reduced to $5, which I think qualifies as a steal of a deal. She said it had been owned by a wealthy lady, who’d had it made from a Majolica vase. Everything else from the estate had sold, except for this one piece. I strongly suspect that the lamp’s original shade (which supposedly had been custom made at considerable expense) had been a deterrent.



Now I’m always on the lookout for clean-lined, neutral-colored lamp shades and buy whenever I notice one I like (for the right price!) at estate sales, garage sales, retail shops, and thrift stores. Sometimes lamps work better with differently shaped shades, depending on where they’re located in the house. Anyway, I keep shades stockpiled so that, if a new lamp comes into the house, I can try it out with a variety of different sizes, shapes, and colors.



The one pictured seemed to show off the old lamp to its best advantage. It sits proudly now on a chest in the entry hall, always at the ready to greet visitors. I’m sure it’s pleased to have left behind the shame it endured in that quaint little shop, overlooked and scorned, being reduced again and again – waiting to be rescued.


I found other bargains there that day – I’ll tell you about them in a future post.
Do you think the lamp was a good buy at $5?

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