Brightening my Day

I thought it might be fitting to talk about light on the day we switch our clocks back an hour to get our sunrise a little earlier.  I have always been a daytime person but there are members of my family who hit their stride later in the day. It's just how we're wired.  (I know...bad pun)  I have a friend who keeps her place dimly lit and funtions very well.  That's not me!  Again, I'm on the other end of the spectum.  I need decent light to funtion well.  So I vowed, with this renovation, that I would make sure I had ample light every place that I planned to read, sew, write, craft, cook...pretty much everywhere.  Here are some of my attempts to fulfill that vow.

I picked this up at a yard sale.  (Yes, it goes without saying, a long time ago!  Like so much of my "stuff" it has been in that long line of "when-I-get-to-it" items.)   Well, last week I got tuit.

 After I bought the lamp, I was determined to find a globe that fit it.  I purchased this at an antique mall and then packed it safely away until I was ready for it.

I especially liked the swing arm that allows for flexibility without moving the entire lamp.

There was one problem.  This particular fixture required  a bulb with a gargantuan base.  But, that was not a big deal.  Turns out they make a converter piece that screws into the opening and allows one to use a standard light bulb.  Voila!

So now all that was needed was a can of spray paint.  (and a good scrubbing)
The variety in metallic spray paint seems to have diminished, at least at most hardware stores.  There's antique brass and then there is antique brass.  So I checked out the automotive supply store and found a color called Medium Driftwood Metallic.  It costs more than the standard variety, but when you don't want chrome or brass, I guess you have to pay for it.

My brother rewired it for me and it now lights up one corner of my living room.

The opposite corner is graced by this beauty.
I bought this one at a resale shop and had it home before I realized the pole had a little bend in it and another little issue where it connects to the base.  But, whatever, it's behind the couch.  I painted it Chrysler Bright Platinum, a color I obviously purchased at the automotive store.

It does what it was meant to do:  Looks graceful and elegant and throws a warm glow to that side of the living room.  (Not a place I choose for working or reading, so it's ok to let this one be strictly for ambiance.)   I know this looks like I have a really low ceiling the way the light is reflected.

I do have 9 1/2 ft. ceilings but I thought it looked prettier lit.

This lamp was also purchased a few years ago.  Lucky for me my taste in color hasn't changed over the last few years and I can still use some of the things I purchased back then.

I didn't care for the bright brass so I painted it a muted silver. 

I think this color is called Stainless Steel but don't hold me to that.  Things have been moving so fast lately that some things are a blur.

Now it's about picking a shade.  I bought this one for $1 at St. Vincent de Paul.  It is in really good condition but just not right for this lamp.

I bought this one on clearance at a local lighting store for a floor lamp upstairs.  Then I tried it on this lamp and liked it except for the color.

So I changed the color by spraying it black.

I saw this lampshade at Anthropologie and thought the frayed flowers might work here.  I think this might be a Winter day project so I won't hold up this post waiting for this to happen.

Here is a picture of Anthropologie's shade with the light on.  Not sure I would get this effect with a black shade and that's ok with me.  I prefer the unlit version.  Obviously some experimentation is on the agenda since I'm not sure I can duplicate this effect.

Can you hang in for one more lamp story?  I'll make this one short.  By the way, that's the shade in it's past life.

Obviously the fringe had to go.  Painting this one was really not an option so I chose to cover it.

I wanted to use burlap and I had this fringe that had all the right colors in it.  I really wanted this to work but ....I tried and ....it just wasn't cutting it.  So....

late one night I added some burlap flowers.  The next morning I decided I didn't like the fringe around the top.

I tried flipping it up and like it that way better.  I'm not sure if I'm finished with this one or not but I need to move on to other projects.

It looks pretty good with my burlap curtains.  Opps, I haven't talked about my burlap striped curtains yet.  Now, that will have to be my next post.

(PS.  I know some of you will notice this "final" picture was taken before the fringe was flipped up.  I tried to retake this shot but it's raining today and I can't get a decent photo.)

I am linking to:  No Minimalist Here