New Life for an Old Lamp

Today’s picture features some old and new items from around the house, but is really all about the lamp.

This floor lamp is a used-but-new-to-me recent addition to our living room. 

Side bar:  Have you priced lighting options lately?  Wow, I was shocked to find that a small lamp at a discount store runs about $45, and a floor lamp: $125 to $200! And that’s not even for quality stuff.  What?  I wasn’t paying that much, since the lamp I wanted was going to be a second lamp for the living room, and not our primary lighting source.

Enter Volunteers of America.

Someone mention to me recently that the VOA in our area had some nice stuff and I should check it out.  Since I’m embracing my country roots of late and looking for more country/cottage/bungalow type furnishings for my redo of the house, I thought a visit to the VOA was a good idea.  Turns out it was!

I bought that lamp in the photo for $5.  That’s right: FIVE BUCKS! Shade and all.  What a find.  It was in great shape, but it had one defect that I was hoping my hubs could heal.  It did not have a three-way switch.

I luvs my mood lighting, what more can I say.

I thought hubs could fix this lamp for me, and I was right.  He’s not very mechanical, usually, but he’s done work with electrical dohickys in the past, so off to Lowe’s we went to get the three-way switch and the new three-way light bulb we would need to get this lamp humming.

In this picture you’re seeing the lamp before the new switch was installed.  I don’t have a picture of the lamp after installation, but have found that squinting as I look at this picture makes it possible to imagine the reduction in glare-value the three-way switch provided.  Is that what you call it when a lamp no longer gives off as much glare as it one did–“glare-value”? I dunno, but that’s what I’m going to call it.

Mind you, before the switch was replaced, that baby was beacon light in the harbor bright.  Whoa, so bright! Burn your retinas out bright. No kidding!

After the installation of that three-way switch, I was one happy camper, but there is one more thing I want to do with this lamp before I’m finished with it and that’s going to be my next DIY project.  I’m going to tear pages out of one of my books at home. I’ve pretty much decided which book it will be.  I’m going to take some of my favorite passages and paste them to the shade that came with this lamp.  I’m hoping it turns out the way I want it to, since the shade that is on it now is a nice one, but not something that I would say I am in love with, if you know what I mean.

It just needs a lil somethin’, somethin’ to make it perfect.

Other items in the picture are an old beat up chair I am planning to recover (DIY No. 3), my Valentine’s Day potted plant that I bought at Wegman’s for $3.99, and an old wooden hound that hubs bought when we were just pups ourselves.  He’s ugly, but loveable.  No, I’m not talking about hubs. He’s a lion in winter, but sexy as all get out.  Raaar!

Oh, and the throw my sister gave me for a Christmas gift.

Sooo warm on these bone-chilling nights in NEPA.

I’ve been loving the time I’ve spent thinking about decorating and DIY projects the last few weeks, and I’ve been less obsessed with food because of all the planning I’m doing.  I’ve lost 3 lbs in the last month, but probably 1 of those lbs was water weight.  Oh, well, I’ll take it!

Spring is only a few weeks away, and then we can all get outside and take a walk or hike a bit.  That will make a difference in my weight, I know, but for now I’m going to keep looking at my old worn out stuff as if it has potential, and keep dreaming about my next DIY project.

In other news:  I also bought two old Pyrex cooking dishes at the VOA. They are painted apple red on the outside.  Red is my favorite color.  I’ll have to share a picture here soon.  $3 for both of them. What a steal!!!

What have you found in unexpected places lately, and how did it make you feel to hold that treasure in your hands?  When did you come across a deal that you couldn’t resist?