Did you catch the Trashed Tuesday piece on social media?  If you are new around here, we started a new series.  Every Tuesday, Deb and I take an item, that YOU (social media) voted on, for us to redo.  Check out last week’s project!  You had the choice between a vintage lamp base or an old flour canister this week.  The vintage lamp base won.  We used to do this every Tuesday when we owned our storefront and really enjoyed it.  So, why not bring a good thing back.  These are items that we are either going to donate or throw in the trash.  Or items that someone else threw away or dropped off at the thrift store.  Hopefully, it shows you a different way to look at things and sparks some creativity in your own items.

Deb picked up a vintage lamp.  I knew what I wanted her to do with it and said I wished we had two.  She then told me that there was another matching one at the thrift store and went back and grabbed it.  

Here is what we came up with.

Trashed Tuesday: What to do with a Vintage Lamp Base

Deb first started by removing everything down to the base:  the lampshade, light bulb, harp, and light socket.  She then grabbed a piece of scrap wood.  It was actually a leg from either a table or another small project she had leftover. And, she cut a small piece to hold a candle making her own candle cup to attach to the top.  You can actually buy them on Amazon so that you didn’t have to mess with it, which is what I would recommend.

After she added the candle cup, we used some Paint Deglosser on the metal to make sure the paint would stick.  And then we painted them each with Fusion Mineral Paint in Raw Silk because it is what we already had on hand.  I wanted to give them more of a warm tone, almost like wood. A heavy coat of wax in Rugger Brown did the trick to darken them up.  

I love how they turned out.  In fact, our fireplace is so large that I can picture about 3 more on each side.  ????  Wouldn’t that look so pretty with the entire mantel filled with them?  They were only $5 each so that is an inexpensive candlestick that look a lot more expensive than that.

What do you think?  

Other posts:  Fireplace Mantel / Fireplace Brick Project / Fireplace Insert / Television

Links to other items:  Green Winter Garland / Battery Candles / Brown Teddy Bear Pillows