Saving a Lamp... and money too.

We're pretty good here about recycling our "garbage".  We make sure that cans and tins are in the metals recycling box.  Paper is in the paper recycling box.  And...  and i think you get what I am saying.

What about things that you no longer love? 

A few years ago I would have bagged it up and dropped it off at the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Now...  I save it, thanks to what I've learned from my new decor blogging heroes.

Let's look at this OLD lamp.  I bought this lamp about 10 years ago.  It was actually a set of 4 (2 buffett, a floor lamp, and an accent lamp).  I've lived with them  the way they were for 10 years.  They were in storage and then they were moved all over the house.  Never quite happy of where they ended up.  They are not bad, but I didn't looove them.

Then I got a brilliant idea.

I spray painted the base black and added trim to the shade ( I used a smaller shade that I had, so I didn't ruin my matching ones).  A little better, but still not great.

Then I tried this one.

I changed the shade for a new-to-me shade from Goodwill that I bought a few weeks ago for 2 for $3.99.

I love this new look.  What do you think?  Isn't it amazing what a little spray paint and "new" shades can do.  Two new lamps for the hefty price of $3.99 (and what ever the cost of pray paint was).

I have two of these and they will be used in my bedroom.  I'm not ready to reveal my bedroom yet... soon, I promise.