Lamp love follow up...

Those of you who know me, know if you come to my house, there will be lamps--several lamps--on in every room. What can I say? I'm not an overhead light kind of girl. 

Remember these lamps from my great aunt and uncle? 

 

After months of searching, I came across shades I liked and I felt were the right size. Originally I had the lamps in my bedroom on the bedside tables, but the boys claimed they were too tall and didn't look right. I finally, for the most part, agreed with them. So now they rest on each side of the couch in the living room. 

The brass serves as a nice contrast with the blue couch (I need to tell you about that couch one day.) and shows up nicely against the wall.

Two or three Christmas breaks ago, I painted the room Shaker Beige by Benjamin Moore. I haven't regretted the soft, neutral color at all and really, wish I had gone a shade lighter. We don't have much natural light and the brighter color lightened up the space. 

Benjamin Moore Shaker Beige HC-45

The shades are from Ross and were only $8.00 each :-) Lowe's and Target are my two other favorite places for turning an old lamp into a new lamp.

Kathryn

Brass is back...

I'd never even heard of Bar Keeper's Friend...

...until I found an $8 tarnished brass tray that I couldn't leave behind. It was gorgeous, and I knew someone out there in the bloggersphere would have the information I needed to help me clean it up.

Before

One of the blogs I like is Dimples and Tangles. So I emailed Jennifer@Dimples and Tangles and asked her what to do with my tarnished tray. This cleaner was her suggestion. I found it at Lowe's. In texture, Bar Keeper's Friend is a little like Comet. It was really easy to use. I just followed the directions on the can, and I couldn't believe what happened. It worked!

After

I'm using a tray in almost every room of my house (a post for another day), and this one landed on my coffee table.

Azaleas from my yard 

If you have some brass that needs a face lift, try this cleaner. I would just do a small area first to test it out. But I am pleased with my results.

How do you feel about brass? Click on comments below and let me know.
Have a great weekend!!

Kathryn

A light topic...

I can't help it. I love lamps! A pair of lamps is more appealing to me than a pair of shoes. Now don't get me wrong. I like shoes, too. But lamps...that's where it's at for me.

Dining Room

Breakfast Room

Tall, skinny, short, chunky, silver, gold, new or old. They all work for me. I have lamps that I had to save up for and some that were just a few dollars. One of my favorite lamps cost $6 at a local thrift store. I spray painted it with Kilz spray primer and then added the apple green color I had been wanting in my red dining room. The lamp's shade is from Target. I looked online for something similar, but everything this large was well over $100. I felt pretty good about my $40 redo.

My most recent pair was given to me by my great aunt and uncle. I bet the lamps are 30 years old. They are really heavy brass and I love the contrast of the pretty curves and the square base. 

Now I just need to decide what room will value them the most. Bedroom or living room? 
I'm also not sure about the shades. Can't decide if black, white, or cream will work best. What do you think? Enjoy your Saturday!!

Kathryn