Lamp Love Monday!

It's been awhile since I featured a lamp on the blog. I'd decided only to feature lamp posts (unintentional pun) when something really noteworthy came along, and then immediately went into a really dry spell, or perhaps with lamps you should say "dark spell," where nothing was really wow or fantastic. Nothing really lit my lamp, you could say. I also hadn't had a lot of time for vintage shopping this summer with the painting project, so I just let it go. 

But now! Take a look at this pole lamp!

This was the last photo I shot on my cell phone on my hurried way out the door of a local consignment shop two weekends ago. I pondered it with the last half second I had, and though I really, really love it? There's no place in my house for it. Believe me, I tried to justify it. I really did. And the best part? Thirty-five dollars. No really. I don't think that's bad at all for a vintage pole lamp. I hope it finds a home where there is someone who appreciates its charm!

Lamp Love: Seattle Finds

I am gradually getting around to all the little bits and pieces we picked up during our Seattle trip. It's fun to revisit that way when March seems already a distant memory. And since I haven't done a Lamp Love post in ages, I thought it was a good time to roll out this photo I snapped at the Seattle Antiques Market.

I've loved that place for a long time, though we didn't spend much time in it this trip. Grant is a history buff but doesn't necessarily share my love of old things. However, it had enough military antiques that he was willing to look a few minutes, so we ducked in to check it out.

These lamps stood out to me as really different from the usual in glass/crystal lamps, which tend to be a bit foofy and feminine. I know, because I have a boudoir set that's definitely in that camp. But these have classy, kind of Art Deco lines that sparkle but aren't fussy. I could definitely see these in a formal living room. And just as a bonus, check out those matching green mantel vases in the background. Sweet!

I'll be back sooner rather than later with another lamp link because (hides face in shame) I bought another set of lamps for the house. I'll let you in on the what and where as soon as I settle on a few other corresponding details.

In the mean time we're getting set up for a weekend of either a) spreading mulch or b) working on the bathroom, depending on sunshine or rain. I never know what to count on any more. It's been that kind of spring.

What's up for you this weekend?

The Other Half: Trimming a Lamp Shade

Hey everybody! After last Friday's half-post about my intentions to gussy up a plain lamp shade, I almost didn't get the second half done this weekend either, even though I promised.

After tons of wet, cold, even snowy weather in April, we finally had one of those stunning spring weekends--sunshine, mild temps, gentle breezes. We had to go the local Lowe's check out the outdoor stuff. After a dreary and long winter, we couldn't resist taking a few things home. Ben is going to try growing tomatoes in a pot this year:

And Joe insisted we bring home these lilies, because the color was "so cool." I agree:

But Sunday morning I had a bad case of First Day of Spring Garden Work-itis, sore muscles everywhere (hell-O abdominals) and decided that I could handle one indoor project.

Last Friday I showed you my 1960s era green ceramic genie lamp, with the shade that is just fine but could use a little something.

Just a few tools for this job-- hot glue gun, we meet again. 

When trimming a lamp shade, start at the seam, so all the least attractive parts of the lamp shade are all in one place and can be turned against the wall:

The key to doing this well is doing just an inch or two at a time. Don't spread hot glue around the entire shade and then start slapping on big lengths of trim. It doesn't work. Use as little glue as possible to make it work, so the braid doesn't end up soaked through with glue and embalmed in plastic (not a good look).

My cuticles and fingernails trashed by garden work: also not a good look. 

Looking nice, I think: 

At the seam, some people prefer to leave a short extra length and fold under. With some types of flat or thin trim, that will work. But this braided trim is a bit bulky, so I've chosen to cut it cleanly with the exact edge of the start, and butt the two ends together. It takes a little extra glue to get all the ends fastened down, but I think it's a relatively clean look:

After doing the top in the same way, it looks like this:

Here is the shade, in its habitat:

Now the before again:

And after:

To me, the trim not only made the shade seem less bare and plain, it also seemed to make the shade more balanced and in proportion in relation to the lamp as well. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm enjoying the improved effect.

I have one more lamp shade to cover in this living room, but I'm still thinking over the strategy for the unusual shape. It's for the little lamp at the other end of the sofa:

For me these projects take a little time to gel in my mind before I go forward. The last lamp shade took me two years to finish. I wonder how long this next one will take.

A Half Post About a Half Lampshade Project

I didn't start out intending to break a simple post about a simple lamp shade upgrade into two parts. It's really not that big of a deal. It was getting to it that was the hard part. One of those weeks where I find myself washing dishes at midnight, still wearing office clothes.

My living room is the least offensive room in the house in terms of what the previous owners did to it. That said, it still needs paint, curtains, some electrical, and art hung on the walls. But it's good enough, and has taken a back seat to rooms in worse shape.

I'm in pretty good shape with living room furniture, and that is the positive that earned this room back seat status. I have a good leather sofa, some vintage tables and credenza, and three vintage lamps. This genie style green lamp is probably my favorite of all the lighting I own.

I am smitten by its green glaze and curvy shape:

It's pretty tall, so finding a shade that worked with it was nearly impossible. I found a shape that worked but that was covered in those fussy grandma's house mini-pleats. I bought it anyway and cut the mini-pleats off. That left me with a plain white shade. Some spray adhesive and some cussing later, I had covered it with an unbleached muslin that had brown flecks in the weave:

I thought the natural, slightly rustic fabric was more in keeping with the lamp's era than a plain white tailored (or pleated) shade. That was about 2 years ago. But I always thought it looked a bit plain.

It needed braid trim, but nothing new looked right. So I waited. Then I happened upon just the right thing in enough yardage from Etsy.

The package was beautifully wrapped, but the inner six-year-old me got ahead of the camera-wielding blogger me:

Trust me, it was gorgeous. Bad, greedy, girl.

It's from a Bristol, England Etsy shop called Pouch, and you can hook up with the link right here. Pouch sells bags, pillows, adorable little stuffed animals, and vintage trims. While there were others trims that made me feel all crafty and want to order more, this was the one perfect for my lamp. Yes, restraint is hard:

......And this is where your half post ends, my blog friends. I am sorry. My durings and afters just didn't get shot. We are predicted to have a gorgeous weekend, which means lots of good lighting for photography projects. I'll be back on Monday with the afters.

In the meantime, I offer the consolation of spring, which has finally arrived in the Midwest (I think). Or at least in my front yard.

Have a great weekend!

Kitchen Revamp: Part III

This end of the kitchen, the eat-in area, has been done for awhile. It's been a lack of sunshine and good interior lighting that's held off this post, and at this point I'm ceding defeat, trying to take photos facing into a window. I wish I could have all my bloggy-babes in for a glass of wine and personal tour, because it's so much warmer, cheerful, and oh, so......1968 in this room. I guess in that case it would need to be chablis and a cheese ball with ritz crackers, right? 

Here's a tiny glimpse of before-ish (I'd already primed the muddy dark blue window wall):

Are here's another view slightly to the right of the first, below. 

The louvered double doors on the left lead down to the basement (or, as I like to think of it, ground zero of the worst craft supply and tool explosion ever.) That's a future post. The skinny door on the right is the Pantry Closet of Weird Smells. Yes, capitalization. That is also a future post. The dark edge of the far left of the picture is the doorway into the "formal" dining room, if "formal" is a word that can be used in any house that I live in. 

Our family dinners are lovely here. A round table is a democratic arrangement, a circle of family members rather than the more formal arrangement with the hierarchical head of a rectangular table. I'm a little sensitive to the ways in which we occupy our space, and this just feels right for this kitchen and for our family. I'm glad I took this table and chairs home with me. 

The one thing that doesn't really "fit" the 1960s vibe in here is the cupboard in the corner. I cherish it because it's from a family member, and they purchased it in 1949. It doesn't really "show" in the photos, but the red and black design painted on the glass are really drawn out by the bittersweet reds and dark outlines of the floral designs in the curtains. The cupboard also holds my chicken collection; I keep ceramic ones because I'm a frustrated chicken farmer. We'll take a tour of them in a future post too. (Notice how I've promised three future posts in this one? Sheesh, girl. Hush up already.)

The original lighting in this part of the kitchen is anybody's guess. When we moved in there was a gigantic, builder's grade white ceiling fan with big canister downlights. It was spectacularly ugly, and layered with dust and grime.

I found this light fixture with the lovely folks at OrWa Designs. Their Etsy site not only sells some pretty awesome interpretations of Midcentury Modern furniture, they also have an excellent eye for vintage light fixtures.

You'll notice in some of these shots it's hanging a bit higher than the conventionally advised 36 inches above the table top. That's because the work area of the kitchen is one step up from the eat in area, and hanging it that low meant standing in the other side of the kitchen and being able to peer down into the inside of the fixture, glaring bare light bulbs and all. So I decided that higher was better in this case.

There is not much wall space for art in this room, and really, the curtain fabric is so graphically strong it doesn't need much anyway. But in a sliver of space between the end of the cupboard run and the sliding glass door (which doesn't make much of an appearance in these photos because I don't want the yucky mauve screen porch paint to be spoiling my kitchen party) I tucked a couple of items:

My sister's little oil painting of a nuthatch seemed like just the thing. I'd been looking for a place to hang it where it wouldn't get lost on a huge wall, and where I would see it every day. The key hanger (wonky hooks and all) was originally hanging in the that spot when I moved in, but it was so grimy and tarnished it was green. I kinda think of it as so tacky it's cute, so I took Brasso and old rags to it, and found its shine again.

In one of the photos above you'll notice some botanical prints of apples hung to the right of the pantry door. They are special to me because they were literally the very first vintage thing I ever bought, with my own money, when I was just seventeen. They're chromolithographed pages from a U.S. Department of Agriculture reference book from the 1900s.

I hauled them around for years before I was old enough to hang them in my own home, and at that time I invested quite a bit in having them framed professionally. While the gilded wood frames seem a little 1990s to my 2013 eyes, at least I chose a relatively simple frame style, and I'm not going to mess with trying to update them.

The bowl on the table is a vintage find. It's big, sparkly, and green, and I love it.

Sometimes there's fresh fruit in it. Other times it's empty, and I'm debating what should go in it. It should be fun to find various things to feature-- shiny gold Christmas ornaments from thrift stores is a good possibility for the holiday. My youngest, Joe, voted for keeping it filled with M&Ms.

I've got one or two more smaller posts to wrap up the kitchen revamp reveal, and then it will be time to move on to other things. The upcoming weeks will not be good for home improvement progress--we've got a trip, some entertaining obligations, and some planning to do before we take our next steps in April. What are next steps? Planning some outdoor projects, and beginning some smaller scale cosmetic upgrades to the main floor bathroom. The latter will involve ridding the universe of another bit of mauve paint, which is only for the good of humanity. I'm looking forward to it.

Lamp Love Link: Pretty In Pink

Today's lamp is actually a find from back in October while on the Junk Jamboree shopping tour. I completely forgot about this photo, and it came in handy because I was just not seeing a lamp out there on the internet that was Lamp Love Link worthy. Isn't it cute? The price was cute too, so I hope it found a good home.  I also note the odd shade. I'm not sure if it is missing some fabric or fiberglass off the bottom wiring? Also, the wires you see sticking out of the top went up to a point in a sort of pyramid or cone shape. Again, I have no idea if it was intended to be a frame for additional shade, or if it was stand alone. Either way, the lamp had a lot going for it: cute, intriguing, pretty color, bargain price.

Lamp Love Link: Cool Roosters

A pair of black ceramic rooster lamps for sale on Etsy by PickersParadise.

This pair of lamps had me at hello. They are (duh) lamps, and I love lamps. They are roosters, and I collect chickens. They are cool because, just like Johnny Cash, they are dressed all in black. How could you go wrong?

Lamp Love Link: Unusual '50s Find

1950s lamp, by Ebay Seller Ladybelle917

We're just going to let this lamp speak for itself. It's unusual, got great lines, and the seller has attached a new, but period appropriate and shapely shade for it. Oh and its green, which of course gets my seal of approval.

Sigh. I still have no lamp buying excuse. It makes me sad. But self discipline is good, yes?

Lamp Love Link: Art Deco Shades

Mid-century is grand. But I like to pay tribute as often as I can to the far away beginning of that era, the late 1930s, when Art Deco still held sway. Since my house was built in 1939, I'm drawn to that time period.

From Etsy seller UpHome

This frosty blue pair are from Etsy seller UpHome. They are pretty, but the great graphic shape keeps them from being precious or cutesy. I see them in a tiled bathroom, a room with a beach-y theme, or even a baby's room (high shelf).

I'm feeling in a slump lately because I have no reason to purchase a lamp right now. No good reason, that is (pouts). But I have previous purchases that need shades, installation, or both. Time to get on that!

Lamp Love Link: Woodland Flowers

A pair of faux wood and floral ceramic lamps from Etsy seller VintageLancaster.

Maybe it's because I just got back from a hike in the sticks. But these lamps are speaking my language big time. 

I had a great time in Arkansas and it's beautiful country in the Ozark Mountains. But this trip saw a lot of rainwater in my boots and a bigger share of greenbriar thorns than any sane person cares to wrestle with. So maybe these lamps appealed because they're the pretty-as-a-picture Disney animated version of the great outdoors. 

Uh, and as far as I know, there's no such thing as blue dogwood blossoms either, but why be such a Debbie Botany Lesson Downer when these lamps look so good? Not me. 

Lamp Love Link: The Replacements

Glass light cover from lazydaysrelics on Etsy.

Even in a house with original light fixtures, there can be some tough decisions about what's worth saving and what's not. I've got some really nice ones. I've also got some simple upstairs hallway fixtures that were basic standard issue for their time (1940s), but have seen much better days. I notice one is cracked at the collar; I am not sure if it'll make it the next time I need to change a light bulb.

So, I've been hunting around. These simple, small, white and clear glass shades fit the bill and are mercifully inexpensive, compared to the thousands of dollars you can shell out for elaborate, rare, and sought-after vintage fixtures. Isn't this one cheerful and crisp looking? I love the Art Deco motif. Its modest size is also a big consideration for me. I do not have standard 8 ft. ceilings on the second story, so this pint-sized sweetie is appealing for that reason too. No head bonks.

This week's Lamp Love Link comes with an announcement about this blog feature. I've decided it will be published twice monthly, the second and fourth Wednesdays. As the blog approaches its first anniversary, I'm trying to figure out some basic scheduling to make this blog more predictable for readers, and also more predictable for me in managing content. I love lamps, but I think weekly links were saturating the blog a bit with one particular topic. Stay tuned for other tweaks as On the Doorstep gets ready for its first birthday (in November).

The bonus for this week's Lamp Love Link is for readers of a certain "vintage," who caught the reference in the post title. Let's hear it for the '80s!

Lamp Love Link: Mad for Plaid

I've been at it again. There may need to be an intervention. Or not. I'm not sure I want to be helped.

You may have caught me in previous posts referring to a basement TV den/study that was so many miles down on the project list I didn't think it would ever happen.

Maybe so. But I already bought lamps for it.

I found them on Etsy, and well. I just had to have them. The plaid design is in a wash-y blue, aqua, tan, and terra cotta color, with stripes in gold. Here's a closer look:

I think these need a strong color shade to max out the design on the bottom. Like gold, aqua, or even a medium brown. The fabric underneath is a clearance remnant I hope to use for toss pillows. I'm also working in this vintage office table that came home with me earlier this year:

And throw it together with lots of travel and cabin kitsch and brown leather:

What do you think?

Lamp Love Link: A Light in the Kitchen

Since I've been painting my kitchen, I've had kitchens on my mind, and so I had to pull a few of my favorite kitchen lighting related items currently for sale on Etsy.

Catch this fruity lamp at Etsy seller LookingForYesterday's shop here. 

Or this one is also great if you've got a Jadeite thing going on in your kitchen: 

This sweet thing is found on Etsy with Tinkerztreasures here.

There should be no worries that I'm changing my mind about kitchen lighting for my own place. I'm sticking with my first love, which is this beauty here: 

I picked up this beauty at OrWa Designs on Etsy. They've got smashing good taste in lighting (though perhaps the word 'smashing' shouldn't be used with lighting, but you get me), AND they make some great furniture pieces for Midcentury Modern lovers. 

Stay tuned for a kitchen painting update later today!

Lamp Love: Memories

This green and curvy number was snapped on one of my Georgia jaunts with my sister. There's a lot to like about this photo besides this lamp (it was one of a set). I like it because it shows a lamp to the left, a lamp right behind in the near background, and another three lamps in the far background. It was a cornucopia of second hand lighting! Over to the left background we have a pastel yellow-ware bowl waiting all by its lonesome, and a ceramic kitty surveying the whole scene with an air of pugnacious authority.

Best thing about this picture is not, um, pictured. It's a reminder of how much fun I have with my sister no matter what we're doing, whether it's stalking old lampshades in the wild or hiking a trail or drywalling (okay, that last part was not so fun. But it was more fun than doing it alone). Which is just proof that it's not so much what you do, as who you do it with. And my favorite person to do almost anything with is Dyan.

Lamp Love Link: Here, Fishy-Fishy!

One of these days, I'm going to type some weird search term combination into Google, and instead of sending me on my warped quest, my browser will show a pop-up message urging me to seek psychiatric help or a twelve-step program immediately.

Which kind of explains this week's Lamp Love Link. Sort of. Don't think about it, or my mental health, too much. Just enjoy the fischy-kitschy.

Double fish pottery lamp for sale on Etsy with parkestatecompany.

Haeger pottery fish lamp for sale on Etsy with VintageRevivalStudio

As an added bonus, the cultural reference to this post title. Yes, I'm a child of the 60's and 70's, so all the best stuff is from Ernie and Bert.