Botanic Bleu: Lamp Worth Keeping

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Sometimes when I actually look at something in my house with fresh eyes I begin questioning whether or not that something is worth keeping. Over time fabric edges fray, colors fade, glass chips, and metal discolors. There comes a point when objects need rejuvenation OR elimination.

The metal in this lamp was already discolored when I bought it used over twenty years ago at my favorite Salado, Texas store, Sir Wigglesworth. The beautiful glasswork made this lamp worth keeping then, but for years I've thought about painting the metal with a metallic paint.

However, I just was not sure how I could paint it without also getting paint on the glass, especially around the fine beaded metal ring. Visions of spray paint splatters all over the glass and ME kept me procrastinating the needed rejuvenation.

Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post.

Then.... Kim at Savvy Southern Style shared more details of removing red from her home in a post titled Can't Believe How Easy This Was, and a light bulb went off in my mind when I read about how she changed her breakfast light fixture from red to antique gold.

V O I L À.... Antique Gold Rub 'n Buff is applied by fingertips or a small paintbrush making it easy to apply the paint on hard-to-spray-paint items. I could hardly wait to try this on my lamp worth keeping with its beautiful glass details.

When I first started this project, I used my fingers to apply the paint, but got the paint on my manicured acrylic fingernails. Quelle horreurs! (What horrors!) I used a small tunafish can and a small watercolor paintbrush to finish the job.

My fingernails sighed. The paint washed off with soapy water.

The plastic tape with its elaborate fonts for the letter P (think P A R I S, as in France) fits snugly around the glass column and glass base making it so easy to paint the beaded ring and the base under the glass.

Just because you are painting something doesn't mean the protective tape has to be ugly run-of-the-mill duct tape. Live a little; use the fun tape.

The P plastic tape came from the dollar bin at Michaels a few years ago and makes lots of projects more fun. For this project the P tape adds a little bit of elegance, a little French élan (style, flair, verve, zest).

I need to add another coat of paint to the metal base under the glass which should not be a problem with the Rub 'n Buff Antique Gold paint and a small craft paintbrush.

Besides the ease of use, I like how the paint looks with a little texture on the metal surface.

After applying the paint and allowing it to dry, buffing the paint gives a little more sheen to the finish. Ah, yes, the beautiful ribbed glass base and column now have the metal base and trim they deserve.

Doesn't the antique gold paint go well with the gold-colored fabric electric cord and the brass wall plug cover?

The lamp worth keeping is a perfect size for the vanity in the guest half bath.

The pine cabinet that came with a broken marble top was another piece worth keeping and was rejuvenated with a cultured marble top with an ogee edge.

Now beautiful with its antique gold finish, the lamp deserves a fresh flower bouquet from my yard to keep it company. Hosta leaves, white snapdragons, white dianthus, blue sage, and a sprig of hiding dusty miller...

B E F O R E and A F T E R photos show the difference made by the Rub 'n Buff antique gold paint.

Rub 'n Buff {affiliate} is inexpensive, comes in several colors, and a tube covers 20 square feet.

Now that I know how easy it is to use this metallic paste, I'm thinking about other projects like handmade Christmas Ornaments, napkin rings, picture frames, candlesticks, ...

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