18 - Light It Up

Lamp makeover time! My mom is cleaning out the house and getting rid of things. Another thing to load up in the car when I go back to NY, but one can never have enough lighting. These lights stand close to 19" from base to bulb and each come with a click wheel switch. Currently, they are a military blue with flecks of green. The lamps have sufficient wear, especially rust as they were used outside by the pool to help light up the tables at night. So this will be one of my DIY projects once I am back at school.

Once they are finished, I think these will be nice in my bedroom. I would like to have one by my bedside as a reading light, and use the other on my dressing table. I am thinking about painting them a brighter color and giving them a colorful shade. The question is do I mix the color of the bases or just play with color on the shades? I have never done anything this crafty before, but I am rather excited. After talking with Mom, we're going to sand and prime these babies before I head back to NY. Also, the padding on the bottom needs to be replaced, but that should be a piece of cake.

I found this informative DIY Lamp Shade at Teeny Blessings. Their step-by-step walk through seems simple enough, but I'll have to take it for a test drive to make a final verdict. It is recommended that a Type C (60 Watt Max) light bulb be used, but I am curious if they are available in compact fluorescent format. Along with up-cycling items for my apartment, I want to make them greener and friendlier for our environment. The final say-so on color scheme shall wait a little longer, but I am excited about this.