Lighting the way...

Do NOT buy lamps that
look like this, please.

Sometimes you get lucky enough that your Craigslist find is just perfect the way it is - no alterations needed. That's what happened with a pair of lamps I found for my guestroom. There are lamps aplenty posted on CL, but many are ginger jar 80's bad.

Be patient and don't expect to find the perfect item right away. On a Sunday during my search,  I traded emails back and forth with the seller. He was selling an entire living room of furniture for a house he had staged.  I was happy to buy a pair of lamps at his asking price of $25 each. They had all the characteristics I was looking for - tall, contemporary style, and white drum shades.
The espresso color worked, so I didn't even need to paint the bases. What? I don't get to paint?? Crap.
So, what did I do? I set them on their nightstands, plugged them in...and I was done. Sometimes it's as easy as that.

What I learned from this project:

1. Nothing.

2. Ok, actually, I learned I get a little disappointed when I don't need to alter a Craigslist find.

3. BUT WAIT...

After a year or so, I got the itch to give the room a little color jolt. I replaced the comforter and hung a photograph of some tulips over the bed and then thought it would be fun to repeat a bit of the coral-y pink from the photo in the lamp bases...so, I painted them (with a free sample courtesy of Valspar from Lowe's, btw). I also repainted a small dresser that was in another room and use it as a bedside table, but I'll save that for another post.

What I learned from this project:
1. The pink color paint required 3 coats to give me a nice smooth finish, since paints with red tones usually have less pigment and provide less coverage.
2. This pop of color really livens up the room.
3. I needed to alter my Craigslist find after all!