Let There Be Light

I've recycled this post for Metamorphosis Monday with Susan of Between Naps On The Porch.

A neighbor recently passed away and her daughter held a garage sale after she cleaned out the house. I went by several times over the weekend as they were still putting out stuff from the storage shed. I found a few pieces of vintage glass but this little lamp was nowhere in sight. On Monday I was headed to work and I noticed a large pile of stuff put out on the curb for the trashman. Well Miss Opportunistic here wasn't going to let that trash pile go unpicked. A milk glass lamp caught my eye so I stopped and when I picked it up I noticed this little gem. This is the after picture. Who knows how many years it's been since this lamp was actually used but now it is shining brightly.

The next picture is as good as it gets for a before. I'm terrible about taking before photos. I just go excited and start going for the after. When I picked up the lamp I couldn't believe that the glass was intact, no breaks, chips or cracks at all. It was filthy and the wiring needed replaced but that was small stuff. I couldn't say the same for the milk glass lamp, it had a huge piece missing out of the base and only one piece was salvageable.

This is the lamp cleaned up and ready for assembly. I painted the metal parts an antique bronze. I felt this color was more suited to its age and dignity than shiny fake gold. The football lamp was intended to supply replacement parts but the socket was riveted together and I couldn't get at the wiring. Instead of spending 10 dollars on a replacement kit and another 10 dollars on a shade I thought I would save some money and buy a cheap lamp and use its innards instead. Well that didn't work out but the cheap lamp had a shade that was perfect for my lamp. I have quite the collection of spare lamps so I was able to scavenge the wiring and fitting from one of them and Viola! A new old lamp!