1950's Lamp Makeover

Whenever I 'stumble' upon a vintage item my first instinct is to just leave it alone. I'll do a little cleaning with mild soap and water or sometimes I'll polish the item. There are times when ya' just have to bite the bullet and totally change it.  As is the case with this lamp base and lamp shade. I found both of these separately and I've had them for a long time.
From the photos, you can see that someone tried to touch up the ivy on the lampshade so that when I tried to wash the white paint wiped away. I don't know what they were doing to the lamp base.

Both the shade and base are 1950's metal toleware and are not only sturdy they are still expensive to purchase - if you can find them. 

I needed to find a way to unite both pieces and try to keep a vintage feel. I decided upon oil rubbed bronze finish and a bit of copper.

Along the way!

I didn't like it! I loved it! The only thing I didn't love was the finish. It was not smooth. Because I added a clear top coat and it was HUMID! 

So... I took the lamp apart and sanded and gave it another coat.

And here is the "I Love It"  -  oil rubbed bronze paint with Spanish Copper Rub-n-Buff. 

I also painted the inside of the shade white.  

Shadow Box to Jewelry Storage Box

If you follow me - you'll notice that most of my jewelry displays are vintage stands not boxes for storage. I don't like opening boxes and digging through a mess of chains to find something. There is a drawback to displaying jewelry, like sterling silver - it tarnishes. So began my hunt for a glass top wooden box that I could use to store those more expensive pieces of jewelry and pieces that tarnish.

For months I hunted and no luck. I decided to make my own. I came up with this.

This is actually a shadow box I found at Michaels for $9.99. I sanded just a little and wiped down with a tack cloth. I then taped off the glass and the hinges with painters tape inside and out. I used a foam brush to paint. I used Home Decor Chalk Paint - Rich Black. Let it dry overnight then a little more sanding to give it a rustic and vintage look.

Originally I wanted to use a decal on the glass, however again I couldn't find one. So... I dug through my folder of stencils. I placed the stencil on the outside held in place with more painters tape. In hindsight, I think next time I will put the stencil inside. For this stencil, I used Cameo Rose Chalk Paint. It looks white in the picture but it's a soft pink. I purposely was not careful painting this - I wanted a vintage used look.

The final step - my I used automotive wax to even out and smooth any edges.

I added a velvet black display tray inside I purchased at a local flea market for $3.00. And the handle I found in my junk box. I use E600 glue and I don't know where or what it was on. 

For $12.99 I have my custom jewelry box.