Before & After: Lamp

My goal is to use as little moula as possible to make something as fabulous as possible. Case in point: my lamp project.

While taking out the trash a few months back (actually, Ben was putting the trash in the dumpster while I supervised from the car), I saw something sitting by the dumpster. My curiosity got the best of me and I jumped out to find out what this little treasure could be.

Lo and behold...it was a lamp! But not just any lamp: a free lamp. Unfortunately, my dear husband and I did not see eye to eye on this discovery...

Me: Just look at this beautiful lamp!

Ben: Why are you putting someone else's trash in our car?

Thankfully, in the end, Ben just sighed (after getting tired of hearing me shriek "please?! It's free!!" a hundred times) and let me bring home my new treasure.

Since the lamp was free, I decided to see if I could find a lampshade that was nearly as budget-friendly.

Sadly, after a month of searching (at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, J.C. Penny, Target, etc.) I could not find a single lampshade that fit both our budget and our style.

But then, just as I was about to cave and settle for a pitifully small, $17 drum shade from Target...I re-discovered Ikea's scratch-and-dent section! Much to my surprise, I found an enormous, black and white striped drum shade for just $2.75 - and there isn't even anything wrong with it! Can you believe it?! Two dollars and seventy-five cents!!! That definitely deserves three exclamation points! ;)

So, I snatched up the perfect lampshade and immediately went to work on my new-to-me lamp...

The lamp: BEFORE

The lamp: AFTER painting it with primer

My "new" lamp, with its new shade

A view of the guest room/study* with the lamp

A lovely bedside lamp for our guests**

So, have you been working on any free (or nearly free) projects?

*This room will be painted gray once I receive my free paint!

** The orange pillow cover was a recent purchase from West Elm. Ben suggested that instead of buying a pillow form, we should just fill it with the stuffing from an old "husband" (one of those pillows you rest against) we had lying around. He's pretty much a genius! :)

Our new lamp!

Finally, some pictures!

Ben and I totally lucked out in finding this gorgeous, modern lamp at TJMaxx for just $49! We love its neutral colors, gourd-shaped, textured base, and large, linen shade. It's just perfect for the end table in our living room!

View from the front

View from the back

View from the side

Overall view

So, what do you think? :)

Lamp Love

The lamp hunt is on!

If you refer to my previous post, you'll see the Peace Lily I gave my husband last year when he was sick. He loves it and so do I - but I just don't think it looks right next to the couch. I have been wanting to replace it with a large, modern lamp, but Ben (my husband) insisted on keeping his little plant friend there. Last night, I showed him how much better it would look by the entertainment stand and he finally saw the light (no pun intended). Thus began the great lamp search.

The lamps at Target are too traditional and the lamps at Walmart are much too small, but the lamps at Bed Bath and Beyond are juuuuuust right:

Rekha White Table Lamp

Black Chrome-Finish Ceramic Table Lamp

Polished Chrome-Finish Ceramic Table Lamp

Leandra Black Table Lamp

Contemporary Table Lamp

So, what do you think? A few of them might be a little too creamy since our couch and chair are already oatmeal colored. There's also a gorgoeus lamp at TJMAXX, but I don't have a picture of it.

Ben (my husband) and I are going shopping this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to show you all my new lamp next time I write a post!

Happy Friday!!