Fauxbulous Marble Lamp Makeover Part 2: The Lamp Gets a Shade

 The Find

From a previous post you might recall that earlier this year I found a table lamp (without a shade and with a large crack) and decided to repair it and revamp it with a fabulous faux finish (fauxbulous) inspired by marble and alabaster table lamps.

But of course, the refinished lamp needed a shade, and maybe another level of marble inspiration.....

The Makeover

I tried some different shades that I had in the house, along with random fabrics already in my possession.  Here are some examples of the fabric options I considered.

Dark fabric lampshade

Dark floral fabric option

Fish fabric fun

The coral pattern fabric had some of the same colors used in other parts of my living room. Seafood green is always a strong contender.

Seafood green and beige coral pattern fabric

The Liberty of London 'Hera' pattern was looking really really promising (because blue and white, obvi!)....

Lamp with Hera fabric option

...but I couldn't get the idea of a marbled-paper lampshade out of my mind (probably because I've been reading a lot of House & Garden UK).  So off to the fancy paper store I went. The in-store selection of decorative papers was wide, but there weren't any of the marbled pattern papers of the type that I *****really***** wanted - the kind where there is recognizable repeat pattern over the entire sheet but with subtle variation that comes from being handmade. In the end I settled for this lovely blue and white random marbled paper.  For less than $7 I was willing to take a chance.

Hand-made Marbled paper

I used double-sided tape around the top and bottom and at the vertical seam and pressed the paper to the outside of an existing shade.  I cut the paper a little taller than necessary in order to have over-hang on the bottom.  I then cut the excess off carefully with the razor blade (example photo below), this resulted in a neater edge.  (I should have done this on the top too instead of trying to cut the paper in a straight line before applying it. Live and learn!)

Careful cutting of paper with razor blade

Conclusion

I completed the marble on marble lamp experiment to general satisfaction.  I'm not 100% sold on the combination of that marbled paper with that faux-marble-finish base - but I like each component separately.  The cylindrical lampshade is plain white underneath, so I can always revert to that or remove the blue marbled paper and apply something new if the mood strikes.  Flexibility is the key to happiness!

Marbled paper on a marbled lamp on a granite counter

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to take some maximalist-style risks once in a while!

Fauxbulous Marble Makeover Part 1: Lamp Repair & Painting

 The Find

I found this discarded table lamp in the autumn (along with some others around the same time, maybe lamp season is a thing here too?).  I immediately liked the classical square column, sort of obelisk-y, shape because classical forms speak to my soul, never mind the giant crack across the body....

Brown column table lamp laying on blue towel

Close-up of the crack around the column

The Repair

Cracks can be filled! And filling the crack is what I set out to do, using some Goodfilla brand wood filler (not sponsored, just what I used) in a few layers to try to get the fill material as deep as possible.  I should also mention that I cleaned the entire piece and removed the electrical components.

Lamp body and wood filler

Close-up of the repair using wood filler

I fully acknowledge that the **right** way to fill this type of crack is to over-fill and then sand back.  However, I hate sanding, so I try to avoid it, thus I tried to fill to the surface level and then hoped that the paint and pattern brewing in my mind would fool the eye enough.

Repaired crack in the original lamp body

The Makeover

My inspiration came from alabaster and marble lamps, but of course I didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars, time for an experiment with fauxbulous finishing!  There are many online tutorials and videos about faux finishing, but the key concept is layering layering layering and some special sauce in the form of scumble.

Step 1 was, of course, primer.  I used Zinsser Bulls Eye Zero Primer For All Surfaces.  I've had this can for a few years and it comes in very handy.  I applied the primer with a brush.

primer

The first coat of primer highlighted the repair more than it obscured it.

Repaired area after first layer of primer

After a second coat of primer the base was looking more even, but I wasn't going for a full flat white primed based because the faux marble look is all about layers.

Repaired and primed

As my base color I used a paint sample I has on hand, Behr Etched Glass, probably mixed with something else that I can't remember right now.  I didn't want a stark stark white because in a natural material I would expect off-white and shades of gray to reflect varying mineral content.

Paint sample lid, Etched Glass

Below is a photo of the various paints I mixed together to achieve the different layers.  There are no set ratios, I just did it by eye. They included the sample of Etched Glass, a free half-used paint in the color 'Canvas' (a pale beige), and some Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron (an almost black but not true black).

Paints and glue

Let's talk about scumble. Scumble is the sort of background cloudy layer that will form the base of the more distinct veining that will be layered on later.  To achieve my scumble I used a mix of the paints to get a pale grey, maybe a pale grey-brown?   I dabbed it on with a piece of cut up sponge (shown with the yellow arrow in the photo below) and then dabbed the excess off with a rag (shown with the blue arrow in the photo).  It isn't complicated but you do need to work quickly so that the scumble layer stays faint.

Scumble on with the sponge, scumble off with the rag

Here is a different side with a fainter scumble.

Lamp with scumble layer of faux finish

After the faintest scumble, do another layer with a slightly darker color and less application overall.  If anything looks to straight-line just wipe it off quickly and start over.

Scumble variation on different sides

The veining is the last part, done with either the edge of a feather or a small paintbrush held very loosely in the hand.  Follow the general direction of the scumble, usually a diagonal, but keep a very fluid line.  Remember, you're mimicking geological uplifting and folding of layers of sedimentary rock, it's not going to be precise.  After finishing with the paints I decided to shellac the surface to protect the paint job, but this step is optional.

Below is a closeup of the bottom part of the lamp body after its repair and faux marble finish. Does the pattern distract enough from the repair?

Detail of fauxbulous finish on the lamp base

Conclusion Part 1

After all that fauxbulous painting it was time for a lie down.... with the other electrical components before being reassembled.

Lamp body with new faux marble finish and electrical components

Happy freestyling, why not give faux finishing a try? You might get some fauxbulous results!

Easy+lazy planter makeover

Freestyle Find

I found this round tapered vessel, and I think it's either a wastebasket or a planter.  It's wood (I think), which makes me lean towards a decorative wastebasket and not a "real" wastebasket that would be expected to hold wet things.  

wooden wastebasket

At any rate, it is the right size and shape for a plant cachepot, so that is what I decided it would be.

I found that the plastic top from a takeout container fit snugly (friction fit) inside the vessel an inch or so above the base.  

Inside the wastebasket with plastic lid insert

This serves the double purpose of catching water and raising up the functional bottom so that the plastic plant pot that I had would sit closer to the top and be easy to remove.

View Inside the wastebasket with plastic lid
and plant pot to test for fit.

Makeover

In order to make the greenery of a plant stand out I tend to use light or white cachepots, preferably ceramic, but there are a few plastic and metal ones floating about the place.  It is just easier to keep a consistent look that way.  Every time I'm tempted by some scrumptious talavera pottery, funky hand-thrown vessel with a unique glaze, or just something silly and fun from a discount store it is much easier to say 'no' to a purchase if I have a defined palette of allowable plant pots in the home.  So, in its original 'as found' state, this wastebasket-future-cachepot didn't match with there rest of the container garden. Could I have sanded the outside and revealed the lighter wood? Possibly.  Would that have been closer to the rest of the cachepots? Yes.  But do I like sanding? No.  I also had a paintbrush and samples out as part of an ongoing chair project, so this just seemed like the right time for an easy+lazy planter makeover.

 

I used one coat of this sample paint and applied it with a brush because I wanted to get paint into the small grooves running vertically along the outside.  The paint sample color is 'Light Drizzle' with a satin finish, it is a very pale blue.

Paint sample, Light Drizzle color

The first coat didn't give perfect coverage, but I left it like that..... it's cool because it is distressed. Right?

Not just because I didn't want to paint a second coat?

Outside after one coat of paint

Conclusion

I repotted a rubber plant (yes, that had been free too) into the new plastic planter, and placed it inside the newly painted cachepot.  Success!

Newly painted cachepot and new
(also free) rubber plant

Happy freestyling, and don't overlook the power of paint!

Free Frame Finds A New Look With Gold Metallic Wax

The Find

As promised, another example of using Antique Gold Rub 'n Buff - in this case to make over a free wooden frame that was set out on the curb.

Here is how it started....

wood frame, back side

wood frame, back corner detail

After removing the glass I used a piece of very fine sandpaper to lightly scuff up the surface of the frame. I'm not sure if this was totally necessary but the original wood seemed to have a bit of sheen and I didn't want any existing coating to interfere with the wax adhesion.

wood frame, sandpaper, tube of Rub 'n Buff

After sanding the frame and wiping it down to remove any dust I got to work on applying the Rub 'n Buff metallic wax to the wooden frame using a scrap from a rag. Here's how it turned out.

Frame after wax application, detail view

The wooden frame had some texture to to, and I decide to retain that slightly mottled look by not applying too many coats of RnB - which I could have done if I had wanted a uniform color surface.

Frame after wax application

Final product

I download an oil painting seascape from the Rijksmuseum using their free Rijksstudio art download options, such a great source for art! Then I resized and cropped the image in order to fit the frame and had it printed out via the Costco Photo site - you do not need a Costco membership to use their photo printing site.

Final product after gold wax on the frame and new artwork.

Happy freestyling! Don't overlook frames that might not match your decor, they can always be painted or waxed to give them a new look.

Tags: makeover; furniture makeover; frame; wooden frame; low cost artwork; metallic wax; rub 'n buff; Rijksmuseum; seascape; Dutch art

Old Lamp Slides Into New Life With Gold Metallic Wax

The Found Lamp

This bronze-tone desk lamp was in my stash from years- YEARS- ago. I was never sure if it worked because I didn't have the proper size lightbulb. I love the shape and size, so it just sat in a bag in the storage unit, waiting for destiny to unfold.

Desk lamp, before

Yes, that's right, normal lightbulbs don't fit into the elongated dome and it never occurred to be to shop around for a custom size lightbulb. Turns out I didn't need to shop around, I just needed to wait (years) until someone was throwing out old, dusty, but unused lightbulbs. I found this.

Tubular light bulb

The result is that I tested the lamp and it worked, as one always hopes a lamp does! 

Working lamp!

Next was the makeover, since the bronze color was juuuuust a bit too dull for my preference.  Also there were some pitted bits, a dent on the top, and some other signs of wear which gave it a bit of a tired appearance.  

Detail of rusting

Detail of dent on dome

Detail of spotting/pitting on base

The Lamp Makeover

It was around this time that I *finally* decided to try out Rub n' Buff (RnB), which according to the blogosphere can do miraculous makeovers on tired furniture pieces.  I also had to decide between two colors of RnB that came in my sample pack.  In a small area near the cord I tried one coat of 'Antique Gold' RnB vs. 'European Gold'. I could see that the Antique Gold is much more yellow, and the European Gold was a more copper-bronze color which was too close to the original and not bright enough.

The difference between Antique Gold (bottom) and 
European Gold (top)

The difference between the original color and the Antique Gold RnB was even more striking on the top of the elongated dome of the lamp.

Original vs. 1st coat

Here's the entire lamp after one coat of RnB, already lookin waaaaaay better and brighter.

Lamp after first coat all over

You can see that the rusting on the top square part was able to be covered by the RnB.

After, no more visible rust

Top of the lamp dome after one coat of RnB. There was also a learning curve in how to apply the product, it help to do one thin coat and then walk away in order to let it dry fully - if you try to apply more product too soon you will just end up wiping off the first coat!

After 1st coat, dome looking brighter

Detail of the lamp base

Final product!

The final made-over lamp after 3-ish coats of RnB looks so much bright and just more cheerful. I'm pleased with the way this turned out, easier than spray painting and a bit more shine than I've seen from gold paint.  Expect more Rub 'n Buff freestyle makeovers in future.

Desk lamp after makeover with
Antique Gold Rub 'n Buff

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to hold on to those useful little things. Minimalism doesn't always win over the practicality of knowing something will come in handy.

Tags: how to makeover a bronze lamp; bronze lamp makeover; rub n buff; using rubnbuff; using metallic wax to makeover a lamp; metallic wax on metal lamp; desk lamp makeover

Bonanza of Blue Patio Furniture

 The Furniture Finds

One two separate evening walks around the universe I came across a pair of blue patio chairs, and also a metal-frame loveseat with blue cushions.  All of these pieces had seen better days, and I'm guessing they had been sitting outside on a porch or patio for a bit.  But they all seemed intact (no loose legs or fabric rips) and ready to benefit from a good cleaning.

Blue chair pair (stacked)

Not feeling the love...seat

Loveseat, backside

The Cleaning

The two blue chairs were, despite a bit of dirt, in perfect condition. (Thank you curb givers!). So with a little soap + water + brush action they cleaned up nicely.

With the loveseat I was only able to wash the covers and the smaller (upper) cushions in a washing machine.  The seat cushions will have to wait until another solution presents itself, they will just stay as they are since the plan was to keep the piece outside anyway. But again, thank you curb givers for putting this out so it could find a new home.

The Conclusion

I have some friends who just bought a house and mentioned they were looking for patio furniture! 

What coincidence!  I realized that my limited patio space was best used for plants, not for lounge furniture (maybe if this were a large space - but it is not!).  So I offered up the blue beauties (and some orange and white pillows I had found and cleaned) and everyone was happy.

Look at this lovely setup!

Sitting pretty on a new covered porch.

Happy freestyling. Don't be afraid to take something, clean it or fix it up, and then offer it back up to the world as an act of kindness - someone will ALWAYS want it.