"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." -Helen Keller

Sunday, July 18, 2010

I Think I {Rub} You & A Winner!


After
nearly 
six months
of
absorbing
blog inspirations

creativity
re-purposing
discovering
treasure-hunting
vintage
trash to treasure
I've
found
that it's all
rubbed off....
on
me!

I spotted
this gem
at an 
estate sale
recently.....
second day
find....
sixty percent
off!


Now,
if I had
a cabin
or hunting lodge,
fishing cottage
or 
rustic retreat
I probably
would have
loved
THIS:

{The deer show up even more with the light on.}

But

I

don't.

Nor was
I enamored
of 
the dirt
and dust
and tarnish!


What I
did love
was
THIS:


The brass
and the
sweet
little
lantern
that flickers
when turned
on.

So,
I pushed
up my sleeves
{just as you've
all taught me}
and brought
in the
tough guy.


As usual
when it
comes to
polishing,
it took us
twice as long
to get the 
job done
as I anticipated.

{And Brasso
isn't much
of a conversationalist!}

I replaced
the deer scene
metal shade
with this
lovely
that I purchased
from Pottery Barn
with
my giftcard win
from Urban Farmgirl.
{Thank you!}


Do  you like
 how it
all came
together?


Here it is,
cozily ensconced
in our 
family room.


And here
is the moment
I was
waiting for!


Speaking of
which,
I'd like to
announce 
the winner
of my
You are my Sunshine
giveaway:
{using Random.org}


Susan at
Hometown Girl

Congratulations
on winning a
$60 gift card
from CSN!

And a HUGE
thank you to all
who participated
and shared
your time
and
wonderful suggestions
for my new
powder room
light.

You
are
my
sunshine!

xx
Suzanne



33 comments:

Preppy Mama said...

I love how you lamp turned out!! What a treasure!!

Shelly said...

Suzanne, Great find on the lamp! And I love the shade you added! Looks great!

I've only recently stepped into the realm of Garage and Estate Sales...big fun when You find an item or two! I found a few goodies on Friday,,,Primarily Vintage dolls and Doll heads (posted on my blog.) I think it's rewarding to make something your own with someone's castoffs! (I'm turning into my Grandmother! HA!)

Thanks for sharing and congrats to your winner!

Hugs,
Shell

Sally@DivineDistractions said...

Great transformation, Suzanne. I think the PB shade is a great improvement over the themey one. Happy that you have crossed over to the dark side and joined all the other junkers out there. It's addictive!

Kathy's Red Door Welcome said...

Just another thing we have in common. I have that very lamp shade in my sunroom. I like it with your brass lamp base. Did you know that right now the lumbar pillow that matches that shade is on the unadvertised sale list when you call an order into the catalog. All you have to do is ask about it. It would be less than what you would pay in the store or online. Pretty cool, huh?

Kathy's Red Door Welcome said...

P.S. Congratulations to Hometown Girl...I simply adore her blog!

Kathysue said...

Suzanne you saw the treasure that this could be. I love, love it!! What a perfect addition to your home. Great find sweetie, Happy week!! Kathysue

Fearless Nester said...

Suzanne, you made that lamp into such a treasure! I just love the transformation. And so happy for Susan at Hometown Girl too, perfect timing for her bath redo! ~Lili

Julie said...

Congrats to your lucky winner!! And thanks for your generous bloggy sister spirit!
I LOVE the transformation. It is lovely and even more dreamy lit.
LOVE the creative spirit in you that comes out in your words and also in your projects! Thanks for sharing all the fun.

Beach House Living said...

Great shade choice. Now that your polishing skills have been finely honed to perfection. Let me introduce you to brands Wrights, Haggerty, and Weiman silver polish. Do feel free to come on over and polish away. Oh, did I mention you can pick which ever one talks more.

Linda said...

Your lamp turned out wonderfully, Suzanne! Congrats to the winner!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

GOOD MORNING DEAR FRIEND! Again, poetry in motion chez toi, and how I love taking a piece such as this, blogging on its journey to stardom in such a personal way, and then VOILÀ....the transformation! THE NEW SHADE IS PERFECT! And that flicker bulb...YES! That gives the ambiance that we are all looking for in the wee hours. Perfect re-do, and I must tell you, that TEA is so lovely. I am going right now to make a second cup!!!!!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY, Anita

hometown girl said...

your lamp looks beautiful! i love the shade, you did good! i can't believe that I WON! i have wanted a dutch oven for the longest time, yipeee!! thank you so much! susan

The Zhush said...

Congrats to you on your great find and congrats to the winner!

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Ooh I do love a re-purposing project!
Brilliant job, gorgeous shade - I love pottery barn, I have some fab grosgrain cushions I bought in San Fran years ago ~ they still raise admiring glances.

I am now planning atrip to London to get my Liberty and Anthropologie fixes!

Sarah x

Snappy Di said...

I'm all over that little heart in your first photo!

Di

Farmgirl Paints said...

Look at you. Love the new shade and that little bulb inside is so cool. Looks great:)

Everything Coastal said...

So impressed at your creativity! Turned out beautifully -

Caron

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Wow! The tranformation is fabulous. I'm an antique/junker from way back and I'm impressed with your creativity. I think that's the best part, being able to find a possibility in something and then making it our own and fabulous...and you did just that. Fabulous!

cityfarmer said...

I love it when you visit even while I'm away ... soooooo happy to have you in blogland ...

AND
happy
for
the
winner!

maybe next time ...

pretty pink tulips said...

Suzanne,
What a great find - and how impressive that you brought it back to life (and light!). Congrats to your winner!!

S- you are the real sunshine!!!

xoxo elizabeth

Jeanie said...

Love that shade -- may have to pay a visit to Pottery Barn to replace a not-so-nice shade I have. The lamp looks great --isn't Brasso the best?!

bBchronicles said...

Isn't is INTERESTING and FUN what BLOGLAND will do to the soul?!?! Look at you, using elbow-grease and Brasso AND I noticed all the photos were YOURS!!!!!!!!! I'm loving the Brasso-photo with the DOF - nice job, my friend!!!!! Keep up the great work. Now, I feel obligated to go out and FIND SOMETIME FUN to RESTORE - thanks to 'people like you'!!!!

Anne - Fiona and Twig said...

What a terrific find, Suzanne!
And your makeover is just *perfect*.

I just love how you phrased this post...it's so funny how the creativity and inspiration of others has rubbed off on me, too.
Isn't blogging the best? :-)

Love ya bunches!
Anne

Olive Cooper said...

This blog craft just runs into all sorts of areas. Yes? Well done Suzanne. Congrats to the winner. hugs♥olive

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

Looks fantastic!

Urban Farmgirl said...

LOVE the shade...so glad your gift card came in handy! ;o)

I've got another giveaway going on...are ya feeling lucky again? If you are, pop over for a visit and leave a comment. You never know, right??

~mary~

Seizing My Day said...

I love the little flicker of light...
one could get lost pondering little flickers of light... ;)

Vonda said...

Wow--Suzanne--You did that? How nice. I love the ambience of a cozy lamp. Don't you love looking at something your hands have transformed?

I can't wait to see your powderroom light!

Vonda

koralee said...

Yahooooo for Susan...one of my favourite sweeties!
Now you are sooooo clever my friend. You inspired me today..I am off on a wee holiday and will be looking for treasures to fill up my car.
Happy week sweet one. xoxo

traci said...

wow, you did a great job. that looks wonderful. i would have taken in the original way for the cabin, but your redo is just as beautiful.

Faded Highways Photo Journal Exploring the Old Highways of the South said...

What a great job on that lamp. The shade turned out fabulous. And it gives off a romantic glow too.

traci said...

i didn't notice this yesterday. congrats to susan. she deserves it. how exciting!!!!

Anonymous said...

I would like to exchange links with your site privetandholly.blogspot.com
Is this possible?