I like to think that I usually have a pretty good eye for detail but sometimes, I've got to admit that I'm completely oblivious.
Take this lamp, for example.
It's been on the counter in my kitchen for ten years. When I first brought him home from the darling little French store in the town next to ours, he was perfect. His cute yellow, red and white checked shade which matched his red comb.
That was ten years ago. Today, he's not as fabulous as he was...but there's still something about him that has repeatedly saved him from a one way trip to the Goodwill...although, for the life of me, looking at this photo, I'm not certain what it was.
Over the years, the early morning sun that streams into my East-facing kitchen (except for last week) has bleached the shade to the point that it's nearly pink and his multicolored paint has lost its place as my decorating style has evolved to something a little less...well...."realistic".
Every now and then, I'd notice him, standing on the counter, looking increasingly pathetic. A few months ago, I even thought that maybe I'd recover his shade. I removed the welting, got a phone call, made some dinner, life went on
and the formerly fabulous French rooster lamp sat on the island in my kitchen looking like this:
Kinda' sad...isn't it? I see him every day....several times a day. There, on the island, in the center of the busiest room in my house...and I paid no attention....until yesterday morning.
As I was packing up my chalk paint for a quick trip to Rockford to help my sister choose paint for a couple of rooms in her house and to visit my friend Ann to drop off a fabulous vintage trunk that I'm selling at Nellie's Barn Sale in a couple of weeks, he caught my attention.
I finally decided to do something about his steadily worsening condition.
I gave him a quick coat of Old White and left him on the island to dry.
As luck would have it, I stopped at my friend Christie's adorable store, Carter's Cottage Interiors in DeKalb on my way. I wanted to check out the beautiful 1920's crystal chandelier that she had for sale to use in a future project. I also ordered a couple of Dash and Albert rugs for my kitchen. While the chandelier was being taken down, I took advantage of the time to look around the store and I found this:
It's the perfect natural taupe linen shade with some crazy taupe cotton fringe in the drum shape that I knew that I wanted. Not to mention the fact that it saved me from having to find or make a new shade!
Last night when I got home, I sanded him very lightly to smooth the paint. I was careful not to sand through to the original color because I wanted him to be completely neutral.
I then brushed dark wax into the crevices and dry brushed a little white paint on top of the areas that I wanted to highlight. I finished the entire piece with clear wax.
This morning, as the early morning sunlight made its way into my kitchen, my rooster lamp was there to greet me only today, he seemed a little more happy.
I truly believe that if he could have crowed about his fancy new shade and paint job, he certainly would have...
Don't you think so?!
xo,
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Between Naps On The Porch
Whipperberry
