the tale of bedside table crates & an upcycled lamp

Today's the day the blog comes out of unintentional hibernation. Botched projects, lingering cold viruses, new work schedules all took their toll on my creativity this winter. Thankfully, spring is here (so they say...) and I've got some lovely new upcycled projects to share with you!

First up, the woeful tale of a nightstand project for the hubster two years in the making. Spoiler alert: I get no brownie points for punctuality...

A couple years ago I stained two wooden crates from Michael's (bought with 40% off coupons of course ;) and gifted them to the hubster for his birthday. I lightly "weathered" them with the help of a hammer. Removed the bar code stickers with De-Solv-It. Then applied one coat of Weathered Oak Minwax wood finish. The plan was to stack them and create a Acadia-inspired weathered crabbing crate bedside table.

I photographed the transformation, but the finished project was left on my external drive waiting for the perfect lamp to accompany it. Sure there were plenty of lamps we liked, but not for a price that could be justified. The nitty gritty of working within our diy budget involves a lot of shopping around, comparing prices, and thrifting. I try to never add anything to our decor unless it has a purpose and we absolutely love it. It's a slow process. But the goal is always the same - to make a rental feel more like a home.

Anyway, last summer I bought a galvanized steel lantern from Target in hopes of turning it into the perfect lamp for the table crates. The hubster loved it, but upcylcing it into a lamp was a total flop. We tried a new weathering method that didn't turn out as planned and one of the glass panes broke in the process...a frustrating failure and we still had no lamp.

In preparation for our most recent move, I was rummaging through a box of stuff set aside for a garage sale and found my old college Pottery Barn desk lamp. A faded pale pink and with a wobbly base - it was desperately in need of some tlc. With a little super glue for the base and a new coat of paint - it would be perfect for the bedside table crates.

We chose Rustelum's Hammered Bronze spray paint to give it a textured finish. I wanted to keep some of it's modern appeal, so I carefully wrapped the cord and metal hinges in painters tape. Note: if you attempt this diy, don't forget to tape the underbelly of the light bulb area.

For the price of a can of spray paint and a tiny tube of super glue we have a like-new reading lamp reminiscent of those found in cozy libraries! The lamp's old world charm and modern accents pairs perfectly with the rustic wooden crates. Bonus: it's completely functional!

Next on the blog horizon - a flea market find that's been given a new life. Ah the beauty of paint!

P.S. Want to see what I'm up to between posts? Follow me on social media. Click on any of the media icons on the top right sidebar. I try to update them all, but I confess, Instagram is my favorite!