New Life for Mid-Century Lamp

It has been a busy and frustrating week - lots of things started but nothing finished. So I thought I would share a little project I did a few weeks ago.

When we bought our house last year, several odds and ends were left by the sellers. The basement had two pretty scary looking items - a plaid sofa bed and...

this charming lamp. Hard to believe that anyone would have bought this.

While learning about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint,  people suggested practicing on scraps of trim. Since I was thinking about painting glass and some other lamps left in the house, I decided to get crazy and see what I could do.

Still skeptical about non-traditional surfaces, I started by cleaning off years of grime with baby wipes.

I then painted the lamp with ASCP Chateau Gray.

I used a blow dryer to make the paint crackle.

Totally cool result. Looks like really old paint.

After waxing with ASCP Clear Wax, I applied the Dark Wax lightly everywhere and more heavily to the crevices to make them recede.

Wanting to try as many different techniques as possible, I colored some Clear Wax with ASCP Duck Egg Blue. 

I then applied that light blue wax on areas that I wanted to pop out - the little buttons and the raised portions.

On the right side the light is catching the blue and giving it a real glow. On the left side you might be able to see the blue without any additional light - really interesting effect.

I put the lamp in my little temporary setting with yard furniture. Since we will be starting the remodel soon, I have almost no furniture in the house.

I can sit in my bouncy chair and read my gardening book!

For anyone who has read this far ...

 I WILL GIVE  AWAY THE LAMP TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO CONTACTS ME.

Mid-Century Modern is not my style. But if it works for you, let me know. 

We will post in the comments when someone claims it.