Hello, sweet friends! I’ve got a couple of easy makeovers to share today! I’m sharing what a difference it makes when you update thrift store lamps with paint, or any older, dated lamps, for that matter!
I only have two lamps in my booth at the moment, and I just love the soft lighting they add to my space, so I knew I wanted to redo a couple from this haul to take over.
Here are the two I chose:
The darker one was a steal at half off of $5.99 since all purple tags were half price at the Goodwill. The seahorse lamps had just been brought to the floor when I grabbed it up, but it was a bit more at $7.99. As expensive as lamps are these days, that was still a bargain!
I’ve included a few affiliate links, so you can find the products I love.
Clean
Like most makeovers, these two lamps started with a good cleaning with my go-to paint prep cleaner, White Lightning, mixing one TBSP into a half gallon of warm water. I like to use these terrycloth sponges for this job:
Be sure to swap your water out for clean water and give your project another wipe down to remove any residue. Gloves are recommended.
Thrift Store Lamp #1
I tackled the darker one first, giving it a total of three coats of Cotton by Dixie Belle. Here’s the second coat going on…
Once the paint was dry, I lightly sanded all over using a fine grit sanding sponge to smooth out the surface…
Just the lightest sanding will make your chalk painted surface buttery smooth.
I pondered whether to highlight the details with Gilding Wax or not, but in the end, I kept it simple.
To seal, I gave it a quick spray with Rustoleum clear satin spray.
Thrift Store Lamp #1 After
Here is how this one looks now!
I had this shade in my stash and it was just perfect for this lamp…
It was a thrift store find also for $5.99. I always grab shades when I see them in good shape like this one.
Although I chose not to highlight the details on this lamp, you can still see the beautiful design…
Simple and elegant!
Thrift Store Lamp #2
Here’s a reminder of how this one started:
It was so cute, but the dingy color wasn’t doing it any favors.
I cleaned this one as I was cleaning the first one, so it was ready for paint.
I chose a more suitable coastal color by mixing half Vintage Duck Egg Blue and half Fluff by Dixie Belle:
While I love Vintage Duck Egg Blue, I love it lightened up even more. I always keep a large Cotton or Fluff handy as I often lighten colors this way.
I easily could’ve gotten away with just one coat on this, but I always do two for solid coverage:
I chose to highlight those details with Best Dang Wax in White, applying it with the French Tip Brush to get into the details:
Then I used a soft cloth to remove the excess, leaving some in the details to highlight:
Best Dang Wax is a sealer, so the lamp base was complete!
Now for the shade. I didn’t love how small the original shade was:
I dug around in my stash of shades and found two larger ones that could possibly work:
And while they did look better, I didn’t love the color with this this pretty blue, so I found a third option!
Thrift Store Lamp #2 Reveal
How about this one?
This one kind of reminds me of a shell for some reason:
And it’s white, and I think that just works better! It was also a thrift store find for $6.99.
How cute is this lamp now?
The wax highlight is subtle but really adds to that coastal feel…
I like to have fun by adding transfers to shades, but these shades didn’t need anything added at all!
And that’s two quickie lamp makeovers! Plus, two more I can cross off the to-do list!
Want to see even more lamp makeover inspiration?
See twelve more thrifty lamp makeovers HERE!
I will not be working this weekend…I will be playing!! My sister’s youngest is graduating high school, and just as we did for Jack’s HS graduation in 2020 and her middle son’s in 2024, we will be spending the week with our family at a beach house about ten minutes up the road from me! My sister is coming from Wisconsin with her girls, and my brother is coming up from South Carolina with his daughter, and we are going to have a blast of a week here together!
I will still have something for y’all from the archives next week though AND my ETSY SHOP will still be open for business!
Have an amazing weekend, friends!
XOXO,
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Mary Kaiser says
Oh they turned out so fresh and beautiful! I use to have a cement bird bath like your sea horse. Those are going to be treasured in some so lucky persons home, I wish it could be mine! Have a really fun weekend with your family!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! I think the seahorse will be scooped up quick. And thank you…I’m looking forward to next week! XOXO
Jeanne says
The seahorse lamp was one of my favorite pieces from your haul so I’m glad it turned out exactly how I thought it would. 🙂
Christy says
Aww yay! I’m so glad you like it now…much more fitting with the style of it! XOXO
Cecilia says
Ha! I just knew the seahorse was going to be a beachy blue! Lol. It looks great and love the shade. It reminds me of a shell too, so a perfect pairing. I like how much cleaner the dark one looks too. It’s a good updated look! Enjoy your family time! I hope you have loads of fun.
😊Cecilia
PS
Got my order so I’ll be updating my dated piece! I’m going to try stripes!
Christy says
Ha ha yes! It was always meant to be blue! Thank you, my friend! Happy creating… you can’t go wrong with stripes!! XOXO
Janet Huey says
How do you fix rusty harps?
Christy says
Hi Janet! I would probably sand away the rust, and then spray paint it with Rustoleum in the tone that it is (shiny metallic, etc). XOXO
Cyndi says
Both of these turned out great! I love both transformations!
Christy says
Thank you, my friend! Quick and easy for the win! XOXO
Laura J. says
Love the seahorse lamp!!! The color & wax highlights are perfect, and the lovely lamp shade makes it stand taller & prouder!! The shade does remind me of a scallop seashell! The white lamp is also so pretty with all the details. You can never go wrong with white paint! Have a wonderful family week at the beach!😎
Christy says
Thank you, Laura! Yes, that lamp was always supposed to be blue ha ha and the shade was just right. It really is reminiscent of a scalloped seashell! And thanks… looking forward the week “away”! XOXO
lisa spencer says
That seahorse would be great in a bathroom!!!!
Christy says
Yes! Funny you say that because before I took it to my booth, I tested it to make sure it worked in our guest bath, and it looked so cute in there! XOXO
Marlene Stephenson says
Love the change you made. They look so much better than they did, especially that dark colored one.
Christy says
Thank you, Marlene! The simplest of changes really made a difference! XOXO
Jackie C says
I love it when you do lamps. They’re a smaller, simpler project, giving me ideas to do something easy. I don’t have a way to haul large items 🙁
Next week sounds wonderful for you and your family! Wishing safety, much happiness and fun for you all! ❤️
Christy says
Thank you, my friend! Many must share your thoughts because I get a great click through rate when I share lamps! They are a quick project anyone can do for sure! Looking forward to our getaway…a shark was spotted near our beach, so needless to say, I will NOT be going in the water lol! XOXO
Petra says
Oh my, they book look incredibly better. I’m a huge lamp user, I think it comes from my childhood, lamps make a room amazingly cosy 🩷🩷🩷
Christy says
Thank you, Petra! Me too…I love the soft light they add! XOXO
Trisha G says
I’m obsessed with the seahorse! He looks like he’s under a clam shell umbrella. 😍 You are so dang good at what you do!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Trisha! Yes, he sure does ha ha! XOXO
Caye says
Great job on both lamps! I won’t repeat what has been said about the seahorse color, lampshade shape, but I’m right there with y’all. Kudos, Christy.
Christy says
Thank you, Caye! Have a lovely weekend! XOXO