my new lamp, my passion for wicker & part 2 of “duck egg”

I’ve come to believe that wicker may never go out of style and even if it does or it seems as if it comes and goes over a span of time, it really never goes out of style, it’s always there, we may not choose to pick it up and add it into our decor for various reasons, but in my opinion, it is an element that adds warmth and texture to any decor.

Some will say it looks too beachy or too summery. Maybe so…particularly if painted white or in a pastel tone. Others are of the opinion that wicker is too rustic and would only be at home in a fishing lodge or cabin setting. Again, maybe so…in fact; wicker if left in it’s natural unfinished state, will age beautifully and can take on a lovely rustic patina. Then there are those who wrinkle their noses and say the wicker is too country or it would only look good in a sun room or enclosed patio area.

So you see there are many opinions about wicker, but if all of the opinions above prove anything, it’s that wicker is versatile and proven to be at home in any decor.   Just like burlap, wicker adds texture and warmth to a room. Understand that I say this with the notion that it should be added in small doses or it will begin to take the form of one or more of the decor styles mentioned earlier.  However, if you are looking for that certain something to pull a room together, a natural element with texture is likely to do the job.  Adding wicker, burlap, jute or any other natural element is like comfort food for a room.

I spied these lamp shades at Pottery Barn a few weeks ago and thought they were so pretty and I bookmarked the page for future reference.  Now what I mean by “future reference” is simply code for meaning; “this is really pretty but I’ll never pay up to $70 for a lamp shade so save this for reference and maybe I’ll find something cheaper”

Do you use code language too?

Then just last week Riley and I went to lunch at our favorite pizza place up the road from us in Denton. Denton is the county seat and you know what that means? There’s a courthouse, that means there’s a square and of course that means there are a few fabulous antique malls.

And we did happen to go into one store that day….you’ll never guess what I found!

Yes!  I found a lovely wicker lamp shade.  Funny thing; I passed by it three times and never saw it.  Wanna know why? It was sitting high on a curio shelf.  It blended in and honestly when I did see it, I just sort of stared at it.  Probably speaking more code to myself…like; “do I have a lamp for that”, “should I get it”, “wonder how much it is”…and so on.  I finally snapped out of my after lunch carb coma, and reached up to grab it.

Still talking to myself, I looked it over once, then twice…”no damage”…”the lining is gross, wonder if I can take it out?” “only $10? I’ll take it”

The whole time I was in the antique mall I scanned the booths but not with a clear head.  No, instead I was planning and plotting.  Ideas were coming so fast I had trouble walking.  You know that feeling?  It’s when you just have to stop right where you are, even if it’s smack dab in the middle of the isle in a antique mall.

As it turned out, I had a plan before Riley and I got half way home.  In fact, she couldn’t drive fast enough…I figured out that I did indeed have a lamp that this wicker lamp shade would compliment just dandy and even better than that; I had something I could try my new  “duck egg”  paint on.  I was so pumped!

Once home, I removed the lining…yuck.  There really wasn’t anything wrong with it, but it just sort of looked old and junky, but not the good kind of junky.

See…it’s in great condition, no holes, no damage, no kidding!

and this is where I left you hanging in the last post.

I’ve heard that wasn’t very nice.  Sorry, had to finish primping for the big “ta-da”, and I needed to find the brand new can of clear coat that I know was purchase the last time I visited the paint isle in Home Depot.  For some reason it was no where to be found.  I decided I could live without the matte finish clear coat and just live with the flat chalky finish.  It only bothered me for a few hours and then I got over it.

Guess what?  I found the can of clear coat the next day. It was buried on my work bench in the garage.  There’s a proverb or a moral in that story somewhere.  Something about surrender…or maybe the one about tidyness

After it dried, I plopped that sweet little shade on it and fell in love.  Just so you know and so it goes on record, Riley said that it would look too beachy….what do you think?  The photo above is with the light off, but wouldn’t you know, it looks even better with the light on.

At this point I really don’t care if it does look beachy because I’m as happy as a clam!

Was it worth the wait?

Be sure to let me know.

peace.love.rust
Linking up & Sharing my style at:

Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Friday