On one of my frequent trips to Lowe's I learned that in early to mid July they would be doing their annual lighting clearance event with serious discounts. I floated around the lighting aisle dreaming about the $90 lamps that I was hoping would get the big red sticker, they were perfect for my new bedroom. I waited....not so patiently for the sale to get closer. Finally, it arrived but I didn't make it. I was sick with a weird viral infection that caused extreme vertigo, dizziness and nausea which made it impossible to drive. My mom offered to take me but I really didn't even like riding in the car, it made me really sick so I passed. When I finally made it to Lowe's there were a few lights left, mine beloved (who had been marked down to $21) was long gone. *Sniff* Sniff*
The even sadder part was that I wasn't able to find anything I liked for less that $75 each, which was not in my budget. I knew that I wanted something different but wasn't sure what...So I thought long and hard and walked around Lowe's pondering. Then one, day I saw it:
This simple, $3 outdoor lantern was going to become our new bedside lights. I quickly picked up the rest of the supplies I needed and headed home to get started. Saying I was excited would be as much of an understatement as saying Mike "The Situation" is self centered.
Here was the transformation process entailed:
-Using wire cutters and pliers to remove a little piece below the swinging door to accommodate the cord.
-Cursing under my breath for 10 minutes when I cut my finger removing the little piece of metal.
-Using 87 rolls of blue painters tape to cover all the glass and opening. (Maybe not 87 rolls but it took a while)
-Applying 3 thin, even coats of spray paint. By the way, when I am spray painting anything I skip the $2 stuff and get the $4-$6 Valspar or Rustoleium.. You should too, all the cool kids are doing it....and it works better!
-Adding a candelabra kit that I bought at...you guessed it, Lowe's. I paired it with a set of CFL candelabra 60Watt bulbs that I picked up at Lowe's too. I like that they were brighter than a nightlight bulb that I feared I may be stuck with.
After I finished and switched it on the bare glass was WAY to bright! Our bedroom could have been mistaken for an airport landing strip so I needed to rectify that. I found some craft paper that kind of matched and went with it. I'm thinking about frosting them at some point.
After, a week or so I decided to hang them on scroll hooks and love the final product:
At, night they are the perfect amount of light so I am in love with them...big time!
Here is the budget breakdown:
2 Lanterns, $3 each
2 Candelabra kits $5.34
Spray Paint $4
2 Scroll Hooks $3.98
Pack CFL light bulbs $5.98
=$34.62
or $17.31 per lamp
