My Lamp Redo

I hate bronze lamps.  Really really REALLY don't like em.

My ex-mother-in-law went through a phase (before she was my ex....) - we got a pair of bronze lamps for Christmas .....

THREE years in a row.....  and then bronze floor lamps...... two years in a row......

And while I hate them, the thought of doing anything with them never crossed my mind.  They are kind of, well, utilitarian.....  They serve a purpose.  They're there..... 

After looking through all these wonderful blogs, I thought I would try to do SOMETHING with them. 

So, here's my attempt.  I'm not sure I'm 'sold' on them.  I mean - - they look good - a WHOLE lot better than they did, but I'm just not sure if I like them in my living room.  I'm thinking I might like them better if the bases looked more 'rusty' or something.  More of a brown base than the blue/gray.    The spraypaint I used was soo cool.  It's Rust-oleum, but I have NO IDEA what color it is.  There is no name on the can....  But it's like a deep blue-gray.  Some of the pictures just really don't show the color very well.  Anyway - - here we go....

Here is the before picture.  I really don't like the color of the shade either....  You can't tell in the picture, but it's just kind of a blah putty, tan, nothing kind of color.

And check out the bronze!!  It's even got some shading going on.  YUCK!!

Here's the paint I used.  (We live in a small town and our WalMart doesn't have much of a selection.)

Here's one of my lamps - finished.   I had taken lots of pictures showing how I did the lampshade, but it didn't turn out like I wanted, and it was angering me.......  So you only get to see the finished product of the shade, not the how to's of it. 

The picture is kinds of dark, so you can't really see the color.  It kind of looks blue here.

The next picture is pretty much how they look.  The paint was neat to work with.  It didn't take very

long to dry, either. 

Here's the other cover I did.  I think I like this one better than the red, but I just don't

have much blue in the room.  My mother-in-law made a quilt for me, and it has some trim on it

that is very close to this material.  So, I like it, but I'm still not sure if the room all goes together.

Thanks for looking!!  Comments are always welcome!!

Hugs ~~ Suz

Cancer.Sucks.

I KNOW that Cancer Sucks.  I've lost enough important people in my life to one form or another of this horrible disease.   While it comes in different forms, the bottom line - Cancer.Sucks.Completely.

In highschool, my BFF's mom passed away right before Christmas, our senior year.  I don't know what 'kind' she had, just that it was in her liver and intestines and kidneys and, well, everywhere.  I didn't get to tell her goodbye or tell her how much I loved her. 

Within 2 weeks, my boyfriend (who is now my exhusband)'s grandpa passed away.  Bone Cancer.

Five years later his grandma passed away.  Started out as Breast Cancer - I guess they didn't catch it in time or didn't get it all with the mastectomy they performed.  Ended up with bone cancer that they found when she fell and broke her hip.

Four years later, my Aunt Doris passed away.  Cancer in her liver.  Five months later, my mom's BFF passed away from 2 inoperable brain tumors (only knew about them for 6 weeks).

Six years later, my brother Dave found out he had Multiple Myeloma (Cancer of mature stem cells).  I believe when they found it, he was stage 4.  He was 47 or 48 when they found it.  They only gave him 6 months.  He tried some experimental treatments and lived 4 1/2 years.  He passed 2/2/04

Two and a half months after Dave passed, when my Daddy was 75, he found out he had Multiple Myeloma.  Very Very Early stages.  The doctor told him he would die from old age before he would die from the cancer.  He passed away 4 years ago today at the age of 77.  He didn't die from cancer, he died from complications with pnemonia and from being in the hospital for a long time and not getting out of bed (his bones were weak and he had a tumor in his spine that grew and cut off the nerves so he lost his ability to walk.  My daddy loved me very much.  A week or so before he passed, I had a very good visit with him.  Oh, how I wish I could go back to that day.  A couple of days later, he coded.  The very last thing he ever said to me, when I asked him how he was feeling, was "like shit".  I miss him. so. much.

A year and a half later, my father-in-law passed.  Cancer.  He had battled a few different kinds.  It was so hard to go through that again so soon after daddy.  I miss my father-in-law, too.  I loved his sense of humor and miss that.  My hubby's sense of humor is close, and that's a good thing.

Two months later, hubby's grandma passed..... cancer again.  She put up a great fight!  What an inspiration.

So right now, I don't know of any family member that has cancer (KNOCK ON WOOD)!! 

Please don't wait until you find out that you or a family member has cancer to let them know how much you care.  Let them know EVERYDAY because you just don't know.....  

Thanks for letting me share.......  Hugs ~~ Suz

These are WWAAYYY Too Cute!!

Good Morning, All!  I'm soo looking forward to the weeked so I can play in my craftroom for a bit.  Hubs got invited to go watch football Sunday at a fellow police officer's house.  As soon as he leaves, I'm headed for my room!  You all have given me so many things to want to do!!

Check out these French Enamaled Tags from Gail at Can't Stop Making Things!  These are too fun!  And I'm thinking I just might not only use numbers!!!



GOTTA LUV Embossing Powder!!

And check out the AWESOME Photo Display Bonnie from Somewhere In Craftland made for her parents for Christmas!  Now THAT took some doin'!! 



Beautiful!!

Oh, and last night I made my first trip to Funky Junk Interiors.  I love - LLOOVVVEEEEE - all of Donna's projects!  I would love to have a 10th of her talent!!  Anyway, out of all of her projects I looked at, I do believe this one is my FAVE!!  hhmmmm   we might just have to add a 2nd floor to that house we're gonna build *someday*.....  Check out Donna's Stairway!! 



I'll definitely be making daily trips to visit these ladies!! 

Again - thanks for the inspiration, Everyone!!  Have a great Friday!!

Hugs ~~ Suz