Thursday, March 10, 2011

I could almost weep!!!



Please do not be frightened....
this is Dan's section of the basement- my section is much prettier and filled with vintage and antique garden ornaments! (Dan is in the process of organizing the space, so pardon the mess;) 
Messy as it appears, this is where magical things happen for the house!   Note the large barn room chandelier on the floor getting ready to get ready to be wired.
 It was on this worktable yesterday afternoon, while looking for one of the original doorknobs from the farmhouse that I wanted to show to the carpenter in hopes of using it on the barn half bath door, that I found...




...this box of miscellaneous lamp parts and finials. 
In the ten years that I was an antiques dealer we made and sold many lamps.   So, whenever we were out antiquing and found interesting bits and pieces for lamps we would buy them knowing we would eventually find a use for them.  The items in this particular box (we have many such boxes) were individually purchased and probably thrown in the box some 7 to 10 years ago;  long forgotten, and packed and shipped from Dallas to New Hampshire.
My eye went to one of the solid brass finials, then I saw the other- a pair, perfect.  I immediately thought of a pair of antique wooden balusters that we purchased a couple of months ago and are going to turn into lamps that will sit on a sofa table in the barn room.  The scale seemed right.




One of the pair of balusters on another work table.




The balusters will be waxed and we will use an antique glazed-terra-cotta square (we purchased a box of these from a dealer in Kansas City years ago) as the base.  Yet to be determined is if the baluster will go like this or upside down.





Isn't it crazy how perfectly the finial and the baluster go together?!!  They look like they were made for each other, yes?!
  The brass finials will have to be drilled to accommodate the top of a harp, as they are solid and not originally lamp finials.  I have no idea what they were used for, but so glad we picked them up somewhere along the way.  Lesson:  if you love it buy it, you'll always find a home for it- even if it is years later!
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40 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 10, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    lamp kismet!

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  2. A Perfect GrayMarch 10, 2011 at 2:36 PM

    perfect. won't it be fun seeing those daily?

    and I just discovered your 'my paint colors' page. bless you, dear lady. you are a saint...

    donna

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  3. LindaMarch 10, 2011 at 2:37 PM

    The thrill of the hunt! Thanks for taking us along with you!

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  4. LindsBMarch 10, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    What a great find!! I love it when I find things around my house that I had totally forgotten about but had a new use for- makes me day everytime!

    I cant wait to see these baluster lamps- they are going to be beautiful! Speaking of, I think my parents have a pair of balusters in the bastment that I need to rescue. hmmm, another project in the works now :)

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  5. Elizabeth @ Southern ComfortMarch 10, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    I love it when right before your eyes, fate happens.

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  6. Heidi @ Decor & MoreMarch 10, 2011 at 3:08 PM

    Oh, that is my mantra! What a fun discovery, right under your nose! Love it. :)

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  7. KarenMarch 10, 2011 at 3:09 PM

    Love it when something like this happens! The baluster is beautiful and will make a beautiful lamp. I can't wait to see it all put together.

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  8. Jennifer@Woodley CottageMarch 10, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    Wow!What a great story. I can't wait to see the finished product. I'm sure it will be beautiful!

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  9. Alana in CanadaMarch 10, 2011 at 3:25 PM

    That is truly fabulous. Looking forward to seeing the lamps when you're done!

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  10. Blue Ridge Altered ArtMarch 10, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    Don't you just love it when things come together like that. Cannot wait to see the finished product. ~~Sherry~~

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  11. sharon santoni at my french country homeMarch 10, 2011 at 3:54 PM

    Great post, this is going to look wonderful - hope we'll see the finished product!
    Sharon

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  12. Becca BertottiMarch 10, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    What a fabulous find! I'm so enjoying this journey! *Becca*

    www.adventuresindecorating1.blogspot.com

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  13. White Ironstone CottageMarch 10, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    Love it
    a true treasure
    xo
    Pam

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  14. shellyMarch 10, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    Here at the farm I tell my husband those items have "useful life"...he used to roll his eyes at me - but he's starting to get the hang of it. Isn't it just so much fun when it all comes together? Can't wait to see the finished lamp!

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  15. An Urban CottageMarch 10, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    That's pretty amazing! They look like they were made to go together.

    What's wrong with Dan's side of the basement? It looks almost perfect to me. Just needs a bigger TV!

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  16. KarenMarch 10, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Geez - even your 'mess' is organized:) I love to read your blog and see the progress you two make. I'm afraid with my procrastinator husband and my dicey back - I'll have to live my dream ideas through your beautiful haven. Your renovations and ideas are a total labor of love - and it shows!

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  17. Connie in HartwoodMarch 10, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    Your basement looks perfectly normal to me. :)

    We refer to things like your box of lamp doo dads as 'pieces parts'. I buy useful pieces whenever I see them, too, because you never know when they'll come in handy. This is why I have boxes full of crystals, chandelier arms, finials, stove legs, bathtub feet, brackets and corbels, bits of molding ... you get the idea.

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  18. PondsideMarch 10, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    Love your last line!....it was a line quite a bit like that one that justified the beautiful carved mantel that followed us around the country, from province to province and in and out of storage until we found just the right house for it.

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  19. La Maison FouMarch 10, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    I can so appreciate this! Finding bits and pieces here and there is so cool and I love the anticipation of making things custom.
    Love the lamps to be!
    L.

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  20. Acanthus and AcornMarch 10, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Joan,
    I would happily organize all your bits & pieces just for the thrill of getting to look at everything!

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  21. UnknownMarch 10, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    What FUN!....smiles....

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  22. My life in the hillsMarch 10, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Gasp I love it!!

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  23. BabsMarch 10, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Don't you love it when things like this just happen? Will you or your husband make the lamps? It's great if you can do it yourself or have access to someone locally. Hurry and make them so we can see how beautiful they going to be. Have a great weekend.

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  24. Karen T.March 10, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Thanks for confirming that it's not a little eccentric to buy odd, unusual parts & objects with no immediate purpose in mind. I also have some boxes of interesting odds & ends that I couldn't resist buying, and have also later found uses for some of these items. I'm so excited when I find an unexpected use for one of these items & like you said it seems to come together almost as if it was meant to be.(Sometimes I've had the dealer from whom I was buying the items to quip "Now what in the world are you going to do with that?!, seeming to politely tease and imply that the purchase of the items is somewhat weird. If they only knew! Ha!) Love your finials & can't wait to see the finished lamps. What kind of shades will you use?

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  25. for the love of a houseMarch 10, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    Babs- Dan makes all our lamps and wires the chandeliers! Thank goodness, as it's a huge money saver. I'll tell Dan to hurry;)

    Karen- so glad you get it too. I'm thinking a linen drum shade, but I really just have to take the lamp in to find the perfect shade, so that's just a guess at this point!

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  26. CindyMarch 10, 2011 at 10:04 PM

    Hello Joan, Dan & Ella: Once again, you have such a great eye...marrying objects to create something new; love it! I also love the stone walls in your basement(cellar as I grew up saying). Cindy

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  27. Pinky at Designs by PinkyMarch 10, 2011 at 11:05 PM

    Oh I can't wait to see the lamps! They will be beautiful! Love that all your "parts" will come together so wonderfully!!!

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  28. Linda@ Lime in the CoconutMarch 11, 2011 at 4:48 AM

    Oooooh. I love! Love seeing alll of those harps just getting ready for a project...or 12!

    I wanna see the terra cotta square. And how will you attach it?

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  29. House of FiddeliMarch 11, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    what a beautiful home!

    Lina from Sweden

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  30. JulieMarch 11, 2011 at 7:51 AM

    I just did a post on going to the Flo Markt and buying what I like. We are on the same page when it comes to this; even if I don't think I'll use something right away, or even have a clue as to what I'll do with it, I buy it if I like it (if I can afford it!!). :-)

    Great post and, yes, it is a little crazy how well they go together. A great discovery indeed!!!!

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  31. The Devoted ClassicistMarch 11, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    I love rediscovering forgotten treasures!

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  32. VictoriaMarch 11, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Buy what you love and it will always come together. Love the baluster, love the finial and like Sherry, I cannot wait to see the finished product. Where do you shop for shades up there? I am assuming your small town does not have a lamp store.
    Thanks so much for sharing this adventure of making your house a home!

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  33. ElizabethMarch 11, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Perfect, I love it!
    Have great weekend!

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  34. Christyn - Grey StablesMarch 11, 2011 at 3:51 PM

    I love it, you'll be so happy every time you see them! How fortunate to have such a cool workroom :)

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  35. quintessenceMarch 11, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    LOVE it - they're going to be fabulous. Can't wait to see!!

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  36. Carolyn@Sweet ChaosMarch 11, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    Thanks for commenting on my blog! You were absolutely right, and the lamps were returned today. Sure wish I had some balusters and other spare parts lying around so I could make some cool lamps like yours. Can't wait to see them :)

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  37. LizabethMarch 12, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    I love it when a marriage like this happens! It will be fabulous when you are done! It does pay to keep those spare parts around! I sold antique brass fire extinguishers that I had many years ago..I had become convinced I'd never use them..I had intended for them to be made into lamps. Boy could I kick myself now! Lessons learned.. Your home is such a treasure!

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  38. red tickingMarch 13, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    i love it all... lamp parts are my thing...(never knew they would be) i think making things into lamps is amazing...hoping this finds you well...xx

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  39. designchicMarch 13, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    They're going to be fantastic...can't wait to see!!

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  40. Lady CourtneyMarch 19, 2012 at 1:47 PM

    That's going to be a gorgeous lamp, can't wait to see if it's done in the next year of posts. :)

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Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive and read it. joan