The Apple Cup Lamp

Hehe.  I couldn't resist.  A little tribute to my beloved Washington State and a play on my own blog name.  :)

OK, now down to the details.

Oh, and I know my potting bench isn't the best back drop for this lamp, but it is one of the very few places in my house with decent natural lighting and I really needed that to show you the finish on this lovely.

First, the lamp shade is painted Oil Rubbed Bronze and you can't tell in this photo, but it ***sparkles***.

Have you all read about the faux Mercury Glass paint treatments?  I've tried a few of them I've found on various blogs and haven't really been happy with how things turned out.  I decided that was because I was doing them on glass (duh?) and I wanted something more solid behind the finish.  Plus I hadn't really loved how the finishes turned out.  They looked TOO painted.

So today I think I found my magic formula.  Of course I don't have a before pic. . . I know, I suck.  But just think about those heavy bronze lamps that you see quite often in thrift stores.

I alternated spraying a very fine mist of water and a very fine mist of Krylon's Looking Glass Spray Paint in very quick succession, being careful not to let the water build up enough to run.

I took a zillion shots trying to capture the finish close up. This is as good as I could get.  See those whitish looking spots on the flat portion of the base?  Those are actually covering the entire base and are not white at all, but just create a nice 'texture' in the paint, although it is totally smooth when you touch it.  I really love how it turned out.  The brass offers a solid back and a when the light hits it you see subtle hints of amber beneath the finish.

Here are a few shots of the intricate details on the base.  Pretty, aren't they?

How about one last full shot.

I liked how it turned out so well I almost decided to keep it.  I need a lamp on my night stand, but this one is just too big and would be out of scale, but I may be on the lookout now for a smaller bronze lamp to call my own.

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I'll be sharing at Domestically Speaking's: Power of Paint