Everything is Illuminated Part 1

I have always had a thing for vintage lamps.  They are in a lot of cases, little sculptures in themselves.  Some are figural sculptures like he and she conga dancers and some are architectural sculptures like the Sputnik chandeliers.  It has always been a fantasy career of mine to be an-up-and-coming lamp designer.  My shop would consist of isles and isles of bases, stands and shades and I would walk down them with the Hollywood elite choosing parts to make that custom light for their swanky pad.  Now, dream dissolve to real life and what I've got is my own swanky-pad (well, my version of it) and it is filled with lamps. Here are a few in the 1st installment of I HEART's

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED!

Let me just put on my Swank-O-Vision glasses and lets take a look...

Everything looks swanky with a colorful border. Ahhhhh much better!

PANTHER LAMP

This ceramic lamp was found in one of the craziest thrift stores I have ever had the good fortune to discover.  The place is a structural hazard and if there ever was an earthquake while you were in there, you would never be seen again.  Buried under mountains of junk aint a bad way to go I guess....but I'll pass!  The store is run by a funny guy who sorta took a liking to me.  I tend to get pretty good deals there.  This lamp and the one below were bought at the same time.  It is in remarkable condition and still has felt on the base! Behind the majestic panther is a planter.  I never fully understood putting something that needed to be watered in an electrical appliance. Maybe its for fake plants, I dunno.  The shade is not the one that came with the lamp, I had this one from a different lamp  and it looked wayyyyy better with 'ol Bagera here .  I love it!

CHINA GIRL

This lamp and the one abover were purchased at the same time for about $15 ea.  The condition is great, no chips or cracks!  She is sitting under a big palm tree and is looking towards what would probably have been a matching lamp with a male figure.  The shade seen here is the one that came with it.  It is a cheap waxy version of a fiberglass shade.  Someday I'll find a replacement but I like the rectangular format for this particular lamp better than the round.  She was recently moved from the bedroom to the living room so everyone can appreciate her. 

MY FAVORITE POLE LAMP

I scored this lamp at the Swap Meet for $2 !  It was a perfect replacement for my other favorite pole lamp that I accidentally melted....well partially melted.  I was having a Halloween party and I really went all out decorating the place.  I had strung up lights everywhere, cobwebs, the works.  I had put red scarves over the plastic shades of my previous favorite pole lamp to make a soft red glow in the corner.  The party was really going well when someone said, whats that smell?  I set off sniffing around the house and ended up at the pole lamp.  The scarf had over-heated the light bulb and it melted one of the shades like a candle and burnt a hole clear through the scarf.  It smelled awful and I'm lucky I didn't set the whole party on fire! So, I digress I found this lamp to replace the other one about a month later and I like it better that the 1st one.  The other one stuck around for a long time though, I made some bamboo shades and kept using it in the Tiki-Bar-Arcade down in the garage before finally re-homing it. 

Thanks for reading Everything Is Illuminated Part 1 in FABULOUS Swank-O-Vision!