I’m so excited to bring you this Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge! I’ve teamed up with 20 other bloggers for this thrift store blog hop. The rules were simple–take an item(s) from a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. and transform it into a new piece of home decor. There was no budget or theme to stick to, so we were free to let our creativity run wild!
Meet the Hosts
Amanda | The Kolb Corner Chelc| Inside the Fox Den
Erlene | My Pinterventures Kim | Made in a Day Sara | Twelve on Main
Emily | Two Purple Couches Shirley | Intelligent Domestications
Marie | DIY Adulation Lindsay | Crazy Organized Michelle | Our Crafty Mom
Julie | Live From Julie’s House Debra | Shoppe No. 5 Dru | Polka Dot Poplars
Maureen | Red Cottage Chronicles Pili | Sweet Things Channell | Hobnail House
Colleen | Life on Kaydeross Creek Ann | Duct Tape and Denim
Paula | Virginia Sweet Pea Sherry | Savvy Apron Stacy | Anastasia Vintage
For The Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge I decided to take another run at making faux mercury glass lamps for my bedroom. In case you missed it, I tried this project a couple of months ago, you can get the details HERE.
I wanted to paint a pair of lamps using the pretty “faux mercury glass” technique with Kryon Looking Glass spray paint. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the original color will show through a little bit. I found 2 lamps that were the same style but different colors. The ivory lamp came out really pretty, but the blue one looked pretty awful – so I escorted it directly into the trash.
Last week I lucked out and found 2 matching lamps at my favorite Rescue Mission thrift store for $5.99 each. They were a blushy-beige, and I thought that would work out fine if it showed a little….and at least they match each other this time around.
Materials List
(contains affiliate links)
white vinegar
spray bottle
Krylon Looking glass spray paint
painters tape
soft rag
gloves
Faux Mercury Glass Lamp Tutorial – Take 2!
- Tape off the parts of the lamp that you don’t want painted – the cord and the light socket
2. LIGHTLY spray the lamps with a solution of half vinegar and half water. You’re going for a light mist – you don’t want the water dripping. This is the only slightly tricky part of the whole project. You’ll want to hold the spray bottle some distance away from the lamp.
3. Spray the wet lamps with the Looking Glass paint. The solution will keep the paint from sticking to the lamp.
Wait a minute or so and dab the lamp with a soft cloth. It should look cloudy and have black spots just like real mercury glass.
That’s really it…it’s a pretty fast and easy project, and who doesn’t like (almost) instant gratification? You can repeat the process if you want to, but I’ve found it isn’t usually necessary.
I topped them off with burlap drum shades for $12.99 each, so each lamp came in at about $20.
We now have 2 matching faux mercury glass lamps in our bedroom….PROGRESS!!!
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my contribution to the Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge!
