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I Give this Ten a Ten

OUR 2nd HOUSE

Best ten bucks at Goodwill ever spent. 

This little chandelier was begging for me to take it home.   Because after it got down on it’s little brassy knees and convinced me that I indeed needed this light fixture, that it was worth salvaging from this place of cat figurines and stuffed animals that smell like real animals (only deceased ones) and posters of wizards zapping what looks like planet Saturn’s moon, I shelled out the ten bones to the checkout lady.  I did.  I spent hard core cash on this bad boy. So it gets this award.    

Although I have to admit, my darling boyfriend didn’t agree at first.  He just didn’t see the potential. 

The plan?  Oil Rubbed Bronze spraypaint (or ORB as Sherry puts it). 

The hard part?  Taping each little window pane…that’s 8 on top and 8 on bottom – both inside and outside – for a grand total of 32 windows panes.

We hung up the fixture using an old hanger and Will’s swing chain.  Yup…he still hates it so he didn’t mind.

I used Rustoleum brand – it looks most like authentic oil rubbed bronze to me.  And I’ve tried a few other ORB spraypaints…and they come out looking like dark brown or too black or too silvery. 

See how it shimmers just a smidgen?  That is what makes this so authentic to me.

Sorry Mother Earth.

And here she is after my spraypaint job.  It took several days because I would spray the outside, then let it dry, then turn it upside down to spray the inside (hey gravity is a great assistant and I need all the help I can get).  That’s coat one.  And I did two and a half.  Also, when I took the tape off, there were some areas that peeled the paint off the brass part too…so I used Kate‘s cap trick.  Basically you just spray some paint into the cap and then use a little tiny brush to touchup any mistakes. 

I also knew exactly where I wanted to put my ten dollar fixture…

yup…this is the little hallway between the master closets…complete with hanging boob light.  Must have been a breastfeeder 🙂

And now it looks more, well, expensive than a saggy boob.  You can quote me on that.

You may also notice that there is a ceiling plate now…whereas my fixture didn’t have one before.  We had a spare white one in our stash…so I just gave that a good coat of spray paint too. 

My favorite part is the fact that the arched glass top mimics the arch of the doorway.  Small pleasures people, small pleasures.

Another small pleasure?  Turning the light on.  Specifically the way the light refracts onto the ceiling.

Firework ceiling.  Makes me wanna sing Oh Say Can You Seeeeee?!?! Thank goodness this isn’t a vlog…because let’s face it, my singing skills are close to my speling skils.

So that’s it folks…a quickie light fixture switcheroo…all for ten buckeroos. 

So what’s the best ten greenbacks you have ever spent at Goodwill?

update:  Laura asked for a before/after shot – and of course, I am to please….sometimes….

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Comments

  2. Sweet, it looks amazing!! I have a light like that and I painted it white. I’ve got gold fixtures in my house that I’m slowing painting. Loved the photos of you and Will in his crib. I’ve been tempted to sit in my daughters crib but have never done it.

  4. i was a little skeptical too… but it looks amazing! Love it! Might have to be on the look out for a brass fixture of my own for baby girls bedroom!

  6. Love it! Love everything about it! Heading to Goodwill tomorrow and looking forward to it!

  8. LOVE IT! I’m totally jealous. You have such an eye for spotting diamonds in the rough.

  9. omg – all that taping. You must have the patience of a saint, but it was so worth it – I can’t believe the difference. Love your blog – its packed with great ideas

  11. I am laughing as I read this because the first thing we did when we bought our house was change up the 1950s fluorescent light fixtures and our problem with all the light fixtures in the stores were the nips. So we totally agree that they are boobed!

  12. My best purchase? $6.75 for a 70’s coffee table that makes a fabu TV console. It still needs refurbing, but it’s working just fine in the meantime.

  13. Wow you turned it into gold! Not literally, obviously. I went to Restore the other day and they had hundreds of these lights and now I know where to snatch one up! I also like Joy’s idea of painting it white. It could be any cool color, actually… perhaps I will try yellow? Or is that too close to gold? 🙂

  15. Very cute! Best Goodwill find was less than 10 bones… a super cute hand caned folding chair for $4.95. Found the same chair online for $100. Planning to reupholster the seat and possibly paint. Can’t wait!

  18. Fantastic! Love the before and after. I was with your husband after seeing the first photo, I could not see the potential. Great vision, really impressed love the final piece.

  19. that looks awesome and seriously looks like you spent a good amount of moo-lah on it!! i have only been reading your blog for a few months but this is my favorite (decorating) post so far!! love me some cheap DIY’s…not to mention your humor! 🙂

  20. Beautiful! I had doubts when I saw the before pic, but as always, it came out wonderfully! I also want to know how your boyfriend likes it now?

  24. Looks great! I love the shape of your light. My best score at Goodwill is by far an Ethan Allen twin bed I got for $10!! All it needed was a very little bit of elbow grease and it was good as new. I am pretty crazy about it!

  25. Hi Katie,

    I too am a fellow Goodwill-a-holic. In fact, my addiction is so strong, I’m not even going to tell you which Goodwill is my favorite (because I don’t want you to beat me to all the great finds…j/k, well, sort of, b/c I too live in GA).

    N-knee-hoo, I got these great white fluted Crate and Barrel serving bowls (set of 3)that I’d been coveting on the C&B website, when lo and behold, there they were at my bi-weekly Goodwill stopby…gasp for only 9.99! I’ve also bought a (cool-to-me) retro Yogi Bear pic-a-nic basket, a child’s bicycle, a giant blanket basket, 4 C&B white canisters, a C&B pumpkin dish, a Pier 1 tea set, and several dresses from Goodwill all for less than $10!

    Sorry to ramble, but you asked and I love telling people about my Goodwill finds…this is me—“can you believe I got this item (I didn’t know I needed until I saw it) for only pennies on the dollar? ” yep, I’m that girl, and no, you can’t go shopping with me, or there might be a chick fight in the breakables aisle. 🙂 all jokes aside, I’m glad someone with your talent sees the value of GW…makes me feel less like a clutter collector and more like an home decor connoisseur. 🙂

  27. Your light was money well spent, it looks really nice. Oh, and a big pat on the back for taping all of the panes. I really like your house too, btw. Very fancy schmancy.

  29. I love the Goodwill and I love that light! I highly doubt I’d have the patience to tape all those panes, but it looks ahmaaazing. If you keep all this ORB-ing up, you and Sherry are going to need a support group.

    Best Goodwill find? A Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress for $8.99. I always dreamed that someday (aka when I go through my mid-life crisis in 20 or so years) I might splurge on one and wear it until it fell apart. But it looks like I can use that money to buy my midlife crisis’ boy-toy gifts instead.

    I literally did a little dance when I found it.

  35. so jealous!! the ones i usually see have that etched glass in them. this fits perfectly in that spot.

  38. Luh. Luh. LOVE. I can’t say enough about it. Great spot for it, and the light! Gah. Our offer was accepted on a new house! Yeeee! I have a bunch of Bower Power rooms in my inspiration folder, waiting to get some paint on those walls, whenever the bank will let us in. Its a short sale. Which means a long sale. Fingers crossed! I love that Sherry’s ORB obsession leaked over to Georgia. As it should, of course 😉

  43. Yup – he’s totally on board. Once he got it upstairs to hang it, he totally sung it’s praises. We both think it looks much more Pottery Barn now 🙂
    xo – kb

  44. Yup – he sure did. And good thing too because I am as stubborn as a mule and he would not have changed my mind….well, there’s one way, haha 🙂
    xo – kb

  45. Best. Ever. indeed.
    A bit of luck one miay say but it takes your sharp eye first to spot it and than choose the perfect finish that makes it look straight out of PB!
    Cum Laude!!!

  46. Love it! I have a lovely gold chandelier in my dining room that is just calling for some ORB. Just one question and maybe I’m being a little “duh” but how did you paint the inside fixture?

  47. What a great makeover! I never find anything at my thrift stores..maybe I need to be more open minded and remember that anything looks amazing with a shiny coat of ORB!

  48. Love it! I’m always amazed by your goodwill finds and how you repurpose them! What color of blue paint do you have in your bedroom?I’m wanting to do something like that in my master bathroom and just can’t seem to find the perfect blue/gray combo. This color looks like it might just be perfect! 🙂

  49. OMG! I see this light fixture at thrift stores all the time. I LOVE her in ORB!!! I am currently trying to figure out where it will work at my house… Sherry has got me on the ORB everything band wagon too.

  53. This by far is my favorite post!!!! You have such a great way of describing a beautiful mom-ment with Will. I love it, and of course I think you are so funny for the whole getting in the crib thing to packing a finger on ice. I think I will sneak into my daughter’s room and hop in her crib. She has never slept in it-refused from day one. Maybe this is the key to get her in. Hope those support boards can hold up!

  54. Hmm, I just had another fun thought of what you could do with a similar light… you could break all the glass out, ORB it, and end up with the “wire cage” type light fixture that seems to be popping up everywhere.

  55. Why don’t I ever find stuff like that at Goodwill? Ours are full of smelly clothes and moth eating couches! This looks amazing. Great eye! Oh and BTW, your molding is STUNNING. Green-eyed monster just went through my computer into your home and salivated a little on those.

  56. I have to admit, I seen the light and I was thinking….yuck (mature I know. I used my 3 year old vocabulary skills). But this turned out AMAZING. This is definitely the best transformation that I have seen in a light fixture in some time. Great job!

  59. How awesome Katie B!! Love Love Love! I want to marry that thing…I know I know he’s pretty much taken.
    Anyway, I’m a new fan of your blog, It’s really fun, thanks for all the great posts! Oh, and most of all I’m a fan of your little Will! You’re a supermom, superblogger and sup-p-p- er trup-p-per Goodwill Hunter!

    xo,
    Veronica

  63. Katie, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! The only thing I hate is that you found it at Goodwill and I can’t just go get one myself!!!

  64. I love it! I wasn’t sure but, you sure did make that it over into something beautiful! 🙂

    You are a visionary! 🙂 And a taping expert!

    Did you all paint the walls in that hallway? I love that color! Is it a blue gray color? Looks great with all that think white ceiling trim!

    ~ Ali

  69. Oh wow, this turned out awesome! And yes, a total find like that is seriously awesome. It looks amazing, especially with the ORB! 😀

  70. Is it strange that (at first glance) I thought the picture of the fixture with blue painters tape was the After because I thought that was pretty? I’m on a blue kick. Wouldn’t that be pretty though? Blue and gold?

    O, that’s tacky you say? Agree to disagree my friend. Agree to disagree.

  72. What a great find! That looks so beautiful Katie! And I love the way the light shines through as well (I sometime stare at the patterns my nightlight makes on the wall… Thought I was the only one hahah.. small pleasures indeed!).

  75. i love that light fixture! i’m so motivated to go goodwill on my lunch break now! i was wondering what paint you used for the walls. i’m going for a similar color like that for our master bedroom, and/or bath.

  76. Katie Bower you’ve done it again! You’ve inspired me to take a closer look at a fixture that first impression screams “brassy mess”.

    I need a huge fixture for our story and a half foyer, and they are so expensive! I am hitting up our local Habitat for Humanity REstore to see if I can salvage something less than perfect and transform it into a modern, beautiful fixture. Something just like you refinished only larger would be perfect. Thanks girl!

  79. OOOO you may have just convinced me to not donate the very similar light fixture I have in my garage but to revamp it! Looks beautiful!

  81. OMG – I love this! And now I know exactly what to do with the light fixture in our entry way that I absolutely loathe… and I’ve been too cheap to replace it. So happy you shared this!! 🙂

  84. I love the transformation!! I know that finding a hidden treasure at Goodwill takes patience and persistance but I feel like I can never find time to go browse Goodwill. Ugh! You inspire me though, I need to change my light fixture at the entrance of our house. I need to re-read your old Goodwill posts to keep me motivated in going. Thanks for the post!

  86. I know it’s the perspective of the photograph but the side by side actually make the light fixture look like it is standing taller and prouder now that it is that gorgeous ORB!! It clearly wasn’t meant to be brass, kudos to you for finding its true spirit. It makes a great “moment” there in the alcove.

  87. That is stunning! My Goodwill has more cats & posters than anything else, but I will have to keep my eyes open for jewels like that!

  88. Nice makeover!! Where do you find the time!? Maybe it’s just that my little one isn’t quite ready for child labor! Haha!

  91. Love the light! A coat of spray paint and lots of taping took it from 80s to classic. Thanks for inspiring me to head off to Goodwill this evening.

  94. wow. so glad the brass begging swooned you. This is a beautiful fixture and absolutely perfect for the space. great job!

  96. And now I just realized that I have sagging boobs all over my house. Thanks a lot Katie… at least now I giggle when I walk down the hallway. 🙂

  97. This turned out soooo pretty! I love it! My latest Goodwill project? Spray painting owl bookends that were $1.25 ea. and a kind of brassy, moldy green. (white, of course:) )

  98. I am so glad to see this attempt and outcome. We have those type of lights around our house and I really just don’t care for them. We replaced the one in the foyer because I found a really cool glass one online and it was pretty cheap. But, when I started searching for outdoor fixtures and adding up the number I need, we quickly realized that was way out of the budget for a while. So, I decided I would spray paint them and ever since making that decision I have been pushing that project to the bottom of the list. The idea of all that taping just doesn’t do it for me. But, NOW, I think I have changed my mind. I want that AFTER stat!
    thanks for sharing.

  99. Very inspiring!! I have one hanging above our kitchen that makes me want to throw up a little every time I look at it. I think this technique would work, but I’m a little worried about the chain. Was it easy to spray paint the chain? Did you do anything different with that?

  100. How on earth did you tape the interior of the light?! Any tips on taping awkward things like that?

    xo! It looks amazing. “Baby you’re a firework…ceiling!”

  101. I love it Katie! It looks great. I know exactly what you mean by small pleasures. I’m the same way when it comes to changing little things around our apartment.

  102. Now I want to go to Goodwill! 🙂 I just painted our upstairs hallway a very similar color (Valspar Sea Salt Blue) and a fixture like that really would make the hallway pop. The hard part for me would be getting my husband to actually put the fixture up!

  105. Well shoot. I have a “boob” light in my bedroom and I’ll never be able to look at it the same again!

  106. I just scored an awesome painting for $9.99!! Which was totally unexpected. The back of it had a price tag for $119… someone could have slapped that on there from somewhere else, but it made me feel good.

  107. LOL! Me too, I’m in an early 90’s house & everything is boobs & gold! Yours looks fantastic, big difference!

  108. Actually I taped it all and then used a razor blade to cut out around each pane. It saved a bunch of time.
    xo – kb

  109. Super easy. Just make sure to use thin coats and use lots of wait time in between so that it gets lots of coverage and dries properly!
    xo – kb

  111. It was the paint that was here when we bought the house….but I definitely plan on finding the closest match sometime soon and you’ll get the lowdown 🙂
    xo – kb

  113. Love it! See, this is where I’d have looked at it and walked away, because in a sea of teddy bears I wouldn’t have noticed this could be a gem. Good eye.

    I totally have one of those boob lights in my hallway!

  114. LOVE it! I’m going to pay extra close attention to all of that brass at the thrift stores now!

  115. That is absolutely fantastic! I must admit, I was with your boyfriend on this, I didn’t see the potential. Now I want to invest in a bunch of spray paint and paint every brass thing I can find! And since my house is full of 90’s brass I have lots of possibilities =)

  116. There is hope for my foyer fixture after all! Thanks for the inspiration….one less ugly light fixture in a landfill somewhere!

  118. Katie–I have an addiction to BowerPower! Thank you for inspiring me to actually USE the craftiness God gave me! And to learn my CanonRebel and USE it. I am getting there (sort of). I, like you did, dream of being a real photographer one day. So, be prepared if one of these days I get proactive and ask you how I should get started! BTW, your sweet family is precious.

  120. I love it! How do you always stumble on such great finds? Every time I step into Goodwill I just get overwhelmed and want to leave. But mostly I had to commiserate on the boob light! We have one too, and I call it the exact same thing, and my husband thinks it’s hilarious. But seriously! It looks. like. a. boob. Ours is extra special, in that there’s other light in the room that causes it to cast a boob shadow on the wall. So… special.

  121. holy cow this turned out gorgeous! wonderful! it is so amazing what a can of spray paint can do

  125. I love crepe myrtles. Loved climbing Stone Mountain- espcially when the Krispy Kreme down the road had the sign on and we could snack on those before or after. I grew up in WI- whenever we had ticks, my dad would light a match, blow it out, and then put the hot head on the back of the tick until it backed out of the skin. Then use your choice of disposal. 🙂 {you probably have 50 comments on the tick but I didn’t read them all.}

  130. The light looks so great! And the molding (moulding?) in your house is to die for. I think I would have bought the house just for that alone. Who can afford to put that kind of money into trim???? Perhaps now we know why the house was in foreclosure…they went broke trimming it out. At least you guys get to enjoy it though!

  132. That looks awesome! They always have nasty gold/brass fixtures like that at goodwill. Now I need to find one and find a spot to hang it in my house! 🙂

  134. Dear Katie,

    Love this project! My fiance has a brass light fixture for his dining room, and after hours and hours of looking for a better fixture I’ve just decided to repaint it. My fiance detached the fixture with part of the cord. Should I tape the cord up too and not paint it? I know to cover up the light sockets, but for the rest I’m not sure. What do you suggest?

    Sincerely,
    Angela

  135. If it is part of the cord that is exposed (like it’s looped in the chain below the ceiling mount) I vote yes. If not (like it is the part that gets tucked inside the ceiling plate, then no. Happy painting!
    xo – kb

  136. I got two light fixtures similar to this and wanted to try this technique. I went to home depot to get some spray paint. What type did you use? I know its Rustoleum but it is flat black,textured. I didn’t see any that said oil rubbed. Any suggestions?

  138. I read this last year when you initally posted it (huuuge fan of your blog by the way, it’s #1 on my google reader!! I love me some humorous diy, anyways). When I was in goodwill this morning I noticed an extremely similar lantern in brass… so I bought it because I thought I remembered you doing a kickass makeover on one. I got it for $1.50!!! What?! It’s 40in tall too. So dreading the tape work though. Thanks! 🙂

  139. Try using an xacto knife for the outside and one of those super short razor blades for the inside. It helps 🙂
    xo – kb

  141. I love what you did to the chandelier! I have some very ugly 80’s chandeliers in my home….not sure that spray paint will save them though….they are VERY 80’s and outdated. But I’m going to try!

  142. to prevent chips, go over the creases again with the knife to cut the connection to the tape. no chips from removing tape when you do that. 🙂

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