Addicted to Lanterns, my 200th Post!

I can't believe I have already reached my 200th post!  So here it is!!!

I have a small collection of mostly vintage lanterns. Most I have just placed right into my decor, some need a bit of TLC before they make it all the way into my home.  Such is the way with old stuff...I had just reset my internet, for the 3rd time, when a picture of two very old kerosene lanterns popped up in my Facebook news feed.  I love swaps!  I was finally the first in line and so of COURSE I jumped all over it!  We met that day and I was the new owner of two wasp nest filled lanterns.  Not kidding about the wasp nest part either.

Can you see the yuck inside the globes?

Lessons Learned

Oh so many things that I am still learning....

1. DIY is always more satisfying than purchasing...cause you can tweak something so it fits into your home exactly the way you want it to! You can go from what were they thinking to something even better!!!! But always take before photos!!!! I didn't and now all I have left to "remember" this set is the photo you see below, with the lovely jewel tones...

Sometimes a deal is too good to pass up

I love shopping, for home decor, and I LOVE finding a good deal!  I went to Old Time Pottery in Independence, and found an awesome circle wood and metal art piece.  But it's broken, and instead of the original price of $60, it was discounted to $12!  Score for me!

It took some time to get the pieces apart.  But it was worth it.

Then it was time to fix the broken part, and get to painting!  I chose the blue from our bathroom as a base.

Once the base color is dry it's time to apply the crackle medium, then that needs to dry for 2-4 hours.

We went fishing...so when we got home it was time to put the top color on!

It was so pretty, but still looked too new, so I grabbed the antiquing medium and mixed up some weathering magic!

Unfortunately at that point it was too late to spray-paint the metal piece...but the next day I sprayed it to match the fixtures in my house, oil rubbed bronze.

I also had to purchase new screws, the original piece was missing one screw, and the two screws that secured the medallion were completely destroyed.  Because the screws were new brass, and they would show when I screwed the metal to the wood, they got a quick spray of matching paint.

And I sprayed a coat of polyurethane to seal the weathered wood.

Once it was all dry I was able to put it back together, and hung in my entrance!

Here is the before and after pic, for comparison!