a shining light

 Since my last post, I have been thinking a lot about family and some of my favorite times together.

My mom and I could pick up seashells every day and never tire.

My dad is a selfless soul that could take or leave shelling, but he is at his happiest just at the sight of his family doing something that brings them joy.

So my mom and I would collect as many treasures as we could find and my dad would haul them all to the house.

Once the shells were all cleaned, I thought it would be nice to do something with them that my dad could enjoy and help me with. Before I moved to Florida, my dad and I would spend most weekends in his garage creating, fixing, painting or refinishing things for my shop.

So a daddy-daughter seashell project was on my radar.

The vintage shell lamp...

I always have a "to-do" stash of projects in my garage or in storage. I thought a lamp might be a great project for us to tackle.

I had an old rusty outdoor post light with a fabulous aged brass sea green patina.

First, my dad removed the original wiring and replaced it with wiring suitable for an indoor lamp. Equipped with a plug and toggle switch. 

The original fixture would have been atop a solid post, so as it stood now, it was top heavy. So I rummaged through my vintage wood stash and found a weathered wooded block and a grey-blue board. Both have a driftwood look perfect for this project.

I replaced the candlelight arms with new sleeves and placed seashells inside the glass hurricane shade. 

I must say the finished product is spectacular!

The best part is that I was able to combine both my mom and dad in a project that will always make me think of them.