Fabulous Finds Friday: Vintage Bone China Roses Lamp
Right beside one of my favorite Salvation Army stores is a flea market.
Now I have to say that I don’t actually go to flea markets too often because, honestly, the prices are often a little too steep for this thrifty girl.
But this one day John and I had some time so we decided to wander.
After meandering by and through many of the booth areas I thought it was going to be just another day of not finding anything special, and I was ok with that.
Not every treasure hunt ends with treasure. Every thrifter knows this right?
But sometimes… every once in awhile… a treasure comes along that’s meant just for you.
And you’re willing to pay real money for it. Real money!
Now for me to shell out real money it has to be an extra special treasure.
Something that I’ve never seen before, and might not see again, like my settee and ottomon set that I thrifted a few years ago that I also paid real money for.
What I first saw in the distance was this beautifully shaped lampshade, sticking up behind some tables holding boxes filled with all kinds of odds and ends.
The lamp is strangely short, only about 57 inches tall to the top of the lamp shade, which is why it was barely peeking up over all the other stuff..
But what she lacks in height she definitely makes up for in personality.
And then I saw the roses…. the beautiful pink, blue, and yellow roses.
Well I could hardly believe it, and it was love at first sight.
The vendor found it in a barn and it showed. It was pretty filthy, especially around, under, and in the roses. The vendor said he had actually cleaned it up some. Wowza, I can only imagine what this poor lamp must have looked like.
The lamp was priced at $150.00. Much much more than I had ever paid for any lamp in my entire life.
Normally I would seriously have to think about shelling out that kind of money. And even though I knew she was coming home with me no matter what I played it very cool… while I was happy dancing inside.
But the guy didn’t want to haggle at all, and I always respect that.
But you can’t blame a girl for trying. 🙂
I guess she was worth every penny of that price to both of us.
So once that was clear I paid what he wanted because I needed this lovely bone china roses lamp and its beautiful light in my life, and she clearly needed me too.
I rode home in the back seat of the car with her to make sure she made the trip without any damage.
And she did! 🙂
I’m calling her my Cinderella lamp.
All she needed was a little bit of Fairy Godmother magic, which I was happy to provide, to make her natural beauty shine. In her case some simple cleaning magic.
How to Clean a Bone China Roses Lamp
This cleaning magic started with my blow dryer, on the cool setting, to blow away any loose nastiness
Then I grabbed a few cheap and already used crafting paint brushes.
If you ever clean a lamp like this, or even some of those bone china decorative items that I see sometimes, be sure not to use good brushes because the bristles tend to be all wonky by the time you’re done.
And with a very lightly dampened brush I carefully brushed all the bone china roses and leaves… around, inside, and under in every way possible.
Then I used a dry brush, a couple actually because they kept getting dirty and I had to clean them between use, to clean up what the damp brush loosened up.
The heavy metal base and lamp sections needed a thorough cleaning too.
Here you can see the rather nasty before of one of the bone china roses sections.
Who on earth was keeping her in a barn?
And here’s the after.
It was about two hours of tedious work, but so worth it.
Isn’t she beautiful?
The one thing that really excited me about her is that she’s totally chip free. I checked her out thoroughly before buying her.
That was absolutely amazing to me because she’s probably somewhere between 50 to 73 years old.
And how long had she been in that barn? Yikes! I shudder to think about it.
I’m happy to say that Century Industries in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was founded in 1945, is still in business today… and still specializes in decorative lighting.
Vintage Bone China Roses Lamp
Here you can see my bone china roses lamp with a recent project, my decoupaged roses vintage drawer knobs.
She goes amazingly well with my vintage metal roses mirror that I shared a few months ago. It’s on the other side of the bedroom above my triple dresser, and I still can’t believe I found it for just $6.
So I guess I can put some of the money that I saved on the mirror towards my bone china roses lamp. Yes, that sounds like a good plan to me. 🙂
Today’s treasure might have hurt this Fairy Godmother’s wallet a bit, but my Cinderella lamp makes my heart sooo happy.
Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find something that lights up your life every single day, and brings a smile to your face.
And that’s really what this thrifting thing is really all about, saving on things every day so you can splurge when that extra special treasure comes along.
So have you splurged on a treasure lately?
Thanks so much for reading, and until next time…
keep on keepin’ on!
XOX
Such a wonderful find. Was your day to walk into that flea market. It was meant to be.
When I first seen your lamp in a previous post; I absolutely fell in love with it. Absolutely Gorgeous and glad that it found a nice home; someone who will cherish it for years to come.
Thanks Colleen! You’re so right. Sometimes we’re just in the right place at the right time. 🙂
Aaahhh…. Tuula- that lamp is so YOU! What a great find! ??
Thanks very much Melanie! I was very lucky that’s for sure. 🙂
Congratulations on finding your treasure. It suits you perfectly and vice versa.
Thanks Barbara! This beauty had me at bone china roses. 🙂
All I can say is…..WOW.
Thanks Linda! I say wow when I look at her every day. 🙂
Just Gorgeous!!! I knew you would have a picture of the full lamp and I anxiously read through your post until I came to the end and I was amazed! What a beautiful find and well worth every penny!
Thanks so much Pam! I agree. It was totally worth every penny. 🙂
Such a beautiful lamp and a great find!
Thanks Pam! I have to admit I love do love seeing it every day. 🙂
Wow! It looks just like it was made just for your room! I can see you love thrifting, the way I do. I love reading your thrifting stories. Thanks.
Thanks so much Terry! I love sharing my thrifting stories so I’m so happy you enjoy them. 🙂
I love the lamp I would have taken it no what matter how much, I love old items and it looks great in your room.
Thanks very much June! I love old items too, and it was in such good shape there was no way I could resist. 🙂
I’m tellin’ ya…..you are charmed! I believe you have some inner ESP when it comes to stuff like this! And when I saw the entire lamp……!!! Wow. It is SO you! I’d have to say, worth every penny. Way to go, girl! Dona
Thanks Dona! I’m always very grateful when I find something that’s just so right. Doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does it feels great. 🙂
Through the whole post I thought this was a table lamp. When I got to the bottom I said “Wow” out loud!! It is so gorgeous and unique. I see why you had to have it.
Thanks AnnMarie! There are very few things that I see that are must haves, but this lamp was definitely one of those.
What an interesting lamp…..brings up many creative ideas of how to semi-recreate the look with china and who knows what else one could find.
Thanks Elaine! It certainly is interesting, and it’s a lamp I’ve never seen before in all my years of thrifting.
She is BEAUTIFUL!!!
Thank you so much Karolyn!
She is a pretty girl. I’ve never seen a floor lamp like that. I can’t believe none of those flowers were chipped! You made a nice score Tuula!
Thanks so much Florence! I couldn’t believe it either, but I’m so lucky that it’s true.
What a darling lamp! Just the perfect size to read a good book, while eating bonbons and relaxing on a lovely chaise. Well a girl can dream. Seriously, Cinderella looks fab in her new digs. I know every time you see her she will bring a smile to your face and a happy feeling to your heart. We all need a splurge now and again. You can send her to live in my guest room should you ever tire of her, not likely, lol!
Thanks Mary! She does make me happy, but I’ll certainly keep that in mind. 🙂
I enjoyed reading about your lovely find. Beautiful lamp.
Thanks very much Debra!
Your lamp is absolutely beautiful. I felt bad reading how much effort it was to clean it though. Do you have Awesome (pump spray cleaner) where you are? Here, in Maine, I get it at Dollar Tree or a local discount dept. store. Spray it on, and the brown crud runs off; you could blot it off with a paper towel or Q-tip in the nooks and crannies. I was initially amazed that it worked so well…after all, it was from the dollar store. I know it will never get that kind of dirty again, but Awesome is great on kitchen grease covered kind of stuff, too!
Thanks Kathy! I’ve never heard of that Awesome spray, but I’ll look for it. Thanks for the tip. 🙂
Happy for your special find. That lamp had your name all over it lol. With the first pics I thought it was a little table lamp but you wrote it was 57″ tall. Then I saw the full shot of it and wow, so cool! Love it.
Thanks very much Debra! I’ve never seen a table lamp like this, but then again I had never seen a floor lamp like this before either. Maybe someday I’ll luck out even more and find the table lamp version. A girl can dream anyway. 🙂
What a beautiful find, Tuula! I found a bag of bone china roses and your pretty lamp has me thinking of the possibilities… Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm. Pinning!
Thanks so much Cecilia! Wow, a whole bag of bone china roses. How wonderful!