Bright idea

During one of my (many, many, many) visits to the local MCC Thrift Store, I purchased this lamp for $4 (actually, I bought two at the same time, and got a bit of a discount for purchasing in multiples!).  I liked the shape of the lamp base, and knew exactly where it would fit in my home. 

This is the underwhelming before photo (yes, that is a child's painting hung upside down behind the lamp - I think that was my heroic move):

I sprayed it with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint in a Glossy White, being careful to tape the cord and the light socket to avoid overspray.  A minute here, and a minute there, and within an hour, the lamp had found a new home in my living room (with the addition of some lampshades I had purchased earlier).

I guess in all my excitement (because these things do get me very excited!), I didn't take a before picture of the second lamp I bought, but imagine it to look a lot like the first lamp, except with a yellow shade.  Here is the after (please ignore the doily thing that the lamp is resting on - I couldn't resist putting the lamp in place while it was still wet!):

So there you have it.  Decorating on a dime.