When I go to flea markets, antique shops, and thrift stores, I look for all kinds of stuff, but the practical things that have room for creativity really appeal to me.
Take this wall sconce, for example. I found a pair of these at a thrift store for a dollar. Yes, one little ol' dollar. When I got them, they were a burnished, icky, brassy looking color. Well, that was nothing a little off-white spray paint couldn't handle. After painting, I rubbed the sconces with some stain to give them a slight antiqued look.
Then, I added taper candles from Wal-Mart in a color that accented my living room decor. I probably have five bucks invested in this little project, including my time. (Guess I'm saying my time isn't worth much, huh?).
Anyway, the practical use for these sconces, besides the fact that they are cute, and cute is definitely practical, is that they serve as emergency lighting. If you've ever lived in southwest Missouri, you know that we have frequent thunderstorms which cause the power to go out on a regular basis.
These sconces, when the candles are lit, provide light to get us through the dark spell. Because they are painted a light color, the flame gives off more light as the light bounces off the sconce....kind of like when you set a candle in front of a mirror.
Hope you enjoyed this idea, and are inspired to find your own inexpensive, cute, emergency lighting. :)
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