Decluttering and Upcyling from Vintage Crystal Lamp to Apothecary Jar- Pintrest Success!


Do you have stuff just taking up space in your house? I have spent this past year trying to minimize the clutter in my home. I have sold, given away and thrown away over 25% of my possessions.  One of the hardest things for me to discard has been my lead crystal collection. I have been a bit of a hoarder when it comes to lead crystal over the years. (See my Youtube video on this subject here: Confessions of a Hoarder.   I love crystal lamps, but given that I don't live in a mansion, 12+ lamps are not necessary. 

As I tried to think about ways to repurpose my sparklies, I remembered seeing a video a while back about someone turning their vintage lamps into apothecary jars.  I thought I would try this out with one of my mine. I like how it turned out so I figured I'd share how I did it in case someone else wants to try.

Step 1 : 

I gathered up all the things necessary to for this project. 

  • Paper to protect the surface
  • scissors
  • lamp
  • knob ( I found this one in the clearance area of Hobby Lobby). 



Step 2:  
    
I cut the cord on the lamp. Since this is an old lamp, the cord will just be discarded. I then unscrewed the bolts that held the cord and lamp stem in place. This was a little tricky to remove,  and I had to find a small wrench to loosen it. 
     



Step 3: 

Once the bolt was unfastened, the lamp came apart into three pieces. I washed the crystal with hot water, dish detergent and bleach. This is my mixture for washing lead crystal, as it completely breaks up any oils and dust that has settled in the crevices. I scrubbed this with a dish brush and rinsed thoroughly. I then completely dried them off with a paper towel. 
                                                     






Step 4 

Once the pieces were dry, I used E 60000 glue to secure the base to the middle part from the lamp. There is a small hole at the bottom from where the post used to be. Because I wanted to store bath salts in this jar, I glued a small glass piece  to cover that hole. I also glued the glass knob I had to the top of the lid to act has a "handle" You could use anything you have laying around the house for this purpose. I also considered the plug to one of the decanters I have. 







Step 5 

I left the pieces to dry over night and viola-my jar is ready for use! 



I'm no crafter, but this was a quick and painless project and it turned something beautiful into something purposeful! Although I plan to put salts in it, it could also be used to hold cotton balls, hair ties or anything else you can think of. I am considering making more with my smaller lamps and using them in the office for paperclips and thumbtacks! The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination! 

Mandatory Positive: My beautiful things have a purpose and aren't just taking up space. 


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