Last week I was sitting on the couch going through old photos from an external hard drive. I have tens of thousands of photos and most are in no particular order other than loosely chronological. They are in desperate need of some organization.  I was intent on my work when I suddenly smelled something burning. I felt the hard drive, the connection to my computer, the electrical plug and nothing felt hot so I turned to the fail-proof smell test. I sniffed those same items and still nothing seemed amiss. It was odd, I thought, but obviously everything was ok.

I set the hard drive and my computer aside and went to prepare dinner. Later, when I returned the sun had dropped behind the mountain so I reached for the nearby lamp. When I turned the switch, nothing happened. I replaced the bulb, thinking it odd since it hadn’t been long since I’d done that,  but still nothing. Upon further inspection, I discovered the source of the earlier burn-y smell. The plug on the lamp had burned. I was a little bit shaken, realizing what could have happened and more than a little grateful.

This lamp was my grandmother’s. I can’t remember a time when it didn’t sit on her end table. As a child I was obsessed with Little House on the Prairie and all things old-fashioned so a lamp shaped like a little potbelly stove was nothing short of enchanting. Saturday was cleaning day at Gram’s and if my brother or I happened to be there on Saturday, we knew we would be expected to help. I was responsible for ironing Gramp’s hankies and for dusting. Countless times, with the dust rag cut from my grandfather’s old t-shirt in hand, I carefully wiped the shiny black surface of this little potbelly stove lamp.

When we lost my Grandma, I got the lamp. It’s been mine now for nearly two decades and even though I’ve changed the shade,  I would not think about getting rid of it.  I love the memories. I love the nostalgia and I even still love the style.

When my little lamp threatened to burn my house down, I knew I needed to take action. One thing was for certain, I could not throw this old friend away. Since I was also unwilling to risk a fire, I cut the wiring out of the lamp and removed it so it could not be turned on by mistake. Then I did what every resourceful woman does …  I went to Amazon. I found this lamp kit and promptly ordered it.

Lamp with wiring removed

New wire pulled up through the lamp and the base slid over the wire

Wires attached to the socket

Cover and cardboard insulation added

Ready for the bulb and shade

Finished! It took longer to write about it than it did to do it!

If your shade uses a harp, you can install the harp that is included with the kit. My doesn’t so I just left it off.

When it arrived, I tore into the box and in well under half an hour, the lamp was repaired and functioning safely again. I have several old lamps and light fixtures.  It might be time to update them, if only for my peace of mind.

These kits are great for creating your own lamps too. Use your imagination to create a unique, one of kind lamp out of an old cedar fence post, a teapot, or a baseball bat. The possibilities are only limited by imagination!

It’s true that decorating styles change. Not that long ago many people hadn’t even heard of shiplap! That’s part of the fun with interior decorating. There’s an ever changing opportunity to be creative. Regardless of the trends there are some items that will always be a part of my home. I might remake, repurpose, paint, repair or re-imagine them, but I won’t get rid of them because the people, places and memories associated with them are a part of me.