Saturday, February 11, 2017

Accent Lamps-A Way to Add Light to Your Decor




Welcome back to the second half of a two-part series on how to incorporate accent lamps in every day decorating.   If you missed the first posting, you can enjoy reading it by clicking the following link:  A Corner of Coziness--A Love for Accent Lamps.

When I construct one of my vignettes which includes an accent lamp from my collection, I begin to gather up all of the decor items that relate to the same theme and have the same color combinations. For example, my woodland vignette which highlighted my pine cone accent lamp (pictured above) included other rustic items of the same nature, such as a pine needle branch, pine cones, a bird's nest, a bear figurine and a wood slice with bark. The colors in the vignette remain in the brown, black and cream tones, thereby giving the vignette continuity.

The next vignette features my first accent lamp in my collection when my dream at that time was to own and operate a Queen Anne bed and breakfast in northern Wisconsin. This antique, stained glass, Tiffany-style lamp is one that emits the most colorful glow to a darkened room.  It seems to go beautifully with the porcelain church given to me as a gift from my sister, a hand-carved Polish wood plate from a kind, warmhearted neighbor and my grandmother's 100-year-old Polish prayer book.




Now you can't live in the country without having a country barn collection of any kind.  I happen to love old barns and live among many farmers who have barns which withstood many generations of harsh Wisconsin winters.

Pictured below is one of the two red barn accent lamps among the other country-themed pieces that coordinates perfectly with the Warren Kimble Barns Dinnerware and Kitchenware Collection.










Who doesn't love roosters and chickens?  I am not surprised by my own love for farm animals since my grandparents were farmers.  Pictured below are the rooster accent lamps displayed with a red and white gingham check napkin and a vintage floral tablecloth.  The rooster accent lamps were purchased at a decor and gift shop in Greendale, Wisconsin which sold primitive decor when it was extremely popular and dominating as a style. Even though I was a city girl at the time, the purchase of these lamps brought "a bit of simplicity and country life" into my home.

The hen resting on top of the tiered plate rack is my first purchase from a small town furniture store near Bonduel, Wisconsin featuring Amish made furniture and country inspired decor. The trips to the small towns and shops always resulted in finding and bringing back some thing which represented the charm of rural, country living.








I just love their warm glow at night.


Can you resist the juicy, crisp taste of a crunchy apple?  There are many wonderful apple orchards in my area and when apples are in season, I can't wait to bring home huge bags of various kinds to eat or use in baking.  Did you ever eat an apple that you could drink?  They are so incredibly juicy. Yum!




Don't forget to save those cardboard berry crates from strawberry farms that are in pristine condition. They can easily be embellished with various kinds of ribbon and lace and filled with all sorts of edible and non-edible items.  The color combination of aqua blue and candy apple red makes for a nostalgic vintage/retro look and adds color to the apple vignette.








As night begins to fall the little apple lamp shines brightly.   Even if it only emanates its tiny bit of light to a dark, insignificant corner, in my opinion, it is this warm glow that exemplifies love and faith and it is a gentle reminder for me to demonstrate these things daily.