Lamp Re-Do

I've had this lamp in my house for about 2 years now.  

I've always loved the lamp, but recently I noticed something.... it is literally the exact same color as my walls.  Ever since I noticed this, I can't stop noticing it.  If I squint and look at it, it just blends right into the wall and disappears.... I needed to do something about it to calm my OCD.

I decided to paint it.  I went through a ton of Pinterest ideas looking for a design to paint and nothing was really working for me.  Finally I decided to just pick something and go with it.  I went with stripes.  

To make the stripes, I measured out on the top and bottom of the lamp.  I went with 2 different size stripes, 1"and 1/2" rotating.

Once I had everything marked out, I started connecting the mark on the top of the lamp to the mark on the bottom to make straight lines.  Then I realized my lines were not straight.  So, I went through and made the marks again to see where I was off and thought I had it all figured out.  Then I made the lines again and guess what... they weren't straight either... The lamp ended up looking like this...

And I ended up looking like this... (incredibly flattering picture)

    

I was just about ready to give up and then Chris told me to make a template to go off of.  So, I made a 1" strip and 1/2" of cardboard.  I made my first stripe using the seam of the lamp as my guide and then went off of each previous stripe until I went all the way around. 

By the way, if you have a pool table that you never use, it makes a great work table.  If you don't have a pool table, don't get one... you won't use it.

Finally it was time to paint.  Here is the cast of characters I chose.  And yes, I realize 3 of these are outdoor paints.  I didn't want to buy more paint, so I used the ones I already had.

A few stripes down...

And done!

I like the brushstrokes in it that make it imperfect.

And it's actually pretty cool when the light is on.  The paint strokes really show through.

And now for the before and after.

So what's the verdict?  I'm really not sure yet.  I like it, but I don't love it.  I'm going to live with it for a while and see if it grows on me, but right now, I'm just happy that it isn't blending into the wall anymore.

Oh, and Mom.... I'm coming to your house to do this to all of your lamps...  :)  Just kidding, I just wanted to cause you to panic a little :) :)

-Brooke