Lamp turned vase

It seems with thrifting most of the time, you have to keep an open mind and think of things having multiple purposes.  For example, you may find a great piece of furniture with fabulous lines but the color is all wrong or a pretty tablecloth that could be turned into great curtains or in this case, a funky lamp that can be turned into a contemporary vase.  I found this lamp and thought it was cool in a funky vintage way but it needed some work.  Definitely needed to be rewired and the base was all rusted.  It was a good deal so I picked it up anyway and figured I could make it over.  Well, I went to take it apart and realized the glass portion alone would make a pretty cool vase.  So, I packaged up the rest of the pieces to save for a later lamp project and cleaned out the glass.  Now, I have a one of a kind vase and a  lamp kit for another project.  Of course, there is a hole in the bottom where the rod went through so I couldn't fill it with water for real flowers but it works great just as it is or with some fake stems in it.

I forgot to take a "before" picture before I took it all apart but it looked a little something like this, only the condition wasn't nearly as good as this one from ebay.  The base of mine was a little different and very rusted but this gives you an idea.

and here's my new vase...

like I said before I packed away the lamp "innards" for another project, buying inexpensive lamps ($2-$3) at the thrift store is way cheaper than buying a lamp kit at Lowe's (around $10).  Pretty good deal for a few dollars don't you think?  

so, next time you are in the market for a vase, why not check the lamp aisle?