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Bo-Low Leopard Lamp Restoration

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Mel and I picked up this Bo-Low lamp sometime back. We had been admiring it for a while at a local antique shop and were finally able to acquire it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find out anything about the Bo-Low Lamp Co.

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As you can see, it looks like it traveled around a bit. It also had a chunk of chalk missing from a part of the top of the tree.

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I used my usual process to repair it.

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The next step was to paint the whole cat a cream color to help even out it’s finish, and so that the new color would take better.

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I then applied the main undercoat.

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As you can see from this photo, this cat had no real detail and was almost a cream color.

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Here is the same head shot after I added detail and color.

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Painting the leopard spots are fairly simple. Just make misshapen marks like I did above.

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The next step is to apply a small amount of black around parts of the brown to create the tradition leopard spot.

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Here is the original.

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Here it is after I refinished it.

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The original base was just tan so I added a grass effect to the bottom so it would tie in with its awesome shade.

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It’s coming along as you can see, just the tail left to complete.

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Just adding some finishing touches.

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Ta Da! Here it is all done!

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We have had this shade sitting around for sometime, and this seems like the perfect shade for this lamp.

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I am very happy with how it turned out.

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Here Are A Few New Things

IMG_3813Mel and I have been so busy trying to keep our store stocked.  We have driven all over northern California looking for things we think are cool.  Of course, not everything we buy is for the store.  After all, we are collectors before we are dealers.  The above piece is a new James Bunnell jungle cat we acquired.  We have a few of his jungle cats now (jungle cat 1, Jungle cat 2, jungle cat 3)

IMG_3811Here we have a fantastic 1959 Lane swan and ballerina tv lamp.  This will look great near a ballerina Carlo of Hollywood.  We picked this up from Rusty Relics and Funky Finds in Midway Mall.

IMG_3781We have been lucky as far as Tiki goes.  Here are some pieces we picked up to add to our collection.

IMG_3785While at Midway Mall, we also picked up these killer lamps.  We already have one, so this will make a set of three.  We also acquired another set of six band rattan that I will pick up this Saturday.  It will need upholstery and some restoring but it will be well worth it. I will have pictures soon.

IMG_3809This is a really cool bowl made by Trader Dick’s.

IMG_3787This set is so vibrant we could not pass it up.  The hibiscus flowers look so cool.

IMG_3790This is a menu cover used on the Matson Lines cruise ships and was painted by Eugene Savage (1883-1978).  I plan to get this framed with a bamboo frame.

IMG_3800This book is a trip.  It is bound in leather and has that fantastic image on the front.  This book was released in 1960 and covers the history of Hawaii.

IMG_3780Here is one of the most atomic looking televisions ever made.  This is a 1971 Panasonic Orbital television.

TheOrbital-Ad-blogHere is what the original ad looked like and here is also the television commercial.

IMG_3778This one works but has a few cosmetic issues, nothing major.

IMG_3773This unit just screams Mad Men.  I love the styling and the sleekness of it.  This would look great sitting on a shelf on a wall unit.  This was given to us by our new friend Jenn.  She’s proof that there are still good people out there :).  Thanks Jenn, this will stay in our collection.

IMG_3774This Panasonic will need a little work on the veneer, but overall it is in fantastic shape.  I still need to check the functionality of the unit.

IMG_3801This is an unmarked/un-engraved trophy that we came across.  I plan to clean it up and see what unique inscription we could add to it.

IMG_3806This set is so fun.  We love the colors and think it will dress up any bar top.

IMG_3808Each piece has wear, but I like them the way they are.

downloadWe also received this popcorn ceramic figurine set in the mail from one of our blog readers Dena (JuicyLucyVintage).  She gave this to us as a gift and we are soo thankful.  Click here to check out her Etsy store.

IMG_3815This is a fantastic mid-century Detecto scale.  We love the color combination.

IMG_3817This Jeco Electric clock is rather large and has a great Mid Century feel to it.  Picking has been going well for us lately and we hope the momentum keeps up!

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