use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without–my version

When we were moving, I did a dumb thing. (Lots of them, but this is just one I’m sharing today.) I was trying to see if my favorite lamps from our bedroom would fit into a certain box. I just folded it together (no tape!) to test it out. They fit, so I went along packing and forgot about it. I taped up the top of the box, slid it across the kitchen floor to the garage and then picked it up to add to the stack of boxes.

You guessed it: the lamps came crashing out of the bottom of the box onto the concrete floor. Even though they were wrapped, the top of one broke off. Sadness. These were from my Grandma Reeva for my birthday (well, she gave me the money, I picked them out) and she always, always lives true to the saying: “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

We are going to make it do with these lamps.

The other one was perfectly fine, so I decided to even things up a bit.

I have wanted a Dremel or a long time, so I decided it would be the perfect time to bite the bullet and buy one when they were on sale on Amazon. Plus, cheaper than a new lamp, right? And I didn’t throw them out. I realize I am probably completely contradicting the “make it do” part by purchasing something here, but this is my version of it. I plan on getting a lot of use out of this baby. Stay with me here…

I gently took a hammer to the top part, (ahhhh! I’m breaking my favorite lamp!!)

and then tried to smooth things out a bit with the cutting tool on the Dremel.

So, not perfect and still a bit jagged (they look sharp, but I sanded them down so they are jagged yet smooth if that makes any sense at all) but they match now, they are staying out of the landfill, now they are back in the bedroom and have a great story to go along with them.

Phew.

So… have you used it up, worn it out, made it do, or done without lately??