Shopping Siren got ready for bed last Sunday at 7 p.m.
Because it was dark.
At 7 p.m.
We’re not sure when this happened and we’re not afraid to say we don’t like it. Wasn’t it light out until almost 8:30 p.m., like, yesterday? We’re pretty sure it was yesterday. Wasn’t June yesterday?
Oh, summer. Where did you go?
We’re Mainers, we know winter is looming, but we’re just not ready to talk about/think about/look at snow shovels and knit hats right now. Maybe in a month or three. Around Thanksgiving, possibly. Definitely by New Year’s Eve. For now, let’s start taking baby steps toward the next season.
With lamps.
They brighten a room both figuratively (ooh, sweet decor) and literally (hey, light!).
Turn one on when it’s dark out and you don’t have to go to bed when the sun sets at 7 p.m. Or, soon, at 3:45 p.m.
• Stein World Caitlyn Table Lamp, Jordan’s Furniture, $159
It stands just over 32 inches tall, with a 60-inch cord and a three-way bulb up to 150 watts — all the light you’ll ever need and then some! And it’s chic, too, with a round silver base and four glass bubbles forming the body.
Speaking of chic, Shopping Siren checked out the new Jordan’s Furniture at the Maine Mall a couple of weeks ago and it is So. Cool. She’s not even talking about the giant climbing area, with its black mood lighting and loud music. She means the couches! And tables! And really nice accent chairs that both swivel and rock! Just note that upstairs is the expensive section — a very comfortable chair there will easily set you back $1,000. Downstairs is the hey-I-could-buy-this-without-selling-a-kidney section. Still expensive, but some items were about half the price. Whether you’re in the market for furniture or just want some design ideas (stripes apparently go with polka dots these days), it’s worth checking out. Also, there’s that new store smell.
• Stein World Ripley Table Lamp, Jordan’s Furniture, $199
It looks more than a little like a metal pineapple. Light the way for fans of the TV show “Psych.” You know who you are.
• Maddy Table Lamp, Furniture Superstore, $33
Slim metal lamp with a shade covered in sequins. This is the lamp that all other lamps envy. Sparkle and shine your way through winter.
• Cale Table Lamp, Furniture Superstore, $45
It’s shaped like a rocket ship! Perfect for your kid’s bedroom. Or your bedroom. Really, all rooms need a rocket ship. Prove us wrong.
• Casual Home Color-Changing Portable LED Lamp, Kohl’s, $54.99
Features nine glowing colors and is portable, so you can light all the places! Like that shadowy corner of your living room where your cat likes to stare and then run away. This lamp is cheaper than an exorcist.
• Maine stacked stone balanced rock lamp, MaineRockGuy on Etsy, $2,500
Sleek Maine beach stones stacked 32-inches tall in a slightly perilous but pretty way with a custom shade on top. Is your budget more I-can’t-spend-multiple-mortgage-payments-on-a-lamp? No fear, there’s a shorter, $260 version that’s a looker, too.
And speaking of custom shades . . . .
• Custom drum shade, LampsPlus.com, $69.99
Start with white, black, blue or burlap and have your own photos printed on a lamp shade! Memorialize a vacation, wedding, adorable grandkids or pets for an instant double-take and potential touch of class.*
*It may be outdated in a heartbeat or your heirs may use it to barter for seeds in post-apocalyptic 2130. You just never know with art. Um, “art.”
• Electric candle lamp, MillingAroundMaine on Etsy, $20
Going for rustic chic? These 9-inch lamps are made out of old blonde cotton machine bobbins with steel accents and a faux-candle bulb on top. Hooray for getting a second life and warding off just a bit of darkness in the night.
Best find: Safavieh sunny squirrel lamp, Kohl’s, $107.99
Featuring a super simple shade sitting inches above a squat, adorable ceramic squirrel with a Pottery Barn-vibe. Available in seven colors, the cutest being a pea green. It’s a little weird — it’s a squirrel, sitting in your living room, for no obvious reason. And yet, let there be squirrel light!
Think Twice: About succumbing to 7 o’clock bedtimes and instead flip the bird, er, switch to the dark.
Bag Lady and Shopping Siren’s true identities are protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who will go to bed when they darn well feel lik— Zzz ) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach them at baglady@sunjournal.com and shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.
Safavieh sunny squirrel lamp: $108 at Kohl’s. Conversation piece forever: priceless.
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