i did get lucky this time.
total cost of this particular little project, which is in my bedroom and makes me very happy to look at: $8.95. take that, pottery barn!
my house was built in 1920 and my very favorite feature is the fireplace. we don't use it much, because it's so open, but we did use it occasionally this past winter. nice and cozy.
anyway, those candlesticks were the ugliest things you have ever seen when i first found them at goodwill. they were a very gaudy gold leaf, with some fake marble stuff. truly hideous. i stared at them for a while before deciding to bring them home and paint 