The Lampshade Lady Blog

Vermont Open Studio Tours This Weekend

Vermont Open Studio        Memorial Day Weekend   Sat/Sun 10-5

I have participated in The Vermont Open Studio many times over the years, but this is the first time in quite a few years. Our region of South Western Vermont has organized into a group called Artisans of Southern
Vermont. I have been pretty busy with my spring schedule and still promoting my new book, but wanted to help out a little. I suggested Twitter for our group! Well, that sure got a few crosseyed looks, but I pushed on. Some artisans are on board and some have understandably resisted, which is fine. It's been kind of fun, once I figured out how to Tweet for me and them. Solution was to put my account in one browser and The So Vt Artisans in another browser! Wow. It worked. Check us out and follow if you want. http://www.twitter.com/ArtisansOfSoVt 

Here is our group's mission statement taken off of their blog:(sorry I have yet to figure out how to change text color and too damn hot....lazy girl. Hope you can read it.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Artisans of Southern Vermont are a group of artists and craftspeople living in the Southwest corner of Vermont. We have joined together in order to draw attention to our region as an area densely populated with dedicated individual artisans.

Our goal is to make Southwestern Vermont a destination area for people seeking hand produced individual art and craft creations and the artisans that produce them.

Our aim is to educate the public not only about the unique beauty of hand made objects but also about the beauty of uniqueness in a world of mass-produced products.

This pretty much sums up the goal of Open Studio. We will be demonstrating our craft during the weekend as well as sell our work. Winter is long in Vermont and this kicks off the summer tourism season. Time to tidy up our work spaces. OMG if you could see my shop right now. A huge mess. I am working on a restaurant project with some HUGE lampshades, 24" Drum Shades, a little larger than my comfort zone, but they will be finished tomorrow and I can prepare to clean up the big mess.

Here is the map and art/craftman list for our region: double click and it will enlarge.

Hope to see you! The weather sounds perfect. This hot sticky stuff will be outta here.

Treasures from Brimfield, a week of selling and a week of picking up the pieces!

It's been a long week being home after Brimfield. It was fun to get away and break from routine and so painful to put my shop back in order. First to clean and tidy up the kitty fur ball and suck up the dirt in the cracks of my wide floor boards at the shop. The good news is that it is starting to come around and certainly a good excuse to rearrange inventory and make it fresh. Today is Saturday PM after work and boxes of Brimfield orders are almost ready to ship out, lots of new work prepped and a dozen new postcard shades headed north to Middlebury and Charlotte tomorrow. Phew.

On Thursday I realized that I was not receiving emails and orders from my website... ohmygod.... triple s....! My apologizes if you have sent me an email and I did not return it; I'm sorry to say in switching my website host the web guy missed this piece of the transfer. Fortunately a not so happy customer called wondering where her order was..... I can be a tad late, but never w/o notice and almost always return emails, unless away very promptly. A few more gray hairs. It seems to be resolved and if you haven't heard from me, please email again. I regret the error; in hindsight I should have noticed, but the spring has been busy.

Here's a few Brimfield Photos:

My booth and book promotion. Sold lots of books. It was almost more fun selling my new book than my lampshades!

I was so happy to find my friend from Vermont, Wendy Lewis. What a fun booth. Wendy is also know as Loodylady on Ebay. Oh, did I ever have a hard time picking out a few favorites in Wendy's booth. She sure is in the right place at the right time. Her booth was set up at The New England Motel Show. I had to scramble to get back to my booth.
After Wendy, I visited quickly with Gloria, my other lampshade lady friend and then onto Sue in Central Park to check out here beautiful trims.... as you can see I found a bunch of nice new treasures. 

My booth neighbors and friends, Philippa and Mary. They both are antique print dealers and from the sound of it had a great show! These are a few of Mary's favorites. I especially love the sweet little blue one on the top! Oh that blue. Mary also is a wonderful folk artist specializing in nautical themes.
All work and no play would be pretty hard! Doesn't this look like fun. Wasn't quite a Martha table, but great evening was had. Most likely it was early to bed.... w/ a glass or 2 of wine! Sure didn't take much after a full day of selling and chatting to customers. Our field was a great bunch of vendors! Head to the pillow and I was out like a light and up early again to do it all over. Must say the week went by fast. I hope to make it back again next May. July I'll be in Nantucket for my workshop and book demo and in Sept. I'll be busy in my shop in Vermont. I'll miss all the fun, but I am sure happy to be home again in my little studio/shop.

Again, sorry if I did not get your email, please give it a try again. Between changing blog hosts and website hosts..... I think I ought to be set for a while.

I will be participating in Vermont Open Studio Tours next Sat and Sunday. Come to Vermont and pick up a Vermont Crafts Council map and take the self guided tour. Look for the big yellow road signs. More to come on our areas artisans. Also follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/artisansofsovt  I am trying to twitter for our area in South West Vermont. It's a little tricking to twitter myself and for our group.... tech.no.turd.... I finally figured out to put each twitter account on a different browser.... yup, that worked to keep it all straight.

Brimfield Flea Market, Day 2

Welcome to my new blog address at TypePad. Sorry no pictures, I'm away at the flea mkt and ...will have to post them later. My friends Chip and Ryan have helped me get up and revamping my blog. I will be adding more links, etc sooner or later.

Tuesday was the opening day at Shelton's Antique Show. I'm booth B53, next to friends Mary and Phillipa, across from Carrie, Cary, Melissa, Carlos, Marcia, Doris,  Set up Monday afternoon and opening at Day Break, 6am on Tuesday.... way to early for me. A big crowd, most vendors near me were pretty pleased with sales. Things seem to have eased a little from last year and that's great news. Who knows, selling is usually a crap shoot, you never know what'll happen. 

        Tonight is Wednesday night, Day 2 of The Brimfield Flea Market. We are back to our motel after a chilly, busy day. We totally lucked out; it could have rained all day. We had just a drizzle, but sure as hell didn't warm up much. After a freezing, roughing it night in the back of the car.... read..... stupid plan.... I should have shelled out money for a room....but we had to get up so early it made no sense.... wrong. ICE on car windows. So after Monday's chilly weather, I was totally prepared for the cold today. 5 layers, plus coat, heavy socks, scarf, gloves and lots of HOT tea; I was great. 

*****My  vendor flea market tip: bring electric tea pot and pump pot for hot water to make tea. It saved the day today and helped keep the chill out.  And lobster rolls.

        We took our time arriving today with rainy am, we didn't see any reason to open up too early as several other shows were opening today; shoppers would be arriving after visiting the new opening shows. We really lucked out today. I thought we were done for today with the chilly, wet weather, but busy, busy fun day. Great shoppers and lots of interest.

Bushed and ready for bed. Sunshine tomorrow. Come by and say hi.

xoxo,

judy

ps, I tried to post this on Monday but hotel internet was so SLOW.... nothing doing, I just pulled in from Brimfield. Can't wait for a shower and a good night sleep. Fun week, it flew by. Love my neighborhood group of vendors! More tomorrow. I promise to be back up and posting now that the flea market is behind me. Looking forward towards Vermont Open Studio... the next event. Check out our twitter site, I suggested we try twittering with the Open Studio Artisans in our area. Artisans of Southern Vermont.

Please Excuse My Blog, She is Undergoing a Makeover!

                      French Ticking has been popular for the past few years and continues to be popular. I can't go wrong with Blue and White Tickings in my shop. The vintage ticking is getting harder to find in large quantities. 

Fini, short for Finial is snuggling close by after all the snow we had yesterday.

Note to readers. My blog is undergoing some design changes the next few weeks. Please bear with me and sooner or later this will be completed. Oh, the pain of learning new things... but in the end it might, possibly, probably be better. For sure, eventually.

Thanks for the patience. Spread the gospel of groovy lampshades, buy my book and give it a try.

Angela Miller with Her New Book, Hay Fever at The Northshire Bookstore

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Angela Miller At Northshire Bookstore, April 30th 7 pm

       About 9 years ago Angela Miller came into my lampshade shop in Pawlet Village. She and her husband Russell Glover had just bought a farm in West Pawlet. She told me that she was a literary agent ( I had no clue what a literary agent was.... famous last words) and that she represented many chefs. That was cool as my husband went to The Culinary Institute of America and we were sort of foodies.
         Angela mentioned to me that she thought it would be fun to make cheese since now they had this big farm. I love people that actually DO what they say and somehow I felt that Angela would follow through with her dream. Sure enough, Russell and Angela have made incredible cheeses and resurrected the farm and cheese making operation.

Come hear Angela's story at the Northshire Book Store, Friday April 30th, Friday 7pm, Manchester, Vermont. Quoted from the Northshire's website:
Local Vermont author and cheesemaker Angela Miller will present her new memoir Hay Fever: How Chasing a Dream on a Vermont Farm Changed My Life. Miller’s new book tells the inspiring, informative, and funny story about changing your life when you're already more than halfway through it. After Miller’s marriage became strained, her job too stressful, and the social whirl on Shelter Island unsatisfying, she and her husband decided to buy Consider Bardwell Farm in Vermont and become cheesemakers (all while maintaining their New York jobs and lives). But what started as a part time “project” turned into a full-blown obsession and culinary passion that not only changed their lives forever, but also resulted in some of America’s best cheeses, prestigious awards, and media fame. Hay Fever is an inspiring and entertaining memoir that will whet the appetite of food lovers and would-be farmers from coast to coast, and includes recipes from the author and top food personalities like Mark Bittman and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Angela Miller is a prominent literary agent in New York City. Miller and her farm have been written up in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Daily News, Travel and Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, and many other national publications. Consider Bardwell cheeses are featured on the menus of some of the finest restaurants in the country, including The French Laundry, Per Se, Daniel, and Jean Georges.


Hope you will put this on the calendar. We are all lucky to have this yummy cheese so close to home as well as wonderful, dear friends.  Northshire Bookstore, April 30th, 7 pm.  Maybe she'll bring some cheese!