Merry Christmas!
This time of year I usually try to bang out a few shades for my house. Clearly last minute plans... Cheerful light is invaluable this time of year. I love having a few new lampshades in my house. So, what to do. I am probably my most fussy customer!!!
Recently my most favorite cut velvet shirt had it's last mending. Oh, how sad I was to loose it. This shirt was just one of those handy, throw it on, great color casual or dressy. Drats, I hated to part with it. I had recently been asked to try to make a cut-velvet for my friend Cindy. I wasn't sure how it would work out but gave it a try. Everyone that stopped into my shop wanted to buy it. This gave me the idea to recycle my purple shirt.
It couldn't have been easier. I cut the bottom part of the shirt off below the sleeves, ironed it and laminated it to a rectangle for a 9" x 9" x 6" drum. I made it so the top and bottom would roll around the shade wires. Yes there is a shirt side -seam, but it's for me and I don't care. Cool. That took a matter of minutes to execute!!! really. I was smiling from ear to ear! On a roll, another 1/2 hour till closing, okay, one more shade for the house from my most expensive fabric of the year. I'll probably never make a profit on the shades made from it, so I might as well enjoy a little my self.
The first shade here is the one with the uber -expensive French Vintage Fabric. It is one of the most beautiful colors I have seen. Love it, too.
I needed a baby present for my friend Sam. I'd been eying this dresser scarf for days thinking it might be just the right one. I began this one after lunch on Tuesday. Perfect cheerful little baby shade, none of those way too commercial motifs!
I've taken the past 2 days off to pull my house together. A little baking and getting the pet hairs up from everywhere... I love to bake over the holidays. Yesterday I got my Stollen recipe out; years ago it had fallen out of my Blueberry Hill Cookbook. Today I made cheese bread; the recipe had fallen out of my old Bakery Lane Cookbook. And then there are all the old Gourmet recipes that are saved. Does your recipe file look like this? Lots of love and mess. Guess Martha's probably doesn't....
It is so easy to pop open the computer and search out great recipes. I do that too. Yesterday I was making Black Bean Soup from some local beans I'd gotten at The Dorset Farmers Market. I pulled up on a super food blog, can't remember which one, but gave me a few new ideas for the soup. Yum. lots of ground cumin, chipolte and lime plus the veggies. I'm thinking the local beans made the best black bean soup ever! I'll have to search out for that blog again.
It's white as anything here in Pawlet, maybe 6 inches of fluffy new snow. I was suppose to head to the airport to pick up my son, but my sweet husband knew I was nervous nilly on the highway with snow... so nice of him to offer to head off to Albany. Guess that leaves me with some more baking time. I've checked off the list Pistachio, Cranberry and Apricot Biscott's. The figs might be in line next.
Thanks for following my blog this year. It was a busy year keeping up with orders, workshops and book events. Guess we survived the crummy economy crisis; not too hard when I'm the only employee and once in a while I pay myself! The joys of owning my little cottage business is a pretty big pay day. Who knows where our life takes us. I don't. I am encouraged reading about 20 somethings starting their own creative businesses. When the chips are down creative people will aways figure it out. It's a pleasure to work dog gone long hours when it's your baby.
Hope there is a Lampshade Lady Book under your tree or a new shade in your house, too.
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