The Lampshade Lady Blog

Lampshade Lady Sign is Freshened Up and Ready for Spring

Just before my spring break my dear friend, Roy Horne, AkA Roy Egg stopped by to say hi. Roy is a fabulous painter over on the other-side of town. He painted my shop lampshade so many years ago and it was time for sprucing up. I'd touched it up.... but now it was time for Roy to tackle it again.

I hadn't totally planned on having it done right away, but here was Roy and he had time to do it. So.... there he went, up my little step ladder and the old sign was down and into his car. It was great timing and knew I'd have something to look forward to when I got home from skiing. (Besides all the fabrics I had ordered before I left & also some wicked cool large straight square frames, I show you these frames later.)
Look how fresh it looks! Love it Roy. It was looking a little too shabby and less than chic. We still have dirty piles of snow around, yucky lawns; it's a little too early to rake. Everything looks drab and dirty, EXCEPT my new sign. Yay. (a foot of snow is due Friday, can you imagine)
Thanks so much Roy. You are so talented. And I thought you were coming to recycle your Vanity Fairs! Look you can see how much snow we still have.
okay, here's my stack! As much as a love my vintage fabrics, how could anyone pass these by. 

Yesterday I headed off to Guilford, VT to the "gateway" to Vermont. It is a dynamo welcome center; incredibly beautiful post and beam structure, stone walls, etc.  Certainly the best of Vermont. They have kiosks that businesses can display their wares for a month. This was my first try..... I'd been meaning to do it for years, just one of those things easy to put off. Thanks Kathy for getting me on track with this great, free marketing opportunity. I look forward to doing it again.

Last but not least, It is with sadness that I report this news. The West Pawlet General Store, Dutchies burned to the ground last Friday night. Fortunately, the two owners escaped out from the apartment with one of their doggies, but lost 2 others. There is a pig roast planned for April 10th, 2pm with music, silent auction and food. Also, if you have ties to the area you can donate at http://www.pawletvermont.com

Our general stores are the hub of the community in small towns. It is the meeting place, the gossip center, the place to pick up a breakfast sandwich, the place to grab the best local eggs, etc.... We never take them for granted. We all hope that the store is able to rebuild. Best to all.

Make Custom Lampshades: My Ski House

Vacation is over. I'm back at the shop. If you have been following my blog, I often threat to put up my "Gone Skiing" sign. We just had a wintry week of spring skiing; only about 10 minutes of deck time, but the snow was great, even champagne powder. Over the years I've made a few ski lampshades for my family's  condo. It's fun to give a personalized gift. I admit they are kind of corny, but they are perfect for a ski camp or summer beach house or your hunting trophies!  Hunt for cards that are from your ski area or home town. Keep an eye out for them when your are out antiquing or fleamarketing. Check on ebay, too. This was a Christmas present a few years ago. Ski houses always have all kinds of ski posters, photos, etc. Even raid your photo albums. Cut and paste and head to your favorite laser printer.
It's always a good conversation piece. Oh, remember the old days....  My mom was putting together some of our old ski photos.... here's a good laugh. Me at maybe 16??? sure not putting this one on any lampshades... But sure cracked me up! Thought you'd get a good laugh, too. But I did make a shade for my Dad's birthday a few years ago. See next photo.
This was a huge hit. It's always hard to know what to get your Dad. I had Mom send me some old photos, ski news clippings, etc. You can personalize your own shade. Raid the family photo albums and make copies, laminate them onto pressure sensitive styrene and make up into a shade. Pick up a copy of my Lampshade Lady Book and follow The Vintage Postcard Shade directions.

Vacation's over and I can already feel the wonderful, poky winter coming to an end and the busy, bustling spring coming on. Shops will be calling with orders..... usually all at once....yikes. My April Workshops are quickly approaching; students are coming from all over the country. Only 2 spots left on the Thursday, April 14th class, Saturday is full. Give me a call if you want to hold a spot. Brimfield is fast approaching and will be here before I know it. 

I am so ready for Spring!!!! Aren't you? We have all shoveled our fair share this winter; I can't remember a winter that I have shoveled as much.  I am looking forward to my shop sign being delivered in the next few days. Roy Egg of West Pawlet painted my lampshade sign many years ago and it was time for it to be spruced up; the paint had faded and was peeling off. Roy just happened to stop by before I was headed away; it was great timing. Yipee, the sign will look so fresh for spring.

gotta get back to work,

judy

How to Hang a Drum Shade or Pendant Shade

At long last I have solved the pendant drum shade hanging problem. This is the perfect set up! So happy to have gotten some into the shop,because I know so many of you have asked this question. How to hang a drum shade???? This does have to be hard wired into your ceiling, but if you already have a fixture installed it would not be too big a deal to switch them out. The best part is that a standard washer top shade will work with this fixture. It is such a smart design. Great looking,too.
The fixture comes with one light, two lights or 3 lights. The more light bulbs = a larger shade. They recommend a 19" shade with the 3 light set up. The single square frame in the first picture is 8" high and 8" across the bottom.
This is such a great set up. I had a hard time visualizing this until I saw it. To install a shade turn the screw where my hand is and set the lampshade in place and screw the bolt back in! Easy, Easy!

These come in Brushed Nickel (shown), Oil Rubbed Bronze, Antique Brass and Satin Black. To order, give me a call at the shop. 802-325-6308

Hello to the World of Lampshade Makers: sourcing materials can be a hard job

Hello World of Fellow Lampshade Makers or perhaps you might be thinking about learning. The internet has made the world a smaller place to meet fellow lampshade designers and makers. We are a growing niche as consumers are getting a taste of great lampshades in the shelter magazines and new web magazines.

I love to hear from other lampshade makers. I've reached out to a few and others have contacted me. We all have our own styles and favorite sources. All of my contacts have been excited to share our sources and tell of some great "find".

 Most of the lampshade materials are hard to find. I will give you that! I have to admit it was a question my publisher's asked before they accepted my book contract. How clever of them. It is not impossible to find materials, but it is harder than some crafts. And at times it takes some creative thinking.

In The States our main source is The Lampshop in Concord, NH. They have been a resource for me for over 20 years. Colby and gang run The Lampshop. It's been around for longer than I know; his mom ran it before Colby took over the helm. They are mostly an online source although they are open a couple of days a week. Give them a call first; I think it's Tuesdays that they are open. The Lamp Shop has ALL of the materials needed, glue, frames, styrene, trims, etc. We are lucky to have them.

 Mainely Shades of Portland, Maine was also a main lampshade source; they are no longer selling lampshade materials. 

I hear from many of you in far away spots like New Zealand, Austria, Philippines, South Africa, France, UK, etc. You tell me that you have a hard time finding materials. I tried to search out to a few small lampshade companies in Australia for a query on supplies. They said they were happy to sell some styrene if asked. I know that Artistic Bias will export 50 yards of styrene to a legitimate business. I am at the point of my business that I order 25 or 50 yards at a time. It's heavy stuff and shipping is a consideration.

So what else to do if you can't find materials????

this is the real time for creativity. One of my new friends can not get Pressure Sensitive Styrene where she lives, so she makes sewn shades and renovates old wires. (if you do this, make sure to sand and paint old wire due to rusting) Note to new lampshade makers: not all lampshade frames will work for making hardback shades; some are for sewn shades only.

If you are a lampshade maker and happen to have stumbled on my blog, please feel free to share some source tips you have found around the world. I am sure it will be appreciated.

It is my feeling that the more we share the more we receive!

 Or at least that's my experience.  I remember the days of trekking to the library to search through those big blue Thompson books with all the companies addresses and telephone numbers. This sure dates me!  Life before the internet.

 pressure sensitive styrene is the backing for hard back shades in certain parts of the world. Some countries also use pressure sensitive vinyl. I think it is quite similar. When neither are avalable you could always use a spray adhesive to laminate fabric to something that is translucent; not sure what but just take precautions with the spray toxins.

lampshade wires or frames  styles vary significantly country to country. The UK uses a no thread uno for many table lamps; we use a clip on or washer top w/ finial. Drum shades seem to be popular all over the world. Wow. that's cool, isn't it. And, Yes, Drum shades are pretty easy to make, too. I've written many a blog post here on The Lampshade Lady Blog. Styles come slow to New England where classic tradition lingers, but drum shades are catching on with some of my students and customers. Just look on Etsy and see how many are avalable!  LOTS of fun drum shades in a variety of styles. I have just found a super fixture for hanging a drum shade that I will be posting shortly. (fellow lampshade designer shared her source:)

Fabrics  are everywhere. That said, I spend a huge of time trying to find the perfect fabric. I always peek at ebay and most likely if I counted all the time searching for that "great stuff" my lampshades would be 3 times more expensive. When looking for fabric for lampshades I ask myself, "Will I be sick of it in a year????" Does the fabric you choose have lasting power or is it too trendy? fun today-passe tomorrow? I'm looking through my house right now (It's Sunday, my day off and yes I'm working-sort of) and love most of my fabric choices. It's a mix up crazy house of colors and styles but I think it works and is comfortable and very livable. The old paisley shawls go great with my Swedish Tio Gruppen contemporary fabric. My motto of interior design is a bit sketchy: buy what you like and it will all go together! Ha. I know I would have flunked out of Interior Design School! I just hate it when rooms match TOO perectly. I still laugh about an old neighbor that bought page 24 of one of our well known home goods catalogs; it sure went together well! To wrap up fabrics- I love vintage stuff and it has lots of staying power, just look how long shabby chic has been hanging on. As well as how it blends with contemporary decor, too.

Note of caution: I do worry when I see lace and crochet drapped on top of lamps. I think this is a huge fire issue and would avoid it. It does look romantic but....I see it so many times in the Shelter Mags and wonder if they are putting out the wrong message.

Fire hazards are always something to consider if using alternative materials when making lampshades, whether it's paper, fabric, plastic or ???  Please use caution. The larger the shade the higher the wattage you can use. The compact florescent light bulbs are handy considering they do not get as hot. 

I hope to hear from the other Lampshade Ladies out there, Lampshade Guys, too. (that sounds funny, but I know they are out there!)

Workshop Update: April 16th Workshop in Vermont is full. I still have a few spots left for the 14th of April, Thursday.

My shop will be closed March 19-28. Gone Spring Skiing! Praying for some much needed sunshine; it's been gray here for too long.