The Lampshade Lady Blog

6 Top Lampshade Ladies of 2022 - Bring on the Color

I have taught many a lampshade maker over the years.  My DIY Lampshade book, The Lampshadelady's Guide to Lighting up Your Life, Potter Craft 2009 spurred on many new lampshade makers. I have loved watching artisans grow their design skills; I look back at my early work and see the huge progress I have made since those early days. It takes a heck of a lot of work to succeed in this business, but then who wouldn't want to play with fabric, paper and color everyday. Persistence pays off.

A few of my recent lampshades. (shameless promotion)

I am sharing some of my favorite fellow lampshade ladies, they are all super talented, have a creative eye and really hard workers.  I am sure I will miss many, sorry in advance.

One of my first students that comes to mind is Kristi Uvence from Seattle, Washington. Her business on Etsy is called Sassy Shades. Kristi flew east for a private workshop with me after my book came out. We had a blast. We made lampshades, went looking for vintage fabric and had lots of laughs. She has persisted thru working full time and developing her business. I am very proud of her accomplishments. Below are some of Kristi's work.

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Another great lampshade maker I sometimes chat with is Maggie from Vero Lampshades. We met on Etsy thru my book. I often get questions from lampshade makers and I'm happy to try to help with their questions. And sometimes they help me too. Maggie must be a very hard worker. She is always getting new inventory posted in her Etsy shop. Maggie has a great flair with her fabrics. It's been fun to see her grow as well as Kristi. Check out their work.

Vero Lampshades (Below)

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When I started making lampshades in the early 1990's I spotted another lampshade maker that had a similar style to mine. She is the fabulous lampshade maker Susan Schneider. At that time I used to travel down Rt 22 down to CT for many craft shows. I remember poking my head in her shop window that at that time was in Millerton, NY. It seems like a million years ago. Wow, I was blown away with excitement. She was closed but loved that cute little shop. I thought it sure would be fun to have my very own shop someday. Susan's business is called Shandell's. She's gone thru many phases of her lampshade business. These days she's making gorgeous marble papers for lampshades, boxes, belts, etc. Plus teaching marbling, too. We've never met but we have both been at this lampshade thing for a long time. You can order from her website as well as other events. She's top notch and I'm a big admirer of her work. She is in the process of restoring an old barn for her shop/ studio. I wish her well and someday we shall meet. Follow her on Instagram @Shandells.

Susan's Marble Lampshades (below)

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Robin Koppernaes makes great lampshades and is also one of my students. You can see her work on Etsy, Creative Lampshades. It is fun to see her work pop up in my Etsy feed. It's been years since my workshops but seems like it was just yesterday. Follow Robin on Instagram, too. She's way down in beautiful Beaufort, S.C. I just love this orange lampshade, bet it lights up beautiful. Orange and reds are the best for warm light.

 

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Another great lampshade lady is Linda Daniel, aka Elle Daniel from Sarasota, Florida. Years ago Linda flew up to my shop to have a private workshop. She was ready to start her next business. There was no doubt that Linda would go on to establish a great business. She's a super marketer and stylist.

Linda's lampshade shop in Sarasota is at Address: 1616 Oak Street, Sarasota, FL 34236. Her website is https://www.elledaniel.com . Elle Daniel lampshades can also be purchased in her Etsy shop as well as her own website.

 

No doubt I have forgotten many lampshade ladies! It's a fun business and heavens knows there's plenty of work for all of us!!!  Susan and I have been making lampshades for over 30 years; we both have pivoted and evolved with the times. Making a business with your hands is a labor of love. We have all struggled to get to where we are whether it's crooked lampshade frames, clips that have bad solder joints, bad glue, bad styrene, rusty wires, grosgrain ribbon sourcing or just learning the art.

It takes a lifetime to learn the lighting industry.

All of these Lampshade Ladies agree that there is more than just a white lampshade!!! Light up Your Life!

xoxo

judy

ps My workshop days are over. It was lots of fun while it lasted.

pss My book, The Lampshadelady's Guide to Lighting up Your Life is out of print but can be found used on Amazon and other used book venues.

 

 

 

OOAK: One of a Kind on ETSY

It's my 2nd anniversary selling my wares on the craft/vintage online shop ETSY. I've had a real boost from the exposure and wide reach Etsy has brought my little niche.

An ongoing conversation has been going on in Etsy Forums and beyond, what is OOAK?? aka, one of a kind items. I recently scanned on of my favorite on-line food blogs now turned shopping experience! And one of their shopping categories was, One of a Kind, curious enough to take a peek to see what their offering might be... nice stuff and "sort of" one of the kind looking, but so not what the intent of one of a kind means. I'm wondering when One of a Kind became sort of one of a kind .... kind of handmade looking but really mass produced. humm. YIKES, Has the handmade item been buried under mass production. How will our customers know if handmade is really handmade. An infuriating conundrum to me and many others.

one of a kind lampshade. Mother and Child, vintage needlepoint sourced from Europe, vintage trim from a pair of French curtains, new fabric and trim to match!

True to be said, not all artisans do one of a kind items or wish to. 85% of my work is one or 2 of a kind; a few things I will do over and over! The goal of my business has been stay small and stay busy, stay fresh and creative. And continue to design and make the BEST lampshades I can challenging myself to grow and experiment with new materials.

Etsy has opened it's venue up for designers as of Jan 1, 2014. They are now allowed to design their work and OUTSOURCE and DROP Ship their work. Oh Boy, it's been hair pulling fall with this big change in direction. I certainly see a few good out comes, but mostly an onslaught of inferior produced work. The day after the announcement I watched a lampshade company in Berlin add 350 lampshades in one day; I've looked back and don't think they have done very well as their work looks pretty commercial. It took me months to get my inventory up to 100 lampshades and is a big job to keep my inventory up to that level, which seems to be a good number of items to have in one's shop as it is important to have enough choices.

On New Years Eve there was a forum post by a woman in India. She had said her friend's shop was just shut down by Etsy. She said her friend had just opened it and was afraid they would do the same to her. Folks posted encouragement to her and then checked out her shop after she mentioned that she could get such good prices as her wholesaler gave her a great deal.... OPPS, she let it slip out that she was a REseller ---- a HUGE issue for integrity in the handmade craft world and an Etsy issue. Her forum post really became a joke- no one called her exactly out but it was becoming apparent that she had become the fool in her own post. Eventually the post was shut down. I took a peek and her work was obviously totally mass produced! Holy Moly! The slippery slope Etsy Integrity will be up against.

Love these shades! So one of a kind!! Vintage embroidery, one trim on the bottom and rick rack on the top!

Here's a quirky shade for the eclectic home....so fun to make. Beautiful thick vintage crewel lampshade. Good luck mass producing this one! One of a kind for sure.

Happy New Year! I'm home & the shop is closed today due to a blizzard here in Southern Vermont! Maybe a foot of fluffy stuff. I swung by the shop this morning to pick up my laptop, feed the kitties and out to breakfast at The Station.  A quick Executive Decision not to open the shop and head home to watch the snow pile up and scribble out a sort of whinny blog post. ohh, it's just principles... isn't it. Slow Craft carry on!.... I did pick up one lampshade to finish up today.... yankee work ethic.... Happy New Year. Cheers to 2014.

xo

judy

Crafty Girl 1975-2013

I am visiting my folks in Falmouth, Maine where I grew up. My mom has just gotten a new knee and am around to keep the pieces together. All around the house are many of my old lampshades. It's fun to see the progress of my work. Yes, our work does get better the longer we stay with it. But some of my early work was also really beautiful. I'll post a few of them as well as a few of my early fiber art.

Okay, here's one of the first! Sort of sweet in a folky way. I did cut and pierced shades for about 10 years until my good friend Judy Pascal urged me to try making fabric shades with her vintage fabrics. Thank goodness for Judy! Most lampshade makers that continue making the cut shades end up with carpel tunnel, not to mention lower back pain. Ironically I studied textiles in college... sometimes it just takes longer to end where we are suppose to be.
Here's a sweet embroidery I did before my lampshades. Mom dated it on the back; I think it was 1975. Embroideries are still my favorite to work with in my lampshades.
This must be around 1976. I had a great weaving teacher, Rosalie Smith at North Yarmouth Academy. I hope Rosalie knows how much us crafty ones loved having her share her art with us. Not many high school kids had this level of teaching.

A little more tapestry weaving...
Detail of an early cut lampshade. I loved making up my own patterns from fabric designs or vintage prints.
Here is the full shot. My shade on a Flower Brook Pottery Lamp Base.
More cut and pierced. This one was very popular in it's day. Oh, how easy it was to screw up. Any little fleck of coffee or pen mark or slip of the #11 exacto blade and it was done for!!! This one has seen better days!
detail of shade. These are all hand cut. Many cut and pierced shades these days are die cut, ie cut but machine. You can tell the difference if the cuts look flat they are die cut.  If they are hand cut they are cut on an angle. Big difference!!! I ventured into it once, but just didn't want to sacrifice the look.
a variation on the paneled shade. These were pretty time consuming as I recall, but I liked the overall pattern.

This is the grand finale of my lampshade history tour! This is the crown jewel! I love loved this pattern. A HUGE challenge. I found the pattern in a victorian pattern book. It was the size of a postage stamp; I blew it up and reworked it to fit the shade. Tons of work. Only did a few of these!!! Of course Mom got one!


Today. Favorite fabric/embroidery/coronation work Lampshade. This is a shade I did last summer for Mom. Love this fabric!

detail of the beautiful vintage textile work.

I guess we never know paths our life will go or where it will continue. At least I don't and kind of like it that way. It's like antiquing or flea marketing--- you never know what treasure might be around the corner or WHO might walk into your shop! Speaking of shops, I am missing my dear shop while I'm here in Maine, but a little sabbatical will only spur the creativity for foliage. My hands are really happy to take a break from work.

My Lamp Shop in Deep Winter

Snow has just started, again. The days are starting get longer and customers are waking up a little. How hard is it to keep making our inventories when things are slow? Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself to keep MAKING and DESIGNING because the busy days will be back. The Brimfield Flea Market will be here before I know it! I know my other craft friends that do shows have a few events in the deep winter, but mostly slim pickings. oooh how to survive the deep winter as an artist...??? recharging our design batteries is not a bad idea.
Painting my shop! I went to pick up a quart of paint in Rutland and the dear little man that mixed my paint gave me a gallon instead of a quart. I have been redoing my son's crudy bathroom and this is the wall color. LOVE it. Soooo. It's time for a new color at my shop and most likely I have almost enough. It's called Cool Aqua Semi Gloss from Benjamin Moore. It is super happy and time to say goodbye to the California Lilac!
I have a pair of these ticking shades. One of the most beautiful vintage tickings I have seen. Size 7" x 12" x 8" high, hex washer. Also just started a pair of 5" x 10" x 7" clip on, too. Fabrics like this don't last long in here!




New wall color! Everything looks so pretty against it. And the cobwebs are gone, for a while.
Pretty Paisley. One of the best ever!





One gray day this week I pulled every crazy bright color off the shelf and started in and made springlike shades! It turned into a really fun day. Color is such a vital element in our lives. Remember to USE it. I was recently in a friend's house and beige and gray were her main colors... even a little of this magenta would light a spark of light.

oooh and look at this! Do you remember these cloth kids books? I just sold one yesterday, but still have this one. Can't wait to make more. Just love the idea. So cute for a baby present or for the farm house.
here was another from the dark, winter day this week. THINK SPRING.
Well, it's time to do the other side of my shop!

Here's to hoping the snow drops come up sooner than later.

xo

judy

2 Bird Needlepoint Lampshade

It's a snowy Monday after a long stretch of cold weather and I was looking for a fun project today. I just got this needlepoint last week. Isn't it sweet. Saturday I figured out that I would use this handsome cut-corner-rectangle frame. The birds filled the front panel perfectly. The hard decision was finding the right fabric for the rest of the panels. I must have pulled a dozen fabrics over to try on Saturday, nothing worked. This morning I tried this linen that I had tucked away on my fabric shelf. Yes, that's the one; it will light up nicely and show off the front needlepoint.

detail, aren't they sweet?

ok, now it's time to get back to working on my orders....I needed to get my creativity playtime first.

If you like this shade it is up on my Etsy Page or you can also hit the Mini Etsy to the left top of blog. Speaking of Etsy a few of my local friends were interested in having a little session on getting started on Etsy. We gathered here at my shop on Friday afternoon for a couple of hours. Yikes, that was hard to teach... so many details. I have found to make Etsy work one must spend 5-10 hours per week uploading photos, emails to clients, packing and shipping, writing text, BUT it has been totally worth it for me. Especially since my adorable little shop is literally in the middle of no where but only a mile and a half from my house! The goal is to see how many days can one tank of gas last!

Bye, time to shovel fresh snow!

xo

judy lake

Can We Take Our Businesses to the "Next Level" & Stay Small?

I often ask myself, Can we take our business to "the next level" and stay a small business at the same time? I was in Saratoga Springs today joining 30 creative women at Schuyler Pond Antiques and Shop. The editor of Where Women Create, Jo Packman shared her story and generously gave the group of woman many positive suggestions to promote and grow or start their business. I'd say there was a wide variety of women in various stages of their businesses. Also included in the event was Jen O' Connor of Earth Angels  and some of the artists she represents. Here they are after our breakfast talk.  

I have only recently seen Jo's magazine, Where Women Create. It reminds me of Mary Englbreight's magazine that is no longer around. She highlights many creative, talented women showing off their work as well as their work spaces and homes. I look forward to receiving more issues of the magazine. Jo was impressively down to earth and frank about the industry and her trials of her busy career. This is a busy lady! Love it. She is a DOER!!! yipee. My gut instinct is she is what she is! Certainly something  rare and wonderful that I have yet to see in the publishing world, granted I have only been in it since 2008, in it's hairy/scariest of times.

Jo is all about helping women promote and grow with their businesses. It is a strong time for women bloggers and creative businesses. Don't you feel it growing each year? Think of how many great blogs there are on the web.  She mentioned as corporate jobs have diminished it has been an opening for small companies to come into the forefront! yay. Jo and Nancy Soriano, past editor of Country Living, are hosting The Creative Connection this fall, Sept.15-17, 2011 in St. Paul, MN. Lots of speakers, workshops, etc are planned for 3 days. I'd highly recommend this if you are trying to start a business or need inspiration. Sounds like great pitch sessions, blogging, publishing, etc. Not sure if I'll make it unless they need one more workshop teacher; that would be fun. 

Back to my first querry. Can we continue to take our businesses to the next level and continue to stay small? I say, YES. Today after the brunch, I wandered into Saratoga to a few of my favorite shops and then on to the Big Box stores for "stuff" like a new fan, new grill, sheets, light bulbs... all that stuff I can't find here in Pawlet. I needed some pillows for my kitchen chairs, I looked everywhere. Yuck. all so ugly, nothing great, nothing creative, nothing very well made either. Which got me thinking about my quest to keep my shop small. I think it is the best time to specialize in Lampshade Making or all the other creative possibilties. The world is mass produced. Yuck, fine for my fan, sheets and grill, but not for all the special things that make our house our own.

Sure, I'll never get super rich keeping my business small, but that is not my end goal. I am however, very,very busy. Even during the downturn/worst of the ressesion I stayed super busy. More than ever we have need for handmade treasures to satisfy our need to slow down this fast paced world of crappy made stuff arriving in container ships made who knows where. (I just read we are suppose to keep cynicism out of our blogs.... opps.) Equally, we get such satisfaction going to meet our neighbors at our farmers market and buy beautiful veggies grown right around the corner. Local, Local, Local! 

I contend that yes,  we  can grow to the next level and keep our businesses small.

I'm pretty good at marketing, scribbling here on my blog, I enjoy meeting people and especially love my customers that come back lampshade after lampshade, but I have had to push myself beyond my comfort zone many a time. I still have lots to learn about my computer and making my blog look better (I can't figure out to make 4 pictures in a box... note to self to goggle this),  I force myself to learn a few new things each week and yes, the knowledge really does accumilate. I used to be shy and still can be in new situations, but never in my own shop! In the beginning of my business, I forced myself to do craft shows to help me get over being so shy. Now my friends look at me lunar when I tell them I was shy... we grow to the next level. Working on my Lampshade Lady book was way, way out of my comfort zone, but a fantastic challenge. Who knows what the next big challenge will be, but right now it's getting a special order out in time to arrive for a photo shoot in Brooklyn, NY, cleaning up the piles of fabric in my shop for Memorial Day Weekend and finishing up painting the other side of my shop porch (I did the other side this am at 7:30 before going to the brunch).... 

xoxo,

judy

Come on up for Memorial Day VT. Open Studio Tour (I'm not on the tour this year, but I'll be open right through the weekend. Sat. Sun and Monday.) 

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. 

So You Think it's Easy to Start a Business....stories I can laugh at now.

It's funny to look back at all the opps moments of starting my business or crazy customer stories. I thought it might be fun to share a few of them. Many of them are lessons well learned and never done again, I would hope.

My first craft show was a small local event in Manchester,VT at our Rec Center. I brought a dozen lampshades, a bunch of boxes of cherry tomatoes and 6 loaves of homemade bread. Everything sold except the lampshades. Drats, that was a bummer. Okay, lets try it again at a little better show... and then a little better and then a little better. I learned to listen to the advice of fellow vendors and there always was lots of advice. Sometimes it was helpful if my product was similar to the person giving the advice. Note to self: find you demographics quick. A damn good first lesson, thank you very much.

I think of some of the hairy things that happened at my early craft shows. Weather is always a hard issue with many of our products. One nightmare story I will always remember is the time I was under a tent and must have been under a hole or seam in the tent. I had stacked and covered my lampshades, but silly me, the plastic bag was wrapped around the stack of shades and tucked into the middle. Low and behold the water went right down the middle. oh, tears. a stack of shades ruined. ( I was doing paper cut shades then.) Oh all that hard work ruined. But everyone loves a 2nd!

Or the time on the Burlington, VT waterfront at a show. I had 8 inches of water in the booth! I packed up that night and set up again in the am. Nothing lost except an evening of selling..Moisture was and is always hard on fragile products.

One year I recieved a bad roll of styrene. 50 yds... omg. what a nightmare. who knew this could happen. I figured I had been using difficult fabrics to laminate or something. Eventually I caught onto this.

Another product issue: Lampshade frames rusting over night. The humidity of the summer had added water to my gallon of glue. At the time, not all lampshade frames were galvanized. I was super busy filling orders, working like a crazy girl only to come into the shop the next day and see the rust seeping through the grosgrain. It is wonderful that most of the frames these days are galvanized; it's always been the lampshade makers nightmare. right?

Or the time you have just finished a shade and the solder of the clip to comes undone. Bummer.

Or the time you have just finished  a vintage fabric shade and see a big stain on the fabric that you hadn't noticed.

Or the time you put the credit card slips in your pocket and the numbers blurr or the time the credit card doesn't print the numbers clearly. Or the one time you forget to get the customers telephone number and you forget to give them their Gold American Express card.....

Or the time right after 911, that  I told a rude customer that the lamp was NOT for sale.... she had been so incredibly rude! (And wasn't buying a shade, either.) But karma was such that another delightful woman was in my booth observing this and bought the lamp with 2 lampshades! My favorite story ever! And yes, I would do it again.

There are always BAD shows run by lazy promoters. I can think of the time I signed up for one. It was a spring show and a fall show and most of the vendors had signed up and paid for both. No one sold anything at the spring show and they canceled the fall show, but we didn't get our money back???? sleazy and then to be set up across from her at another show. No apology there.... lazy, but sure made the vendors research shows better next time.

I have mostly given up doing shows, but do think it was important for me in the beginning of my business. Lessons learned were invaluable. The customer pretty much tells you what they think. Or you can hear them mumbling how great something is or that it's too expensive. I am only doing The MAY Brimfield Flea Market these days. I have loved it more than any craft show I ever did. I'll be set up at New England Motel Show, booth 66. 

What nightmares have you had. I must say, I am super organized. Doing shows was a very stressful time.  To load the car, drive to the venue, set up, try to relax and sell and continue on for a day or 2. We all figure out to make it the easiest for ourselves, I think. Bringing healthy snacks, lots of water, money to make change, the bag of supplies like duck tape and advil...a few beers and maybe a bottle of wine for post show relaxation w/ fellow vendors!!! And yes, the friends you make along the way make it worth while. I think everyone would agree with that. 

At times I do miss my hitting the road, but most times I'm pretty happy not having to sweat it out. I've found over the years it's best for me to stay put in my shop and have clients bring their fabrics and lamps into my shop. Lampshades ain't too easy to sell at a craft fair!!!!  yes you say. I think of the ladies scratching their heads, humm, wonder what size shade I need, wonder how it hooks onto the lamp, wonder what color I need???? My fellow vendors would crack up at me trying to help customers.

But, yes it was worth doing shows IF and only if I was in the right locale. Which makes me remember a really shitty show in Stowe, VT. It was a Harley Davidson Convention at Top Notch.... surely not my perfect customer, BUT 4 years later I picked up a wholesale account from Greenwich, CT that I made shades her shop for many, many years. She kept me really busy. Who knew at the time???? You just have to put it out there and do your best and just maybe.....

I'd say we are in a lucky time now. The economy IS coming back, slowly the money is slowly trickling out of the city. The internet IS our key advantage. The world is now our customer. A few years ago there were 2 little old ladies walking by my shop, I over heard them saying, wonder how she survives here!!!! They probably hadn't even turned on a computer let alone know the potential for a small business. And my website isn't really that useful....but customers do call me at the shop and that is the end goal of a one of a kind business.

Happy Day.

xoxo,

judy

 

How-To Vintage Monogram Lampshade

Vintage Monograms make great shades. They are a little hard to make up for inventory in my shop; it's best to use common letters and then take orders. B's, S's, T's, are good choices. I love this one; it's so nice and thick. I took pictures today as I was making it. No fancy photography, but hands on how-to. It's always interesting taking a picture and holding a glue bottle and a trim at the same time.... not quite like book production, but I think you'll get the idea.
I cut 6 panels out of styrene for the hex bell frame, 5" top x 8" bottom x 6" high. I thought it would fit the monogram nicely. I had considered using the fabric behind the panels for the trim, but decided to save it for a couple big shades, it's a hard to find pretty barkcloth.
Panels are glued onto the galvanized frame.
Run a bead of glue around the 4 sides of the panel opening and set styrene/fabric panel and clip into place with clothespins.
I like to use a long piece of grosgrain ribbon to hold panels in place. A good time to adjust and then let them dry, about 20 minutes. Vertical trim goes on next.
Next step is to choose the trim fabric. I thought this one might look nice, but decided against it.This cloth tape is what I use to make the self trims. It is pressure sensitive on one side. The Lampshop carries it and it is called Bias Trim Fold Backer. I usually just call it pressure sensitive cloth tape.
Trim decision: believe me, this can be the hardest decision of the project or maybe I am just too fussy, but I know my customers can be as fussy as I am.  I love, love this hydrangea vintage fabric. The colors are subtle and will go with a variety of decors. I wish I had more of this hydrangea fabric..... keep your eyes out for me. It is a Vintage French Cretonne Fabric; it has a mini cord to it.
I have used the cloth tape to make self-trims. 6 6" vertical strips and cut grosgrain for the top and bottom. I use the grosgrain to measure out the length of the self trim. I have used the Vintage Hyranga for both sides and top and bottom. Grosgrain MUST have at least 40% cotton- or else....
To glue the self-trim. Glue one side at a time. Hand press to make a nice crisp edge. I like to do the edge away from me and fold towards me. You'll probably find your own ways you like to do things.
Fold over the other side. I use Quick Glue that comes from The Lamp Shop in Concord, N.H. It is transfered into these reuseable squeeze bottles.
Add the strips to finish the vertical edges. I make a valley on the backside of the strip and add a fair amount of glue. Pick up any excess glue with your fingernails. It is easiest to do this with the shade on it's side.
When all vertical self-trims are added, trim up excess fabric. Trim up any extra styrene, too. The smoother it is the smoother the grosgrain will look.
Add grosgrain to the bottom. Half will go on the outside of shade and rest will turn and glue to the inside of the shade. Start in the back of the shade if there is a back. Cut on diagonal, adding glue, one panel at a time.
glue detail
Add glue to inside of grosgrain and turn around wire and tuck inside wire. Make 1/8th snips by wire clip to allow ribbon to go on either side of wire. (blogger, me.... multitasking.... small budget, must take photo, hold glue bottle and type at night!) Ha.
To Make top and bottom self-trims. Make them the same way as the vertical trims without the valley on the back.
Add glue onto the back of the self-trim and set onto the edge of the bottom of shade. Do a few inches at a time. Use one clothespin and walk it around the shade. If you leave it on too long it will leave an indent.
Smile, this is the easiest part and so rewarding. You are almost finished. Yes, it will look great. The trim will cover up most boo boos. You could also use a decorative trim or tassel here.
Over lap the self-trim. Cut on a diagonal and overlap a smidgen. Do the same for the top trim.

A personalized gift. Search your linen closets and antique shops for linen tea towels. They are so nice and soft, washed over and over again. Vintage linen makes up beautiful, much easier than new fabrics.

And if you think this is fun, Please pick up my book, The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting up Your Life, (Potter Craft, 2009) and give it as a gift to your crafty friends. It's little growing niche. Start a cottage industry in your neck of the woods or just get inspired.

Happy Holidays,

judy lake

 

ps only one spot left in the Feb.12th workshop. I could add another date if there is enough interest.

Winter/Spring 2011 Fabric Lampshade Workshops

    Winter/Spring 2011 Lampshade Workshops at My Shop in Vermont

     I will be hosting only 2 one day workshops coming up this Winter/Spring 22011

           February 12th, Saturday  11am-4pm $175

             April 16th, Saturday         11am-4pm  $175

We will be making a paneled mid-size shade. Students generally enjoy bringing their own fabrics or embroideries; I have tons of fabric here if you do not have anything. I suggest looking through my blog to get ideas.

Bring a bag lunch or pick up something at Machs, our country general store that is 2 doors down. I have a tea pot on and hopefully cookies.

This is a fun day away for yourself. My shop is a bevy of colors and textures. Lots of inspiration everywhere. You will learn a fair amount of lighting knowledge for fitting shades, tips on finding the perfect shade and tips on starting a business. Students range from someone wanting a day of creativity to lighting designers or interior designers looking to enlarge their business, as well as folks wanting to start a business similar to mine.

My shop is cozy and reservations are a must. Cost is $175 and due at registration, please. (see last blog post...) Refund policy is that if you need to withdraw and I can fill your spot I will refund your fee minus a 25 dollar fee.If weather is an issue in Feb. your $'s will be refunded or rescheduled.  Email or call me 802.325.6308 at the shop for a reservation and send a check to my at Judy Lake, PO Box 295, Pawlet,VT 05761

If there is time and interest I will briefly discuss making empire shades and drum shades.