The Lampshade Lady Blog

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.

Bounty of the Summer

Summer harvest time is here. This is the first time in a bunch of summers that I have been able to fuss with my little veggie garden at home. My goal is to have just enough veggies to eat and not have to freeze stuff....I love my raised beds. My garden is pretty small compared to many here in the country, but just right in my mind. It is doable; in the spring I can look at one bed at a time rather than a huge garden that needs to be tilled. I can cram tons of stuff into my raised beds. The edging is all sort of falling apart; I keep looking in the garden magazines for a super duper edging that will last. But usually end up being to cheap to buy it...... sound familiar. I don't like railroad ties or pressure sensitive wood, but do like some of the metal edging. Does anyone have a good raised bed edging. Please share!!!
oh dear, my garden doesn't look so good in this photo... ya know, things get ratty in August. I should of snapped one in July when it was all perky and green. We just had 2 days of heavy rain and pretty sure the veggies are all very, very happy. I've had fun watching a big pumpkin grow. I'm between lettuce plantings.... it does take forever to get big enough to pick. More cilantro is coming up. Basil is still going crazy with nice soft leaves. Fall peas are up a tad, zillions of patty pans and yellow squash. Tomatoes, cherries, brandywine, sungold, yellow pear. yipee. My plum tree is almost ready to pick, red pears, too. Got to get the pears before the critters....the squirrel has a hole right by the tree; smarty pants. Raspberry bushes are greening up and almost blossoming for the 2nd round of berries. I have filled up one hole shelf in my freezer with raspberries. Best year ever for summer berries.

The end of the summer becomes a busy time. Seems like summer tourism has been quiet, but the next 2 weeks will be bust out busy. Pawlet's 250 Anniversary is coming up the weekend of Aug 26-28. And the famous Art on The Green is Sept. 3rd. Not to be missed.

Time to get back to lampshade making and a big Happy Birthday to Mom! My computer is on it's last leggs... making very funny noises, oh please get me through today; my new shiny Mac is coming tomorrow. A lampshade makers hands are always covered in glue.... and my computer track pad is definately hindered by mess hands... oh Judy. Amazing how much I rely on this lovely silver machine. This funny, quirky little blog is my best avenue to the outside world.To think an upscale lampshade business can survive in downtown Pawlet, ie boonies with a country store, a post office, a restaurant, 2 realestate offices, a gallery and next to a closed Bistro...(hopefully opening soon, I'm ever positive it will be better than the last time!!!)  Everyday I get more calls from who knows where of someone needing a lampshade they can't find anywhere!

bye for now,

judy

 

Light Up Your Life: You'd be surprised what lampshades will do!

 

Yesterday called for some cheerful creating. Spring seems like a very long way away, so why not escape into color and light. I did harm to one of my favorite books...one of Tricia Guilds Design Books... shame on me. The book has these amazing color transparencies scattered throughout the book. I always go back to them when I need inspiration. I love, love how the textiles, textures and colors are blended in these luscious photos. When I was working on my book, I kept thinking, oh god, if I only had the money to make this kind of book....

I was looking at the book over lunch when this idea zipped into my head, cut the photo transparencies out of the book and make a shade for the purple and gold nook in my house. No I think! Terrible thought to cut out the pages of this book.... well, maybe I could. Okay, before I knew it, scissors were in hand. And out they came. I already had a drum shade panel cut for a 14 x 14 x 10 all cut. I set the pictures on my table and arranged them in the order I loved best and trimmed them up to fit. I over lapped the photos as I set them on the styrene by just enough, maybe 1/16". I glued up the shade and added my favorite trims. I added trim onto the seam of the photos to keep them in place. I have been wanting to play around with some decoupaging, so maybe modge-podge would have been a good solution. Gotta study up on this.

Kitty Girly Bob loves it, too. Look how the colors and textures are coming together in my purple and gold nook.

Roy Egg's Chicken is above one of the windows. You must visit the famous Roy Egg Shop if you come to Pawlet. He is on the other side of town. A pure delight. He brings me his used Vanity Fairs.... love him and his work. 

Roy Egg Asters. I finally found a great spot for these.

Color is inspiration, yummy. Keep lots of it around, please, please don't be a beige person....or even worse a beige house. Look below at the yarn I just picked up for a ski hat for Carson. The Garnet Hill catolog just happened to be on the table....I did buy the yarn before I picked up the catolog...but we are so influenced by the colors we love. I always remember that book, Color Me Beautiful, okay, this is dating me.... 

Garnet Hill's covers are the greatest. Those of us in the Manchester area are all crushed that we are losing THE BEST OUTLET EVER! Where will we get our clothes. It was just announced, I guess or word of mouth that they are leaving the end of the month... There are lots of outlets here in town, but this is the only one I almost always find something. Maybe they will change their minds. fingers crossed.

textures, colors, textures colors........... many years ago I had my craft booth set at a Craft Show in Weston, Vermont. My booth had lots of colors, fabrics, textures as I love to do. The woman that ran the show ungraciously said she thought my booth looked a little too busy...... Isn't it funny the things we remember. I was steaming, but everyone has their own taste, even if hers may have been a little too beige!!! 

thanks Tricia Guild for your beautiful book and inspiration! It sure made a devine lampshade.

Recycle Cut Velvet Shirt + Styrene+ wire= Lovely Drum Shade For Me!

 
                                        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.

 

Handmade Holidays, The Making of a Rose Hip Wreath and Garland

This was today's project. I'm lucky I can still type with all the rose pricks to my fingers! Before I had my lampshade business I was always up to some crafty project. Now, they seem to be few and far between. Being creative ALL day on my work days (how lucky) does often mean I do other things on my day off, besides antiquing and flea marketing. It's been a bunch of years since I have made these wreaths. I used to sell them, but now I'd only ever make one for my mom. I think I'd have to sell them for at least $300.... many hours but so beautiful.

Best laid plans. Last Wednesday was my day off and I was to make my rosehip wreath, but the power went out. No glue gun, no computer, no refrigerator noise, no hot tub noise. It was delightful. Earlier in the morning Ziggy and I headed out to the fields with clippers and big bag in hand in search of the wild rose hips. I had an early massage to work the kinks out of my overworked shoulders and home to make the wreath. NO such luck. Wind was howling, trees down, things flying around the yard. Off the power went. Nice I think. Okay, a little reading and a nap! perfect chill day.

I was between books. What to read after the Swedish Thrillers, my book group was taking December off. So I picked up Phillip Ackerman-Leist's new book, Up Tunket Road, the education of a modern homesteader, pub. by Chelsea Green, 2010. How appropriate to read right after the power clicked off. Phillip is a beautiful writer and an super nice guy, but gosh, I could never live up there w/o all the things we take for granted. It was a a blast for one day, but....... Tunket Road is a beautiful piece of Pawlet, VT. where I live. I haven't finished his book, but learned so many cool tidbits of knowlege of the land. I read as long as my eyes could take the candles.

To make the wreath: I gathered as many rose hips as I could find, grabbed a couple of strands of wild grape vines and grabbed my glue gun from the shop. This ISN'T an easy project but it is lots of fun especially if you like tedious, long projects like me. Crazy, huh? You could always buy a base, either grape vine or a wire base. I've done that before. I wound the vines around into a small wreath. Then I started weaving the rose hips into the vines. I did have a glue gun on hand for stubborn vines that needed a little extra hold.

Keep working around the wreath building up the berries. I'd say the more the better. I stripped back the thorns with my hands. Yikes you'll get jabbed a few times..... sorry to say. A little acupuncture. Keep turning and finding spots to add more. I'd say it probably took 4 hours.... A cup of tea and a little food channel..... I never watch daytime tv, but was sort of fun today. Wouldn't be doing that at Up Tunket....

 
now the hard part will be to ship it....
And what to do with the extra berries. I enjoy making garlands at Christmas. I usually make either boxwood or princess pine garlands to decorate the mantel or around the table. So I figured it might work with the rest of the berries. I had some green floral wire, my clippers and started in by wrapping a few together and adding more berries and ouch, I scream as my husband is snoozing watching golf... more acupuncture, must be good for the circulation.


A new holiday tradition is born.
A start to my holiday decorating. And the only cost was one glue stick! The rest came for my yard!

Nantucket Workshop at 1800 House and Now Stuck at Logan

I arrived here in Nantucket on Sunday. Hot, hot, hot... all connections were great. I flew out of Rutland, VT. and headed to Boston and then out to the island. I taught a full day lampshade workshop on Tuesday at The 1800 House on Mill St. The 1800 House is a wonderful craft school affiliated with The Nantucket Historical Association. I had a full house of students willing and ready to dig in and learn a new useful skill. I planned a full day of work. We started the day making a Square Bell Shade. I brought lots of fabric with me and The 1800 House had lots of treasures, too. After lunch I taught the group to make a small empire shade. Low and behold, everyone thought the empire shade was harder to make than a square shade!!! Surprise for me. I figured it would have been the other way around... Maybe everyone was cross eyed by the end of the day.

Here's to prove I made it to the beach for a little bit. Why did I bring the heaviest book on the shelf. I am trying to make my way into A.S.Byatt's book, A Children's Book. I'm getting the idea a Kindle might just be a good idea if I traveled more. There's nothing like getting my summer reads sandy and a tad wet.

Lots of fun out to dinner with Connie and Polly at Oran Mor. A great find, food was to die for. Pretty food that tastes great. Connie and Polly were also 1800 House instructors; fun to compare notes on our classes and small businesses. Very talented and fun ladies. This seemed like a place not to miss dessert. Check it out below!

 

Lemon pudding with black raspberries on top w/ biscotti's. oh, la,la. yummy and pretty.

Photo: looking off my shop porch in Pawlet.

Right now I'm sitting at Starbucks at Logan Airport. Just missed my flight from Nantucket by a couple of minutes. We were held at Nantucket due to heavy fog... thought maybe I'd make my Vermont connection, but missed it by seconds. My plane had just started rolling and we were unloading... darn, they tried to call it back with no luck. The planes are little 9 seaters..... I almost could have run out and grabbed it. Too bad. Forced blogging at Starbucks. Not too bad, friendly people and a big decaf. On standby for the 3:40 flight.... guess I may have to flip my seat to the pizza/beer place over my shoulder for the afternoon and wait for the 6 something flight. 

Holly Hocks at my house in Pawlet.
It's been a fantastic raspberry season at my house. I am the head berry picker. When we bought our house 20 years ago we had inherited a patch of raspberries from our neighbor Mike. Mike always had the most amazing berries. Over the years our patch has grown and is almost as awesome as Mikes. Mikes berry bushes are found all over town. On good years when the fall frost comes late we'll get a big batch of fall berries, too. It's my job to squirrel some of the berries away into the freezer for winter. I've sort of got the system down. I like to pick heavy and put the really ripe ones into the freezer and onto a sheet tray and then into baggies.  I'll keep the ones that are almost ripe out on the counter to ripen over night and they'll be perfect for breakfast.

Here's one last picture from my long and scattered blog post, the best of random photos and hanging at Logan Airport.

 

I'm showing off my Clematis bush on the front of my house. Super pretty this year.

  

Judy's cute barn door at home.

 

Last but not least, another Hollyhocks shot at my shop. Summer is going too fast. We need to savor these steamy days of summer before the raspberries and hollyhocks fad by.

xoxo,

judy

ps it's sort of fun blogging at the airport.

Lampshades at My House

Many moons ago, I started making paper lampshades. Cut and Pierced Shades. This is one of my old designs. It's hanging in there, bit they are always hard to photograph. The lamp is a pottery lamp by my friend Janno Gay of Flower Brook Pottery in Dorset, Vermont. The round ceramic stone in front of the lamp is A Sea Stone, by Marion Waldo McChesney, The Pawlet Potter.
I thought it might be fun to post a few shots from my house. Beware, I took these really fast before going to a party!!! And I only know how to crop on photo shop. There's lots more to learn.... anyway, enjoy. This is a Jamie Young Lamp with a linen drum shade. It is gives great light for reading.
A Marimekko square bell fabric shade shown on a found parts lamp I made a few years ago. This fabric started as a mini skirt, then was a scrapbook cover and now one of my favorite lampshades. Recycle and Reuse.
A very early Danish chandelier. I don't love these lampshades, but have yet to figure out what might be better. I do like the square shape, but am dying to change the fabric.
A vintage bathroom wall scone. A nickel fixture with a round mirror. The shade is a sweet vintage embroidery Hex Bell Clip with a french ribbon trim.
As you can see, these are very quick picks.... the grimy couch is about to be upholstered and can't wait. The dogs love it and it looks like it. The floor lamp was made locally and the shade is a vintage William Morris fabric with raspberry bead trim. The hanging shade is a scallop clip hanging upside down; sort of quirky.
Color, color. The brighter the better in this room. This is part of our kitchen/living space. We lost an important kitchen window years ago when we did an addition, so the lime green paint solved the dark kitchen. This lamp is a pottery lamp I got years ago at a craft show. A great shape, one of my favorites.
A drum shade in my library. A Robert Allen Fabric by Susan Sargent.
My bathroom window/table. Painted valance by our talented decorative art painter in West Pawlet, Roy Egg. No website, no answering machine, you'll just have to make the trek to West Pawlet. He's only open on weekends.... Lampshade to match the wall sconce.