The Lampshade Lady Blog

Boxwood and Cedar Garland Making This Morning

Today is garland making day. I'm between orders and it's time to decorate the outside of my shop! Yesterday I picked up 2 bags of boxwood, a bag of cedar and a roll of light weight green wire from The Mettowee Mill Nursery just down the road in Dorset.

I'm no expert at making garlands but think it's fun to do. Sometimes I make it into the woods and find Princess Pine for the garland; it's super special. This year it's boxwood. It's pretty easy to work with. I brought my clippers down this morning. I also used a long long ribbon the length I need to make the garland. Or also use a jute rope or even thick yarn.

I just start in making the garland by pulling apart some of the boxwood so it's not so thick. The key is to use lots of wire and make it nice and tight so the garlands won't fall apart. Hide the wire with the next layer of greens. I intersperse the cedar every foot or so. But no rules here- make it how you like it. It's lots of fun. Any greens would work well.

I have finally gotten smart and added the lights before putting the garland around my door.... so much easier! Pretty isn't it! Now it's time to make one for around my inside window at home. It took about an hour to make. Got lights on my grapevine, too! I need all the light I can get this time of year. Isn't this wreath pretty! A friend gave it to me as she was cleaning out and moving away. Sad to see good friends go but I'll remember her by the textile goodies she past on to me.
Just had to show you this sweet trim I just purchased on Etsy. I've had it before and just used it on one of my night lights. Such a simple note on the trim from the seller- how easy to do, but how smart she is. When I sell my shades I usually wrap them in tissue with linen and one of those spiral paper clips with my business card hanging. It's those little touches that make purchasing from Etsy so nice. Enough, enough of those big catalogs and malls.... all the same stuff... how dull.

all for today, almost time to make dinner!

xo

judy lake

 

 

November Lampshades in My Shop

Drum Shade Lily, 8x8x7

Caught lunch today on my shop porch! Pretty nice for November 11th. I've been busy filling orders and making new inventory. I've been tweeking and  tweeking my Etsy Shop as there has been a rude awakening on the site. Oh dear, it's been a miserable 7 plus weeks on the Etsy site. Thousands of vendors on Etsy have been buried behind clumps of big shops and frozen searches... enough to bring on many more gray hairs! We've all been searching the forums for answers and comrades!

Etsy's made lots of new changes this fall and seems to be digging out of a technology hole. I for one have learned quite a few new SEO tips, search engine optimization thanks for some of the generous sellers sharing their knowledge. My head is still spinning with all the new info and lots more to learn. Many of us had sold pretty well and always came up in the front pages and then to be dropped back to page 20 was a bitter blow... but seem to be working my way back to the front--but it's been a wicked time. Motto: the more furious I get the harder I work... so no quitting yet, but does make one consider the options. Much talk of etsy's pre-ipo... jacking up their numbers.... letting the small shops fall off the face...and not so handmade handmade... too bad for ethics and transparency. Oh heck, sort of disappointing as I'd been such a happy camper on etsy shop. I'll keep making great lampshades, just hope they can be seen.

Floral French Vintage Cretonne Clip Lampshade 5 x 10 x 7Just picked up this vintage fabric from my friend Wendy! Just enough for one lampshade! Fabric is in great shape; very strong colors with no fading. Nice size for a boudoir lamp or medium desk lamp.
Vintage Crewel Lilac, hex 7 x 12 x 8.5" high, washer top (pair available)

I took off Tuesday for a little road trip... it was election day and our town had a very close local election... oh so close.... so a good excuse to go antiquing. I didn't find very much... only 3 pieces of vintage textiles... I must be getting fussier! This Lilac shade is pretty; I was able to make a pair of these shades. And beautiful soft, thin vintage linen.

I  picked up a pair of these cuties. Pretty strawberry tea towels. On Wednesday I got them started into lampshades!
fun, fun. It really is fun designing the shade. To design a cottage lampshade like this is so easy! It doesn't need much too much as the strawberries are so well done and strong. I ended up adding grosgrains and the scallop red and white trim.
Hex Bell Strawberry Lampshades, 5 x 8 x 6 Clip Top $68 each.

I'm never much for holiday lampshades... but these could be year round with holiday colors! I love the vintage scallop trim to finish these shades up.I folded the trim over to make it a little thicker and not so wide.

English Chintz Hex Bell Lampshades,  7 x 12 x 8.5 Washer Top

I got a call a month ago from this dear English lady that lives down the road from my shop. She was going to be packing up her household and moving near her son. She wanted to give me a few of her fabrics she would not be needing. Very thoughtful of her. I was sad, she was loosing her eye sight and seemed to be overwhelmed with the daunting task of weeding out her life of stuff. I will remember her for her beautiful flower garden and cute little cottage house and for her generous offer of fabric.

Floral Drum with funky mix of trims, 12 x 12 x 9 Washer Top

I'll finish up with this barkcloth drum lampshade! It's a mix of vintage trims and patterns... It just called out to me to mix it up with trims and fabric!

Check out my Etsy shop and give me lots of hearts! Support the little artisans over the holidays; we've all had a rough 7 weeks on etsy. There is still lots of great handmade finds on etsy, just be a good consumer and make sure it's really handmade.

thanks for visiting,

xo

judy lake

 

Springtime News

Easter has come and gone but I can hardly bare to take down my eggs! I'd almost forgotten I had them and popped them up in the nick of time. I'd made them last year for an Easter Fund-raising event. A good use of some odds and end scraps. And I seem to have lots of them! It has been a LONG Cold winter and I'm home today, Sunday. I just tried to put my peas in but it was just too cold! drats. I'll have to wait a few more days.

Just sold this sweet shade, but had to pop it up here. Easter pretty! After our long winters the spring season does bring out all the colors! This lampshade was made with a vintage embroidery and trims to match or in my own quirky mismatch style! Hey, it can't be too matchy! What fun would that be....the fun part about designing anthing is picking out the fabrics, figuring out the trims and seeing what size and shape shade would work best for the fabric. If this shade was much larger it would loose it's sweetness.
Just finished this shade last week. The monogram suits this shape shade as well as the size of the frame. Monograms make great bedroom lampshades and this size hex bell 5 x 10 x 7.5, fits the mid size glass boudoir style lamps very well. I make custom monogram lampshades with my clients on linens; it is a fun way to use some of the treasures in your attic that you have NO idea what to do with. It doesn't even have to be your own initials; there are some beautiful ornate monograms to be found at the flea market or antique shops.

Speaking of Flea Markets, Brimfield is just around the corner! yikes. I have a great inventory thanks to keeping my head down this winter....I will be set up at The New England Motel Antique Show.

The New England Motel Show opens Wednesday, May 14th at daybreak..... darn, that's 6 am. Sorta early for me to arise....that means 4:15 am... sure makes for a long day! We are all excited; it's fun to get out and see all the spring treasures that the dealers have found as well as make some nice sales and connections with old friends and new. There are lots of hotels and motels in Sturbridge, Ma.  if you need a place to stay and a little less $$ if you stay further away.

I am booth #67 if you want to come and say hi! It's left side facing the show. New England Motel Show is by the food court..... ALWAYS a good place to be!

Crazy for birds! Anything bird is good. Especially nice quality vintage needlepoints! This shade is similar to one I did a while back and happy to do another. It's trimmed with some hand marbled fabrics my student Cat gave me! I have been hoarding them for the perfect moments.
I bet some of you wonder if I ever make plain lampshades....YES, often. I made a pair of these square bell shades recently. They are clean, simple and really quite lovely in their simpleness. Made with homespun vintage linen that when lit show the lovely texture of the slubby linen. I do not always have many plain shades in my shop but make many for custom work. Some lamps just call out for something simple and then again.... I do love to mix patterns and trims the most! Much more fun to make!!!!

Lastly today,  Machs General Store, our general store in Pawlet has been having some hard times.  Many a general stores around the state have also found themselves in similar situations  and have had to re-evaluate the changing retail times, poor local economies and business practices.

A group of local friends and business owners have come together to brainstorm and try to help salvage a wonderful old store. Our general store is the HUB of our community and an easy place to take for granted. But, boy we sure would miss it if it closed.  It's the place to grab a cup of coffee and visit with friends or pick up a box of eggs and butter to finish making cookies.

I will do a longer post in the near future on the store. We are about to launch a "kickstarter like fund"  and have a couple of events for June in the works. They are almost ready to announce. It actually is an exciting time in town! Sometimes bad things bring good things....it certainly brings the town together to solve the issues of the time. We have had a HUGE amount of interest in this new project...... as I say.... oh dear, how do I get myself into these things....yup, guess it's cause we care!

xoxo

judy

ps still no sunshine to plant my peas.... maybe it's time for a sunday nap!

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.

Many Lampshades Have Crossed my Work Desk

Happy almost end of summer! wow, I've almost forgotten how to work my blog! yikes. It's been a super busy summer.... a good one that is! I've been a happy girl. The Station Restaurant next to my shop opened this fall after a long hiatus. Sherrie and Jamie and gang have been busy, busy. They've made the place look super pretty and serving up great breakfasts and lunches; one of my favorite spots for breakfasts!
oh what a busy desk! Lots gets done on my Danish work table! Actually it is a little cleaned up for the photo...a stylized mess.... I laugh at how my desk starts the day all tidied up and ends up totally in chaos. Usually I start the morning checking emails, FB, etc and multitasking by starting clearing off my desk with a cup of hot Tea in hand! Always! You should see how I left it tonight... no photo, just imagine. I am realizing as I age that I have a pretty good case of attention deficit-- good for accomplishing many tasks in a sort of haphazard way, but am super organized and don't mind hard work. humm. Really, so much gets done in a day. Amazing it is.

Just posted these lampshades today up on my Etsy Page. Cuties. Vintage but contemporary... really lovely antique linen and rest contemporary cotton fabric. fun to make.

I've just adopted my son's outgrown camera. I've had fun seeing if I can improve my photos for my Etsy Shop. Just been experimenting a tad, oh--- so much to learn. The best thing Duncan said was,  "Mom, don't go back to your old camera!" I'm glad he challenged me as it's so easy to go back to what we know. I'd had all the settings down, I knew what worked "good enough" but also knew the photos could be a lot better. So, here we go. On the next learning curve. It is endless isn't it. I'm happy I've gotten to the point that it's fun to keep learning on this dear silver macbook and my new/old Nikon.
Hey, hey, just finished this Ticking Shade today. I swear it's been sitting on my desk since June... swear. Hard to find blue ticking happily perched on a nice stack of fabrics.

Finished this shade, too. It's a one of a kind. One for the kitchen.  Just found this nice vintage trim.

Flowers, flowers in downtown Pawlet Village! Lake's Lampshades and The Pawlet Station are on the Flower Brook after all.
Fun new favorite fabric. Blending the new with the old works great. Don't worry about using a great vintage lamp with a contemporary drum shade.
French paisley fabric with a vintage metallic gold trim. Rich French reds.
Inspiration. Ikats, Dots, French FloralToile, Vintage Floral, Grainsacks, Aboriginal Fabric, French Bird Toile---- never enough fabrics....ever!
look, look. how special is this vintage find! sweetest little cardboard holder. I've never seen one like it. And these little pom poms and that checkerboard pink and white trim. So darn cute. That's what's fun about heading out to antique- You never know what will be around the corner. I haven't had too many adventures out this summer- made it to The Washington Country Flea Market beginning of the month; it was superb, much better than in past years, certainly a surprise. I've had a trip up to Chester, Vermont to The Old Stone House Antique Center, a must visit if you are in the area. There's a newish place in White Hall, NY called The Flea Market, Sunday Am.-- only made it over once. As I said it's been busy, I've been working 6 day weeks and even 7 here and there. It's been a fun summer and my little shop has been on a roll. Happy, happy.

My shop will be closed for about 10 days starting next Monday, Aug 26th - Sept 6th or so. Mom is getting a new knee and I'll be cooking up a storm and hopefully sitting by the pool with my book enjoying my family in Maine. My hands will be happy for a little R & R. I will be keeping my Lampshadelady Etsy Store open and will be shipping when I return to Vermont. I'll be all ready to go into full gear for a Fall Foliage.

I'll be checking in while I'm away. It's easy to email me or message Lake's Lampshades Face Book Page.

It's a Happy 4th Birthday this month for my Lampshade Lady Book! A good thing to have behind me.  I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to have worked on such a great project. 4 years and nothing better has come along...lampshade books that is. Not exactly a big money maker for the publishers, but still one of the best lampshade diy books around!

Happy End of Summer and may it last just a little longer!

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

15 Years @ The Little Pink Cottage + 14 years at the kitchen table

I can hardly believe it's been 15 years in my shop and 14 years prior at the kitchen table!  I feel so lucky to have somewhat stumbled into the cottage. It was New Year's Day so long ago and I was at Mach's, our general store looking for a video for a chilly winter day. I was approached by Edie, the woman that owned my building at the time. Edie asked me if I had any interest in renting her building for my business? Humm, I thought for a couple of seconds and said, "what the heck, lets go look". Well, that was sort of like just going to look at puppies...

My husband Carson had just started his business Flamin' Reds Wood-Fired Pizza Crusts at our house, my son was 10 and things were getting a little too close at home with music blasting out of the pizza hut and the stresses of running 2 home businesses side by side. I would see he was behind with labels and I'd jump in and help get ready for the UPS man or be too bossy.... imagine that!!!

I was ready for me to take my business to the next level and Edie helped give me a push... the story of my poky life. I asked Edie how much the rent would be? She said, "lets start at 100 dollars".... cool I was thinking, I should be able to cover that. I think Edie basically wanted someone to keep the pipes from freezing. Okay I said, I'd love to rent your cottage; I'll give it a try. I think I started moving in the next day! So exciting to have my own space!!!!  Every few years Edie would raise the rent up a little.

About 5 years into renting I put a big Dolgo Crab Apple Tree in the front yard. And a few years after that I dug up a pretty big perennial garden and painted the door periwinkle. Marion Waldo McChesney, The Pawlet Potter was my neighbor across School St. reminded me  few years ago about the time when  the rent went up to $250. How was I to make that many lampshades... this was way before the internet.... we have it so easy now!!!! Remember those days of zillions of craft shows. I happily miss most of them these days, but don't regret the lessons learned driving back and forth to The Gold Coast to set up for juried craft shows. When Edie turned 70 she came to me and said she was ready to sell the little cottage; she had always told me she would move in her when she got old.... I figured she probably wouldn't as she had a nice house in town. The rest is history, I bought it and painted it pretty.
I'm recently back from visiting family over the holidays. It was a nice break from routine, but my first day back in the shop was heaven! Ahhh, back in my little "lady cave"! Pretty fabrics, all my little creations, my radios shows, my tea pot and friends stopping in to wish me a Merry Christmas. Thursday was a snow storm and I figured I wouldn't see a soul out in the blizzard. A few brave folks were around the village having lunch and stopping into the general store, but that didn't matter it was just so nice to be back in my shop, cleaning off the mess on my work desk, watching the snow absolutely dumping outside! The snow reflects a ton of light into my somewhat dark shop- wow, I forget each year how it brightens it right up!

It's the time of year to procrastinate digging out the taxes, figure out new ideas for 2013, think about May's Brimfield Show- what to bring, fill up my Etsy Shop, search out some new fabrics (okay, already did that!). This time of year does allow for a little R & R, a less break neck pace of routine. I've offered a few friends an Etsy tutorial, I have to speak at our local ladies luncheon and plan NOT to volunteer for any more committees for a bit.... Time to break out the XC skis!

Happy New Year! May 2013 be a little easier on everyone!

xo

judy sawyer lake

The Time just after Labor Day and before The Leaf Peekers Arrive

    I am super happy to announce that The Station Restaurant is making a come back. It is expected to open in the next couple of weeks. No one is happier than me! The restaurant has been closed for the past 3 years and had been looking pretty ratty. I give huge credit to the owners of the property for their hard work repairing the septic and retaining wall after Flood Irene.
You may have remembered that the last restaurant here was MIOS, a French Bistro. We are all very happy that it will once again become The Station- to be open for breakfast and lunch. The building had been a train station in Wallingford, Vermont and then moved to Pawlet Village. The man that brought it to town also owned my building. One of the highlights of the past Station is coming back; all the locals have their own mugs!
This week I have been dusting off my shop with a new coat of paint. I can't rave enough about the luxurious quality of the paints from the fancy Fine Paints of Europe in Woodstock. omg, it doesn't drip and goes on thick and creamy!  I sort of enjoy painting; instant gratification. I was too impaitient to wait for a crew to come paint and the weather last week was perfect. It was much too nice to stay inside. I swear there was more paint on the building than me, except to the new streaks in my sunbleached hair.
I went as high as my ladder would take me... no way I was headed any higher.
New retaining wall and new siding at Machs. Great job Gib and Deanna and crew!
The view from between my shop and the restaurant to The Barn Shop. Marion Waldo McChesney and Dona Friedman will be opening The Barn Shop for a pop up Gallery during the foliage season. Marion had Pawlet Potter in the village for over 30 years! Welcome back.
And a little work on this sad sight. Town is sprucing up and dusting off after the flood but something tells me it will always be a little rough around the edges which might not be a bad thing. Dorset we ain't!

I've been having a great time selling from my Etsy Store: Lampshade Lady! Now that the shop painting is behind me  I am back to making new shades for the shop and getting them listed on Etsy. Fun to play at being a photo stylist!

so I must admit....I did this blog yesterday, just finished.... blah, blah, do- do brain, the power/internet kicked off and blog post gone. WHAT....shit. I hadn't named the post and it was .... gone. I had done this once before.... what a bummer. GONE,  drats. dumbo. NOTE to self- always name a blog something.......first. Here's a post it I keep by my desk!

I hope you'll make it up to Vermont for the beautiful foliage. It's bound to be great this year.... hope so.

xo

judy lake

Lampshade Lady Loves her Flowers.... and look what the flood brought just outside my door!

Look at this dear little Hollyhock that has seeded itself right outside my door. So brave it is there just waiting for some little kid to knock it over!











Hi Betsy! Remember Betsy worked at The Station for all those years!
pretty hollyhocks! Maybe the restaurant will open one day! They are pouring the footings for the fancy retaining wall today and river looks beautiful. ps no photos of the back of my shop.... must sell lots of lampshades for new siding....


Summer is a busy time. Lots of shipping and making. I have several spots for my 2 workshops this fall. If you were hoping to come, don't procrastinate signing up. I will not be adding additional classes this fall. Email me at judylake@vermontel.net if you want a spot. There is lots of info on the workshops several posts ago.

xo

judy