Wishing you PEACE, HOPE & JOY.
HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY & A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
SUSAN
A Project for “The Sister Project”
December 15, 2009
There is this amazing place on the internet called The Sister Project, a network of blogs about sisters and sisterhoods of all kinds. A place where I have met the most incredible women from all over. A place to learn about myself and sisters. To share with sisters parts of my life. This blog is the creation of Margaret Roach, a non blood sister of mine, a person that I thank daily for all the help in my life. She is a true sister and seriously rocks.
I went on a journey to do a project for The Sisters (you can read all about it at TSP) using my vast amount of old stuff that I have collected and some that I went hunting for. The results came out great. This picture is the first part that I have finished, with lots more to come as I keep finding more fabulous ephemera, I will share it with you.
My favorite images are of two sisters??? friends??? washing each others hair. The way they are smiling is wonderful, look at the Saddle shoes, the clothes and the hair. What an amazing time in our history. I put these images on matches.
You can have a chance to win them, just visit The Sister Project and leave a comment. The winner will be picked on the 21st, just in time for Christmas.
Wishing all of my sisters who have supported me lots of PEACE, JOY & HOPE.
Susan
An Amaryllis that needs no water.
December 9, 2009
Amaryllis, a native South African plant, Latin amarysso meaning “to sparkle. What a perfect meaning for this time of year. I love these plants, every year I search for a new, variety to bloom in my house.
Over the years I have collected 19th century botanicals of these amazing plants, the detail in the drawings is what I love the most about them. In the day with no cameras, the fine detail all done with the naked eye.
I have put some of the prints on Tissue Boxes and Matches, they make a wonderful presents, with absolutely no care they will bloom for years.
Susan
Making your list and checking it twice. Great gifts for under $50.00
December 3, 2009
1-Vintage Wallpaper Ornaments, each ornament is papered with wonderful vintage wallpaper and edged with 19th century glass glitter.
2-Matchboxes made with vintage imagery and more… House Beautiful , Eddie Ross and
Hudson Valley Magazine put these in their Holiday Gift Guides.
3- Tissue Boxes, to hide those ugly paper boxes we all have around the house. There is one for that will fit anyone on your list.
4- A night light to guide you or someone on your list through the night. This group of night lights that are waiting to be packaged are made from Paste Papers, the papers are hand made in Upstate New York by this amazing artist named Claire Maziarczyk. I fell in love with her papers years ago, they make beautiful night lights and lampshades.
Hope this list helps you with yours. Have a fabulous time checking it twice.
Susan
Chairs + Ginger Jars = A fun project with Anne Harwell
November 30, 2009
I have met the most amazing, talented people this year. The blogosphere is a world all to itself. Anne Harwell from Annechovie is one of these people. Visit her blog and see what I am talking about. She is an artist and paints all different types of things, but her chairs are one my favorites. I sent a tissue box with her chairs on it as a thank you for a wonderful post she did on me.
I was in the shower thinking (I do my best thinking there) about projects for the fall and winter. Anne’s artwork popped in my head, I thought how wonderful to collaborate with her. Put her art on my art. A new twist. I work mostly with vintage images and I am finding that there are so many artists work that would look great on what I do.
So, here is the first of what I hope to be many fun projects. The tissue box and matches will be done in limited quantities.
Enjoy.
Susan
Grateful!!!!
November 25, 2009
Shandell’s will be starting it 6th year in Millerton this Friday. I would like to say thank you to all who have helped me get here and those who I have not met, only know through the world of blogging, Twitter and Facebook.
I was at a party a couple of years ago, a group of us was sitting and enjoying a great bottle of wine. There was a woman talking abut being grateful and the conversation headed that way. One of the woman said, “Everyone can be grateful, but I am down on my knees grateful” I remember that every day, sometimes it is hard.
That pretty much sums up my feelings. I am so grateful for all who have been in my life this year.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, eat lots of goodies and be Grateful.
This picture is of Scottish Highland’s, they live in Sheffield, Ma. I see them every time I go to Great Barrington to do food shopping. I think they are just amazing. The Highland breed has lived for centuries in the rugged remote Scottish Highlands. The extremely harsh conditions created a process of natural selection, where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived to carry on the breed. There beauty and grace intrigues me.
Susan
An army of night lights.
November 20, 2009
As the elves at Shandell’s (me) have been getting ready for the Holiday Season, night lights are always top of the list. Recently I have found some amazing new papers, just calling to be made into a night light. I could not resist this picture of them waiting to be bagged and ready for giving.
They look like an army, all in line waiting for there new homes.
Something everyone needs a night light, young and old. Making them into a piece of wall art is part of the fun. Inspiration comes from my vast collection of vintage imagery and hand made papers. Making a decision as to which paper or image to use next, is my biggest problem.
There is a night light for everyone on your Holiday list, the horse lover, nature enthusiast, graphic artist, addicts of vintage anything, feathers, hand made paper and lots more. Enjoy finding your perfect light for the middle of the night.
Susan
Horsing around, jump start the season.
November 12, 2009
It seems like Halloween just finished, most of the leaves are gone and the Holiday season is knocking on our doors. The elves at Shandell’s have been working over time getting lots of things ready to make you smile.
Tissue boxes have been on the list lately, as the weather has changed, cold and flu season is here. As I was going through all of my vintage images I came across this wonderful Steeplechase image. The detail is wonderful as well as the color. I immediately made a tissue box with this image.
As you are getting to know me, horses , dogs and animals are a big part of my life and work. I love the 18th and 19th century images of them and put them on just about everything I make. I started putting some of my favorite quotes on matchboxes, along with some of the most beautiful vintage horse images. What wonderful gifts these will make this holiday season.
So if you are in the area, stop by or visit my online shop.
A project with Eddie Ross
November 4, 2009
I am very fortunate to live in a small town, Millerton, NY 100 miles north of New York City, also to have a great neighbor and friend, Eddie Ross and his partner Jaithan Kochar. Eddie called one day saying he had found an amazing 19th century apothecary jar and would like to have it made into a lamp. I so love to get interesting pieces to make into lamps. Most days I look at just about anything for a lamp, a bottle, carved table leg. old pieces of metal in any form. I get so excited when I get these type of projects, Eddie had the same enthusiasm about it.
Once the lamp is done, we were only half way there. The next part is the shade, picking the right shape and material to accent the lamp. Eddie wanted a barrel shaped shade, I suggested we use a wonderful seagrass paper to offset the sleek glass. Visit Eddie’s blog to read all about this great project.
I hope this inspires you to look at every day objects, treasures you find and family heirlooms in a whole new way. The simple gracefulness of this bottle will be enjoyed for years and surely make Eddie and Jaithan smile.
Getting ready for the cold
October 28, 2009
The cold weather in nearly here, most of the beautiful fall leaves have dropped. The news is full of all the things one needs to do to prevent the common cold or flu. Keeping a box of tissues at hand is high on the list.
I could not agree with them more, but those boxes are very ugly (sorry Kleenex makers, they are). I have a box in every room of my house. Here are some of Shandell’s tissue boxes, great to hide the ugly one’s we all have.
These make great gifts, get one for yourself and smile as you reach for your tissues.
Stay healthy and warm.
The Joy of Lighting (formerly Shandell’s) reflects my lifelong love of all things vintage. As a former antiques dealer, I started using things I’d collected to make custom lighting pieces. At The Joy of Lighting, I make lamps from almost anything you can think of. And I use everything from handmade papers to antique wallpapers — from vintage textiles to Fortuny fabrics — to make my shades.
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