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Vintage Seed and Plant Catalogs inspired me this winter.

March 18, 2010 2 Comments

Vintage Seed Catalog Collection

Vintage Seed Catalog Collection

This winter, as I was organizing my flat files, I came across a wonderful bunch if vintage seed and plant catalogs.

The graphics intrigued me, they are an artistic travel through time.  Each tell a story of what was happening in this country when the catalogs were printed. I just could not resist putting these images on everything I make.  The winter months went by much faster as I was dreaming about my garden.

I think Sweet Peas were a very popular flower, there are so many catalog covers with them on it, one of my favorite I put on a night light.  This one was on a Burpee catalog from 1898.

David Landreth was the first person to produce a mail order seed catalog in the USA.  The art of hand drawn catalog covers have been replace by the camera.  The photos are beautiful, but pen and ink are my preference.

I love to garden, having my hands in the earth is a pleasure I share with millions. My dogs like to help me with it as well, they dig and I plant. How perfect.

Seed catalogs start arriving in early fall and are all in a basket waiting for the long winter days.

My friend Margaret, from A Way to Garden has been talking about them for a while.

This year I have decided to order only Nasturtiums and Morning Glories in as many colors and types I can find.  The white picket fence in front of my yard will be filled with lots of color.

Enjoy your journey through my seed catalog collection.

Hope they make you smile.

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Toot Your Own Horn

February 26, 2010 11 Comments

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“Toot your own horn” an interesting expression, when I found a large lot of 19th century tin party horns in an amazing array of colors, that is what first came to my mind and second, what fabulous lamps they would make.

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These are tin horns that were made in the USA around the turn of the 19th century. Some even have Made in the USA stamped right on it.  They were used on New Years Eve and many other joyous occasions.

Vintage decorative tin is highly collectible, true American Folk Art. What a wonderful way to show off part of a collection.

The colors and patterns on each of them are as beautiful as their shape.

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Bloomingdale’s last Thursday Night

February 3, 2010 7 Comments

eddie and me bloomies

Last Thursday night, there was a wonderful Party for the Big Window Challenge at Bloomingdale’s New York City store.  A lively competition, between Eddie Ross for Elle Decor, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy and Eileen Joyce for Bloomingdale’s. If you did not get a chance to read about it, take a couple of minutes and see all three fabulous windows.  The detail that went into these windows was amazing.  Each of the competitors made you feel like you wanted to sit down and enjoy their creations.

Eddie had asked me to make some lampshades for him, I was thrilled. I was able to make these shades from gold leaf wallpaper, the glow is incredible. A thank you to Phillip Jeffries for the wallpaper.

As I was walking down Lexington Avenue to go to this party, I was greeted by Eddie & Jaithan in front of their window.

As a true New Yorker (I was born in NYC), my heart pounded with excitement to see my lampshades and lamps in this magnificent window.  Thank you Eddie for including me.

I got to meet some wonderful people that evening, Margaret Russell from Elle Decor, Maxwell & Sara Kate from Apartment Therapy and Mrs. Blandings.

Let’s hope that the Groundhog was incorrect and spring arrives sooner.

Susan

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Eddie Ross + Elle Decor = EE

January 21, 2010 6 Comments

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A little over a week ago, I received a phone call from my friend Eddie Ross.  He needed some lampshades and lamps for Bloomingdale’s Big Window Challenge. He brought in a pair of wonderful peacock blue, mid century lamps that he got from Deborah at Buck House.

We had a wonderful time designing the shades for these, going through 100′s of papers, fabrics and trims.  Settling on Gold Leaf wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries. The lamps had so much to offer in the way of design and color, the shade for them needed to be just as strong, but not overpowering.  I think they came out fantastic.

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I was also lucky enough to have a small pair of peacock blue lamps to coordinate, I made matching shades for them as well.  These lamps sit tucked away on a book shelf filled with eye candy.

The display for this room setting in in the window of Bloomingdale’s in New York City.  There is a contest between three very talented people, each very different and each with style.  I have a bias for Eddie’s window, (it does help that I did the lampshades for him)I just love it.

Head on over to Bloomingdale’s Big Window Challenge , read all about each room, the people who designed them and cast your vote.  I won’t tell you who I have voted for I will let you guess.

Thank you Eddie for including me in this fabulous project, I am looking forward to seeing it next week in person.

Susan

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Nothing Better than a Good Scrap Yard, Part 3

January 15, 2010 2 Comments

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The scrap yard, as you know is one of my favorite destinations when I travel. This pair of lamps I have pictured are from a wonderful piece of 19th century fencing with a great silver paint. So, off to the welders they went.

When I got them back from him, I was searching for a great paper to pair them with.  As I was looking through my vintage papers, I came across a stack of Topography Maps, dating 1905 that I had purchased years ago.  To make it even better, I had some from areas near to where I am located.  Saugerties, Ulster and Catskill are some of the towns that are on these maps.

I wonder, these fence pieces came from upstate New York, could they have come from one of the towns that I have pictured.

Check out Good Scrap Yard Part 1 & Part 2 to see what other fabulous finds I created into to lamps.  I seem to be drawn to orange as a color to include for the shade making, the rust pairs so nicely with that color.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Susan

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Happy Holidays

December 22, 2009 2 Comments

new year post card

Wishing you PEACE, HOPE & JOY.

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY & A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

SUSAN

Filed Under: Holiday, Studio News Tagged With: , , ,

A Project for “The Sister Project”

December 15, 2009 1 Comment

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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

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An Amaryllis that needs no water.

December 9, 2009 1 Comment

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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

Filed Under: Holiday, Matches, Tissue Boxes Tagged With: , , ,

Making your list and checking it twice. Great gifts for under $50.00

December 3, 2009 1 Comment

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1-Vintage Wallpaper Ornaments, each ornament is papered with wonderful vintage wallpaper and edged with 19th century glass glitter.

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2-Matchboxes made with vintage imagery and more…  House Beautiful , Eddie Ross and

Hudson Valley Magazine put these in their Holiday Gift Guides.

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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.

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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

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Chairs + Ginger Jars = A fun project with Anne Harwell

November 30, 2009 4 Comments

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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

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