"Things that make you smile" ~ handmade by Susan Schneider
One of my daily reads, A Way To Garden did a story on WPA posters. The graphics alone make you want to plant your own garden. Well this year I was unable to plant a garden (but have big plans for next year).
The garden I have been growing has been Shandell’s, rearranging and planting new seeds in all different area’s. In the next few weeks I will be adding a great new online store and my website get updated with lots to make you smile.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, see you in September.
Susan
Shandell’s will be joining The Market at Fitch’s Corner Horse Trials this year,July 24 & 25. The horse trials are a yearly event, beside the glorious horses that come from all over, there is a tent full of fabulous finds. There will be over 40 shops for you to enjoy.
Shandell’s will be bringing wonderful array of one of a kind pieces for the weekend, lots to make you smile.
The Spectator Luncheon benefits the the Millbrook Rescue Squad, which is held on Saturday. As well as horses there is also a Collector Car Parade is an exhibition of antique and vintage automobiles.
If you are a horse lover, as I am or just want a wonderful event to support, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Located in the center of Millbrook hunt country in Dutchess County, 2 hours north of New York City.
Hope to see you.
Susan
Anything but a white lampshade, is what you find here at Shandell’s. Yes I do make them (white lampshades), but with all of the amazing choices of hand made papers from around the world and as well as in my backyard here in the Hudson Valley I try to put a little color into everyone’s world.
I am always intrigued with paper artists, screen printing, marbling, paste paper and free hand. All make my work so much fun. The choices of decorative papers is so large there is something for everyone. Each paper lends itself to brighten up any corner of a room.
If you are thinking about adding a colorful lampshade to your home, maybe these will inspire you to look past the old standard of a white shade.
I cannot believe that the summer season is just around the corner. Parties, events and plenty of barbecues are being put on the calender. As the invitations are being received, thoughts of hostess gifts will come to mind.
The editors of House Beautiful had Shandell’s matchboxes on their 2009 best “Holiday Gifts for under $25.”
Vintage Greek Key wallpaper patterns, perfect for any party, cowboy boots for the summer barbecue, a polo themed matchbox for a day of watching games, a barnyard of chicken for a country picnic, vintage New York images for your out of town guests, 19th century shells for a weekend at the beach. The list goes on, along with the choices.
As a hostess gift, they will last longer than a bottle of wine or a box of cookies, and our large collection of styles—each drawn from our unrivaled 30-year collection of vintage imagery—would match any décor.
Let these light up your summer season.
Susan
Recently I had an artist, Dana Curtis approach me with her hand made papers. They are reminiscent to the style of Jackson Pollock with her own twist of color and texture.
I fell in love with these and put them together with some of my vintage lamp collection.
We spent some time picking out lamps and talking about colors. The results are pictured above.
Thrilled how they came out, hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. To see them all visit my online shop.
I will be added more of Dana’s work to my lamps, so check back often.
Since the launch of my new website I have been increasingly getting emails and walk-in visitors asking about how to pick the right size lampshade for a lamp, and how long does it take to make a shade, and can I make “this” (whatever “this” is!) into a lamp.
Starting in May I will be extending my hours (Thurs. – Sat. 11-5 and Sun. 11-3), and will also kick off FREE monthly workshops on the second Saturday of each month, to help answer some of those questions, and more.
May 8 and June 12 are the first two workshops, from 9-11 AM each of those days.
Topics we’ll cover include: how to fit a lamp with a lampshade, revamping a dated lamp with a new shade, basic construction of a shade, and different things you can make into a lamp.
The workshop will also include an inside look to “the Lampshade Lady’s” world. Come see my vintage paper and fittings and trimmings collections, and learn about how I got into this, etc.–and have a cup of tea!
Hopefully those who attend will be inspired to spruce up their decors with a new shade or a new lamp fashioned from some treasure they own.
Look forward to meeting you,
Susan
When I started making lampshades in the 90′s, vintage wallpaper was the main material that I used. I have a huge collection of papers that spans from the 1800′s to the 1950′s.
Wallpaper from that time period was made on real paper not vinyl, and every color of the paper had a roller to roll that color on it. Giving the wallpaper a hand painted look. When the light comes through the shade, it has a wonderful glow.
I was down in my basement where I keep all of my wallpapers, looking through them for inspiration. Outside all of the leaves and buds are all coming out, I thought to make a fun series of shades using floral wallpaper from the 1920′s to the 1950′s.
Each paper different in time, but all have flowers on them. From romantic roses to flowers with silver stenciling from the 1950′s, how retro is that.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I did making. There will more added soon, so check back often.
HAPPY SPRING.
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.
“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.
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.
Shandell's is the creative home of me, Susan Schneider, a longtime collector of things vintage with a passion for recycling them into things that make you smile. Shandell's, a working lampshade and vintage lighting studio, has just relocated to 2976 Church Street, Pine Plains, NY 12567. I draw on a collection of thousands of unique handmade papers, antique wallpapers and other very special materials in my work. We will be open by chance or appointment. Sign up to receive new product updates as well as specials!
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