Hand made papers light up any corner of a room.

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.

Hand made papers lighting up vintage lamps.

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.

Workshops

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

Spring flowers from the 1920′s to the 1950′s

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 and Plant Catalogs inspired me this winter.

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.

Bloomingdale’s last Thursday Night

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

Nothing Better than a Good Scrap Yard, Part 3

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

Pumpkins are everywhere this time of year

The potters of the Mid 19th century experimented in the most amazing shapes and glazes.

Lucky for us so many examples survived the changing times.

I wonder what the artist’s of that time would think of how I transform them.

I could not resist this pair,  perfect for this time of year. There shape, chunky and round,

just like the pumpkins we have been decorating our homes with.

I paired them with a great paper made with leaves running throughout.

Bring a bit of nature indoors to make you smile.

Nothing Better than a Good Scrap Yard, Part 2

This summer I was on a hunting trip in upstate New York, stumbled on a great organized junk/scrap yard.  There was a section for everything.  I could not contain myself, all I thought was how I was going to get all of my treasures home.  There was a 19th century iron garden gate, I love these.  They have a history, I use my imagination to wonder who were the people who walked through the gate.  The center pieces was the only thing left to salvage, the iron scroll work was beautiful.

On my way home I stopped at my welders and dropped them off.  These are the lamps, vintage industrial with style.

The fun part about what I do, is I get to find incredible hand made papers form all over the world new and old to make lampshades for the lamps that get created from my hunting trips.  This paper I found this spring in New York.  The paper is a light version of Kraft paper with scrolls of espresso and bronzes screened on it. A perfect match for these lamps.

If you are in the area stop by to see works in progress or visit my online shop.

Have a great weekend.

Susan

Dorothy Draper would have loved these.

These fabulous ginger jar shaped lamps, with gesso flowers came right from the Dorothy Draper era. They are classical and funky wrapped into one. The tone on tone feeling is soothing.  I have found quite a few examples of gesso decorated lamp bases lately.  This is the first of a series that I will be doing this fall.  The gesso is normally white, but I have found a few lamp bases that the gesso has been colored. The imagination of the artists back then are amazing.  Someone must have filled a pastry bag with gesso and decorated the lamp bases just like a wedding cake.

I topped them off with a great pair of cream colored sea grass hexagon lampshades.  Bringing a twist to these bases.  The sea grass has the wonderful warm tones of the lamps.  These lamps would be a welcome addition to any home.

If you are in the area stop by and see or visit my online store.

Enjoy,

Susan

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