"Things that make you smile" ~ handmade by Susan Schneider
Shandell’s has joined One Kings Lane Vintage & Markets finds as a vendor. If you have not heard about this fabulous site, they describe themselves as “Simply put, One Kings Lane is an elegant, curated online sales site. ”
I have new listings every week, lamps, chandeliers, sconces, lampshades and more…..
Enjoy browsing through the wonderful Vintage & Market finds.
Susan
I started making lampshade over 15 years ago and making them with vintage wallpaper. Recently as I have been going through my paper draws, kind of a spring cleaning, all of these vintage wallpapers were screaming at me. It has been a long winter and I needed some flowers to make me smile.
So I pulled out papers and lampshade frames. Started cutting and gluing. Above is a picture of some of what came out of a good shade making session.
What room doesn’t need a floral lampshade to brighten up it space. Lets all rejoice in Spring.
Happy Spring holidays to all.
Susan
Thank you to Hudson Valley Magazine for the current mentions. Shandell’s is thrilled that you picked our Honeysuckle vintage image wastebasket for your “the hot hue of the home”. I have fallen head over heals in love with pink this year, I have used it when ever I have gotten the chance to.
“Lamps Lost and Found” a perfect description of my studio. Click here to read all about what Hudson Valley Magazine has to say.
If you are traveling through the Hudson Valley, please stop by and say hello. My studio is in a wonderful country town, Millerton, NY, come for the day and visit.
Susan
I came into the studio on Monday morning and had a message from Lynn Hazelwood from the Hudson Magazine blog. Her message said that she was so thrilled to find me can I give her a call.
So I did and we had a great talk. She is from England and I love the intro line to the story “How to brighten up a dowdy room with one- (or maybe two-) of-a-kind lamps and shades”. My grams is from England and the word “dowdy” brought back wonderful memories.
What lamps do you have that could use a brightening up? Table lamp, floor lamp, wall sconce or chandelier? Bring a bit of sunshine indoors.
Last winter customers, Frank Delaney and Diane Meier came into the studio and spotted a pair of 19th century cream separators that I had just found. They have been looking for a pair of lamps for their barn. They fell in love with them and we proceeded to create a fabulous pair of lamps. I had a old pair of brake disks that we used for a base, and part of the disk to cap the lamps.
Diane’s vision was for a tall slender shade, making the footprint for the lamp to stay narrow and be tall as the lamps home will be a high ceiling barn. Next came the decision, what to make the shade out of. I suggested a paper handmade from tree bark, pulling all the colors of the lamps and barn together.
Above is a picture of the before and after. What do you have in store for your winter project? Whats lamps do you have that need an update? A new shade, change an out dated base and make it more current. Get your creative juices going and see what you have to be made into a lamp. The possibilities are endless.
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.
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.
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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WE ARE MUCH MORE THAN JUST readymade lamps and shades. Our list of custom services and products (including ideal ones for use in group fundraisers) goes way beyond just shade-making. We even make house calls!
