Grow It Your Self
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,...
15% OFF, Shandell’s yearly THANK YOU SALE.
For the third year Shandell’s is having a summer sale. It is that time again to thank all of my customers with 15% off of all in stock items online or in the studio. The studio is fully stocked for your enjoyment. Hope to see you either in the studio or online. Susan...
Horses and Shopping, doesn’t get any better.
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...
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...
Summer is around the corner, so are the parties.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Vintage Seed and Plant Catalogs inspired me this winter.
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...
Toot Your Own Horn
"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...
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...
Eddie Ross + Elle Decor = EE
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...
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...
Happy Holidays
Wishing you PEACE, HOPE & JOY. HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY & A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! SUSAN
A Project for “The Sister Project”
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...
An Amaryllis that needs no water.
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...