My new obsession, marble paper night lights. I have been making night lights for many years, out of vintage wallpaper and images. Recently I have been working more with hand painted and marble papers. The combination of paper and light brings endless joy. Night...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
I am very fortunate to live in a small town, Millerton, NY 100 miles north of New York City, also to have a great neighbor and friend, Eddie Ross and his partner Jaithan Kochar. Eddie called one day saying he had found an amazing 19th century apothecary jar and...
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...
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...
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...
I could not think of just one description for these lamps, so sleek, modern, simple and elegant it is. A wonderful source I have that makes wood veneer pliable and sturdy for lampshades. Cherry wood is my favorite, the glow is so beautiful, amazing that it is real...
Scrap yards, junk yards, the dump (some people call it the transfer station, so it sounds better), are great places. I have been a recycling for years. People throw away wonderful pieces of metal. The more industrial the better, I have a true love affair for it. ...
I have making a lot of “Hats” ( small shades for chandeliers and sconces) this summer. A great way to change the appearance of a room, a quick change in wardrobe. From Sassy Sleeves to Hats, here are my newest, Half Hats for sconces. Wonderful shapes and...
Lately I have been a daily reader of Retro Renovation, a great blog dedicated to mid century home life. Recently I was looking through my drawers of vintage wallpaper that is prepped for lampshades and found this wonderful sea foam green paper, with leaves and Greek...
I do not get to the ocean much any more, July 4th weekend was always an ocean trip when I was a kid. My Mom loves the beach, there is something about the healing qualities of the ocean. The way walking along the beach and listening to the waves seems to lower ones...
I think all chandeliers and sconces should wear hats. Tiny expressions of one’s soul. There are hats for crystal chandeliers, hats for simple sconces, and hats for any style of fixture you can think of. “A feather in your cap” came to mind as I was...
A couple of weeks ago I took a Sunday to go shopping with Eddie & Jaithan (my blogger pals). We went to Stormville Flea Market, I had not been in a couple of years. Luck was on our side that day, the sun came out and lots of treasures were found. The first find...
On a bright sunny day a couple of weeks ago, I stumble on a fabulous bolt of floral English printed linen in my basement. I remember when I bought this a couple of years ago falling in love with the pattern, spring time flowers on a beautiful linen from England. I...
For anyone who knows me, they know that purple is my favorite color. I do not wear it, but I use it as much as I can. My second, is Peacock Blue. Not Navy or Turquoise, but the deep stunning Peacock Blue that Maxfield Parrish could paint and that came from the Orient....
As one of my winter chores has been to organize my new studio space, I have been going through all of my inventory of fabulous finds. I came across a wonderful pair of architectural pieces, these came from a 19th c main gate of a formal garden. I made them into lamps...
One would not think that you could make a lampshade from real wood that is durable and pretty. I have found a great source here in the USA that makes sheets of different wood veneers coated in a patented process, allowing me to make lampshades from them. The one...
