When my friend Pam from retrorenovation.com got together to make a video a couple of months ago, we came up with so many ideas. Here is the result, we had another day of making videos, these lamps were the outcome of a fabulous day together. Make an Upcycled...
After the winter we have had here in the Hudson Valley, spring cleaning is on everyone’s mind. A customer come in last week with a car full of lamps. As she hauled them all in from her car, she said “Spring Cleaning, new shades and repairs.”...
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...
Make Pendant Lights Out of Thrifty Vintage Finds — Put A Bulb In It! from RetroRenovation.com on Vimeo. I got a call from my friend Pam at Retro Renovation a couple of weeks ago. She talked to me about making a video for her readers. “Put a bulb in...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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...
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...
I have this connection to deer, they have come into my life at different times. In Indian medicine the Deer represent gentleness, they are here to teach us to touch the hearts and minds of wounded beings who are in our way. Sheds are the antler’s that...
In December 1952 Patti Page first recorded “How much is that doggie in the window”. It became number one on the Billboard charts in 1953. My dog Pansy has taken up her summer residence in this window of my studio. Enjoying every moment either sleeping in...
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...
SassySleeves are decorative replacement candles sleeves for sconces or chandeliers, crafted at Shandell’s using a wonderful array of handmade papers from around the world. SassySleeves are a must-have for sprucing up an ordinary sconce or a chandelier. Bring an...
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...
Organizing my new studio and going through all of my lamps I have collected, has been a January job. I seem to have a style for just about everyone. This has spurred me into making lampshades to go with them. The new year always seems to inspire creativity. I have...
