The Lampshade Lady Blog

Brimfield is just around the corner...deep breath

 

May is the BEST time to head to Brimfield Flea Market!  It's the only one that works for me, but summer is hot and fall can be fickle weather. Fingers crossed we haven't used up all our sunny days by the 15th!!!
New England Motel Show opens on Wednesday. Some shows open on Tuesday and run till Sunday. I usually am packed up by Sat PM. The Vintage Textile Show is on Monday in Sturbridge, MA. I head down on Tuesday for set up and settle in for the week. (My Vermont shop will be closed)

I'm sharing a big 20x20 tent with my friend Philippa this year! Dear friend Mary is just around the corner, Tex and family are across the row, Wendy and her beautiful textiles are just down the way.... friends are made, fun is had, sales are made, lobster rolls eaten, procecco opened, red wine sipped, cheese nibbled on, new connections are made and hopefully the economy is a little rosier. We do make it fun as well as the hard work to pull it all together!

The lists of "must bring things" starts soon. The bag with the duck tape, electric tea pot, pens, receipts, business cards, omgoodness, the list is long, but years of experience makes it easier, oh ya, the cork screw...can't forget that. I find most important piece is that if I am organized I don't have to rush and can just enjoy the process.

Today's project: I didn't have a room for Tuesday night and thought I'd wing it... but today I  had a better thought and found a room online... yipee. Cross that off the worry list. Nothing like a good night sleep, hopefully, especially for the early morning start of day break. Last year my alarm/radio had been turned down in my hotel----sooooo I couldn't hear the alarm and over slept, phew and couldn't park at my show as we have to be there by 5am; a little early for the lampshade lady. I had to park way down the row and pay for parking and scamper all the way to New England Motel Show. I figured those early dealers aren't really my customer anyway and just not fret about being late. I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and finally got to my booth. No biggie.

Hope you come visit the shows. My booth is #65; if you are facing the show it is on the left side middle row, near the back. A great spot! Bring money, water, sneakers!  New England Motel Show is in the middle of all the shows on RT 20, BY THE FOOD Court! One of the perks of the location!

There's lots of info on line about times and show openings - check out this link. There are 20 shows and they open at different times, staggering them so dealers can race from show to show to find  the best stuff or others like to run the other way and hit the fields that aren't busy.....(that's me:)!  Most of the shows have parking; it isn't a big deal, usually no problem and cost 5-10 dollars.

xo

judy

diy lampshade making = use the right materials

                    
                            

  There are a few basics that can make or break a lampshade. It totally helps to use the right stuff. Slinky grosgrain could drive you to nutty... crummy glue... poor fabric can be impossible... some of this is repetitive for some of you, but these are questions I'm email every day... so here goes.

1.) use the right grosgrain. 40% cotton/60 rayon. Most craft stores carry rayon or poly. Order from The Lampshop or other on line sources.

2.) use quick glue; available at The Lampshop. Transfer it into a squeeze bottle. It'll make your life so much happier.

3.)use a galvanized wire frame.... no rust- a happy lampshade maker.

4.) do great design. start with good materials & great fabric. great fabric is so much better than wasting time with poor quality.... I just finished  a shade w/ client's fabric was printed sooooo far off the grain of the fabric- impossible and will never look perfect as many times as I tried to line it up.

5.) I get asked a lot about the price of styrene. It's isn't cheeeep but one yard goes a long way. Just look at the price of nice lampshades. You can probably get 4-6 lampshades out of one yard of styrene depending on size of shade.

6.) The Lampshop  in Concord, NH is one of the main lampshade material supply sources. They have a very good on-line catolog. 

***Hope this helps out some of the  new lampshade makers! I'm so happy to hear there are lots of new lampshade makers in the works. I've been doing this over 27 years and still learning new things every day. I swear!  There is plenty of work for good designers. 

be brave + try new ideas + experiment + stick you neck out and have fun + go beyond average... keeping pushing your design skills and color combinations + stay away from cliched design trends.... they will be gone in a flash... who's so bored of chevons.... and maybe black....and even hanging light bulbs, thank god....I think good design is something you are  still in love for 10 years not 10 weeks!

Cutie Pies

This is the most adorable Vintage French Cotton! Isn't it? Perfect for my house....fun to make and oooh so French. You can see my camera has made it outside! Lampshades are super hard to photograph and oh so much easier outside...... and yes, today was pretty nice in Southern Vermont! Today was a petal to the metal day; I had piles of started work that needed finishing. I got most of it done and up onto Etsy- MOST but not all...when is everything finished!

And another pair finished! I am starting to make a plan for what my "holes" are for Brimfield. Won't be long till it's time to head south to the land of many flea markets! Everyone is excited for the first one of the season!

One more finished up today. I've got 2 more smaller than this that didn't get finished.  There's always tomorrow morning and then it's time to set up for Wednesday's workshop. We've got a full house, big group- time to round up the chairs, tables and strip a bunch of stuff out of my shop to make space for the gang. Lots of details to pull together.

My one day workshop is usually folks that live pretty close by- some for a fun day to try something new and some are coming for a new career- I've got both coming. The 2 day workshop tends to bring folks from afar that want to come to start a business or add to their design knowledge. So, here we go..... ready set..... to trash my shop and rearrange it all.

note: I still have one spot left for the 2 day if you get a hankering.... oh, be spontaneous for spring!

Last Call for Next Week's Workshops: a couple spots left

Happy Spring.... snowdrops in the sky today... nothing to speak of but lets keep them in the garden! Next week is workshop week.

I have a couple of spots for my one day workshop and one spot for the 2 day workshop.

See prior post for all the info or give me a jingle at the shop. 802 325 6308. Sure~~~~~ be spontaneous! It's spring!! Time to spruce up the house and shake out the mud.

xoxo,

judy lake

My Lamp Shop in Deep Winter

Snow has just started, again. The days are starting get longer and customers are waking up a little. How hard is it to keep making our inventories when things are slow? Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself to keep MAKING and DESIGNING because the busy days will be back. The Brimfield Flea Market will be here before I know it! I know my other craft friends that do shows have a few events in the deep winter, but mostly slim pickings. oooh how to survive the deep winter as an artist...??? recharging our design batteries is not a bad idea.
Painting my shop! I went to pick up a quart of paint in Rutland and the dear little man that mixed my paint gave me a gallon instead of a quart. I have been redoing my son's crudy bathroom and this is the wall color. LOVE it. Soooo. It's time for a new color at my shop and most likely I have almost enough. It's called Cool Aqua Semi Gloss from Benjamin Moore. It is super happy and time to say goodbye to the California Lilac!
I have a pair of these ticking shades. One of the most beautiful vintage tickings I have seen. Size 7" x 12" x 8" high, hex washer. Also just started a pair of 5" x 10" x 7" clip on, too. Fabrics like this don't last long in here!




New wall color! Everything looks so pretty against it. And the cobwebs are gone, for a while.
Pretty Paisley. One of the best ever!





One gray day this week I pulled every crazy bright color off the shelf and started in and made springlike shades! It turned into a really fun day. Color is such a vital element in our lives. Remember to USE it. I was recently in a friend's house and beige and gray were her main colors... even a little of this magenta would light a spark of light.

oooh and look at this! Do you remember these cloth kids books? I just sold one yesterday, but still have this one. Can't wait to make more. Just love the idea. So cute for a baby present or for the farm house.
here was another from the dark, winter day this week. THINK SPRING.
Well, it's time to do the other side of my shop!

Here's to hoping the snow drops come up sooner than later.

xo

judy

Valentine's Day Book Give Away!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I arrived to my shop this morning and there was a big handmade Valentine's Day card taped to my door! Thanks Lilly, You made me smile!

On that note, I will be giving away 3 books tonight at my Etsy Store. USA shipping only. The first 3 to go on my site at 8 pm will recieve a book. Here is the link, http://www.etsy.com/shop/lampshadelady.

This is one of my favorite projects in my book. As you know how much I try to mix patterns and fun colors....and pretty stacks of fabrics!
And these gals were sure adorable in my book! What good sports, but we did have lots of fun.

NOTE: To date there is plenty of room in both April Workshops; spots are starting to fill in, so don't delay. This year I have decided not to do any Fall workshops, April will be the ONLY time this year.

2 Bird Needlepoint Lampshade

It's a snowy Monday after a long stretch of cold weather and I was looking for a fun project today. I just got this needlepoint last week. Isn't it sweet. Saturday I figured out that I would use this handsome cut-corner-rectangle frame. The birds filled the front panel perfectly. The hard decision was finding the right fabric for the rest of the panels. I must have pulled a dozen fabrics over to try on Saturday, nothing worked. This morning I tried this linen that I had tucked away on my fabric shelf. Yes, that's the one; it will light up nicely and show off the front needlepoint.

detail, aren't they sweet?

ok, now it's time to get back to working on my orders....I needed to get my creativity playtime first.

If you like this shade it is up on my Etsy Page or you can also hit the Mini Etsy to the left top of blog. Speaking of Etsy a few of my local friends were interested in having a little session on getting started on Etsy. We gathered here at my shop on Friday afternoon for a couple of hours. Yikes, that was hard to teach... so many details. I have found to make Etsy work one must spend 5-10 hours per week uploading photos, emails to clients, packing and shipping, writing text, BUT it has been totally worth it for me. Especially since my adorable little shop is literally in the middle of no where but only a mile and a half from my house! The goal is to see how many days can one tank of gas last!

Bye, time to shovel fresh snow!

xo

judy lake

Only April Lampshade Workshops for 2013

A busy day today in the shop. January has been busy so far which-- always surprises me. Etsy is busy this time of year, as my Little Pink Cottage/ Studio has been, too. December sales were fine, but never what one might think.  When the tree is down my customers start thinking about their homes again. I do too, don't you! A fresh start to the year.

I posted my April workshop schedule a few weeks ago here on my blog. I have recently decided to ONLY do the April Workshops for 2013.The One Day is April 10th and Two Day Workshop is April 12 and 13. I am taking a break from my Fall Foliage Workshops, so if you were planning on the Fall Workshops, I hope April will work for you! Just mixing it up for a change...can't become too predictable... I've been thinking it might be fun to create an Etsy Fall Foliage Tour in So. VT...or a Designers Treasure Hunt in So. VT.... there's so many amazing resources tucked in these green mountains. We will see what comes up.

I have heard from a few folks, but at this point there is plenty of room but  do expect these will fill up. To sign up I do ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit. Email me at judylake@vermontel.net or call the shop at             Tel.802. 325. 6308 to reserve a spot.

stay warm,

xo

judy lake

15 Years @ The Little Pink Cottage + 14 years at the kitchen table

I can hardly believe it's been 15 years in my shop and 14 years prior at the kitchen table!  I feel so lucky to have somewhat stumbled into the cottage. It was New Year's Day so long ago and I was at Mach's, our general store looking for a video for a chilly winter day. I was approached by Edie, the woman that owned my building at the time. Edie asked me if I had any interest in renting her building for my business? Humm, I thought for a couple of seconds and said, "what the heck, lets go look". Well, that was sort of like just going to look at puppies...

My husband Carson had just started his business Flamin' Reds Wood-Fired Pizza Crusts at our house, my son was 10 and things were getting a little too close at home with music blasting out of the pizza hut and the stresses of running 2 home businesses side by side. I would see he was behind with labels and I'd jump in and help get ready for the UPS man or be too bossy.... imagine that!!!

I was ready for me to take my business to the next level and Edie helped give me a push... the story of my poky life. I asked Edie how much the rent would be? She said, "lets start at 100 dollars".... cool I was thinking, I should be able to cover that. I think Edie basically wanted someone to keep the pipes from freezing. Okay I said, I'd love to rent your cottage; I'll give it a try. I think I started moving in the next day! So exciting to have my own space!!!!  Every few years Edie would raise the rent up a little.

About 5 years into renting I put a big Dolgo Crab Apple Tree in the front yard. And a few years after that I dug up a pretty big perennial garden and painted the door periwinkle. Marion Waldo McChesney, The Pawlet Potter was my neighbor across School St. reminded me  few years ago about the time when  the rent went up to $250. How was I to make that many lampshades... this was way before the internet.... we have it so easy now!!!! Remember those days of zillions of craft shows. I happily miss most of them these days, but don't regret the lessons learned driving back and forth to The Gold Coast to set up for juried craft shows. When Edie turned 70 she came to me and said she was ready to sell the little cottage; she had always told me she would move in her when she got old.... I figured she probably wouldn't as she had a nice house in town. The rest is history, I bought it and painted it pretty.
I'm recently back from visiting family over the holidays. It was a nice break from routine, but my first day back in the shop was heaven! Ahhh, back in my little "lady cave"! Pretty fabrics, all my little creations, my radios shows, my tea pot and friends stopping in to wish me a Merry Christmas. Thursday was a snow storm and I figured I wouldn't see a soul out in the blizzard. A few brave folks were around the village having lunch and stopping into the general store, but that didn't matter it was just so nice to be back in my shop, cleaning off the mess on my work desk, watching the snow absolutely dumping outside! The snow reflects a ton of light into my somewhat dark shop- wow, I forget each year how it brightens it right up!

It's the time of year to procrastinate digging out the taxes, figure out new ideas for 2013, think about May's Brimfield Show- what to bring, fill up my Etsy Shop, search out some new fabrics (okay, already did that!). This time of year does allow for a little R & R, a less break neck pace of routine. I've offered a few friends an Etsy tutorial, I have to speak at our local ladies luncheon and plan NOT to volunteer for any more committees for a bit.... Time to break out the XC skis!

Happy New Year! May 2013 be a little easier on everyone!

xo

judy sawyer lake

April Workshops Scheduled for 2013

     

 

      April Lampshade Workshops      2013

   

April 10th, Wednesday

*cost $175. includes all materials except fabric

*One Day Lampshade Workshop in Pawlet, VT in my studio/shop

* 11am-5pm, bring lunch or pick up at The General Store or Station Restaurant next door.

* 50% non-refundable deposit at time of registration

*We will be doing a small square or hex shade, many size/shape options available. Materials are available for purchase after our class.

*I will cover lots of lighting info, lampshade sizing, tips of the trade, entrepreneurial encouragement, best fabrics. A full days worth of information. Enough to get you started making shades!

* fyi- I do have a cat in the shop if that is an issue for you.

*We will be doing hard back shades; this is the style of shade that fabric is laminated onto styrene, NO Sewing!

*email me, judylake@vermontel.net or call the shop to make a reservation shop tel.803.325.6308

****************************************************************

                 2 Shades in 2 Days

*April 12 Friday 11am-6pm, April 13th Saturday 9am-3pm

*This workshop is open only to new students, prior students may take the one day workshop for a refresher class.

*Cost is $295, includes all materials except fabric.

* We will have in-depth discussion on starting a business, fabrics, tips on fitting lamp shades, I will demo an empire shade as well as a drum shade. Lots of sources will be shared.

* I will host a Vermont wine and Cheese tasting on Friday after our workshop.

* I am often asked what is difference in my 2 workshops are. If you are hoping to start a business or use lampshades in your design studio the 2 day workshop does give you a stronger footing to get you started. The first day we will do the same frame as the one day workshop and then the 2nd day you can pick any frame in my shop that you would like to use.

* 50% non-refundable deposit is due at registration. to register, email me at judylake@vermontel.net or call the shop at 802.325.6308

I often say I can teach you to make lampshades in a day, but it takes years to learn all the tricks of the trade in the lighting field. I know I am still learning new things everyday.

* FYI: I do have a cat in my shop if this is an issue for you.

_______

It's been a crazy busy year as you might be able to tell from my lack of blogging. Holy Moly trying to keep up with my pinterest, etsy, fb and twitter

It has been almost a year since my true introduction to Etsy. It has been great for my little business. It IS a lot of work, but it DOES pay off for me. Retailing has been changing, my village is in the start of an upswing and I expect tourism to grow in the future years, but I was in a place of needing to figure a way to be able to hang tight in my shop and ETSY did it for me. Yipee. I keep my camera close by on my desk and try to balance out filling orders and filling inventory. It has been a long trial figuring out how etsy works, using the best key words, figuring out photography-lampshades are super hard to shoot. I have more or less figured it out, but still pieces of the puzzle still to conquer.

Etsy is definitely a miss-mash of quality; the good with the horrid and ugly in all price ranges. Some sales are a piece of cake and others might entail 27 emails for one shade. I don't mind and encourage clients to ask questions on size and shape. I chose to make a no return policy. This was a reason it took me so long to jump into Etsy in the first place. I was concerned that shades would be returned often and would be spending lots of $$ and time on the shipping piece. I have found the community of buyers and sellers to be really super great, friendly and proud of their businesses.

There are several ways of finding things on Etsy, One is MOST RECENT- which is what I generally look under as I want to see what the newest fabrics have been posted. The other which is the default is by RELEVANCY---- Etsy has their own system of how they rate what is relevant.....I think it has to do with current trends, sales, hits, go figure, there are some shades that are ALWAYS on the first page... makes one kind of crazy.... oh well.

Have a wonderful holiday, Gift Certificates are always available. I am in my shop till Friday 21st. and will be closed until Thursday after Christmas. Time for a little r&r!

xo Judy Lake