March 2, 2011

Last year I fell while working in my New Hampshire garden... off a stone retaining wall and onto a pile of stones. The resulting broken neck and back brought most of my activities to a screeching halt. The moral to the story, from my dear husband's point of view, was that I should never start work without a cup of strong coffee.( You might want to keep that advice in mind.) We remained in New Hampshire until early November, at which time I was able to fly back to Texas and begin physical therapy. Lots of treasures remain "up north" and will hopefully make their way to the website this summer.

Custom lamp shades are back on the work bench and are providing me with energy outlets and bringing new friends/acquaintances into my life. I invite you to see pictures of some custom order shades and some shades that I have made and have available.

Your comments and questions are welcome. Provide me with your fabric, your needlework, or your photos and I will do the rest. Or, you can select fabric from my inventory which includes European homespun and French metallic trim, vintage linens and matching/contrasting soutache. Starting with a high quality wire frame, I will create a lampshade to your specifications. The shades pictured are of a variety of shapes and show a variety of options. It is inexpensive to update a lamp or an entire room by customizing your lamp shades.

I look forward to hearing from you, deecoatesantiques@austin.rr.com or my cell: 1-512- 750-3137.

February 1, 2009

I have made drastic changes to my life: no more excruciatingly long shows... four and five day shows are no longer part of my life. This is an incredibly freeing decision and I feel as though I am ten years younger and standing inches taller! Ed and I will continue to hunt for and purchase lovely antiques that we will have for sale in our home, on the website, or at small shopping boutiques.

Ed's toy soldiers and lovely farm animals continue to be very much in demand. He enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the opportunity to repair three legged dogs and headless horses, and to find the missing companions for lone figures. Ed has reformatted his website so that it is more friendly to those who are not sophisticated buyers of toy soldiers. A link to his website is provided below.

My newest interest is making custom lamp shades. The resulting products bring me great joy, and I love working with fabrics supplied by clients or selected from my inventory. It is late in life that I have discovered my passion for textiles: the feel and the colors, often muted by age, are so lovely. I recently picked up some fabric from a "grab" box only to find that it would look lovely in our reading room. With the new shade completed, the lamp burns all day and sings to my soul each time I pass through the room. I invite you to give some thought to trying this as a way of putting a little warmth, and a little of your personal charm into your home.Feel free to phone or email me and we can discuss the possibilities.

I will soon be selling lampshades on www.etsy.com. The name of my shop is ShadyLadyDee. As soon as I get my stock built up, I will be putting items there as well as on this site. The inventory shown on each site may not be identical so please check both sites. I am busy building stock to deliver to a shop in Peterborough, NH. As soon as these are finished, I will get busy for internet sales. I have found several needlepoints which will be the front panel of wonderful shades. Also, vintage wallpaper and some antique ledgers/letters, c1700's. All this makes my heart flutter as I think of the possibilities!