Lampshade project

I always have lamps in my booth at Merchant Square.  They seem to sell well.  Lately I have been constructing burlap shades for the lamps.  The one I am going to share today I think is particularly cute!  A bunch of ideas came together and the result is a little lamp with a cute shade.

My good friend, Joy, told me about this burlap ribbon she found at Ruffler's Roost in Chandler.  Ruffler's Roost is a great place to look for ribbon in all colors and sizes.  They also have a lot of pretty flowers made from ribbon.  So I bought a roll of this burlap ribbon, put it in the sewing machine and proceeded to pleat/ruffle some of it.

At Melrose Vintage last week I found two small clip-on lampshades that were perfect for two small lamps I also found there.  Melrose Vintage was having a warehouse sale and these were great finds -- among many other items!!

So, I covered the shade with a piece of burlap from my stash.  Then I glued the ruffled burlap ribbon on the top and bottom edges of the little lampshade.  I think this little lamp turned out great!  It will be in my booth at Merchant Square next week.

Shopping with Joy

Yesterday my friend Joy and I headed to 7th Avenue in Phoenix to visit several favorite places. We began our trip by stopping by my booth in Merchant Square. The Square is having a big 4 day sale this weekend beginning today. I needed to drop off a couple of vintage hats and tidy up before the sale.

Then we headed to 7th Avenue and the first stop was Melrose Vintage. I love this shop! I so wanted to buy a ruffly pink throw for my bed, but it was out of my price range. Instead I snagged a few goodies for my art work.Joy found the mother-of-pearl trim. It is really nice! So we each bought a small bit of it. There wasn't much left on the trim card. Glad we found it before it was gone! I also bought some velvet trim that felt "old". Can't describe it other than it was slightly stiff and wrinkled looking. I also bought some flowers to incorporate in a project that I am currently working on.

Joy found this copy of "Blissfully Traveled" that is published by my blissful friend Tricia Samsal of Vintage Bliss. I often see Tricia at Merchant Square during the parking lot flea market at their sale weekends throughout the year. Tricia is either selling from her flea market spot or buying from others.

Inside the "Blissfully Traveled" magazine I found a layout for Merchant Square. AND, a picture of my booth -- bottom left! I was so excited to see that! There is also a close up picture of one of my painted ladies with her yellow hat -- she is at center right of my booth picture.

Also discovered in this issue is a layout for Mystic Paper. And, my BFF Mike Putman of Jack and Cat Curio is responsible for the cover photo! Wow! This was the last issue at Melrose Vintage so I scooped it up!

Tomorrow I will have more to tell you about our shopping trip! If you live in the area, be sure to check out the flea market at Merchant Square tomorrow morning! And the store opens at 8 a.m. so you can shop the booths. Every dealer inside the store is offering at least 10% off and most offer even more! You won't be disappointed!

Girls Day Out!

Yesterday my friend, Joy, and I took the day to do some exploring. We decided to visit Frenzy Stamper in Scottsdale, Melrose Vintage and Rust and Roses in Phoenix.

Our first stop was Frenzy Stamper. I have heard lots about it, but never made the trip to Scottsdale to check it out. Unfortunately, dumb me, I left my camera in the car and forgot to take a picture of the outside. But, Frenzy Stamper is in the Old Town area and there is a fantastic sculpture in the street in front of it. Bronze life size horses in the middle of a traffic circle (which are dangerous things, believe me!). Wish I had taken a picture for you. Anyhow, I found a few things in there and enjoyed talking with the salesperson.

Next we headed into Phoenix to visit Melrose Vintage.A great shabby chic shop with tons of stuff I would love to have in my home. They also have a nice area for scrappers. Beautiful papers and lots of samples. I actually purchased tinsel garland materials there.Next we went to Rust and Roses which is just a few doors away from Melrose Vintage. This place is full of wonderful finds! Made me think of my favorite place in Northern Virginia, Lucketts General Store.Joy and I discovered this darling bungalow behind Rust and Roses. It looks so southwestern and was just darling!

After our shopping trip we headed back to Chandler to have a late lunch at Olive Garden and to avoid the rush hour traffic. Great girls day out!! Thanks, Joy! It was super!!