It Has Been A While - Back To Creating A Miniature Antique Style Lampshade For Little Antique Shop

It has been quite a while since I have been on this blog. I am still around, and am still attending the Haddenham Antique Fair on the fourth Sunday of every month with some miniature treasures, as well as real life size treasures for you to buy. But life has well and truly taken me in an unexpected direction since my retirement from KT Miniatures. I had started my initial Reiki Healing training a few years ago, and had promised myself to complete the next "practitioner level" of training when I retired...which I did. I only meant to do this for my own personal development but very quickly events took over, and became a Reiki practitioner a year later!! It has been life changing and truly wonderful to find myself with a skill that helps people. And after several months I made a final decision to end my miniature workshops too, it truly was the end of KT Miniatures. But am enjoying the world of miniatures very much as a hobby now. 

And here we are...

I love my little antique shop but have been waiting a long time for the right kind of lampshade to come along. One never did (well not an affordable one anyway), so I decided to make one. And it felt good to be creating again! The aim was to make the lampshade look old, quirky and bold enough to make a statement. All materials used were picked up incredibly cheap from car boot sales. I used an old broken metal brooch, beautiful glass beads from a broken early 1900s lampshade, and other glass beads from some sort of antique tassel. 

After breaking the remnants of the clasp off the back of the brooch, I sorted out eight original glass bead strands from the lamp, then removing excess beads but keeping original cotton thread, I tied them around the brooch evenly. 

From the tassel I cut off eight strands of glass beads, removed excess beads then threaded them evenly spaced around the brooch. 

It took a bit of patience but was well worth it. With the addition of a hanging wire made from a few more beads plus some fuse wire, and a touch up with acrylic paints to disguise the knotted thread ends, I was very pleased with the result. 

And here it is in situ, fitted to a hanging bar made from an old coat hangar. 

My little antique shop is the prototype from one of our old workshops which we did over a decade ago now...can't believe how quick the time goes! The contents changes from time to time, as I eventually find room for them in one of my dolls houses or room settings. However I have greatly downsized my collection of dolls houses and only have a couple or so now. Am still selling one or two pieces of the contents on my stand at the Haddenham Antique Fair. 

It is filled with a mixed bunch of antique, vintage, preloved and my handmade items (from KT Miniatures' days). 

The door at the back does not open, and is for effect only. The little drawers all open, so too the glass cupboard. The chequered floor was hand painted (a technique taught in several of our workshops). 

I love this old typewriter and antique crockery. The carver chair with tapestry upholstery  (right of photo) was made by master craftsman Stuart King a few decades ago, and whom I have recently had the pleasure to meet in person as a customer at the Haddenham Fair. What a lovely and amazing character he is!

There are so many of the antique glass beads left over that I think I may be making another lampshade in the near future for my old little haberdashery. 

I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek. 

Celia

PS. I will be at the Haddenham Antique Fair next Sunday (May 24th). Hope to see you there!