Restoring a treasured lampshade for a client has to be one of the best things I get to do at gilhoolie. Jules from Flackwell Heath had two 1960s, very unusual shaped lampshades that her mum had bought many years ago. They were looking very sorry for themselves but still in use by Jules. The lampshades... Continue Reading →
As I live on a main road I thought it would be a good idea (and excellent, free advertising!) to put a sign on my front wall, telling passers by about gilhoolie. Finally, after lots of deliberating on the general design and size, it went up at the weekend. Yay! It should probably be bigger but it's a start, and all those people waiting in traffic outside might glance sideways and see it...
My work often comes from clients who have searched for lampshade makers online but I also regularly take orders from local interior designers. Annabel Smith owns a small interiors shop in Wooburn Green which is where I first met her a few years ago. I've been making lampshades to go in her home and for her projects ever since. It's always exciting to see what fabric Annabel has sourced from her travels to be made into a lampshade.
This week I thought I’d share with you a few photos of the lovely lampshades I have made recently. I’m afraid the picture quality isn’t great; I don’t usually have time for a proper photo shoot before posting them off or handing them over to clients! I really should though as they look much better in real life…
I was contacted last year by a lady who was interested in having a lampshade made from images of record sleeves. I must admit I was a little confused about the concept at first but it all made sense after a bit of a chat. It was to be displayed at an exhibition in London on... Continue Reading →
Lampshade making is not always easy. Mostly because they come in all shapes and sizes; not just the simple, straightforward drum shape. Sometimes a client has an existing lampshade they want recovering and sometimes they just have a frame that they want to see transformed into a beautiful light source. [Recovering, by the way, isn't... Continue Reading →
Where does the time go?! Being a busy mum of two, working part time and running a small business means sometimes I tend to neglect my blog and end up writing for others instead of myself - which is all very good but surely I can do both? I know it's my own fault but... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since I posted on here, well a really long time actually! In fact it took me five minutes to figure out how to login to my WordPress account to write a new blog post! ha ha... It's not that I haven't been doing gilhoolie 'stuff', it's just that I got out... Continue Reading →
Last week I opened an ice-cream tub to discover a message inside the lid that kind of summed up my first week back making lampshades after a long summer break. So there I was, eating my ice-cream and apple and blackberry pie with the family, when I read: "The three grand essentials to happiness in... Continue Reading →
