May Day! Opening Day! @ The Bountiful Barn!

AMAZING! SERIOUSLY......AMAZING!

With all of the excitement and anticipation building, opening day finally arrives! The day, picture perfect, and our guests arrive extra early just so thrilled to be shopping here again! We have shopped through the winter and spring, primped, poofed and poofed again! This is going to be a grand day! The shopping is non stop, friendships rekindled, time to catch up and just gossip! Everyone is so happy The Barn is open again for another season of treasure hunting!

A bit of history for you. The Bountiful Barn is now in its 11th year with most of the original dealers and a few newbys like myself. We are open May 1st through mid October each year, you see this is truly a barn......there is no heat!

As the shopping day continues, we are just beside ourselves.....we have totally exceeded our expectations! This day proves to be the BEST OPENING DAY in The Barns history! The Barn has truly become a DESTINATION and we sincerely say THANK YOU to all of our guests!

CHEERS to another fantasic shopping season!

And while you are here shopping in Glen Ellyn, please do stop in @ Vintage Living and visit with Rebecca @ her lovely shop.

Thank you again and have a delightful weekend.

SNEEK PEEK!

AMAZING DEBUT For VINTAGE LIVING!

I was on my home from work today and just happened to be passing by Vintage Living in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Do you know what an amazing shop this is! Well you will soon find out for yourself May 1st when Where Women Create hits the newstands! Rebecca had just received her copy of the magazine and I was so fortunate to get a SNEEK PEEK! An amazing 12 pages of glorious photos and writings from her quaint and elegant vintage artisan shop! Becky and I had a lovely conversation of happenings in the magazine as well as the shop! Its so exciting to see a shop and sweet person you truly know be published in such a BIG WAY!

I am sorry there are no pictures from the magazine, this was just a sneek peek for me! So until May 1st please just click on her blog she just posted Spring comes to Vintage Living for your sneek peek!

Thank you Becky for a delghtful converstion and a perfect way to complete my day!

Peace,
Judy

Getting Ready!

Well, its official! I will be moving into a space at The Bountiful Barn in Glen Ellyn, Illinois! Such a fun shop! So, from May 1 through late October you can see my custom lamp shades and plan your shades with me. I have been working on a number of shades for the grand opening and will post them as I get ready, May 1 will be here before you know it!

The first one is just adorable, using vintage ribbon, gold bullion embroidery thread and vintage beads......be sure to go early, this one won't be there long!

Vintage crochet trim with gold bullion thread finish the edges.

Judy

www.intriguedesigns.com

A Shade Better ~ How to make a Box Pleated Lampshade

Hello again everyone!

Jen @ Sanctuary Art is holding another makeover party, be sure to link in or just stop over to see all of the projects! So, my makeover is a current piece I am working on for a client. A box pleated, silk lampshade, this is a recover, so just replicate the original. It turned out perfect, I must say, so I thought I would take you through the steps.


But first, the before pics........











1. take apart shade, I always do this very carefully to preserve the lining and outside for the new pattern. Oopsy, sorry no pictures of this, too anxious to get started.

2. clean up the frame. remove any rust, glue etc.

3. spray the struts with an off white spary paint to prevent any future rust and to give a clean finish.

4. okay, we now have pics! wrap the frame top and bottom with seam binding, this provides a base to sew the lining and outside to. Make sure you wrap tightly! I measure the circumference and multiply by 3 to get the yardage needed to wrap.

5. If you were lucky to preserve the lining, trace the lining onto kraft paper, and voila the new pattern! Otherwise you will need to roll the frame and trace. Most likely adjustments will have to be made to achieve a taught lining. More on that in a later post.


6. Cut the lining, sew the side seams and trim.


7. Now to the pleating! This is time consuming and very tedious! But first a tip! When working with white silk, DO NOT wear MASCARA! Any little flake and you are DOOMED! Also, be careful sewing and pinning! OOpsy whats that BLOOD? Yikes! Anyway, you get the idea!
Cut your fabric and begin marking for the pleats. This shade happens to have 3/4" pleats, so along the top and bottom edges measure and mark every 3/4".


8. Begin pleating, match up the top and bottom marks, insert a straight edge and press. Go to the next set of marks, match them up and bring this pleat to meet the first, insert straight edge and press. Continue pleating until you have enough pleats to go around the top.






9. Machine stitch the top edge of the pleats to secure them in place.





10. Begin pinning the pleats along the top edge.




11. Now to the bottom. This step is time consuming as well. Begin placing the pleats and fanning them out. Even spacing is the key, this takes some time.


12. Sew your pleats to the frame. First the top then the bottom. Trim the excess fabric close to the stitching.


13. Back to the lining. Drop the lining in. A few cuts will have to be made to stretch up and over the spider wire. Pin the top, stretch and pull the side seams to the bottom and pin. I always go back and fourth top to bottom pulling, stretching and pinning to get it taught. Next, sew the top lining to the frame then the bottom. Trim the excess lining.







14. Finish the spider wire cuts with folded lining fabric.





15. Apply the trim and you are done! Voila!

PERFECT!

Have a great weekend!

Lampshades Finished!

As many of you know, Jen of Sanctuary Arts at Home is doing a link up to The First Big Project of the New Year Party. So.......... this got me motivated.....thank you Jen! I have had a lampshade in a state of flux now for 2 years! and do you know why? its the trim! the very last step of making a lampshade and I have been so hung up on it! Well, that, and I wasn't quite sure of the lamp yet either.....so it just sat in the to do pile.

Anyway, did I say thank you Jen! Not only did I finish this shade, I completed 2 more as well! The only thing, there are no before pictures! But here they are!

Tapestries of Nature Challenge!

Judy from Tapestries of Nature is having a really cool challenge giveaway! If you are familiar with Judys Art you need to check this out!

This is what you will get! Amazing and totally generous Judy! This is from her blog today........

THE TOTE THAT I SEND WILL BE HAND EMBELLISHED AND STUFFED FULL OF GREAT GOODIES THAT I HAVE MADE OR COLLECTED. (at least, a bakers dozen!) YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED, I PROMISE!

Take the challenge and then congratulate Judy when she reaches her 150th post!

Have a great weekend!

Etsy Now!

So, after 10 successful years of selling on ebay, (kiwiandemory) and 2 years away.....I am now selling again, this time on Etsy! DesignsbyIntrigue. Well, Intrigue Designs was already taken, so I am DesignsbyIntrigue. Anyway, its such an easy site to use, and filled with so many talented artists! I'm glad to be back!

And since its a new year, I decided to go through my inventory and I can't even believe all of the wonderful things I have! You know, out of sight out of mind! Well not any more! For starters, I have listed the cutest, vintage patterns circa 1919. A little girls extra sweet bonnet and dress, and several boys clothing and cap patterns. Even if you don't sew, the vintage sketches on the envelopes are absolutely adorable! I hope you get a chance to take a look!

Peace,
Judy