Industrial & Upcycled ~ Lamps from the Attic

Please pardon the glare, but I must show you these ingenious lamps 

that have been re-imagined and re-purposed from old junk 

that could easily have been found...well...in your attic!

Vintage pieces that have done their time have moved on to bigger and better things.

Through the creativity and talents of Edna & Allen Danielsen, 
and the magic of electricity, time-worn items have received  new careers as lamps.

The Danielsen's business, Lamps from the Attic, is based in Mount Joy, PA.
Created with an industrial vibe, either lit from within or topped with an Edison bulb,
each nostalgic lamp has its own personality. They say, "Every lamp has a story."
Such a perfect conversation piece!

Always up for a challenge, Edna & Allen are also happy to consider
turning your own personal keepsake into a lamp.





My daughter and I spent a leisurely Saturday afternoon 
shopping in fabulous downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
One of our favorite spots is BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, a hodgepodge of
handcrafted and vintage shops tucked down an intriguing alleyway.

Inside, it was totally "illuminating" to find Lamps from the Attic's shop!

Gauges, gizmos, and gears.

We recognized the pitcher from a blender and a vintage candy thermometer.

Antique toys make fun lamps like these~

An vintage chrome hairdryer and a coffee pot.

 Here we see a carburetor, a gauge, and a rotary lawn mower blade.

A rusty tractor seat takes on a new purpose.

A buoy and the stock of an old gun.

BUiLDiNG CHARACTER is at 342 N Queen St, Lancaster, PA.
Check out their website.

You may be interested to read this post I wrote:

BUiLDiNG CHARACTER - Lancaster, PA

More from Lamps from the Attic here~

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Warm, Cozy Mittens- Upcycled by Second Season

During our recent day at the Fall Foliage Festival in Jim Thorpe, PA,

I met Susan Wise and her fabulous upcycled mittens!

Her business, Second Season, is all about giving new purpose to old sweaters.

Most of us know the song, "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, right?

Well, it came right to mind when I saw all of these "...warm woolen mittens!"

Each pair is meticulously crafted from a gently-used sweater, then lined with fleece.

Just perfect to keep your hands toasty during cold winters!

Susan can also create "Memory Mittens" from a sweater you may have

that once belonged to a loved one. Such a nice keepsake to use and treasure!

Here's the Second Season
Website and Facebook page.

Chie Hitotsuyama's Amazing Newspaper Sculptures

These realistic animal sculptures by Chie Hitotsuyama were created 
by using thousands of tightly rolled sheets of newspaper.
How's that for recycling?
Check out these photos, plus a video of Chie in action!

Explore more at Chie's website.

Washed Ashore's Marine Debris Sculptures

Look closely and you'll see that this fearsome shark
is made from a conglomeration of flotsam and jetsam.
It's constructed entirely of marine debris.
Not primarily stuff that was left behind on the beach.
According to the non-profit organization Washed Ashore,
80% of marine debris comes from the land.
That means "streets to streams to rivers to oceans."

Washed Ashore's goal is to educate folks about 
plastic pollution and its dangerous impact on marine habitats.

300 million pounds of plastic are produced every year; 
not even 10% of that ends up being recycled.
Those are eye-opening numbers, my friends.

So take a look at what Washed Ashore has been up to:
Trash is collected from oceans and waterways all over the globe.
From this trash, they build huge sculptures of sea life, 
particularly those species that have been affected by this pollution.
It's amazing art that's a powerful illustration of the enormity of the problem.
The goal is to encourage a change to a more environmentally-minded way of living.

Here's a blue marlin, with a close-up photo below:

School children encouraged to touch and interact as they check out this sculpture,
with the hope that the experience will leave a lasting impression. 
.

To learn much more, make a donation, 
and find or set up an exhibit, 
visit the Washed Ashore website & Facebook Page.

Great Useful Stuff ~ Let's Go Shopping!

Another super discovery for my "Let's Go Shopping!" series:

a cool online shop called Great Useful Stuff.

This is the place to go if you want to organize your

gardening tools

recycling

knitting

electronics

cleaning supplies

travel needs

-and lots more!

Great Useful Stuff ~ Let's go shopping!

Find Great Useful Stuff here:
Website
Facebook

More in my "Let's Go Shopping!" series
can be seen here.

Check out Danielle Clough's Embroidered Racquets!

How fun is this fiber art?

Multi-talented Danielle Clough, of Cape Town, South Africa, 

had the imaginative idea of using the strings of 
vintage tennis and badminton racquets

as canvases for her embroidery.

  
She's given these old retirees another chance.
Score one for re-purposing in the name of art!

Here's where you can see more:

Website

Instagram

photo by tyler b murphy

Images used with direct permission from Danielle Clough.

Vintage & Salvaged Tin Décor by Deborah Sielski

You know that Lancaster, PA is one of my favorite places to shop.
It's always been well-known for outlet shopping,
but I like to zero in on the wonderful downtown area.

A shop that opened this past year is called Madcap & Co.,
a gathering place for sellers of handcrafted and vintage treasures.
(More on that another time.)
The work of Deborah Sielski was a stand-out for me.
Hard to resist the gleem of patina-ed silver against a luscious purple backdrop.
A gorgeous, magical selection of wreaths, ornaments, trees and garlands!

Deborah combines vintage items with contemporary glitz and
hand-cut salvaged tin to create these fabulous baubles!

Classy Christmas decor with the flair of Old Hollywood glamour! 

More of Deborah's creations can be seen at her website.

Madcap & Co. is at 310 N. Queen St. Lancaster, PA.

Here's their website.

Images used with direct permission from Deborah Sielski.