My new apartment had no overhead lighting, and I didn’t get custody of many of the lamps I had owned. My Momma said, “Honey, I have some lamps in the garage.” I went over to scavenge what I could. All of the lamps seemed unbearably ugly to me, but beggars can’t be choosers.
I chose two of the least offensive and brought them home. The more I looked at them, the more I fell in love with them. That was several years ago, and I’ve acquired other lamps. But, this one with the vellum shade is still my favorite lamp of all. If you don’t like it at first, look at it again. It grows on you.
A couple of years ago, I lucked into finding a pair of turquoise and chocolate ceramic lamps from the 50’s at a garage sale for $10. They had no shades, so I began a search. Wal-Mart and Target didn’t have anything that suited me. It had to be a shade that was just right for the lamps.
Fortunately, a young woman who worked at a local vintage store told me where I could shop online. Moonshine Shades, a company in Spring Branch, Texas, offers delightful vintage reproductions. I went to their website and ordered a pair of them in a color called “nicotine.” I’m in the process of re-arranging the house, and am using one on the original lamp and one on a “freebie” that my sister gave me.
The shades aren’t made out of vellum, which is fortunate for the critters that supply this material. Vellum is a parchment-like material created from calfskin or sheepskin. I’m not sure of the material that Moonshine Shades uses, but it has a similar texture to the vintage vellum on my other shade.
Was it cheap? Well, no — not really. For the two shades, I paid a little over $100 with the shipping, and I had to wait several weeks to get them. Each shade is hand-made and high quality. Quality and durability aren’t inexpensive. For me, at least, “vintage” will never go out of style. I would have spent much more on two lamps of equal quality at a furniture store, so I’m happy.
Moonshine Shades offers 47 different styles of shades that range in price from $48 to $118. Most are in the lower end of that price range. They have 22 different colors, 3 textures, 23 different hand-applied patterns, and you can even add photos or images to your shades. By the time you have designed your custom lampshade, you can rest assured that no one else on the block will have one like yours.
Moonshine Shades also offers vintage screen door inserts, pillows in retro fabrics, lamps, and 50’s-style “boomerang” tables. And like a boomerang, I’ll be going back to Moonshine Shades again!
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