The Adventures of Dot And Little

Dot and I love when our friends come over to play and we always promise to have iced cookies and raspberry tea and they always ~~fall for it~~ … happily accept.

We long ago set as a basic Mission here in Blog Land to bring you, dear reader, a little bit closer ~ to share both our friendship and our friends. We love them and we know you will, too.

Dot was immediately on the job to suggest one of her favorite Etsy artisans, vintage dealer, artisan and collector and also a very dear friend, Jane of ‘Lamplighter’, as our first pick.

As Dot explains ~

Jane has talent stacked upon amazing talent! Take a look at some of her fantastic handcrafted creations and you're sure to agree!
Jane took time out of her busy schedule to grant us an exclusive, up-close and personal interview from her antique home (and work in progress) in Ellensburg, Washington.

*Who would you like to travel back in time to share a few beers with?

Oh my, so many I think of - do I have to choose just one?

If I had to pick someone of fame, I would love to invite to my table Sophie Tucker, her sharp tongue and quick wit have always charmed me. To pick an ancestor, it would be my great grandmother, Clara Turcotte - there are so many unanswered questions about her life and I only have one photo.

*What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Has it changed over the years?

Oh, Lord, yes, it has changed! Ben and Jerry's ‘Chunky Monkey’ did not exist when I was a girl and I just cannot have it in the house now or I'll eat the entire pint in one sitting. As a child, our neighbor Rose made the most divine vanilla ice cream, we had it at every birthday and the trick spoon the celebrant always got made it even better.

* What did you dream you would be when you grew up?
So many things: a nurse, like my beautiful mother mostly. Might be easier to say I never dreamed I'd be what I am, a corporate slave (at least I do not have cubicle, my saving grace is that I work from home, my 2 silly doglets to keep me company).

* What's your Spirit Animal?
Hmm, this is a tough question for me, you see, I am not a spiritual person. I have always been enamored of armadillos though, did you know they almost always give birth to quadruplets and carry but do not contract leprosy? Fascinating.

* Tell us where you are going on your next vacation.
Would you believe we are going to

Iceland

in the fall? Why? Because it's there and we can - and their economy is in the toilet so why not throw some bucks their way?

* Which actor is your favorite James Bond? Why?
I'm a classic kinda gal, so I would have to say Sean Connery. Although, quite honestly I am not a Bond fan (OK, string me up).

* Fame? Power? Or Money? Why?
This might be trite, but I'd have to say money. I have no interest in power or fame, but have lots of habits that need supporting. You can also give away lots of money to help others (do you know about ‘Kiva’?)

* What color undies are you wearing right now?
Giant white cotton undies, shut up - you know they are the most comfortable!

* Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?
Ha! I love trick questions, especially when I know the answer, which is no one, it's a tomb and therefore above ground.

* If you had it to do all over again, would you change anything? Which things?
Another toughie that I could ponder forever; coming up with all kinds of little things to get a "do over" on. One thing, I'd have liked to be a polyglot, language opens so many doors and just speaking English is restricting. Nothing else really, well maybe I could have gotten a clue earlier in life - I'll leave that up your imaginations.

* Tell us how you started doing all of those amazing things you do.
Well, I have three Etsy shops, so I'll address all of them. I started making Victorian lamp shades for a selfish reason: I wanted them but could not afford to buy them. I did some research and decided I could do it and have been addicted ever since. I'm still learning.

The vintage thing was an avenue to clean out some of the hoarding that's been piling up around here. Between my husband and me, we have a lot of "stuff", selling vintage also helps support my other habits.
I became enamored of ribbon work several years ago while shopping at my favorite fabric store in Seattle. There was class going on and I was instantly smitten. I signed myself and my sister up for the next available class and have been growing in this area ever since. It's really funny to think back, I was always the one at a restaurant that gathered up all of the paper bands from around flatware and folded them into many shapes, so it was my calling it seems.

* Paper, Fabric or Plastic?
Fabric, I've been using canvas grocery bags for 20 years, way before it was chic. Before that I was paper, but they were always recycled as garbage bags.

* Tell us about your favorite year so far.
Don't really have a favorite, just darn happy to be here!

* First Car?
This is a good one, it was a 1966 Datsun station wagon that had 2 pet names, the "puce puke" and the more unsavory "heavy bowel movement" (license plate was HBM something something....). I wish I still had that car...EEK, no what am I saying?! We have too many old cars around here.

* What's your idea of the perfect weekend?
Ahhh, staying home, cooking some yummy meals, the kids here, working on pet projects. Simple and cozy.

* Tell us about a typical day and your workspace.
I'm usually up about 6:30, make coffee, let the dogs out, read the paper, have breakfast. Check email, sleuth Etsy for my ‘gotta have’ items, check my shops. Then I work on household chores until 10 am when I go to work at my day job until 2:30 pm. Then it's time for walk in the park on nice days and working on my various sewing projects until dinner.

My sewing room is a downstairs bedroom that I have to clean up once or twice a year for guests, but it's getting more and more difficult as I amass antique lamps, shade frames, fabric and ribbon.

We have a 100 year old Queen Anne Victorian that we've been restoring over the years, the latest project is the dining room, so I've been spending a lot of time painting (good news is that it's nearly done).

* Do you snore?
Oh hell yes, but would never admit it, I blame my tiny mother who snores like a freight train.