January Breakfast

Almost every month I use a certain set of dishes.   In January it is Friendly Village by the Johnson Brothers which has winter pictures on it and was the dishware used in the servant's hall of Upstairs, Downstairs (original series).   
Here you see my "breakfast book" which is how I have managed to read a lot of books and reread even more.   Currently the book is Beulah Land which I am rereading after many decades.
I had oatmeal with an apple as usual.  You can even see my morning pills sitting there.
I had a pot of Scottish Breakfast Tea.
In January I also have mats in black & white and brown & white prints which echo the dishes and feel fresh and new-year-ish. 
There is also a bit of my black and white bag which goes back and forth to work with me every day.

February is coming and a different set (sometimes two) of dishes for breakfast will be featured.   I also have some decorations just for February.

Parlor or just a living room?

                  It looks more like a living room to me than any Victorian parlor but how many living rooms have such red drapes?  I made the valances, back when I had 9 foot ceilings but I will use them wherever.  I had quite the time finding 6" red bullion fringe.  I got it from an upholstery house in San Francisco and had an interesting conversation with a young man there about what I was making with it.   My dream is to have red velveteen curtains - we will see.    I keep these up from October through the end of February, then I switch to green ones with different green valances.
        We had a perfectly nice ceiling fan which died out.  The apartment complex put in this one which I don't like at all but they failed to ask my opinion. 

This is an entertainment armoire which I have wanted since the 1980's when I first saw one.
The TV is inside of course.  The stereo, which is now a period piece itself, along with the turntable (both of which I purchased in 1977) sit atop  and over that is some of the DVD collection, the British drama and history stuff.   The red tassels, the red pillow and plaid cloth are holiday covers.

Christmas 2011

 I just found these pictures which show the tablescape for Christmas 2011 - I'd forgotten I'd even taken these.   In the past I was very good about making photo-albums but since we moved and sold the house I haven't had the heart --- and it has been over six years now.   I think it is time for me to make up an album again (or at least my blog).  The dresser shows up nicely in this photo.
Looking in to our home.  You can see some of the red fringe on my winter valances.
                                                                                                                                                                                       

  

The red ribbon with the cards is why I included this last picture.  I made 3 of them back in the house-days and for 10 years now they come out each Christmas and hold any cards we get.  Every year I think I won't fill even one and I end up filling 2 and sometimes all 3, it does amaze me.

Best Dressing table EVER

All I remember from the article about this was that a Frenchwoman closed up her apartment just before WWII and left it closed until she died. 
She had been a famous beauty around the turn of the century.
I think this is the most superlative Victorian dressing table I have ever seen - ever.

Wedding in 1997

I got one album and needed two so I made a second to match the first in size.  This is the cover of the second album.

I took the picture of the flowers I arranged (which were not real - I do not like dying flowers). 
I also made the marbled paper and colored the paper behind it.  The burgundy paper was just some I had on hand.

I made the invitations - peach was the primary color and I brush-lettered the names of the guests on the invites in peach.























And I made my outfit...
This being my third (and last) marriage I chose peach and this outfit was made of peach cotton satin I dyed.
I had learned a lot about sewing having spent over a year while in college in the theater costume shop.

 For hubby I made a peach satin vest.




























I was and am pleased to say I used no plastic or paper although we only had 50 guests.

But I did wash dishes for a week afterwards!

It was a beautiful day in May...

Thanksgiving table 2012

This was my table set for Thanksgiving this past year.   I polished silver for days beforehand.    The third picture is the beginning with shrimp cocktail appetizers.   The Eastlake dresser has it's fall garland draped on it and to the left are some paintings by myself and some not by me but suitably depicting food.
The brass tray I polish occasionally and it has a stand.   The sideboard is ancient and not in any was distinguished.   I bought it in 1986 and it has been hauled around a lot.
The two closets are storing my dish collection and they are packed.
At least the table and chairs are of walnut and new and sturdy. 
Hubby promises he's replace the lamp with a nice iron one one of these days....
The second picture shows the main course.
This first picture shows dessert.   I made the cake but bought the pie.
The green crystal vase in the middle was bought by my mother in 2004 at an antique shop for the most amazing price (in my opinion).  It has a signature and is from the 1920's I think it was.  At any rate, she gave it to me recently and I was glad to feature it.

The Victorians (I like to flatter myself) would approve....

The old home

From 1998 to 2005 my husband and I lived in a small house built "rather late" in 1928.   When we bought it the entire interior was painted in a dismal beige.   The walls were horsehair plaster except a few places (we found out when we began to improve things) and there was hardwood floors under the carpet but the carpet was new and while beige too it was quite good, clean, plush and warm so we didn't pull it up.   Winters on the border of Michigan were cold too and that carpet helped keep things warm. 

This was our parlor or living room to use the ugh, modern term.   Through the door you can see the sun room which was painted a cream white and out nice glassed door partially open.    It looks like a teeny tiny cornice but it was a picture rail and I hung my pictures from it which required the use of a ladder to do. 

The landscape on the wall to the right is my own painting of park - I even made my own arts & crafts style frames.  

The beautiful chest of drawers though is a piece given to us by my husbands sister.  When we first got it the rented house we lived in (bilt in the 1970's) had ceilings so low that the mirror did not sit at full height as it does in this photo.   I was pleased to adjust it to it's proper status and even today it remains tall and proud.    In it's drawers are stored some of our collection of DVD's and some VHS tapes. 

Hubby worked like a horse patching and painting (2 primer coats & 2 or 3 coats of paint) this room and I did the trim and baseboards and picture rail.   
It can't be seen here but the door standing open was stripped by me, by hand on one side and by chemical peel on the other.   Five coats of paint came off that door and it was worth the work. 

An Edwardian Victorian

That is how I like to think of myself since I have been deeply fascinated with the Victorian/Edwardian, 19th century ever since discovering it as a teenager.   Fortunately there were a whole lot of other people raised in "Modern" who also were entranced when they got a good look at how people used to live.

My high school graduation picture started off with me wearing a dress that was as Victorian or just plain old-fashioned as could be found in 1977.     I did love that dress.