Iolani Palace

The only Royal Palace in the U.S.A.!

Aloha!  Who knew there was a fabulous, Victorian Palace right-smack-dab in the middle of downtown Honolulu?  I sure didn't, but of course when I spied a blurb about Iolani Palace in a tourist mag while 'on holiday'  in Hawaii visiting my BFF Michael, naturally I had to have a looky!  When your skin is as delicate and lily-white as Yours Truly's is, there really is only so much sand, surf and sun you dare endure.  So off came the moo-moo and floppy picture hat and it was away to town for a semi-guided tour!

Iolani Palace was built in 1882 in the so-called 'American Florentine' mode, or so the chirpy and ever-so helpful docent enthused, minding me to slip my feet into those grotesque shoe-cover thingamajigs that are seemingly made from gathered, blue dryer sheets. 

A well-turned (albeit pasty-white) ankle!

They're quite flattering, if not a tad hazardous, worn over flip-flops, don't you think?  Though the aforementioned docent was not at all amused that I audaciously snapped a pic of my foot, as photography is strictly verboten at Iolani Palace, --yes, even outside on the entrance portico, I was informed between tisk, tisks. "Sir, please put your camera in your pocket for the duration of the tour. Thank you."

My poor BFF and Hawaiian host, Michael, nearly had an aneurism when forced to don the decidedly non-hypoallergenic footwear, obviously worn by hundreds if not thousands of previous tourists.  (Michael has developed the most curious case of germ-o-phobia since last I saw him, several years ago)!  If the foot-covers weren't bad enough, when my friend realized he would have to wear an earpiece, plucked from a basket of discarded, previously-worn headsets, he was positively panic-stricken!  "I hope they disinfected these," he rued.  I pad, pad, padded past him to the Grand Entrance, eyes rolling. Of course I couldn't help pointing out the innumerable maladies and skin-conditions that were no doubt assaulting our defenseless feet. I simply LOVE to tease Michael about his obsessive/compulsive disorders! 

We entered the Palace and found ourselves in an elegantly-appointed Center Hall.  The Hall was dominated by a sweeping, grand staircase carved from exotic koa  wood.  With its flanking torchbearer-statues, the imposing stair took my breath away!  It totally reminded me of the staircase in Gone With the Wind, the one where Rhett Butler whisks Scarlet up to to the boudoir and the one where Miss Scarlet collapses after Rhett says, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"

On the walls of the Entrance Hall hung gilt-framed, oil portraits of Hawaiian Royalty wearing stuffy, Victorian garb.  Precious porcelain object d'art, gifts from the Crowned Heads of Europe and Asia, were placed into arched recesses along the walls.  In spite of all the Gilded-Age Splendor, the Hall had a light-and-airy feeling.  One could easily imagine the tropical, Trade Wind breezes wafting through open doors and windows.

On the right side of the hall, The Throne Room stretches the entire length of the Palace.  Here, formal ceremonies were held, along with parties and balls. Iolani Palace is noteworthy for having electric lights ages before they were installed in The White House or Buckingham Palace.  Modern conveniences such as telephones and private baths made Iolani Palace a comfortable home for the Hawaiian Royals and their guests.

The throwns have a decidedly ecclesiastical/Gothic air.

On the left side of the Hall, were the Blue Velvet Room, which served as a lounge (sadly,  I was unable to find a photograph of this stately setting)  and also the Dining Room.  

Here, the Dining Room (above) is set for an intimate dinner party.  The recording guided us through the arched doors you see along the back wall, leading to butler's pantries with huge dumbwaiters to whisk food up from the kitchens located in the basement below. (Or at least the recordings guided Yours Truly, as my companion Michael had completely abandoned his headset after vainly trying to hold then a safely-deemed distance from his ears)! lol!

The King's Library

The Library was perhaps most memorable for the snoring docent sleeping in a chair near the room's entrance.  Photographs are a no-no at Iolani Palace, but apparently napping is not a problem!
                                    

One of the upper floor bedrooms. (Above)  In the back corner of the room you can walk into one of the Palace Towers, a must-have feature for any royal residence!  A two-tiered loggia, or lanai, as they say in Hawaii, surrounds the Palace on all sides, and every room opens to them. --Lux!  Most of the Palace furnishings were unceremoniously auctioned off when the monarchy was disbanded. (Guess that's why this room is so sparse).  Today, researchers troll the internet in search of all the lost plunder in an ongoing effort to replenish Iolani Palace to its former sumptuousness.

These chairs (pictured above) are part of a suite recently reinstalled in the second floor Music Room. (Which was my favorite room in the Palace).  Both Queen Liliʻuokalani.and King Kalākaua were highly-educated, world-travelers who wrote scores of music in both Western and Traditional Hawaiian styles.

The stately, near life-size portrait (above) of  Queen Liliʻuokalani. She was imprisoned in one of the Palace bedrooms after the monarchy was overthrown.  My friend Michael insists that the overthrow was lead by greedy missionaries-turned-businessmen, though this tidbit of information was conspicuously glossed over in the recorded tour! The Queen spent much of her imprisonment toiling over a large 'crazy-quilt' conjured from the silken scraps of her former ballgowns.  The quilt was on display in the very sparsely-furnished room of her confinement..

On this rather forlorn note, we shuffled out of Iolani Palace, stripped ourselves of germ-laden accoutrements and thus ended a highly educational and enjoyable excursion, a diverting afternoon which I hope you enjoyed nearly as much as we I did!  I spent much of my remaining time in Hawaii dreaming of how Iolani Palace could be rendered in 1:12th scale.

Last photo taken: BFF Michael & NEW PUPPY! YAY!

...Whist away, a plethora of packages were delivered to my doorstep, containing miniature goodies for Merriman Park.  I had planned on snapping a series of pics of them for your enjoyment, but my camera seems to be --out of order!  Upon inspection, the camera issued a small dune of beach sand from its innards and appears to be hopelessly and utterly broken...so it may be a while before you see another post from the likes of Yours Truly!  And just after I figured out how to take non-blurry photos, too!  (Must be those accursed Hawaiian Volcano Gods)...Oh, well!  In the meantime, I look very forward to catching up this week with with all my fellow miniaturist Followers!


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Mini-Me!

His Lordship, "Beau Monde"

This porcelain doll was given to me many years ago and is one of my prized possessions.  The unusually-costumed gentleman, (yes, it is a gentleman), dressed in quasi-Renaissance attire, represents an elegant ensemble consisting of  pink-striped, Damask doublet; trimmed in ecru lace, ribbon-roses and paste jewels for Afternoon.  Note the matching, be-jeweled codpiece, a convenient hide-away for handkerchiefs and loose accessories.

The doll stands about six inches tall and is made completely from porcelain, clothing and all.  The lace was fashioned from 'real' lace dipped into a thin, clay slip.  When fired in the kiln, the real lace burned away, leaving the dainty trimming you see here.

Best of all, (and Nerd Alert)! the doll is a mini-me!  I wore the exact same ensemble when I played the role of the King and Queen's Royal Fashion Consultant at a Renaissance Festival! 

Guess I'd best explain:

Ages ago, one of my first design jobs was as the set designer for the local Renaissance Fair.  It was one of the weirdest jobs I had in a long-line of bat-crazy, coo-coo jobs I have endured over the years!  But that's another story.  I swear I am going to write a book about it someday.  A scathing tell-all that will no doubt ascend the New York Times Best-Seller List. Anyway, once the show was underway I got some friends together and we all made costumes and were known as 'the Fops,' and basically we strolled around in frou-fy outfits, half-drunk on ye-olde mead, posed for photographs, presented impromptu fashion shows and basically made fun of customers clothes all day.  And if you have ever been to a Renaissance Fair, believe you-me,  there is a lot and I mean a lot to make fun of!

"Mirror, mirror in my hand, who's the fairest in the land?"

Of course we were a huge sensation!  The crowds adored us. Absolutely lapped us up. The set designer job turned out to be a big bust but we continued performing as the Fops for years.  The group expanded and we even had footmen in gorgeous, matching livery and every year I designed a whole new, fabulous wardrobe for all!  People used to come just to see what the Fops were wearing that Season!  There was always a new design theme and color-story, usually based on what was going on in fashion in the present day.  For example, the year I debuted the pink ensemble the doll is wearing, one of my favorite designers, Christian Lacroix, was showing hooped miniskirts on the runway.

I used to have steamer trunks bursting with my old costumes down in the cellar, but sadly, a lot of them mildewed and had to be tossed.  You wouldn't believe what happens to silver brocade when a wine spill is left on it for a few years.  It's def not pretty.

The woman who made the doll had a shop at the Fair and you can imagine how flattered I was that she would immortalize little-ol' me in high-fired porcelain!  (There was also a taxidermist, who named a stuffed peacock after me, ha, ha)!  The doll was terribly expensive and thank god my fellow co-stars pitched in and purchased it for me, or I daresay it would never adorn my bedroom mantle as it does today.  

It is a rather good likeness, except for the bum!  Even the artist who made it confessed that it did in no way compare to the real-life, god-given work of art!

At just over six inches tall, the doll almost works in a dollhouse.  (except the base). Maybe I will have to make him a suitable palace setting to live in!

Well,  aghast Reader, at the end of the week Glen and I are heading to Hawaii for some fun and some sun!  And I have yet to make any preparations for the excursion! So I won't be around much for a while but promise to catch up with everyone when I get back, hopefully without too-terrible a sun-burn.  Hope you enjoyed my sad little trip down Memory Lane...

Aloha! and Huzzah!

Mother always said, "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, --come sit next to me!"  No, wait.  That was Miss Clairee from Steel Magnolias who said that.  My mother used to say something about if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.  OK not as witty as Miss Clairee, but good advice to live by nevertheless.

Guess that's why I haven't posted in a while...not much to report unless you want to hear the nitty-gritty details about my bout with the flu.  What's that you say, gentle Reader of Merriman Park?  Oh, that's what I thought...

These sconces sparkle more than a drag-queen on a Gay Pride float!

I did manage to get all the new crystal sconces hooked up --along with a second power strip!  Most of you, I understand, are going, "Whatever.  Big deal."  but you have to remember that this miniature electrical business is all marvelously new to me and I can't seem to touch so much as a grain of wheat bulb in this Brave, New World without causing a major black-out of epic proportions.  What can I say?  I'm the design-guy, and definitely not the tech-y guy!

I have to admit, I was just a trifle worried that having six double, crystal sconces in a 14 X 16 room might be just a tad bit of an overkill.  But now that they're all fired up I really like the repetition and it sort of makes the room seem --bigger, I dunno why--  maybe because they take your eye around the room?  God knows I'm a sucker for anything that sparkles  --if I wasn't a magpie in a previous existence, I most-certainly will come back as one in the next.  And you know my motto: "it's not done, until it's over-done!"

I also fired up my father's rusty, old, power miter box, which is positively ancient and I think it just might be one of the very first power miter boxes ever produced, which practically makes it an antique.  How I've managed to use it thus far without losing a finger or two (it has no guard)! is only proof-positive that something Divine is watching out for me. (I do mutter a little prayer each time before pressing the 'on' button), so high-five, ye Spirits who tend 'pon Mortal Thoughts!

Anyway, I needed the miter box to cut the resin crown molding, which I find almost impossible to saw by hand.  The saw blade heats the resin up to near-molten temperatures and there's such a gooey mess!  (And not in a good way). My father's Medieval behemoth made quick work of the resin molding but left a virtual blizzard of white shavings across the kitchen table and floor this morning:  it was like walkin' in a Winter Wonderland!  

Of COURSE I came up just a few inches shy of being able to finish the crown molding!  So now I'll have to order another piece...and then wait for it to come...and you know the drill....

Most of the baseboard (skirting) is in --no small feat!  Between all the corners around the six pilasters,  the niches, the fireplace chase, etc there were over fifty cuts to make --mostly compound miters.  Ugh!

Well, I told you there wasn't much to report on the Merriman Park front!  However, in other news, the miniatures blogosphere is positively a-twitter with recent exciting goings-on!  Simon at Miniature Enthusiast with his fabulous real-estate coups, Andy over at dollshouses and miniatures with his top-secret shenanigans, and Pedrete at ¡Hoy puede ser un gran dia! with his Chippendale Strippers I mean furniture...it all makes life here in li'l ol' Minneapolis seem absolutely duller than dishwater!

Have a great week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well, it seems I am spending the last few days of 2011 and the first few days of 2012 battling the flu.  A particularly gruesome strain, I'm afraid.  I'll spare you the gory details.

New Year's Eve was spent curled up in front of the teevee machine watching all sorts of enthralling shows about how the world is either A. coming to an abrupt end next December 21st, or B. we're entering a new, Golden Age. It all rather depends on which soothsayers you believe, and whether your chakras are all aligned and you don't have any leaks in your aura. 

So now I guess the pressure is on to finish Merriman Park before the sky falls.  I just hope that this flu clears up before the impending Apocalypse as I would be loathe to face Doomsday with a green face and a bilious stomach . 

Nice Girls Don't Wear Cha-Cha Heels!

Christmas has mercifully come and gone and since Ray Whitledge is dying to know, I am pleased to report that Santa brought Merriman Park a fab, new chandelier!  Ain't she pur-dy?  Unfortunately, the sconces didn't make it in time but should be here in a day or two...not that I could hook them up if I had them!  Oh, I am a regular expert now at splicing hair-sized wires together with shrinky-tubes and my hot-pink, Revlon blow-dryer.  And installing Tic-Tac-sized plugs is a cinch, darlings!  Today, I can practically do that in my sleep  But what do you do when all twelve sockets are in use?  I tried adding another socket strip to my transformer, but only one will work.  It's supposed to be able to handle sixty-two lights, so what gives?  Can I splice some of  my fixtures together and put them on a single plug to free up space?  Or maybe I'm just not hooking up the second socket strip correctly?  Ugh! 

Anyhoo, on this side of the room, you can see the glam, new console table, (another prezzie from that jolly, old elf), under the painting, Dante et Virgil.  Oh, and in the corner niche that is allegedly, supposed to be Hercules (whom I have been affectionately referring to as Lady-Legs)!  He reminds me of those certain queens you see at the gym who only work out their chest and shoulders and never bother to touch the leg machines, so from the waist up they look like The Incredible Hulk but from the waist down they sort of look like an ostrich!  But I dunno, his face is kind of hot, with his beard, he is totally serving up a heapin' helpin' of  Lumberjack Realness!

In the other niche we have a generic, female, Grecian goddess.  Both of these statues were marketed as a pair, but other than the hideous, albeit matching bases they came attached to (which I promptly sawed off)! I don't think they relate to one another very well.  Hercules bares some semblance to an ancient Greek work, while the female figure, in her 'saucy country wench' pose, strikes me as being more of an eighteenth-century French piece. But what do I know from Art?  Her proportions are not much better than Lady-Legs:  her head is gi-normous and her feet can only be described as flippers.  But thus far, they are the ONLY statues I could find that fit the niches...so they will just have to do, for now!  Lady-Legs is also nearly a quarter inch shorter than Country Wench, so I had to fashion a new pedestal for him to stand on.  Kind of like how Tom Cruise has to stand on a little box when he's filming a movie so he can look his co-star in the eye.  (And that is not just idle gossip, darlings, I read it in the Enquirer)!

You may recognize the chairs in the photo to be the same ones from the Entrance Hall, and you would be correct.  (Good detective work)!  I really wanted to have four matching chairs for the Hall, but was unable to find another set so I'm moving these upstairs and am getting four new (matching) chairs for the hall.

The room will really come together with the crown molding in place!  But I first have to wait for the sconces to arrive so I can then glue the walls in place, etc. etc...it's all about the correct order!

Hope all y'all had a great Christmas!

Seasons Greetings!

                    From all the boys at Merriman Park! 

"Thank you kindly for stopping by!  Y'all come back, now,  y'hear?"

Putzing Around

Dante et Virgil by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

The Drawing Room is reaching that critical point when I can start fastening walls, floors and ceilings down for good.  Unfortunately, I need three pairs of sconces installed first, and I only have one set.  I'm also planning on changing out the chandelier for something a little grander, but these installations will have to wait til X-mas!  That is, if Santy Claus brings me what I asked for!  (Dawn Davenport:  "I asked, for cha-cha heels and I better get!")

So I have been keeping busy by making artwork...here is a painting I found in an ad I received in the mail for the GLBT Review.  Though I did not subscribe to their publication, I did purloin this image for my burgeoning gallery!

In order for the frame to accommodate the size of the painting, I had to join two matching frames together.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I often purchase things in pairs, so fortunately I had a set on hand.  I cut the frames in two using a miniature miter box, and making the cuts at a 45  degree angle.  Then I just glued the frames back together, making a longer frame!  (The two smaller, left-over pieces I also glued together to create another smaller frame for future use.  Then I filled the small cracks with gesso and sanded, and painted.  I like to use a reddish primer coat for gilt frames.  (As a framer in a previous existence, this is how its done).  Back in the day, they called this base-coat Venetian Red, or Pompeii Red.  When that has dried, I dab on the acrylic metallic gold paint, leaving the background color to come through here and there.  A sprinkle of gold pigment powder for added sparkle completes the frame.

Of course I over-painted my artwork with clear gel-medium and then lacquered it, a la Ray Witledge.  This technique will make your works of art appear very realistic!  Try it!