Entrance Hall Chairs

Today I finished my new Entrance Hall chairs I picked up from ebay and various other websites.

Of course by 'finish' I mean finished except for gluing the cushions down!  I might sand them down one more time and give them another coat of black paint...but for now,  I'm calling it a day.

My RL dining room chairs (that's 'real life,' not 'Ralph Lauren,' Andy,)!  are similar to the miniature versions in that they have an upholstered seat, which I change out periodically.  I used to leave them lose --I changed the fabric so often-- but they're actually attached at present.  My guests no longer crash to the floor anymore, which I sort of miss as I find nothing enlivens a dinner party more than watching your dining companions perform impromptu  acrobatics between the roast beef and the sorbet.

I read recently that hall chairs would historically have had a plain wooden seat, for practical purposes.  So perhaps my new hall chairs, with their olive-green striped silk coverings, will end up in the Dining Room, after all.

We'll just have to wait and see...I also worked on the final adjustments upstairs in the Drawing Room, but alas, I was not motivated enough to finish up the job completely --but it's getting there.  Baby steps!


In other breaking news, the moldings and other fittings are starting to arrive for the Dining Room. 

Oh.  I guess this photo didn't turn out so great...oops!  Obviously, still getting the hang of the new camera.  I'm designing my own door surrounds for this room, so wish me luck. 

Speaking of the Pretty Pleater, (we were, weren't we)?  I found this video and thought it might be of interest to all of us new to the awesomeness of that most wondrous of contraptions!   Watch and enjoy!

Confidential to Derek:  Thanks for the compliment...does this mean I have to be the smart one instead of the pretty one?

New Camera!

Regular habitues of Merriman Park will no doubt clap their hands and rejoice that my old camera finally bit the dust.  Or should I say bit the sand --as in the powdery, fine beach sand from the islands of Hawaii, sand which found its way into the minute, inner-workings of said camera and left it utterly inoperable.  And I had just figured out (thanks, Irene, sweetie) how to snap a non-blurry photo with the blasted thing...

So I thought I would practice using the new camera by shooting a few pics of some of the very latest features I have recently acquired for Merriman Park.

Here are a pair of chairs I made from a vintage (1980) House of Miniatures kit.  (They're still under construction, so don't judge them too harshly)!  These will end up in the Entrance Hall once I finish them all up. They come two to a box and somehow even though I only have room for six I ended up with eight total!  Note to self: ebay plus cocktails equals too many chairs!  The olive-green, striped silk coverings arrived the other day in a batch with some other silks.  But more of that, anon.

The table in the background was an inexpensive piece I doctored up with a faux-walnut finish with gilt accents.  The top is a light stone effect and I added a mirrored back for extra sparkle.  Because there can never be enough sparkle, right?

These chinoiserie-style stands will go in the Drawing Room, flanking the door.  I love using black as an accent color!

The tops have little scenes painted on them!  How cool is that?  They will be placed in the very back of the room, so unfortunately you won't get to see the design very well...

The book and compote I think will add to the 'lived-in' feeling of the finished room.  That is of course IF it ever gets finished!  (Rest assured that I'm working on something better to put inside the dish --other than the balls of museum wax-- so don't read me)!

I think these griffin andirons will look great in the Drawing Room fireplace (and they would also make fab real life cuff links!  Bonus)!

They go so well with the console table I received from Glen for Christmas! 

I splurged a little on this tea set but that's what income tax refunds are for, right?  I guess some of these photos are a little blurry, but I'm still getting the hang of the new camera!  (Sorry, Pedrete)!

I would love to have a real tea table like this one from JBM!  Of course I don't drink tea that often, unless we're talking the Long Island Iced Tea variety! Ching-ching!

I think that's it for the Drawing Room...but here's a little sneaky peaky of some of the Dining Room features...

The wallpaper is a period  (1803) French pattern from Chinoiserie.  The fireplace is from Braxton Payne and the newly-arrived striped silk will be used in the buffet niche, and for the seat cushions and draperies.  I can't wait to use my Pretty Pleater, Ray!!! Pretty Pleater!  I just can't get over that name, LOL!  (Wasn't she a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race)?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I'm re-posting this from last year, because I like it and also my camera is shot!  Whatevs, to all my miniaturist sweeties out there, HAPPY VD!

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 .