Monday, July 4, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friday Inspiration: The Thorne Rooms
If you ever make it to Chicago, by all means spend a few hours at their magnificent Institute of Arts and have a look at the incredible Thorne Rooms. These miniature rooms were the passion and creation of Mrs. James Ward Thorne, a Great-Gatsby-era heiress. She hired the finest designers and artisans of the day to create these superb settings of mostly European and early-American interiors.
I have a special affinity for Mrs. Thorne as we both seem to share a special love for the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. We've both also been accused of fudging 'period correctness.' For personal, aesthetic reasons, of course. --maybe 'they' wouldn't have placed matching, marble urns atop twin demi-lune tables in 1795 but perhaps 'they' should have.
Mrs. Thorne's taste was exquisite.
When I look at the blank, bare plywood walls of Merriman Park, I can only dream!
Well, I guess one has to start somewhere. Right? I really want the Entrance Hall to be spectacular. Like a Thorne Room! But, because this is my first dollhouse, I am a little overwhelmed by the 'technical difficulties,' for lack of a better term.
Particularly the whole wiring thing. I thought I had it "all coordinated in my mind," as Edie Beale used to say. But stuff keeps coming up, like maybe I should put plugs in the ceiling so I can remove the chandeliers if I ever need to move Merriman Park from Point A to Point B? I'm afraid to move forward because I just know I'm going to make a costly mistake: ("If only I had done it this way instead!")
Just wish I didn't have to experiment on Merriman Park. Guess I should have started with a Cape Cod cottage, or something!
I have a special affinity for Mrs. Thorne as we both seem to share a special love for the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. We've both also been accused of fudging 'period correctness.' For personal, aesthetic reasons, of course. --maybe 'they' wouldn't have placed matching, marble urns atop twin demi-lune tables in 1795 but perhaps 'they' should have.
Mrs. Thorne's taste was exquisite.
When I look at the blank, bare plywood walls of Merriman Park, I can only dream!
Particularly the whole wiring thing. I thought I had it "all coordinated in my mind," as Edie Beale used to say. But stuff keeps coming up, like maybe I should put plugs in the ceiling so I can remove the chandeliers if I ever need to move Merriman Park from Point A to Point B? I'm afraid to move forward because I just know I'm going to make a costly mistake: ("If only I had done it this way instead!")
Just wish I didn't have to experiment on Merriman Park. Guess I should have started with a Cape Cod cottage, or something!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Music Video Saturday -- Sleepthief: 'Laberinthine Heart'
Starring Katherine Leigh Scott as Josette DuPres Collins
I remember as a kid being scared (pardon my French) maird-less watching the ghost of Josette Collins coming out of her portrait at 0:13-0:26 LOL!
And I would curl up and die if I ever got my hands on one of those music boxes which is prominently featured in the video and which were reportedly (and briefly) marketed once upon a time to diehard DS fans. BTW they're remaking Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabus Collins. Haven't heard who is taking the role of Josette DuPres Collins --probably one of those slags from The Hills.
I remember as a kid being scared (pardon my French) maird-less watching the ghost of Josette Collins coming out of her portrait at 0:13-0:26 LOL!
And I would curl up and die if I ever got my hands on one of those music boxes which is prominently featured in the video and which were reportedly (and briefly) marketed once upon a time to diehard DS fans. BTW they're remaking Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabus Collins. Haven't heard who is taking the role of Josette DuPres Collins --probably one of those slags from The Hills.
New Breakfront Cabinet
While trolling the miniature websites last week I happened upon this mahogany breakfront cabinet from Town Square which was on sale for the exorbitant price of $9.99! So naturally I had to snap it up.
All the drawers and doors are working. DORK ALERT! I lost one of the door pulls last night. It fell to the floor and no amount of crawling around could locate it. It either rolled under the piano or disappeared into the duct work, I'm afraid. Oh well I'm pretty sure I can replace it with something similar.
Even sans knob, I'm rather happy with my purchase. Usually you 'get what you pay for' and all the other cabinets I have my eye on are at least ten times the price of this little beauty. (One assumes the more expensive pieces will come with their hardware intact, but you know what happens when you make assumptions).
Oh, and I can't wait to fill it with miniature books and bric-a-brac.
I think it will look lovely in the library of Merriman Park, don't you think?
Even sans knob, I'm rather happy with my purchase. Usually you 'get what you pay for' and all the other cabinets I have my eye on are at least ten times the price of this little beauty. (One assumes the more expensive pieces will come with their hardware intact, but you know what happens when you make assumptions).
Oh, and I can't wait to fill it with miniature books and bric-a-brac.
I think it will look lovely in the library of Merriman Park, don't you think?
Friday, June 10, 2011
Transformer
The transformer I bought ages ago (and that was on back-order) finally appeared on my doorstep today. I have been die, die, dying to see the chandelier and sconces (which I also purchased quite some time past) lit up so of course I immediately opened the package and endeavored to put everything together so I could at long last turn on the lights!
As I've mentioned before, I'm not real good at electrical stuff, and there were no instructions provided, but with a little tinkering I managed to get everything working --and didn't even electrocute myself either.
The Entrance Hall with electrified crystal chandelier and wall sconces.
Even though the lights are standard-issue Houseworks fixures, I think they're very pretty. After I bought them, I've found others that are made by free-lance miniaturists that are comparable in price, but are not mass-produced. Still, I think these will be fine in one of the bedrooms, perhaps?
I have always been a bit of a 'chandelier queen' --even as a young boy. Back in my childhood, my family used to attend the Minnesota State Fair every summer. My dad has this thing about finding the perfect parking spot and so we would have to leave our house at five o'clock in the morning so we could drive onto the Fairgrounds when they opened at six. The excitement was palpable, but my excitement was not from the impending visit to the cow barns or even the fair Midway with all its ticky-tacky glamor of carnival rides and side-shows; no, my State Fair Highlight was getting to drive past the Creative Lighting Studio on Snelling Avenue on the way to the fair!
The sun would only be just breaking at that early hour and Creative Lighting was awe-inspiring with its hundreds of breathtaking crystal chandeliers hanging here and there at different heights, and all of them lit up with lurid glory in the large display window. My idea of heaven!
I remember thinking back then that "when I grow up, I'm going to have chandeliers in every room in the house."
And I do.
As I've mentioned before, I'm not real good at electrical stuff, and there were no instructions provided, but with a little tinkering I managed to get everything working --and didn't even electrocute myself either.
Even though the lights are standard-issue Houseworks fixures, I think they're very pretty. After I bought them, I've found others that are made by free-lance miniaturists that are comparable in price, but are not mass-produced. Still, I think these will be fine in one of the bedrooms, perhaps?
I have always been a bit of a 'chandelier queen' --even as a young boy. Back in my childhood, my family used to attend the Minnesota State Fair every summer. My dad has this thing about finding the perfect parking spot and so we would have to leave our house at five o'clock in the morning so we could drive onto the Fairgrounds when they opened at six. The excitement was palpable, but my excitement was not from the impending visit to the cow barns or even the fair Midway with all its ticky-tacky glamor of carnival rides and side-shows; no, my State Fair Highlight was getting to drive past the Creative Lighting Studio on Snelling Avenue on the way to the fair!
The sun would only be just breaking at that early hour and Creative Lighting was awe-inspiring with its hundreds of breathtaking crystal chandeliers hanging here and there at different heights, and all of them lit up with lurid glory in the large display window. My idea of heaven!
I remember thinking back then that "when I grow up, I'm going to have chandeliers in every room in the house."
And I do.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
Here's a photo of Edie two years ago as a pup. We brought her home on Good Friday that year and I just couldn't resist posing her in the Easter basket. Look how tiny she was! And to think we almost lost her a few weeks ago...ugh!
Not much to report on Merriman Park. I did manage to get all the windows painted (the eight side windows, that is)--except I somehow neglected to make the mullions for one of the windows. Not sure how that happened. Also our crazy, new neighbor (who would seem to have a bit of a problem with the bottle) managed to break one of my new sconces that were on back-order forever. MESS ALERT!: I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a loud thud followed by a crash onto my piano then another thud and when I rose to investigate, I found the aforementioned, crazy, new neighbor passed out on the floor with my new sconce --eerily glowing its unnatural, blue light, globe smashed to bits-- laying next to his head (which had a huge lump on it, btw). I had gone to bed early that night because I had to take a fashion show stage down the next morning before the store opened and I guess I missed all sorts of drunken shenanigans. Is this all TMI? I'm hoping he'll read this and at least have the decency to offer to buy me a new sconce, but I won't hold my breath.
I'll probably not be blogging much now that the weather is getting warmer. It's supposed to get up to 60 today, but I'm not getting my hopes up, because every time I do it snows! I'm afraid to put the snow shovels away because it might cause some bad juju and we'll have a blizzard! For real.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monticello Collection
So I've been meaning to post about the new Monticello Collection of miniature furnishings. How thrilling for me, as an ardent Thomas Jefferson fan! This small collection of dollhouse furniture is copied from the real antiques which grace the well-proportioned rooms of Jefferson's Monticello. As many of you already know, my own beloved Merriman Park was inspired by Jefferson's architecture. Here is a chair that I picked up during HBS Miniature's annual 40% off sale.
This Louis XVI style chair is half of a pair --the other chair comes with a rectangular back. I would have snatched it up as well, but we're still reeling from the $4000 vet bill! I rather like it sitting on my marquetry table --I imagine the floors of Merriman Park will eventually be finished similarly. I also have my eye on a walnut card table from the collection.
The woman in the framed photograph is my mother. Mother hate, hate, hated to be photographed and always shied away whenever a camera was brought out. She dodged the camera as adroitly as the movie star eschews the paparazzi. So most of the photos that exist of her show her face turned away, or partially obscured behind her outstretched hand. But she thought this particular shot, which is actually her drivers license photograph, was absolutely brilliant and she even kind of showed it off --which was so unlike her. Though I cherish the photo today, I used to not care much for it, because she was sick when she posed for it and I guess I preferred to remember her when she was well.
But I think maybe her illness forced her to reexamine her issues with camera-shyness and maybe she realized that she had been silly to dread having her picture taken all those years when she was so healthy and so vibrant (and, yes, so beautiful). So off she went to the Department of Motor Vehicles that day and this time she stared right into the camera and she served them face! She died of cancer shortly after the photograph was taken in 1977. Today is her birthday.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
The woman in the framed photograph is my mother. Mother hate, hate, hated to be photographed and always shied away whenever a camera was brought out. She dodged the camera as adroitly as the movie star eschews the paparazzi. So most of the photos that exist of her show her face turned away, or partially obscured behind her outstretched hand. But she thought this particular shot, which is actually her drivers license photograph, was absolutely brilliant and she even kind of showed it off --which was so unlike her. Though I cherish the photo today, I used to not care much for it, because she was sick when she posed for it and I guess I preferred to remember her when she was well.
But I think maybe her illness forced her to reexamine her issues with camera-shyness and maybe she realized that she had been silly to dread having her picture taken all those years when she was so healthy and so vibrant (and, yes, so beautiful). So off she went to the Department of Motor Vehicles that day and this time she stared right into the camera and she served them face! She died of cancer shortly after the photograph was taken in 1977. Today is her birthday.
Happy Birthday, Mom.
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