Victorian Wanna Be

It's Lilac Time!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:34:00 +0000

The other day I noticed the lilac bush loaded with beautiful blooms so I went out to cut some and in the process was inspired to post about them. So I got to thinking and planning and here is what I came up with.

With a vase full of blooms I staged this pretty vignette on my dresser tray...

using an antique postcard on a brass easel and a stick pin holder with a few purple stick pins.

Took a few blooms out of the vase and placed on some lace in my tray...

and had a little more fun with the pins...

Lilacs were a very popular Victorian subject for postcards and I have a lot to prove that. As you will see, lilacs were used on Christmas, Valentine and Easter cards as well as for general wishes.

Pictured below is a Christmas scrap piece in the shape of a paint pallette. Notice the white lilac, I have never seen a white lilac but was told they are more fragrant than the purple ones.

Pictured on this Easter postcard is a pink lilac. I have never seen a pink lilac before either, have you? Usually they are the light purple or the darker purple.

I have several Valentine postcards with lilacs on them. Look at the sweet little girls with their pretty dresses.

Another Valentine card with a cute little couple and their dog, all 3 dressed in purple with the boy holding a purple bouquet. I really don't think they are lilacs, but I'm saying it is for this post.

Here is a birthday greeting with a purple flower decorated horse and buggy. Not sure if they are lilacs either, but again, I like the purple for this post.

Another postcard with lilacs in a shoe, the lilacs were embellished with little sparkly beads

and for this last lilac postcard, my little faux birdie got out of its cage to join in the fun...

Well that is it for my lilac show, I hope you enjoyed it and have a wonderful week!

I am joining the following parties, I hope you will join us.

AMAZE ME MONDAY with Cindy at Dwellings-The heart of your home

HOME with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage

WHAT'S IT WEDNESDAY with Paula at Ivy and Elephants

TREASURE HUNT THURSDAY with Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY with Cindy at My Romantic Home

Ebonized Beauties

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:18:00 +0000

I have a thing for picture frames, I know, I have a "thing" for a lot of things! Something about these ebonized beauties caught my eye and I couldn't stop with just one.
These frames are from the 1880's, the Aesthetic Movement period. They are wood frames with an ebonized layer on them with white incised lines, flowers and other designs in them. They are very similar to the Eastlake design. These are table top frames, they have a wire stand attached to the backs to stand them up with. None of these had their original stands when I bought them, I made my own by copying from a small antique velvet frame that I have. They always had some sort of a matting, usually very fancy with handpainted designs and the usage of silk or velvet material.

Pictured below is the first one that I bought at an auction back in the 90's. It was in a box with some other antique frames that I got for a little bit of nothing. It did not have a matting with it and would you believe after a year of so I found one at an antique mall, it was $35 and I took the chance of it fitting the frame and it did!!
The photo I put in it is of my great Grandma. Her name was Zelma Lorene, born in 1901. Just look at that wicker seat!

This is a close up of the top with handpainted berries and flowers, and blue velvet and silk material.
The long section of silk was missing so I replaced it with some ribbon.

And here is a close up of the bottom.

I was so excited to find a matching pair at an antique show that I just had to buy them! And again, no matting. I got the pair for $35, same price as the above matting itself. So I thought that was a great deal.
I cut out and painted the matting myself, copying off of the above matting. Photos are of my kids. The frame on the left I hang on the wall instead of standing on a table like the others. I added a velvet matting to it and the old time photo in it is of my niece and nephew. And the little bitty frame in the front is one of my recent flea market finds that I saved for this post. Is it cute or what?! I had never seen one that small so of course, for $2, I had to buy it! I just left the photo that I bought it with in it.

A closer look at that cute little frame. Just look at the detail on those frames, I just think they're so neat.

I also have several wall hanging ebonized frames. Below are 3 of them. The one on the left has a marble looking veneer on it and I bought it with its original matting. The frame on the right has the original matting too, just not as fancy. And the smaller 5x7 size frame in front with the crocheted B once had an ebonized easel to go with it. I bought the frame thinking someday I would get an easel on Ebay but I could never afford one so I gave up. I guess everyone else wanted one too!

A closer look at the designs...

and a closer look at the cute little girl in this frame with the faux marble veneer. It too, is of my great grandma Zelma Lorene.

And below is a corner of a shadow box frame with a Victorian wedding veil/head piece with wax orange blossoms in it. Only the outer edge is of this frame is ebonized, it has been restored to some degree.

And there's still more! Pictured below are 4 walnut and faux grained ebonized frames. The frame with the rose colored scalloped matting did not come with that frame, I bought it on Ebay. The little one (5x7 size) is really a cute one, I had not seen one that size before. So guess what? I had to buy it too! The men in it are my ancestors and it is through them that I am distantly related to Harry S. Truman. Cool, huh?

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you who the family of 4 is! Can you guess? Yep, it's me and my family and I'm looking a little stern there with no smile!

Another close up of the detail work...

So now that you know how much I like ebonized frames let me show you what else I have that is ebonized.
I have a pair of Renaissance Revival, Egyptian substyle chairs (circa 1875 or so). If you want to read more about these chairs and see the before and after upholstery photos please click here.

Look at the thingy blowing on the ebonized horn. Isn't that neat?

I also have ebonized mantle clocks! These clocks once belonged to my great uncle, he was a collector and had hundreds of them.

Well, after all of that, it is TIME for me to go! Thanks for hanging in there with me and have a great week!

I want to thank Sandi for featuring my Titanic post on her HOME blog. I hope you will take a minute and visit her, you'll be glad you did. She lives on Prince Edward Island, Anne of Green Gables country!

I am joining the following parties this week, please won't you join us?
TREASURE HUNT THURSDAY with Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours
SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY with Cindy at My Romantic Home
AMAZE ME MONDAY with Cindy at Dwellings-The Heart of the Home
WHAT'S IT WEDNESDAY with Patti at Ivy and Elephants
HOME with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage

Titanic Grandeur

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 03:31:00 +0000

It is Titanic Week here at my house. We start the week on the 10th because that is when the passengers actually boarded the ship. And this year the 10th happens to fall on a Wednesday just like it did in 1912. During this time we pretend we are on board the Titanic. I say we, but really it's only me doing the pretending!

For the occasion I went around the house gathering things for vignettes and taking pictures of pretty things that reminded me of the Titanic.

I added one of my antique postcards to this vignette because I think the sailor boy is such a cutie and I needed to photograph him somewhere, so why not in front of the Titanic. *winks* The picture is a reproduction tin sign of the Titanic and the ship below and in front of the postcard is a toy of my son's, when a lever is pushed back and the boat is set in water, it slowly breaks into and sinks to the bottom in two pieces, just like the real ship did.

And here's another postcard of this beauty boarding a steamer. She even looks like she's from Ireland with that pretty red hair, don't you think?

Adorning the interior surfaces of the Titanic were probably beautiful gilt decorations similar to the ones below. It is a shot of the front of my antique china cabinet, I thought it looked Edwardian and fitting for this post.

I had to "gussie up" the dining room a bit to get us in the mood so I brought in a framed Titanic picture that used to hang in my son's bedroom and hung it up. I had painted the frame the same elegant colors as the Titanic - black, white and gold...

and I brought in my cherub urn from the parlor because it reminds me of the lamp that sits on the newel post of the Grand Staircase on the Titanic...

with its sweet little face.

I brought out this hat because I think it looks a bit Edwardian...

and I brought out these gloves for an "afternoon tea" vignette. The poor teacup used to have its saucer until I accidentally broke it! I bought it on our first visit to the Traveling Titanic Exhibit. It is a reproduction teacup from 2nd class. A good friend of mine gave me the brooch, it isn't antique but I think it looks like it is.

And now for the dining room table! On our second and third visits to the Traveling Titanic Exhibit I bought 4 reproduction 1st class dinner plates and 4 rimmed soup bowls for our table and tried to recreate the table setting from James Cameron's Titanic movie...

and after finding tealight lamps at a flea market over the summer, this is what my table setting looks like...

I didn't want to spend any money so I did not buy any fresh flowers like the one's shown on the table in the movie, I just used these faux roses I already had.

The plates are actually 1st class luncheon plates, the 1st class dinner plates were dark blue and white with some gold, very beautiful and elegant but I knew they wouldn't look so good with my red floral wallpaper.

Please know that although I am having fun decorating for the week and dining in "Titanic style" I have not forgotten the reality and the tragedy of the Titanic hitting that iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14th, 1912.
Or the final minutes of April 15 when at 2:20 a.m. ...

the Titanic disappeared into the dark Atlantic Ocean. It took only 2 hours and 40 minutes but for those poor souls on board that no doubt must have been the most terrifying 2 hours and 40 minutes of their lives.

Because of all the movies that have been made it is so easy for us to think of it as just that...a movie and we forget that this tragedy really did occur. There were 2,208 passengers aboard that ship, and out of those, 1,496 did not survive. They came from all walks of life. Whether they had only a penny to their name or a million dollars to their name, one thing was for certain, at that fateful hour they all had one thing in common, the will to survive. And unfortunately, many did not survive due to the lack of lifeboats and/or the lack of status. The majority of those who perished were the ship's crew and 3rd class passengers.

Let us take a moment and remember those 1,496 passengers who lost their lives on April 15, 1912.

Thankyou for visiting and have a blessed week.

The Lord bless you and keep you.
May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
and may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 7:24-26

I am joining the following parties, I hope you will join us too.
AMAZE ME MONDAY with Cindy
TEA TIME TUESDAY with Sandi
WHAT'S IT WEDNESDAY with Patti and Paula
TREASURE HUNT THURSDAY with Pamela
HOME with Sandi
BE INSPIRED with Debra
SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY with Cindy

Flea Market Finds!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:49:00 +0000

During Spring Break I went to some flea markets/antique malls and bought a few things and I wanted to share them with you. A few of the things I'm showing I bought within the last couple of months. This is going to be a long one, with lots of photos because I got lots of cool stuff! *winks* I'm going to save my favorite (and weirdest) find for last! So here we go!

I bought this little group of items at the same mall, different booths, so when I sat them on the counter to pay I realized that they all looked good together. So Springy looking with the pastel yellow and pastel blue needle work on the towels and the blue paint on the Easter egg (yes, another egg!) and a little touch of shine coming from the silver plated candlesticks. Polished a few too many times but I still liked them, especially for the low price of $10 for the pair!

I knew exactly where I would put them once I got them home...

and here they are now, on the same dining room table...

Okay, back to the towels for a closer look at that needle work...

And speaking of needle work, check out this needlepoint bell pull! The metal hardware has "Austria" stamped in it. I'll show you several views of the pull. The photo below shows the gold and pink petit point bird...

and this photo is of the blue, pink and gold petit point bird.

And then check this out! On the back is a little torn hole where the wires were cut and then at the bottom you can see the imprint from where the round metal piece that the cord/wires once wound around has laid since the wire was cut (and the round piece is still in there! I've never seen one with that in it). The wire would have went up through the top of the pull and into the wall that led to the kitchen or servants quarters where once it was pulled the bell would ring and the servants would come running. ;-)

So anyway, that is all I know about that so if you can tell me anything about its age or more about how it actually worked, or how it hung on the wall, please let me know. I just have it hung on a little brass nail. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, I only paid $20 for it!
Here is where I hung it. Because of the lighting and the tray ceiling shadow the photo didn't turn out very good. Sorry...

Since we're in this room I'll show you the rug I bought at an antique auction. The rug is huge, it is 11' x 16'.
Once again, the lighting makes it hard to take a good picture in this room. I'm still trying to decide if I will keep the rug.

The view below is with natural lighting so you can see the colors a little clearer. I got it for a steal at $30!!

Now for my teacups and the other little cup. The teacups were featured on my Happy 1st day of Spring blog but I didn't show the other little cup. It's so small (2" tall) and so elegant looking that I couldn't resist for $7.
The teacups I got for $5 for the pair, they are Limoges and date from 1892-1907.

It didn't have a saucer but it fit perfectly in this butter pat!

I also got these cute little glass chick ornaments for 40% off, making them $4 for a box of 6...

I thought they would be a cute addition to my Easter tree.

And now, for my favorite Spring Break find! Are you ready?! I'll give you a little peek...

and I'll take IT out of the box for a better look...

and then I'll take the ribbon off and this is what we have. A bird dome gone bad!!! There are 4 small birds in there but only two have some feathers still on them. See all the grey fluff all over? Yep, those are all feathers...

that came off of this poor little wretched guy...

and the other little guy at the top has lost most of his feathers too. The other two have half of their feathers, but barely hanging on their bodies/bones! I got the dome for a good enough price thinking that if I couldn't make it look presentable or find an old taxidermy bird or two on Ebay to replace these with that I would come out okay on the dome itself. It is an oldie.

So I cleaned all the feathers out from the bottom and with a little hairspray I got the remaining feathers to stay on the two birds that had some left on them and here is what it looks like cleaned up...

and this is where it will stay for now. Anybody have any taxidermy birds for sale? *winks*

Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope you enjoyed seeing all my latest finds. Let me know which one you like best. Have a great rest of your week!

I am linking up with the following parties, please come and join us!

HOME with Sandi
WHAT'S IT at Ivy and Elephants
TREASURE HUNT THURSDAY at From my Front Porch to Yours
AMAZE ME MONDAYS with Cindy

Easter Eggs on Parade

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:12:00 +0000

Easter, what a glorious time to celebrate our risen Savior! And what fun it is to decorate for that special day!
I have a thing for eggs, especially pretty eggs, so when Easter "rolls" around I get really happy because it is time to bring out the eggs!
Below is my collection of Victorian blown glass eggs, 1890-1900 or so. I took these photos outside on a warm day a couple of weeks ago...

and good thing I did because this is what it looks like out my window now! The snow just happened to fall on Palm Sunday, imagine that! Not exactly the kind of weather I like leading up to Easter, but with the higher temps in the forecast for later this week I'm sure it will be gone by Easter Sunday.

So with the one nice day we had my camera and I had a blast!

I even got my little concrete lamb in on all the fun! This lamb belonged to a very dear elderly friend of mine so when she sold her home to move into an assisted living place I got him. (because I used to weed and tend to her flower beds where this little guy stayed). The egg pictured in this photo is my favorite because of the scene painted on it, the others just have flowers painted on them. This one has a painted on little chick and a white bunny with eggs.

The four eggs below are the only embossed ones out of the collection. The yellow thing is a chick, isn't it cute? I think it's my second favorite.

The little blue basket, eggs and chick are all Hallmark from around 1986 or so.

Below are some tin candy containers that my kids get in their baskets every year and have since they were little...

and then there are these reproduction Victorian paper mache type candy containers. The cross is one my daughter made in Sunday School class when she was 5, it has a cute little styrofoam grass looking mound base with flowers glued on it that you can hardly see.

Now the Easter Egg parade will move inside on the dining room table in and around my satin glass bride's bowl/basket and will stay there through Easter...

and joining the eggs are these cute little silver plated chicks, the first one is a napkin ring. It has "Josie - 1899" engraved on it.

and then here's an egg holder. Both are attached to a wishbone.

In the living room you'll find more eggs, these are marble eggs in a basket on a pansy doily that my grandma made many years ago.

And then there's the Easter tree with plastic, decoupaged and real eggs...

placed on another doily that my grandma made and it has these cool daffodils around it!

That is it for my eggs BUT you know me, we couldn't possibly get through a post without seeing some of my tradecards and postcards. *winks*
I think this card is incredibly cute, it is a tailors card and it says "Order your Easter suit!" How cute is that?!
Look at the girl chick's hat she has a black bird wing on it!

The below postcard is really a neat one because of the peacock. Have you noticed that everything pictured in this post symbolizes something for Easter? The chick is a symbol of new life, like the egg, which is the chicken-to-be.The bunny is also a symbol of new life because of ALL the babies they have! The Easter Lily and daffodil grow from a bulb which stands for the tomb of Jesus, the blossom for his life after death. The cross symbolizing Jesus' victory over death. And as for the peacock, with its beautiful fan of green and blue feathers, becomes a new bird each Spring. Shedding its old feathers, it parades majestically in brilliant new ones.

And for me, the most important symbol of Easter is the lamb. Symbolizing Jesus, the Lamb of God and he also represents the Good Shepherd with mankind as his flock. Many pictures show Jesus with a shepherd's hook, carrying a little lamb just like the postcard below.

This Sunday let us celebrate that empty tomb and know that because of it we can have hope and new life beyond the grave. Have a Blessed Easter!!

I am joining these wonderful parties this week, I hope you will come see...
Home with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage
What's it Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Happy 1st day of Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:26:00 +0000

Ahhhh...Spring! What a time to be in awe of God's glorious creation. The weather doesn't seem to know that it is Spring but all of heaven and nature do know. And I am going to pretend that it is a warm beautiful Spring day today and bring out my Spring hat, teacups, antique ephemera and bird nests.

The hat is one that I made several years ago to wear for hat day at the Elementary School where I work.

I love the delicate look of the soft pinks with the shiny gold on these teacups.

I bought them at an auction a couple of weeks ago for $5, for both! They have a T & V Limoges, France/Handpainted mark on the bottom that dates them from 1892-1907.

Like I said above, all of heaven and nature know that it is Spring and a time of new life. The birds are singing sweetly for their mates...

and going about collecting anything they can that will make a nice nest for them to lay their first eggs of the season.

The Robin lays her beautiful blue eggs in her nest of dried mud, straw and twigs...

and the Cardinal lays her cute little speckled eggs in her nest of leaves, straw and twigs...

and soon the eggs will hatch and new life will abound, whether in bird form or human form, life will start for these precious little newborns...

and the daffodils will show off their beauty and bright yellows that will remind us of the sunshine that will be shining bright and warm in just a few short months.

Happy Spring and may you have a blessed day!

I am joining the following parties...

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage
Patti at Ivy and Elephants

Going Green!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:57:00 +0000

March is here and outside the colors of green are slowly but surely popping up in the flower beds and on the trees. Inside the colors of Saint Patrick's Day are coming together for some very green vignettes. I just love that emerald green color and decided to "Go Green" for this post. I hope you enjoy it.

Out of my china cabinet came these Victorian art glass pieces...

a closer look at the enameling and gilt work...

the blingy gold coins are from Hobby Lobby...

the gilt work and fanciness on this vase just won't quit...so beautiful!

The faux shamrock plant came from Michael's Arts and Crafts...

can you tell by now that the vase is my favorite piece? I got it for $12 at an antique mall, I believe it is Moser glass. It gets the place of honor on the shamrock candy dish. The candy dish was purchased at Target several years ago, I used to put chocolate gold foiled coins in it, and they looked so nice but the dish would always end up empty so that's when I decided to use non edible gold pieces in it.

Below is my green jardiniere with a lion's head on both sides...

and the paint looking a little worn and chippy!

In the parlor you'll find some green on the peacock feathers adorning the mantle...

Upstairs in the bedroom are these lovely green stick pins and hat pins. I thought they looked pretty pictured with this gorgeous Irish lady postcard. She is my favorite St. Pat's card that I own. I pictured her in my St. Pat's post last year. If you would like to see last years green post click here.

Below are two more postcards and more green! I found them at two totally different places and they are the same couple. They were destined to be together...

The card on the left says "Meeting her at the stile one day he helps and escorts her on her way."
The card on the right says "With his witty conversation he then forms closer relations."

Well that is all the green for today. Will you "go green" at your house this month?
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours.

I am joining the following parties this week, please join us:

You're Gonna Love it Tuesday Kathe With an E
Home with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage
What's it? with Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants

Chocolate Pots and Snowflakes

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:43:00 +0000

Chocolate Pots...

and Snowflakes.

How wonderful!

The week started off with warmer weather

and a sweet little bloom in my garden.

The first bloom of the season,

tucked between the garden hose

and hidden from the rabbits!

But the week would end with a beautiful blanket of snow,

a BIG blanket of snow, like 11" or so!

Here in mid Missouri it was called a "thunder" snow storm.

It was the strangest thing to hear thunder booming

as the snow fell silently to the ground.

By late afternoon the snow had stopped falling
and this is what it looked like out there.

The concrete planter would almost be covered

and the cherub would disappear in the snow.

I no longer needed to dream of a white winter,

as pictured in these trade cards...

because I now had one.

So with all that snow outside my window

I knew I did not want to get all bundled up

in my white winter fur

and go anywhere

so I decided to stay inside today

and bring out the silver tray

the hand cut and glittered snowflakes

and the antique chocolate pots

and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate.

If you would like to join me
I would be glad to pour another cup.
Thankyou for your visit
and stay warm.

I am joining these wonderful parties this week...

Show and Tell Friday
Rose Chintz Cottage

February...So many reasons to Celebrate!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:45:00 +0000

For February being the shortest month of the year it sure has a lot of reasons to celebrate, or should I say "decorate" for (and you know how I love to decorate and create vignettes). It is a month to celebrate love, a month of remembrances and a month to be thankful for others and who they are and what they stand for.

Let's start with President's Day, which is Monday. I know I have cheated a LOT of important people out of this vignette but I just chose to use these two presidents since their birthday's are in this month. Oh, how these two wonderful men loved their/our country. Thankyou President Washington and President Lincoln.

Now to recognize each one's birthday individually. Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809.
He was our 16th president and served from 1861-1865. His nickname was "Honest Abe" and he was the first president to wear a beard while in office.
I didn't really have anything exciting and old to use for this vignette so I just used one of my old trade cards of a top hat since President Lincoln is well known for his "stovepipe" hats.

And then there was George Washington, he was born February 22, 1732. He was, as we all know, our 1st President and served from 1789-1797. His nickname was "Father of his Country", and was the first president to appear on a postage stamp.
For this vignette I used an antique postcard and then for his association with the cherry tree I baked a cherry pie to use in the photo. I really made it upon the request of my son for his Valentine dessert. So I put it to good use and used it in this vignette.

Alright, back to the beginning of the month where we start the month off with Groundhog's Day, he's a cute little guy but I did not have a single thing for a vignette.
This year Lincoln's birthday and Shrove Tuesday fell on the same day. Since I did not know much about Mardi Gras I did a little research and found out that it has a Jesus connection and any time that I can celebrate Jesus is a good time. I bought a King cake which contains a small baby doll that symbolizes the finding of baby Jesus by the Magi.

I found out that purple, green and gold are the "Carnival" colors. Purple stands for Justice, green stands for Faith and gold stands for Power. So after the King cake was consumed I put a crown on the cake stand and more beads (pictured below)! The throwing of trinkets and beads, during the parade, reminds us that we all have gifts for one another.

The spirit of Mardi Gras shows how people of different races, religions and backgrounds can get along together. And that leads me into the next celebration. The celebration of February being black history month.
My husband is African American and I have researched his family back to the days of slavery. These ancestors of his were survivors and I am so proud of how they went on with their lives after The Emancipation (thank you Abraham Lincoln) and how they made something of themselves and paved the way for future generations. Thank you also to Martin Luther King, Jr. for his fight for equality for all men.

Below is a photo of my husband's great grandfather, born around 1830 and a survivor of slavery. (Word has it that he was part African American and Cherokee Indian.) Pictured in the other photo are 4 of his 13 children, born 1870-1884. These two photos are very precious to me because they are the only photos we have of them.

I didn't really have anything for a vignette but I do have these two postcards I wanted to share. Most "Black Americana" postcards depict African Americans in a crude manner so I thought these were so sweet and pretty.

And of course with February comes Valentine's Day and that special dinner. Below is my dinner table set with my Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz china. I'm not that good with tablescapes so I'm afraid it looks a little boring.

Here is a close up of the knife rest, salt cellar with spoon and butter pat. The salt cellar was just for looks but as you can see I did use the butter pat and later the knife rest.

February is also the month we celebrated my grandma and dad's birthdays. Neither are here with us but I still always remember their special day. My grandma's birthday is the 19th.

I was 16 when she passed away, back in 1986. She was only 65. It wasn't until the last two years of her life that we grew very close and I thank God for that time we had together.

In the below vignette I used an antique postcard (her name was Kathryn Bernice) and some photos. The top photo was our last photo taken together. The photos are a little dark but in the middle one she has one of our baby squirrels that we were raising at the time and the bottom photo is her on her front porch decorated for Fall/Halloween. Now you know where I get my fascination for my front porch from.

The backdrop for the vignette is a days of the week tea towel that she embroidered for me (I have the set) and the opal ring is a ring she received from grandpa for their anniversary. She wore it all the time so I felt very special to have received it after her death.

My Dad's birthday is the 28th and he passed away back in 1997. He was only 56. My dad did not like to have his picture taken, but luckily I do have several of him. The top right photo is the only family photo that was ever taken of us (I am the baby) so it is very special to me. The bottom left side photo is of him sharpening his saw blade (he owned a sawmill/lumber company) and the photo on the right is the two of us and the log cake I made him for his birthday. Also I have pictured an antique postcard.

I miss my dad very much and wish my children would have gotten the chance to know their grandpa. My oldest son was only 6 months old when my dad died. Again, I thank God for that time I had with him.

Life is so short, shorter for some then for others, but we must always remember to treasure those in our midst.

Well, that is it for this post, I do hope I did not bore you too much with all the family stuff. Thank you so much for celebrating the month of February with me.

I am sharing this post with these wonderful parties...

1. Patti at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

2. Sandi at http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/2013/02/home_20.html

A little Victorian Romance

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 22:38:00 +0000

February is here already and we all know what that means, time to get ready for Valentine's Day!
So for this post I decided to put together some Victorian vignettes. I went about the house trying to find little romantic treasures to place together to make several different themed vignettes. I hope you enjoy them.

SMELLS LIKE ROSES

(items in this photo include a Moser cranberry glass perfume bottle, a toothbrush holder with a bouquet of roses, a sachet my mom gave me when I was a child, soap in a cherub soap dish, my kids in the cherub frame-they are 13 and 16 now, and last an antique postcard on an easel)

SWEETS FOR TWO

(a metal cherub/fairy figure with an added cranberry glass dish on top, Rose Chintz teacups/saucers, cranberry enameled glass tumblers and a little Rose Chintz plate with little petit fours that I made, a pink flower doily that my grandma crocheted and two petit point little hand towels)

A closer look...

ON THE WINGS OF LOVE

(antique postcard on easel and faux bird in antique cage)

CIVIL WAR ROMANCE

(daquerreotype, valentine, ruby flash "Marion" cup, human hair watch fob and little heart locket)

The lady in the photo is my 3rd great grandmother (Ellen), taken during the Civil War era, I bought the cup at an antique mall because of the name on it. Ellen married a man named Daniel Marion Davis, who went by Marion. He was a Sergeant for the Co. K 77th Illinois US Infantry, he served for 3 years and 1 month, was mustered out on Oct 11, 1864 and married Ellen almost one month later, on Nov. 3, 1864. I tell you that little bit of information just to add to the romance of it all. I believe this daquerreotype of Ellen went right along with Marion on that battlefield. And I think this is so because of its condition. It no longer has the case (the one shown does not go with it) and it has lots of scratches and wear to it. And the fact that it was passed down from generation to generation speaks volumes, but sadly somewhere along the line the story stopped being told and the photo was thrown in a box and stored in an attic until I came to own it. Oh, if only this daquerreotype could talk, what a love story we would hear. The fob and locket did not belong to them.

A DAUGHTER'S LOVE

(antique shell art box-notice the heart pincushion, antique fan, red velvet frame and carousel brooch)

The young lady in the photo is Viola, daughter of the above Ellen and Marion, and my 2nd great grandmother.

A closer look at the carousel brooch, can you see the little cupid riding the bicycle? There's also a cowboy riding a pig and a dolphin riding a fish. Not antique though but I like it anyway.

The below photo is not a vignette by any means but I wanted to show the heart up close. This is one of my antique velvet photo albums. Isn't it sweet?

Okay, now that it is February it is time to put the Pfaltzgraff Winterberry dishes back into the cupboard...

And time to bring out the Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz China!

I'll make some Valentines...
(I actually made these last year to hang on my tree but no longer have the tree.)

These are my favorites that I made. I made the large Valentine for hubby a couple of years ago. It has a mirror in the center and says "Look into this mirror clear And my true love will appear." I copied that idea out of a Victorian book. I added little die cut pieces, lace trim and misc. to the glitter hearts to fancy them up a bit.

Since pink is a Valentine color I thought I would show you my latest auction purchase. I bought a pair of pink Bristol vases for $40, pictured is just one of them. I liked the daisies on them, they make me think of this...He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me...

Well that is it for this post but I want to send a Valentine greeting your way, take your pick and I do hope your Valentine's Day will be filled with love.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13:13

I am sharing this post with the following parties:

1. Patti at Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

2. Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-tea-of-hearts.html

Latest Finds!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:32:00 +0000

Hello bloggy friends! I was off work for a couple of weeks and when I'm off work for too long I tend to get bored! And when I'm bored I get into trouble because I just can't seem to stay away from those antique malls/flea markets and auctions! I usually don't find too much but the last few weeks I did find a few treasures at bargain prices. So here we go!

First up is this wonderful bisque boy statue. Isn't he quite the handsome and well dressed lad? I did a little research and found out that he was made by Ernst Bohne Sohne in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany (hope I spelled that right!) between 1878 and 1910. The bottom is marked with a blue anchor with the B stamped on the bottom along with and impressed EBS and a 4 digit # and has the painters mark on it.
I guess he's a sailor boy, see the gilted anchors.

Just look at that face! I adore his rosy cheeks and his dimples and look at his delicate little teeth!

Here is a full body shot (he stands at 16" tall) and then I'll show you the detail of his clothing up close. He is not perfect by any means but I am happy with him. He has a few chips, his head has been reattached, whatever he was holding is broken off (maybe a horn?) and then a few other things I will point out when we get to it.

A back shot... (broken pink bow on hat)

and now for the close ups... (in his hand is the dried glue from someone trying to reattach the horn or whatever it was). I love the gilt tassels and that waist scarf!, it is a gilt and beaded enamel design, LOVE IT!

and here is his bottom half, cute pink shoes and all! My son is 16 (and quite athletic) so I told him he needed to get some threads like these! He didn't quite go for that! lol (the scarf is broken where it hangs down, on the front half it should have the gold fringe also)

At one time or another this cute little guy would have had a lovely little lady paired with him BUT she's gone now. I can only imagine how detailed and beautiful she was! Okay, now, for the price! I had eyed this little guy some time ago and he was priced at $159, but with all the breaks I thought it was WAY too much so I decided to make my move and offer $40 and he took it! So I don't know if $40 was still a little high considering all the breaks or not. What do you think?

Okay, enough of bisque boy, let's move on to the next item! I found this at the same mall as bisque boy. It is Old Paris and stands only at 6 1/2" tall. Paid $15 for it. I didn't think that was too bad. I would love to have a pair of larger ones. Maybe some day...sigh!

Below are two books I bought at an auction for $2 each. Shakespeare is dated 1884 and Dickens' Works is dated 1867.

I bought another Victorian shell art box (the one on the bottom) for $8 at a different mall. The lid was not on it anymore so I put something inside it to make it level and added a vintage hanky and the round box on top.

I bought this 3" tile at an auction for $7. Not sure how it would have been used but thought it was super cool. Anybody have any thoughts on it?

I bought these Victorian cranberry flashed glass tumblers, 4 for $15, at an antique mall in St. Louis.

I really like the enameled design on them.

And for my last purchase...
another antique blown glass Easter egg! I didn't have any with blue on them or with pansies on them. I think it blends nicely with the others. Away in a box it goes until Easter. Awww.

Thanks for visiting and I do hope you enjoyed hearing about my treasures. I would love to hear what you think about any or all of them. Have a great week!

A Victorian New Year

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 05:38:00 +0000

Happy New Year, dear friends!

I have another postcard/trade card illustrated post for you!

(All ephemera is from my personal collection unless otherwise noted.)

As we listen to the bells ring out the old year and ring in the new while the clock strikes twelve...

let us prepare for our Victorian New Year's Day open house.

(Over a century ago New Year's day, rather than New Year's eve, was the time for gala entertaining and Open Houses, usually held from noon until six p.m. Tradition held that all the ladies of a family, and all boys under the age of ten, stayed at home to receive callers while the gentlemen went out to pay visits.)

Look, our first visitors of the day are here. Oh, what fun!

(photo from Victorian Family Celebrations by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

I'm so glad they brought their precious children along, it makes for such a delightful and eventful day, and...

they can take part in our New Year's Day birthday celebration later when my husband gets back from paying his visits!
(It really is my husband's birthday and my daughter turns 13 on the 6th.)

Speaking of paying visits, arriving next door is a sleigh full of bachelor's, they have come to drop off their younger siblings and pick up a few more bachelor's so they can go and pay visits to all the eligible young ladies in town!

Newspapers would even print lists of the homes that would be open and the hours they were receiving visitors. The only requirement for admission was a calling card.
The below card has a little flap that says "Only Happy Hours" with the name of the young man being August H. Rux.
(Hmmm...sounds a little romantic, don't ya think?)

and when you open the flap you see a cute little photo of the young man who has come to pay a visit.

Upon arrival the young man would be introduced to the eligible women of the household, under the watchful eyes of parents and relatives.
Not surprisingly, the custom quickly became sport. Young men would try to rack up as many as 50 calls a day (being more interested in becoming intoxicated than in meeting their hosts' eligible daughters)! Young women would angrily collect calling cards as if they were butterfly specimens! By the late 1880's the hospitality of the day had been so abused that opening up one's house on New Year's Day to strangers was snuffed out by social disapproval. During the 1890's the tradition of New Year's Eve open houses evolved into "family calls" and receptions for invited guests only. After WWI, the custom of New Year's Day "calling" disappeared and New Year's Eve parties became the popular thing to do.
(above info from Victorian Family Celebrations by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

With the New Year came wishes of prosperity, good fortune and good luck. Depicting as symbols of good luck on the above postcards are the steamboat's pilot wheel, a wishbone and a horseshoe.

Below is my New Year's greeting to you, the angels depicting each of you, my sweet blogger friends.

I want to thank each and every one of you for following and reading my blog this past year and for your friendship. I get so much joy and inspiration from reading your blogs, I hope you get that from mine as well. From my house to yours, have a blessed 2013!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 01:28:00 +0000

Please come in out of the cold and join me in Yuletide song as I show you some of my Christmas decorations...

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, With lush green boughs unchanging-

green when the summer sun is bright, and when the forest's cold and white.

(This is my feather tree that was featured in this years Victorian Homes Christmas issue.)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, with lush green boughs unchanging! ...

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

"Tis the season to be jolly. Fa la la la la, la la la la! ...

Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King.

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, And Heav'n and Nature sing, And Heav'n and Nature sing,

And Heav'n, and Heav'n and Nature sing.

(the bird is an antique little paper booklet called "The Christmas Chirp". It has a really cute story inside. The hummingbirds and nest dome was an Ebay find several years ago.)

Hark! The herald angels sing, ...

"Glory to the newborn King! Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."

Joyful all ye nations, rise! Join the triumph of the skies. With th'angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

(The above manger scene is Hallmark, 1988 and 89. The camels are bone china. The vintage angels are an auction find and are like a paper mache material and marked Germany, they are very delicate and so sweet!)

Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o'er the plains;

And the mountains, in reply, Echoing their joyous strains:

Gloria in excelsis Deo, Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Come to Bethlehem and see, Him whose birth the angels sing.

Come adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, our newborn King.

(the above manger tucked in the branches is a Sunday School craft that my son made when he was little)

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.

The stars in the heavens looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus, asleep in the hay.

(below is a message from me, not a song)

In the midst of all the hub bub and chaos of the season

let us not forget that this little babe was born to save the world.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

And now for the last song of the night.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

(Antique postcard from my collection.)

Glad Tidings we bring to you and your kin.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Antique Pier Table

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:11:00 +0000

Oh! I am so excited! Last weekend I went to an Estate Tag Sale and bought this beautiful Pier Table. I had looked for one a couple of years ago to put in my foyer/front hall area but when I couldn't find one I settled with an antique hall stand instead. These tables are hard to find so when I saw there was one at this sale I knew I had to get it if the price was right. And guess what?! THE PRICE WAS RIGHT!! Yippee!

So here it is, I think the side view is so pretty. It is Empire style and dates back to 1840-60 or so, is my guess, if you know differently please let me know. These tables are often mistaken as being just a hall table, but it is the "petticoat mirror" attached below the table that sets it apart. Victorian ladies could check to make sure their petticoats weren't showing as they walked by the table. That is why these pieces were usually kept in an entry way of some sort. You can see the mirror better in the next photo.

Since I did not have room for it in the foyer area I decided to put it here. And here is why...I read in my "Collector's Guide to Victoriana" book by O. Henry Mace that a "pier" originally referred to the columns that supported the ends of an arch. In nineteenth-century architecture, the term was used to describe the part of a wall between two windows or other openings. Items intended for placement on that wall (pier tables, pier mirrors) were given the name as well. So I thought this spot would work. See the reflection of the rug in the mirror below.

I didn't know what to put on the table and then I remembered that I had bought these two tea light lamps for my Titanic table setting and thought they might look good there. I wanted a pair of something, not just one and I like argand lamps with the hanging lusters and the frosted shades but do not have any so this is the closest to that as I could get to. So what do you think, do you like these on it or...

do you like this arrangement on it. They are the things that I had on the parlor table that used to be in this spot.

You know what happens when you buy another piece of furniture don't you? Everything has to be moved around and a little bit of redecorating has to be done! And sometimes you think, why did I even buy that? Well I wasn't thinking that this time because I love this beauty!!!
So anyway...the parlor table that was there got moved here with almost the same stuff on it.

And the table that was in that spot got moved over here...

And the table that was there got moved upstairs to this spot...

And this table that was there had to go! Off to the auction house it went and will be sold on Dec. 8th. It was my least favorite table. The marble didn't really go to it, I just found it later at an auction. It's a little big for the table and is stained so it will be sold separately. The wood top on the table is pretty though, so it should sell well without the marble.

You know how I was saving my money for that sideboard, well I spent it all!!! BUT...by selling the above table and a few other things and from selling the lamp pictured below I will have more money then I had before I bought the pier table!!! How lucky is that?!

Because I had to redecorate a little bit I had this wondering velvet table scarf with no place to go so it went here on the piano for now. Doesn't look too bad.

AND, I had these two seashell art boxes that needed a new place to go. The round one got booted out of the parlor and the dresser looking box got booted off my dresser when I bought that dresser tray. So, I thought and I thought, and decided to put them in my seashell bathroom! Imagine that?! And with all the inspiration I get from looking at other blogger's beautiful vintage linens and how they display them so nicely, I decided to add some to this, what was once boring, cabinet. So here it is...

and up close...

I'll still need to add some more pretty lacy and tatted hand towels though.

While out flea marketing the other day I found this gorgeous antique Moser glass vase! And it was only $12!! I couldn't believe it!!

And I got these dainty looking hankies with the nice embroidery. I like the white butterfly one the best. They are housed in my bathroom cabinet on the top shelf in the shaving mugs for now.

I also got this little souvenir pitcher. It is not antique or Victorian by any means but I liked it for $2. I have been to Hannibal, home of Mark Twain, so many times that its not even funny! But I do love going there. Victorian's liked to collect souvenirs to set around in their parlors, they were good conversation pieces. So you know me...if Victorian's had them then I had better have some too!

Well that is all for today. Thank you so much for your visit and I do hope you will leave me a comment! Have a great week!

The Turkey, the Black Bird and the...Robin?

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:14:00 +0000

Hello blogger friends! I know you are probably wondering what's up with the different birds in one title. Well, I wanted to do a Thanksgiving post and one on robins so I decided to combine them into one and add the black birds. So here we go...

When it comes to Thanksgiving, it's the turkey who get's all the attention, right?

These postcards are from my personal collection and are actually the only turkey things that I have so I tried to fancy them up a bit by displaying them in front of the centerpiece on my dining room table. (along with the black bird!)

Here is where the trusty ol' black birds come in. I know, I know you are getting tired of seeing them! I have used these birds for Halloween, Autumn and now Thanksgiving!

Tucked in amongst my faux fruits and veggies is the same rose bud that I shared with you in my last post on the Rose Chintz china.

And then there's the black bird display in the parlor...

You will be glad to know that the black birds will be put away come this "Black" Friday.
So this is where "little robin red breast" comes in...
The weather has been so nice here lately that the robins are just having a hay day in my bird bath and I was even lucky enough to capture them in the act. I just think they are so precious with that little white ring around their eyes.

With Christmas just around the corner I wanted to share with you a few of the legends on how the robin got its red breast.

One is connected with the tradition of the burning of the Yule log during the 12 days of Christmas. The robin was believed to have first carried fire to the earth, thus its connection to the Yule log. As the story goes, in the process the robin singed its breast and forever after had a red breast.

And for those who preferred the religious connection, the robin was said to have plucked a thorn from Christ's crown, accidentally pricking its breast and staining it forever.
So whatever the belief, the robin could not be omitted from the Christmas decorations of the Victorians.

This is it for today, but I do want to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving. And may we all remember to...

God bless you and yours!

Rose Chintz and More!

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in mid Missouri . A rosy kind of day actually. This delicate little rosebud is evidence of the warm November day and probably the last bloom I will get to enjoy from my garden until next Summer.

My mom came to visit today and we found ourselves going to an Antique Show. I saw lots of pretty things, but only purchased one little bitty thing.

It will join the others until next Easter. I have several but this little guy sold itself because he was a nice smaller size (the size of a true chicken egg) and he was embossed on the egg. My other eggs this size are just smooth and then painted on. Click here to see these eggs displayed at Easter.

I didn't want to spend too much money because, well, I'm trying to stay focused on that next big piece of furniture that I am saving up for. I want a sideboard and I saw this one at a nursing home, so I took a photo of it so that I can keep looking at it to remind me to save that money! (This is not the one I would be buying, it is not for sale. Darn!)

By the time we left the show and had some lunch it was only 12:00 so we decided to take a little road trip across the river bridge into Jefferson City to take in some of their antique malls.
(postcard from my collection)

At the first mall I bought this $8 table scarf thing for my parlor table...

And the next mall, where I never find anything, is where I found the deal of the day! A 70 piece set of Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz China! I first saw this pattern on Sandi's blog and it was love at first sight! Click here to check out her wonderful blog. So anyway, but to the story! The set was $80 and I was thinking, wow, that's a good deal! But then my mom pointed out the 50% off sign!! So I got it all for $40!
So we got it all packed up and brought it home.

Livy dog likes pink and gives it her approval and out of the box it came!

And that's when I noticed that the set has 6 different Johnson Bros. marks.

After a little research I only discovered two things...the pink mark is the oldest mark dating from 1930 -1950 and then the black mark with the bull is from 2003 - 2011. If any of you can fill me in on the other marks I would greatly appreciate it.

Below are the pieces that had the pink mark. The butter dish has the pink mark but no roses on the side of the mark.

Below are the pieces with this black mark...

These pieces have this black mark...

These pieces have this mark (with the bull)...
And what I don't like about these teacups and mugs is that they don't have the rosebud on the inside like Sandi's cups do.

and then these two mugs have this blue mark...

So maybe that was why the set was only $40, huh? After careful consideration, I have decided that I will keep them and into the cabinet they will go! But I will be on the look out for that pink mark from now on!

See you next Spring Rose Chintz!

Thank you for your visit and I do hope you will leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!

The Tale of the Dresser and the Tray

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:36:00 +0000

Once upon a time there was a Victorian dresser

that stood proud and tall with her beautiful crown.

But oh how that dresser longed for a lovely tray to hold all of the pretties that were scattered about on her marble top.

Well, lo and behold, one day a tray just magically appeared! It did look a little naked though so now the dresser wished for something to make it look a little more "romantic".

Well out of the linen closet came this lovely lace piece...

and it just so happened to fit that tray just right!

So now the tray was ready for all of those scattered pretties to be placed upon it. But there was a problem.

Not everything would fit on that tray. So now the dresser needed to decide which pieces would receive a spot on the lovely tray.

If they were to be placed on the tray like this...

Then the hair receiver, which holds a lock of her owners hair from childhood, would not have a spot.

UNLESS it took the place of the poor little shell box, like this...

So the Victorian dresser wants to know which way you like the tray. Do you like it better with the hair receiver or with the shell box?

Now not to be worried, all the other pieces that didn't receive a spot on the tray got their own little spot on the dresser's glove boxes like this...

With all the excitement of being placed on "the glove box" the mirror and brush wanted to show off their fancy cherub handles. The dresser tells them that they should not be quite so conceited about their beauty because after all, look at her! AND her mirror is bigger then that hand held mirror's little round mirror would ever be.

The lovely tray told them to stop bickering for goodness sake, for she had some showing off to do herself.

Starting with these stickpins...

These are her favorites, especially the one of that handsome young man, she likes to believe that it is Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables movie. Ooh! La! La!

Now, to open up that jewelry casket and see what is concealed in there. Oh there's a human hair watch fob.

And taking a closer look, there's a ladies watch fob and pin that you would hang the chain and or the watch on. If I had one that is. (if you know more about that then I do please let me know, I'm a little confused about how to use it). On that pin, do you see the little cherub up at the top and what's left of the little pearls on the sides? And a monogrammed "G" for Gina. And for the bar pin below that, I just noticed it is upside down, it has "Hattie" engraved on it. And the lockets, the one with the smaller engraving has my exact initials on it. I was excited to find that! I have my kid's pictures in that one. The larger cameo pin is a family piece. All of the pins have the old clasp on them.

And to make the dresser happy, the tray showed off some pretties from the dresser's drawers. Including a purse and fan and some sweet smelling sachets. (The pink heart that reads "You are special" was given to me by my mom when I was in grade school)

And lastly, the lovely tray has a few antique trade cards to show off. She felt they were quite fitting for this post. There's a fan shaped calling card, a card with a lock of hair, scrap art of a Victorian lady and above her is a corset and then an invitation to the "Fourteenth Annual Ball of the Neptune on Saturday Eve, February 27, 1880. I'm sure the lady went and had a glorious time...

As for the dresser and the tray, they learned to get along splendidly and they lived happily ever after.
Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoyed "The Tale of the Dresser and the Tray".

"Haunted House" Wanna Be

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:38:00 +0000

You all know how me and my house are Victorian Wanna Be's, right? Well, this time of year we are Victorian "Haunted House" Wanna Be's! Just in looks, by the decorations, not really wanting to be haunted and all, like from spirits and such. Just kind of cutesy haunted I suppose. So which way shall we go first?

Shall we visit the graveyard first? It is rather small so it won't take too awful long to pay our respects.

Okay, now that we have done that, let's head back in the direction of the Haunted House.

The Jack-O-Lanterns are so thrilled to see you, they have been waiting all day for a visitor. So please make your way inside. Lucky for you that you arrived before nightfall, the place is quite a fright late at night!

Floating around in the foyer, waiting to meet you, are a couple of family ghosts. The Skeleton Maid is seated and will receive you now, and your calling card.

But please don't place your card in the holder...

hand it to her, she would like to inspect it first to make sure you are not one of them. After inspecting it she will tell the lady of the house that you have come calling.

But before you go into the parlor, she wants to show you something that makes her smile. Her very existence came to be from these little maid and butler tassels. The tassels were purchased at Michael's and a good friend of mine made the clothing to fit her
(the large skeleton). I do not hang the tassels together though, I hang one on each side of the doorway portiere.

The lady of the house accepts your call and says to please join her in the parlor. She does not get around well so you will need to show yourself around the place. But please don't be frightened of her she is just in mourning over the loss of her beloved husbands. They are the 3 buried in the graveyard out front and you DON'T want to know what happened to them!

She wants you to notice the mantle that her Skeleton Maid has decorated for your viewing pleasure. I know spider webs would make it look a little bit more spooky but Skeleton Maid is kind of a neat freak.

She and the Skeleton Maid are very fond, and very protective, of the kids living here and want you to admire them (and the decorations) up close.

In fact they are so fond of the kids that they try and parent them. They don't seem to realize that I am the mother around here. Oh well, they have allowed us to stay here so I just go along with it. I don't want to make them too mad!

Mr. Ghost wants to know if you would accompany him to the Masquerade Ball later this evening. If so, you may borrow this lovely hand held mask.
No, you say, you have other plans? I can't imagine what you would have going on that would be more exciting then a date with a ghost!

Before leaving the parlor, the Skeleton Maid wants to show you two of her favorite Hallowe'en postcards.

The candles are lit but the Skeleton Maid regrets not having dinner ready for you, she simply ran out of time.(because she was trying to mother my kids!) BUT...if you would stay longer, she may be able to have something prepared a little after nightfall.

No, you have to go now?! Really? Awww. Well if you must.

The maid will bid you farewell now and see you out.

But not until Mrs.Ghost tries to bribe you to stay. She says if you stay she will give you her beautiful spider web necklace. It was a family heirloom and very special.

So won't you please stay? Nightfall is descending upon us quickly and it's about to get a little weird around here!

Back out front the Jack-o-Lanterns are all a-glow, the crow has left, (he doesn't much like what happens around here after nightfall)

and this "haunted house" is waiting for its next visitor.

Or shall I say "victim"?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Antique Oil Painting

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 01:46:00 +0000

Okay blogger friends, I need your advice on something here! I went to an auction this weekend and bought this oil painting.

I like the details in the painting that help tell the story. It's a country setting, and I think this because of the lady's clothing, the path winding back to the little cottage and the hen/ducklings. Most likely the older looking lady is this little gal's Grandma and they have been paying close attention to the hen that Grandma has, at one time, put duck eggs in her nest to be cared for. Well it worked because they have taken the baby ducklings in a straw filled basket to the water hole with Mother Hen watching very closely as her babies are introduced to the water. Isn't that sweet?
And look at the little girl, she is standing barefoot on her Grandma's skirt and is hanging on to the ruffle on her shirt. I think she is from the city and doesn't want to get dirty and isn't so sure about those new ducklings or that mother hen. How cute is that?
The below picture has a glare on it but you can see the hen, basket and ducklings better. Isn't it wonderful?

BUT it has this light attached to it. The painting looks good with light on it because without it, it looks a little dark. So I am trying to decide...do I remove the light or leave it attached? I do not like the look of the white cord going down the wall to the outlet.

Then I wondered if the painting was actually even old because of the light and the newer looking paper backing so I took the backing off and... yes! It it old! It is painted on canvas and it has had some restoration done to it. I don't care for the newer frame either but for $12.50, who cares right?!

I hung it here in my bedroom. Looking at the picture below you can see the look of it with the light and cord.

So what do you think, leave the light or take it off?

And if you have any info or thoughts on the age or value of this piece I would love to hear it. Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Clarksville Applefest and House Tour

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:33:00 +0000

This weekend my friends and I took a trip to Clarksville, Missouri for their annual Applefest. It was a perfect Fall weekend for a scenic drive, the trees were just radiant!
Clarksville is a quaint little town right along the Mississippi River, population 443. To see and learn more about this wonderful little town please visit their website here.

You all know how I love old historic homes. So here are a few that caught my eye.
This one caught my eye because of the great porch and pretty Fall decorations.

I like the color combination on this house.

The size of this one.

Loved the windows and the porch on this one. It kind of sits up on a hill too.

This one caught my eye because of the porch, the turret with its second story walk out balcony, the picket fence and the arbor.

This one is not historic, but it caught my eye because it's PURPLE! And look at the purple trees!

And this one caught my eye because it had a sign in the yard that said "HOUSE TOUR TODAY"!

AND because a very special person lives in this house! Many of you already know him but let me introduce you to the King of Victoriana...Richard Cottrell!!

This photo of us is taken inside his wonderful Antique Mall. Lots of pretty antiques in there. But let me tell you, if you want to see some drop dead gorgeous antiques then follow me because we are going to go inside of Richard's beautifully decorated historic home.

(My friend's daughter is the lovely young lady posing in front of Richard's home)

And THIS is the inside...

I LOVE IT ALL!

Those are just a few photos of his beautiful home. If you are interested in seeing more please visit his blog at http://myoldhistorichouse.blogspot.com
We had a wonderful visit to Clarksville's Applefest, but amidst the excitement of the Antique shops and Richard's house we totally forgot to visit the Apple Shed to get some apple treats! Can you believe that?!
Oh well...maybe next time.
Thank you so much for your visit and have a great week!

Autumn is a time to...

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 01:48:00 +0000

be in awe of God's glorious creation...
(This tree is right across the street from my house. Isn't it gorgeous!)

a time to take a trip to the pumpkin patch...
(source)

a time to gather autumn leaves for preserving...
(Preserving leaves was a favorite Victorian pastime. Photo from Victorian Family Celebrations by Sarah Ban Breathnach.)

a time to harvest the crops in the light of the harvest moon...
(photo from en.wikipedia.org)

a time to send an Autumn greeting or two...
(a few postcards from my collection)

a time to hitch up the wagon for a hayride...
but add those sideboards!
(photo from dailyencouragement.wordpress.com)

a time to be married...
This is me 18 years ago this month. It was a perfect Fall day for a wedding.

And a time to have tea with the scarecrow!

Can you believe it? I finally staged a blog scene off the front porch! For this one, I moved around to the backyard, I wanted it to look a tad bit rustic. The quilt was made long ago by my grandmother and I believe it is called a bear claw quilt. If you know differently please let me know. The caned bottom chair is one of my dining room chairs.

Mr. Scarecrow said he would love to join me for tea but that he would prefer to stand. We did engage in some good conversation but nothing to crow about. We sipped on green tea in my Johnson Bros. "Staffordshire Bouquet" teacups while enjoying some tasty maple leaf cookies, candy corn and Craisins. The crows tried to fight us for those Craisins so we ended up giving in and letting them have them.

Have you ever wondered why a scarecrow is called a scarecrow? Do they REALLY keep the crows away? By the look of things, I don't believe they do.

In Victorian days, it was considered customary that if a traveling man came across a handsomely dressed scarecrow, he could feel free to exchange his own worn garments for the scarecrow's finery, which is how scarecrows always came to be seen wearing ragged hand-me-down clothing.
I like the traditional looking scarecrow clothing on the little guy below. It kind of reminds me of the scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz.

Thank you for joining me for my Autumn post and I do hope you will go out this weekend and make some Autumn memories for yourself, something worth "crowing" about. Have fun!

Victorian Homes Christmas Issue

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 03:01:00 +0000

I am so excited! I got my Victorian Homes Christmas Issue today in the mail and guess what?!

The photo of my Victorian feather tree that I sent in was featured in their "Deck the Halls...Readers yuletide greetings showcase" article.

(It's the tree on the bottom right hand side.)

This is the photo I sent in, as you can tell they cropped it and made it smaller. But hey, being in there small is better then not being in there at all, right?

Some close ups...

and one lit up at night.

I've heard of Christmas in July, but October?

Well don't worry,

I'll be back to Fall for my next post.

Thanks so much for your visit!

Saddlebred Horse Capital of the World

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:46:00 +0000

Welcome back! I'm so glad you came. Once again we return to the Audrain County Historical Society Complex. Mexico, Missouri is known as the "Saddlebred Horse Capital of the World", therefore its museum is housed here at Graceland. It is the oldest Saddlebred museum in the nation, established in 1970.

If you are like me, you may be wondering what in the world is a Saddlebred horse, well let me tell you what I found out. They were originally bred in the early 1800's, they are as large and beautiful as Thoroughbreds, people-oriented, sensitive, intelligent, and strong. Over the years, they have been used for both work and show. They've carried riders, pulled carriages, and won numerous blue ribbons. During the Civil War, most high ranking officers rode Saddlebred horses.They were also sent to Europe for use in WW1. Today, the Saddlebred is best known as the ultimate show horse with opportunities to compete at over 100 shows annually in the U.S.
(above info from a Simmons Stable brochure)
Let's move on into the museum. Below is an 1800's U.S. Mail buggy, maybe pulled by a Saddlebred?

Now I want to introduce you to Mexico's famous black horseman and inventor of the "Bass bit", Tom Bass.
(photos from the internet)

Tom Bass was born a slave in Boone County in 1859, born to Cornelia Grey, a slave house servant, and Wm. Bass, her owner. The Bass family's Forest Hill Plantation, was the largest west of the Mississippi , at 5,000 acres. Tom learned horsemanship from one of the best, his grandfather. By the 1870's, Tom had left the Bass Plantation and migrated to Mexico, Missouri. There, over a long and distinguished career, Tom became known as one of the world's best, and beloved, horse trainers. He performed for presidents, including Calvin Coolidge, and royalty. He represented Missouri at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. And get this...He respectfully declined an invitation to perform in England for QUEEN VICTORIA! He declined because he didn't want to travel by ship. Because this could be a long story I'm going to cut it short right here by telling that he died in 1934. I don't want to lose you to boredom! (if you're not interested)
Just google his name if you are interested in reading more about this wonderful man.
Pictured below are some of the hundreds of ribbons and trophies that he accumulated in his career. The picture on the left is of him riding Belle Beach, champion high school horse of the world.

Below is a photo of Rex McDonald, he was the most famous champion saddle stallion that the world has ever known. This black marvel was known for his invincibility in the show ring. He was considered by some to have been unbeatable, if he had been properly shod and ridden. It is noted in the Missouri Historical Review that “the six horses who defeated Rex, practically all were later defeated by him.”[1] This horse saw many owners in his life and increased in value as he grew older. Although never owned by Tom Bass, the famous horse trainer did ride him to victory on several occasions and shared a special bond with the horse. However, there is some debate as to whether Tom actually ever rode Rex McDonald in a show.

1 Missouri Historical Review, L. M. White, The Heart of the Saddle Horse Story of Missouri, vol. 50, p 121-131, 1956

Rex McDonald is buried at the American Saddlebred Horse Museum on the grounds where this Walk Back in Time event took place. Tom Bass once was quoted as saying...

“Rex didn’t walk or pace, he just glided."

The horse that brought Tom Bass the most fame as a horse trainer was Miss Rex 820. She was said to have been the best high school and saddle horse of her time.

Tom Bass riding the Champion Saddle Mare, Miss Rex

(The above info and photos of Rex McDonald and Miss Rex courtesy of Audrain Co. Historical Society)

Like most counties, Audrain County also had its fair. From the days before the Civil War, the Fair was a dominant event on the area's summer calendar. Suspended by wars, the fair was always revived, largely due to the area's interest in horses.
Below is this wonderful 1891 Fair poster that was found in the walls of an old home in a nearby town and is now displayed in the horse section of the museum. Horse races were one of the most popular events at this fair.

Below is a painting of the Fair Grandstands. These grandstands held the crowds for many fairs, activities, and horse shows throughout the years. Sadly to say, it was destroyed in a fire set by an arsonist in January of 1972.

And here is the Staley Stables, I told you in my last post that I would tell you about Mr. Staley in this post, so here we go! Walter G. Staley, Jr. 1932-2010 (no photo) also put Mexico on the map, he was on the U.S. Summer Olympics equestrian team for international competition in 1952, 55, 59 and 60, winning the bronze in 1952. He won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan Am games in Mexico City.

Below is the Historic Simmons Stables, it was in use from 1887 to 2001, and is the oldest, largest, public wooden stable in continual use as a horse training facility in the United States. Tom Bass worked here in the early 1900's.
RACING AGAINST TIME: This 2001 photo of Simmons Stables (below), pictured next to a recent shot of the unrestored half, displays the stark ravages of time. The building was in such bad shape that an emergency stabilization was needed to anchor the building with steel cross-ties and cables. (Advocate photo below by Susan Denkler/Courtesy photo below)

Below is a photo of the back half before having to be dismantled for rebuilding. As much of the original wood as possible was kept for this.
(The above and below photos are courtesy of http://saddlebredhorse.wordpress.com)

Below is what the stables look like today after the restoration. The back part is yet to be rebuilt.
Notice the pretty fanlight window above the big doorway, it too has been restored.

If you are a horse lover and historic building lover and would like to help preserve this Stable you can go to www.saddlebredhalloffame.org for more information.

Below is an interior view with the restored catwalk (at top of photo) and restored stalls. Hay bales were stored in the lofts up over the stalls, and the cat walk was used to go from one side loft to the other without having to climb down.
The barn can even be rented out and decorated nicely for your special event or special occasion.

Below is a closer view of the restored stalls...

And look who was brought in for this event to welcome all who came? Isn't he sweet?

Doesn't he look so pretty in the newly restored stall?

Looking out the window probably wishing he was out there...

on such a beautiful Autumn day!

Happy Fall to all and to all a goodnight!

A Walk Back in Time

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Hello my blogger friends! I hope you all had a great Autumn weekend. It was a beautiful one here in Mid Missouri! So beautiful, that my daughter and I went to ANOTHER festival! This one was out of town, in the town where I grew up. This festival was more like a living history event but, of course, you know what my favorite part of these festivals are. The historic homes! Oh, how I love these old houses and the gorgeous furnishings inside! So let's get started, this is kind of a long one!

This antebellum mansion houses the Audrain County Historical Society. The home was built back in 1857 and is one of the oldest homes in the County. During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant (then known as Col. Grant) enjoyed dining in this home. After a while the mansion was sold off and this second owner named it "Graceland". And that is the name it still goes by today. (even though it had a 3rd owner)

Isn't the front porch and balcony beautiful? My daughter (below) is taking advantage of the built in bench to enjoy her Amish homemade ice cream and her Oreo brownie! She's embarrassed, can you tell? I was just so glad she even came with me. At the age of 12 she isn't wanting to do these kind of things as much anymore.

Inside the mansion, in the front hall, is this gorgeous Renaissance Revival Hall Stand. I love the wallpaper!

Below, in the parlor, is a neat over the mantle mirror that has the mansion painted on the top section. You can't see the detail of the frame very well in this photo but at the very top, under the moulding, there are acorns going across it. I liked that part.

This is the dining room, with lovely wallpaper and a nice stepback cupboard type of china cabinet...

and on the other wall is this Renaissance Revival Sideboard. Beautiful! This is the type of sideboard I'm trying to save up money for!

A nice silver tea set.

Upstairs, in the first bedroom is this handsome gentleman all decked out in his top hat. (only a manequin though!) Inside the glass case are some antique accessories and a corset. This room had lots of Victorian clothing and fans and such on display, no bedroom furnishings.

The second bedroom had the furnishings...

I liked this silver plated water pitcher, the spout is a lion and the water pours out of its mouth. The cup and its holder are attached to the plate where the pitcher rests on. Neat piece! And the lamp, I think is so simple but still elegant.

And in another bedroom was this doll collection. It seems that where ever I go I see more dolls! It makes me feel glad that I bought the 3 china dolls that I did at that auction last month!

Moving on outside, also on this 11 acre complex, is this 1903 country school house, Botts School. It was once located down the road from where I grew up (in the country) and my sister and I loved to go over to this neighbor's house so we could play school in this wonderful school house. Many a happy childhood memory occurred here.

This first glimpse upon entering...

Inside you'll find the slate blackboard, original desks and books from the era.

Also in this complex is an 1889 country church, Prairie View Church, that was dismantled and relocated here.

And inside you'll find these beautiful cathedral windows and a pipe organ. The seats are old theater seats I believe, not the original pews that once would have graced the space.

This is the Staley Stables, built in 1940. I will fill you in on who Mr. Staley was in my next post.
I thought it was a cute little stable and they have used the stalls to display antique collections. Sorry I didn't take any interior views.

On over at the Mercantile, these period dresses gave you a glimpse of what you would find inside.

There were 2 rows of these racks of period clothing! How cool is that? But as cool as it was, I refrained from buying a new wardrobe, or any at all.

Lots of lovely tea sets for sale...

Here is where the Living History part of this festival comes in...
represented below is the 1770's Colonial time period. (Look at the little boy in the black hat with his period clothing, isn't he cute?)

Depicting an 1860's Civil War camp...

and their campfire.

Here is the 1880's Wild West town. Don't you love the rust colored dress that lady is wearing? And that magnificent Victorian hat?!

And lastly, is the Native American teepee...

One last thing before I close...
Also at the festival was the World Bird Sanctuary staff and a few of their birds.
A cute little falcon of some sort...

and this precious little screech owl.

And for the grand finale...

Isn't he just gorgeous?!
Okay, that is it for today. I do hope you have enjoyed it. I will post the second part of this Walk Back in Time history event in a couple of days. If you like horses you won't want to miss it. Thanks so much for visiting!

Heritage Festival & Home Tour! Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (GinaBVictorian) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 04:21:00 +0000

Hello and welcome back for part 2! Also on the grounds of this historic property is what's called the Village at Boone Junction. The buildings were relocated here to the grounds and are arranged so that they form a little village, a village of historic homes native to Boone County.
So the first building is this Log Cabin, built in 1821 by David Gordon, Sr., the cabin is said to have served as the family's temporary quarters while the large plantation style house was built. The cabin served later as slave quarters and the home of hired laborers.

Furnished with authentic period collectibles and artifacts necessary to prosper in frontier life.
(The little booklet you see on the table is my source of information for this post and the Part 1 post.)

Below is the Ryland House, built in 1890 by Wm. Ryland. This charming 800 sq. foot Cottage Victorian style farm house has only 3 rooms...

and a beautifully carved pendant on the corner of this hipped roof...

and this wonderful gable sunburst! As you can tell by the first photo this house is still undergoing restoration.

Below is a "Shotgun" style home built in 1911 by Luther McQuitty, an early black contractor and realtor in Boone County. This style of house is so named because a shot fired from a shotgun at the front door could reach the back door without ever touching a wall. This house is undergoing restoration also.

A peek inside and you will find lots of studs and two lovely ladies enjoying some fruit and pastries. Yum!

And as of now, this is the last building in the village (more are in the works). It is a country landmark called the Easley Store. Three generations of the Easley family provided services to the Easley community for 100 years. It was built in 1890 by Wm. Easley on the banks of the Missouri River.

The interior has been completely refurbished, reminding folks of days when shopping meant picking up all of your essentials, along with the mail, in one location.
Look at this sweet young gal, doesn't she look like a china doll sitting there in her period clothing?

Below is a photo of the Walters Boone County Museum (also on the grounds). Inside the museum are several exhibits. Being changed out from time to time. Photo from the museums website.

Below is one of my favorite exhibits in the museum. It is not antique by any means, but so beautiful. It was donated from the family of a deceased dollhouse collector and boy did she do dollhouses up right! Whew!
It is housed inside this huge glass case so it's kind of hard to see the wonderful detail.

And this photo definitely does not do the interiors any justice. I wish you could see ALL of the wonderful miniatures in here. Everything is very Victorian! Right up my alley!
To the right, attached to the house, is a cute little greenhouse.

And moving on, I found a parlor exhibit with these modern day Victorian ladies (in not so Victorian chairs) enjoying their tea in those tea cups just like the one's in the parlor of the big house that I wanted to turn over to check the marking! Can you believe that? Ignore the football player in the background, he's not Victorian either!

A neat oil painting in a gorgeous huge frame!

And another of a little girl...

And a big shadow box frame with a hair wreath in it. Love those things! It used to be in the big house but for some reason was taken out and hung here in this museum. I liked it better in the house.

On the grounds, brought in for the festival is an old buckboard...

A cute little gypsy looking wagon set up with some handmade rugs for sale...
Isn't the crow cute?

Another buckboard...

Below is Professor Farquar and his Medicine Man Show...

And a couple of gentlemen showing bread making and baking demos...

Indian fashions for sale...

And if anyone needs a chair seat recaned, here's your man...

Well that is it for my pictures of the festival, of course there was a lot more there that I didn't cover, but I think you get the idea. As always, thanks for visiting and I would love to hear from you.