Monday, March 14, 2011

" EASTER BONNETS"

It's almost EASTER and of course the Easter Bonnet parade... of by gone days.

 The old saying was ...  " If you want to get ahead and get noticed, then wear a hat" ... In Victorian times hats were the height of fashion and authority for women and men .. You were often judged by the chapeau you wore.

What fun they had creating in this wild period of lingerie hats... every hat was bedecked with an abundance of cabbage roses, poppies and gerberas flowers. Every trim you can imagine ...  lace, whole birds, bunches of cherries, blackberries,  mephisto feathers, rossettes and ribbon were all gathered  in efforts to  produce the latest and greatest in hat fashions, for the aristocratic ladies of the  era.

Goodness , I would have failed miserably in those days  ...  As a child , I was always adverse to wearing a hat.  Every Easter , my sweet mother bought me a new hat...   I complained  bitterly,  because I had to wear this " THING" on my head.... and it was usually purple with multi colored ribbons  or a floral spray.

Funnily enough ... As the years rolled by , I found myself searching for the odd  decorative flower or pompadour hat for weddings and social events.

It's so interesting how the world turns and reverses .... Now I find myself designing paper and fabric  head creations for my dolls as well as myself... I'm not sure if I'm getting older or younger in age.( Ha Ha)  all I do know is that ,  I have become quite fond of hats !!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

" THE FACELIFT "

The day in the life of the " Grand lady " consists of grandiosa dreams of elegantly  decorated Victorian rooms . High ceilings, fabulously papered walls, oak doors and trims, ancestoral pictures adorning the rooms and  superior  chandeliers  that somehow create that perfect romantic ambiance of  the Victorian period. Yes ...  Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, enabling us to imagine how it all was, before we were born.
Then Slam Dunk ..REALITY sets in  and the Grand Lady is knee deep in   five layers of wallpapers and  a room that resembles a war zone. Saddly the truth about renovating an old house is that  ..IT IS ALOT OF WORK !!!! ( Huff  and Puff )


Vision , patience and the ability to look past the rubble into the ' eyes' of the old girl is a must . I mean doesn't every old gal deserve a facelift sometime in her life... Doesn 't the Grand Lady deserve to become a " Swan" in the fading days of her somewhat crusty  centurian youth... YES MA"AM !!! 




This is the curved plaster wall in my music room....Thank goodness it's intact.... I must admit I felt like a Cosmetic  Surgeon peeling the layers of paper off the face of these walls. It was like peeling an onion. Sometimes you just sit in the mess and sometimes  you cry  for joy... Halleluia, bring on the plasterers !!!!! Infact Let's invite them all for afternoon tea !!!!