This weeks featured fan is Tara who has created some really unique
Victorian style rooms to showcase her Victorian Barbie collections. She is
currently in the process of creating a website to showcase her work. When the
site becomes available I will let you know. She has graciously sent me some
photos as well as some valuable historical information to share with all of
you. Tara has some very creative ideas on adding realism to your dollhouse and
diorama settings. The following is written by Tara. All photographs belong
solely to her, posted here with permission.
Enjoy!~
Front Entrance Hall
The Entrance Hall set the tone of the house. Every Victorian
dwelling had one, even if it was a tiny closet-sized anteroom fit only for
wiping boots and sheltering the guest from inclement weather.
Very civilized, if you think about it!
In wealthier homes the Entrance Hall, or
foyer grew larger and more elaborate, and was an indication of how comfortably
well off the owners were. It served as a
formal waiting area where the visitor could be officially greeted by the head parlor
maid or, if they were really affluent, the butler, who would then announce
your arrival to the mistress of the home.
If you knew your hostess was home and expecting visitors you would take
off your coat or cape, hang it up with your bonnet and store your parasol or
walking cane. While you waited you could warm yourself by the fireplace they
often had one in the foyer check out the mirror to make sure you were tidy and
admire the wealth of your friend and ponder how well she had married.
Victorian women operated under a burden of protocol most gals of today would find incomprehensible. In
the days before telephones.....and certainly Twitter!! }A typical middle or
upper class woman socialized by having "Home Days" and "Visiting
Days". These were official specific afternoons when you were prepared for
guests to drop by, so you made sure the house was clean and tidy and perfect.
Every woman had her own visiting card, called a "carte de visite" with her
name and her Home Days available printed on it, so everyone knew who was home when, and they all took turns visiting each
other.
A lady would make the rounds by herself, with her daughters or perhaps
another friend usually between 3 and 5 pm. They would go specifically to the
addresses of friends they knew were having "Home Days" which meant
the lady in question was ready and prepared to receive visitors. On Home Day a
friend could drop by unannounced, be received in the front hall and then wait
for the hostess to appear doubtless in an elegant "at home" outfit to usher you into the Parlor
for a nice chat.
A visit was supposed to last no more than 15 minutes, unless
subtle signals by the hostess invited the visitor to stay longer for tea and
cake, or perhaps cucumber sandwiches.{Yes, you heard right, slices of cucumber
on buttered bread.} It was a severe breach of protocol to outstay your welcome,
so great attention had to be paid to the parlor clock on the mantelpiece.
Should you drop by the house of someone who was indisposed at the moment or
decided she wasn't in a socializing mood you could always leave your card on a
little silver tray in the Entrance Hall to indicate you had dropped by and was most interested in a reciprocal social
call at some time in the near future, thank you very much.
The wallpaper and decor of our Entrance
Hall is rich, dark and somber, almost churchlike, and an indication of the
sober righteousnes of the owner's personalities.
The mirror is actually a
little mirror/sconce object we got at a garage sale for 2 dollars. I painted
and stained it with Minwax to give it that rich dark look, and marbelized the
flat surfaces using black and white hobby paint and just swirling them together. It's Gothic style echoes the
ecclesiasticle theme of the room.
The most expensive thing I
purchased was the front door which was part of a Byers Choice Christmas
Carolers display set, I paid about 40 dollars {ouch!!!}for mine. It was a
splurge, but since evrything else in the room was so cheap I felt ok about
it!!!!
The painting above is nearly four inches high,
I simply purchased a birthday card and an inexpensive dollar shop frame.The
wallpaper was two dollars a role at our local outlet store.The border was
from an old border role I already owned and just cut the bottom off of.
|
Mini Hint: copy centers like Staples and Office Max can shrink or
enlarge your pictures to match whatever frame size you want. For the best
effect, ask for high gloss finish on sturdy card stock.
A chair actually, a trinket box awaits the visitor's tired
posterior although the house pooch {a refrigerator magnet} seems to be taking up
space on it at the moment. A column from the wedding cake section at the
Ragshop {and glued to a small tile for weight} is topped by a miniature Japanese
vase sporting tiny plastic fern fronds. The stained glass window was a purchased
at a Hallmark Store and produced by the Amias Glass company. We painted the
reverse side white for contrast and framed it with stained wood trim.
Mini Hint:Clink of the link for more stain glass patterns from the
Amia website.http://www.collectorsaddition.com/gentu/AMIA9790.htm
OR.......if you're on a budget and
you love our background, print out this stainglass pic on study card stock, you
can print this yourself although for maximum quality{and perfect sizing} you
should put it on a CD and take it to Staples. Remember to insist on high gloss
card stock, and glue 1/12 mini wood trim{ stained or gilt} around the edges for
a nice frame.Or simply have it sized to fit one of your own existing windows.
Detail of ceiling.The
"plasterwork" is a standard thick,
textured wallpaper available off
the shelf at most
wallpaper or hardware department stores.
Invest in one roll
for about 20 bucks and you can do
several ceilings or even cut it into strips
to create your
own wainscoting. Itcan be painted,gilded or stained to
look
like tooled leather...the possibilities are endless!!!!
I glued a regular plastic fancy picture frame from a
dollar shop and then painted it in oil based
satin white.
{But I'm sure latex would work too}
The chandelier was a Christmas
ornament
from the now defunct Treasure Island craft chain. The
ornamental wood
work was purchased at a hobby crafts
store {in my case, Joanne's} and stained
with Minwax and
combined with fancy edges I cut off from from various
borders
I've picked up cheap in flea markets and outlets,
ie Big Lots, Family Dollar
etc."
A big Thank You to Tara for sharing her pics &
techniques! She has some great suggestions on where to
find miniatures in ordinary places.
Happy Crafting!
Stephiejo
