Treasure Box Wednesday: Victorian Decorating at the Frick Mansion

I love it when it's possible to share with you all some of our architectural and decorative treasures located here in Pittsburgh, and one of my favorite local gems has been the beautiful Victorian mansion, Clayton, which had been home to the Frick family.

So I was truly delighted when I found this detailed tour of Clayton, and the Frick museums. I hope you'll have a moment to enjoy this video-- get to see the amazing textiles, learn more about how the Fricks lived, and learn more about the Victorian era.

I've done this tour a number of times-- both in the Christmas season, and during summer, when the flowers are in bloom. And there's a knock-out cafe there, too, which has become a favorite place for friends and I to go on special occasions.

And the best thing about this online tour? No fee necessary and you can take all the time you need to look around. :)

The Victorians Might Have Loved Thrift Shopping

As I came away with a bundle of unique goodies from the Red White and Blue thrift store this weekend, I realized: the Victorians might very well have loved thrift shopping.

I mean think about it: they enjoyed changing up things in their homes regularly, and transforming hard furnishings with layers and layers of textiles...

They were big on mixed and matched furniture-- particularly those in the middle class who couldn't afford full sets, but who still wanted their modest homes to feel elegant...

Along those lines, these were folks who, if they couldn't afford an expensive bronze statue, were able to mass-produce a similar spelter or plaster one, at a fraction of the cost. They tried to evoke a mood in their homes, and did it cleverly within their budgets.
I see careful needlework tablecloths and tablerunners, and imagine them being snapped up by Victorian ladies who loved to layer, blown away that they themselves would not have to spend hours tatting that delicate edgework.
I picture ladies in rustling skirts scoping out the furniture section and wondering whether that tea trolley, with a lick of black lacquer and some careful decoupage, would look Japaned.

Or perhaps standing there considering whether a few souvenir plates from around the country would properly display that famed Victorian love of travel.

I envision silver trays and serving pieces being bought for so-civilized future get-togethers. "Imagine all of this," they would say, "and we don't have to wait for it to arrive from the Sears Catalog!"


And then I see them getting in their carriages and popping off to somewhere like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Tuesday Morning, or even Pier One... Debating on which plaster bust to choose, what mirror, which rug.

I see them pondering things inspired by-- or made in-- countries halfway around the world. The selection! The possibilities! And so much of it so reasonable! You could travel the world and still never leave home!

Of course, today we can evoke the same decorating principles in our homes of our Victorian ancestors and not have to wear corset while we do it. Right now, those tablerunners wait for that one person who loves detail to come and give them new life...

And the silver sits in stacks, hoping someone will someday have the time and inclination to give 'em a good polish and allow them to shine once more on the dinner table.

So many folks prefer streamlined surfaces now. Most of us don't have the time to dust all the things that would go into a a Victorian home.
So for those who love romantic decor of this type, you may just find there's very little competition for the things you adore. And that's funny because given today's economy, thrift stores are busier than ever, with people in every aisle contemplating their treasures-- no matter what those treasures might be.

Even younger people seem less afraid of the stigma of buying used. I heard a couple of teenagers in line behind me yesterday talking excitedly about how they found a particular designer item of clothing that, "you couldn't even touch this in a regular store during a sale... not even during a really good sale...This is crazy!"

So while the economy may be bad, in a way, it's a fortunate time we're in, folks. Those veterans of buying secondhand finally get a chance to openly say, "Hey, I knew about the wonders of thrifting all along!" Dare I say, we might even be on the cusp of being...(gasp!) trendy.

The Victorians would have liked that, too...

Though I imagine the carriage parking would be a serious pain in the bustle.

• If you missed last Treasure Box Wednesday, click here for quite a mix of fun finds.

And as for this coming Treasure Box Wednesday, I'll show you why an unusually late start in day's thrifting seems to have made absolutely no difference in my treasure-hunting success!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Looking Ahead to Summer

As spring gives way to summer, we look ahead to warmer weather, vibrant flowers and well-earned vacations. For the thrifter, however, the summer months are not always the best. Thrift store shelves become increasingly bare as spring cleaning yields to summer leisure. Yet today, I don't think you'll be disappointed, since there's always something to talk about in the Treasure Box.

I'd discovered-- really by accident-- a painting on Ebay which pretty much demanded I bid. And perhaps it was due to the impending summer and the lure of the gentle outdoors that meant the usual competition was nowhere to be seen online.

You see here my purchase, a full-fledged Victorian painting done by a "G. Verdier"...


And I imagine with that full view, you've also noticed the painting's unusual and delightfully humorous element. The lady, who looks rather pleased at whatever the outcome of events has been, smiles hopefully at the horizon as the Cupid lies-- asleep? knocked out cold?--- legs akimbo in an upset of roses and arrows and overturned furniture.

Whatever has happened, it's been a serious ordeal for the chubby god of love...


So this has been a real delight for me this week. My only real thrifted goody came in the form of this trio of chicks... Or The Andrews Sisters, if you will. :)


They'll be great for Easter.

Other little joys involve the beauty you just can't buy. The garden is just beginning its summer blooms, and I'll give you a small preliminary tour. Like Big Red here... the first of the roses original to my house.


And here we have a ruffled columbine which planted itself in a compost heap a few years back, and which was transplanted to a little better location...


I don't know what this pink groundcover is, and I don't honestly recall planting it last year, but it's doing marvelously...


A previous year's investment of foxglove means this year, I have foxglove aplenty. I love their impossible-looking spires...


The yard itself looks a bit rough around the edges, I admit. Some of my topiaries haven't made it and need to be removed, and some of the roses need a serious trim. There's still a lot of work to be done in this tiny space...


But as day turns to night, the colors just continue...



I hope you're all having a beautiful summer so far.

• For those who missed Sunday's post on the artist R. Atkinson Fox, click here.

• And for folks who enjoy a chuckle, you may appreciate the gardening tales on my humor blog, Of Cabbages and Kings. Click here for that.

And as always, thanks to each of you for stopping by and hanging out with me. I really do appreciate your visits.

The Done's and Don't-Ask's of DIY

Last year at this time, I'd shared with you all a list of DIY and craft projects I planned to accomplish during 2007... You know the ones: the Projects that Guilt.

But as any homeowner knows, intentions are NOT accomplishments when it comes to home improvement projects. If we could fix homes based on intentions, why, my garage roof wouldn't leak... Everyone's toilet would match their tub... And Ty Pennington would be out of a job.

But because I try to be an honest gal-- and because I must also secretly believe that salt + open wound = comfy-- well, I thought we'd just take a look back and see what actually got accomplished on that list from last year.

The first project cited was "The Plate Rail." You'll see here that I'd had plans to exchange this jumble of shelves in the kitchen for one long plate rail to display my Victorian transferware plates and other kitchenalia.

And phew! Plate rails, I have covered! Because what started as a new plate rail grouping in the kitchen...

Seems to have spread into the livingroom....

And then, the entryway...


It's like some piney organizational plague, isn't it? Some Martha-Stewart-Bob-Villa-bred communicable disease which swept the place.

So yes, it's safe to say, my plates have been thoroughly... er... railed in 2007. Check! Now let's move on...

To the Floor Border in my kitchen. This area had originally borne a black rubber bumper which, in spite of glue strong enough to attach tiles to the Space Shuttle, tended to peel itself away at random and stick lecherously to my leg as I did dishes. It was the Dirty Old Man of interior details.

It had to go.

I had already removed the offending border and planned to sand away the remaining glue and stain the wood underneath as one of my 2007 projects. So here is the Before picture....

And here is now:

Um, yeah.

Next!

In January of 2007, I'd also planned to address The Fall of the House of Usher style cracks in my dining room. These cracks were a result of my 100 year old front porch on the outer wall thinking that, after a century of being in one spot, it might be really nice to relocate a few feet to the right. Just for the change, you know, mix it up a little.

The porch got fixed and I spent weeks doing it up in full Victorian painted lady style. It's just beautiful! And the cracks?

Um, not so much. But being a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, I'm starting to think the cracks give it a certain air of mystery, don't you think? A sort of atmospheric, lived-in period feel and...

You're not buying it, are you?

(Sigh.) Just my luck to have bright readers.

FINE. So craft projects-- I'd had a couple of craft projects I'd planned to do in 2007. Like fix the painted flowers on this globe shade and...

(Ahem)

So WHAT was I DOING in 2007, anyway?!

Ah! THIS MIRROR! I did this mirror!

Originally, it was an inexpensive purchase from Junk for Joy in Jeannette, PA. And NOW...

Here it is-- a nice piece in my entryway. My entryway which is now aqua blue, I should mention, because that room got a bright new lick of paint. In actuality, 2007 was filled with a lot of wonderful projects and rewarding times-- like three cottage decorating swaps, some trash-t0-treasure chair reupholstery, two thrift giveaway gift baskets, and a mongo-big wrought iron garden trellis that took some serious Girl Power to get into place.

But even a public and apparently misguided blog post about future DIY plans sometimes isn't enough for us to get everything done on our lists. And you know what?

The house will still be there tomorrow. So for the new year, maybe a little prioritization, some determination and a lot of forgiveness are all we really need.

How about you all? What's on your list of things to do? Has anything hung on that list for WAY longer than you'd like?

Here's wishing you the best of each in 2008.

Big Box o' Inspiration

What is that big white wicker box up there? Why, that’s what Inspiration looks like!

“Funny,” you say, “looks like a portable file container to me.”

Okay, well, so I can’t put anything past you people.

But INSIDE this humble, Shabby Chic file container lurks a collection of the ideas and images that have moved me to decorate my home.

I LOVE decorating magazines. So when I see images of a room, a craft, or a piece of furniture that particularly makes me want to get out the paint or glue, I try to remember to save it in here for easy reference.

I thought you all might enjoy seeing just a few of the pictures I’ve saved over the years.

The following two were from the May 2003 edition of Romantic Homes.


What I loved in particular about these rooms were the zingy berry colors and the emphasis on rich textiles like velvets, tapestries and silks. I also really enjoyed the dramatic and quirky juxtaposition of things like classical busts, vintage signs and carnival masks.

You can see a similar feel to things with this photo, from the November 24, 2003 Victorian Decorating magazine. This parlor, too, has lots of color and texture. Yet the eclectic sense of the room gives a fun almost gypsy-like feel.

So these were the two magazine features that really helped me figure out how I’d wanted to decorate my master bedroom. As a result, I’d included velvet, lots of bright colors, some plaster and chalkware busts and an array of feather fans, suitcases, and vintage hats to add a sense of adventure to the room. These are photos of my own rooms...



From going through the magazines, I clearly learned I liked color. But I also discovered I liked the whitewashed and pastel look. Some of my favorite inspiration photos came from Romantic Homes’ January 2004 issue here...

And the May 2003 edition here...


What I‘d liked about these rooms was the sense of age of the painted woods, the neo-classical paintings integrated into the rooms, the use of statuary and the general whimsical nature of the look. It’s all very opulent, yet very aged, hazy and accessible.

I also liked this more traditional bedroom:

You can see the influence of these inspiration photos in just a few things in my own spare room-- like the Shabby Chic bedding, the architectural salvage mirrors, and the standing lamp...





And last, I just wanted to show you a couple of photos of a kitchen that had inspired me. This was in the August 2005 Country Living.



These were the pictures that reassured me that jadeite and green Depression glass could coexist-- and look right at home. It also was the layout that convinced me my kitchen might be in need of some retro-styled small appliances!

Well, that’s all there is for today. Do you have particular magazines or images that have inspired you in your decorating? Here’s hoping inspiration finds you this week-- no matter what you’re working on!

Oh, before you go, don’t forget to see the recipients of the “Nice Matters” awards. Click here.

Have a great week!

Secret Garden-- In the Dining Room

I believe I’d mentioned last week that not only was I having my best friend from First Grade coming to visit over the Fourth of July weekend, but also that she had recently gotten married. And since it had been a quiet, simple wedding, I thought it would be nice to make the décor extra-special and festive.

But rather than go the Traditional Wedding route, with all the typical bells and… well… whistles, I thought I’d extend the outdoors inside into an English Garden Party theme-- appropriate for the Fourth, but girly enough for a post-wedding celebration.

Many of the items were garden-oriented decor I brought inside for the occasion-- like this little gazing ball, which became the centerpiece for my mantle decor.

New to the occasion were these happy chintz paper lanterns from the Victorian Paper Company.

Instead of using standard streamers, I thought it would be fun to use ribbon and swags of silk hydrangeas and morning glories to trim the mantle, mirror, doorways and light fixture.

For the table setting, I decided on a plastic Shabby Chic picnic tablecloth I’d picked up a few years ago at Target. And I brought out my new pink Depression glass-styled plates I’ve been collecting at thrift stores and rummage sales this last year.

The chair covers are actually Shabby Chic tablecloths (also from Target) which I’ve tucked and secured in the back with a vintage pin. I do love my dining chairs, but I thought the dark wood wasn’t as appropriate for a shiny-bright garden celebration, and the Shabby Chic floral would be.

By way of a gift for my friend, I thought it might be nice to start her off in her married life with a good scrapbook-- she’ll undoubtedly have a lot of lovely memories she’ll likely want to preserve, and it seemed that setting her up with a full-blown scrapbooking kit would be a pleasant, positive way to begin things.

Nothing more fun than giving someone all that they’d need to embark on an exciting new craft!

And for those of you who already scrapbook, you know: wow, are there a lot of wonderful papers and stickers to choose from! Each one seemed nicer than the next, and deciding really wasn’t easy. I went a bit vintage garden with my choice, and also tried not to make it so girly and frou-frou that her husband would tire of seeing it.

Well, gang-- I apologize that this week’s blog is so short. I’ve been running all over tarnation the last five days (Upper AND Lower Tarnation to be specific :-)

We took in a new exhibit at Phipps Conservatory...

We went on antiquing adventures in East Liverpool, and Columbiana, Ohio...

We even blew up some zombies at Dave & Busters... (No photos of the zombie eradication-- I KNOW you’re disappointed about that one...)

So with all that, I’m a bit weary, and must bid you farewell. But definitely come back next week when I plan to take you on a bit of a house tour, and you’ll get a chance to see some of the rooms in my home (”Waterhouse”) that you’ve never gotten to see before!

I hope you have a wonderful week!