Sunday, December 6, 2009

Two for the Price of One Met Monday


Today I'm sharing two Metamorphosis with you. The first is the book case at my parents home. When they built this home about 15 years ago, they were savvy enough to build extra wide shelves on the first shelf of each section of each book case. There is a book case on either side of their fireplace. This has provided an excellent way to display vignettes. Here is their nativity scene, which was my paternal grandparents and then handed down to my father.

He thinks it is Hummel, although it is not marked.




On the other side of the fireplace the book case displays their village.



I should have asked Mom the brand of this village, but I'll bet some of you already know.









Both of my sisters have lived in and around Chicago at some point, hence the Wrigley Field piece.
For the second Met Monday, I am showing the transformation of my corner space at the booth.




On top of an antique wash stand I display purple and blue ornaments.





The sparkle and glitter ornaments are all the rage this year. I liked the non-traditional colors here.




Also shown is a black and blue toile cake plate and two mugs. I think this would make a great gift!

I hope you've enjoyed these displays today. Please join Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for more Met Monday and have a great week!









Thursday, December 3, 2009

Tablescape Thursday


Last Saturday evening we went to my Mom and Dad's farm over in Shelby County for a birthday celebration dinner. My son, my dad, my sister and myself all celebrate birthdays from November 11th to December 16th so my parents hosted a joint celebration. Mom set a beautiful table with white damask tablecloths. You can see what a sunny day it was by the sunlight streaming through the windows.

Mom and Dad ordered the tableware from a long established business in Florence during a visit there several years ago. The manufacturer is Richard Ginori. The pattern is Elea.

Here is a bit of information about the manufactorer from the Richard Ginori website. "The "Factory of the white gold" Born in 1735 in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, near Florence, the great business minds of the Marquis Carlo Andrea Ginori. When the aristocratic Florentine villa poised to shower in the family estate, what then becomes one of the most famous manufacturers of porcelain art, the white gold rush, had just infected Europe. The development is difficult but then the manufacturing takes off.
If in 1747, the factory Shower 2 furnaces are in operation, one for the tile, the other for china in 1774 to about one hundred employees.
In 1838 the furnaces are 5, three for the tiles and the porcelain stoves and 2 and nearly 200 employees. In 1889 the furnaces have become 15 with about 1200 employees.
Enlightened guidance of the Ginori family continues until 1896 the year when the merger takes place with the ceramic industry in Milan Augustus Richard, who already owns several factories in the north.
Thus was born the Richard-Ginori.
Many mechanical innovations introduced in the time laboratories: while you realize the "classical" model of production docciana are born individuals who suffer from the new trends of Art Nouveau.
When the architect Gio Ponti became the artistic director, his renewal program leaves an indelible mark and significant. The expansion is intense and continuous so that in 1930 the built-up area reached 80,000 sqm, with 40 furnaces and 2,000 employees.
After the last world war it was decided to build a new factory more .. "next to the road" .. built with modern rational basis in Sesto Fiorentino, where in 1958 will be moved from the historic Shower establishment. A few years later the museum."


The crystal is Fostoria's Century pattern which was my paternal grandmother's.



Here's another view of the tablescape.



I love the clean lines of the white on white with the crystal and silver.




I took some shots of their Christmas tree while I was there. I love the gold and white theme tree.





The angel that adorns the top.






A long shot from their great room looking into the front entry way.

Mom who cooked a delicious meal and we had a wonderful evening.


Now please join Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for some more tablescapes.






Monday, November 30, 2009

Miss B Goes to Paris Part II

This is Part II of Miss B goes to Paris. Today I'm featuring her photos from the Louvre. All descriptions are from Wikipedia. The museum lit at night. I love the architecture.


From the center of the courtyard at dusk.


Here's a shot of the facade.


A closer shot of the pyramid entrance. Miss B says you enter there and immediately go down an escalator (remember Da Vinci Code?) to purchase admission tickets, visit the gift shop, etc.




I love that fall blue sky against the building.





The Musée du Louvre, or officially the Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre, or simply the Louvre — is the largest national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighbourhood). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1672, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.[3] In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.[4] During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon when the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by Napoleon's armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.



The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace,[1] is a third century B.C. marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.


Aphrodite of Milos (Greek: Αφροδίτη της Μήλου, Aphroditē tēs Mēlou), better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BCE, it is believed to depict Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) high. Its arms and original plinth have been lost. From an inscription that was on its plinth, it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch; it was earlier mistakenly attributed to the master sculptor Praxiteles. It is at present on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.





Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda or La Joconde) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. The work is owned by the Government of France and is on the wall in the Louvre in Paris, France with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.[1] It is perhaps the most famous and iconic painting in the world.
The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic.[2][3] The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination.[1] It is probably the most famous painting that has ever been stolen from the Louvre and recovered. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody.[4] A charcoal and graphite study of the Mona Lisa attributed to Leonardo is in the Hyde Collection, in Glens Falls, NY.[5]




A view from the hallway.



The Egyptian collection. The department, comprising over 50,000 pieces,[39] includes artifacts from the Nile civilizations which date from 4,000 BCE to the 4th century CE.[40] The collection, among the world's largest, overviews Egyptian life spanning Ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, Coptic art, and the Roman, Ptolemaic, and Byzantine periods.[40] The department's origins lie in the royal collection, but it was augmented by Napoleon's 1798 expeditionary trip with Dominique Vivant, the future director of the Louvre.[39] After Jean-François Champollion translated the Rosetta Stone, Charles X decreed that an Egyptian Antiquities department be created. Champollion advised the purchase of three collections, the Durand, Salt and Drovetti; these additions added 7,000 works. Growth continued via acquisitions by Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Mariette, after excavations at Memphis, sent back crates of archaeological finds including The Seated Scribe.[39][41]
Guarded by the Large Sphinx (c. 2000 BCE), the collection is housed in more than 20 rooms. Holdings include art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, games, musical instruments, and weapons.[39][40] Pieces from the ancient period include the Gebel-el Arak knife from 3400 BCE, The Seated Scribe, and the Head of King Djedefre. Middle Kingdom art, "known for its gold work and statues", moved from realism to idealization; this is exemplified by the schist statue of Amenemhatankh and the wooden Offering Bearer. The New Kingdom and Coptic Egyptian sections are deep, but the statue of the goddess Nephthys and the limestone depiction of the goddess Hathor demonstrate New Kingdom sentiment and wealth.[










Sunday, November 29, 2009

Penguin Parade


Join me and my penguin friends as we check out today's Met Monday at my booth space. We've transformed a hutch from fall decor to penguin parade!



This mini tree is chocked full of penguins up to no good I'm sure!


This little guy is bundled up and ready for some snowy weather.



This felt penguin in ready to hit the slopes.


These two resin penguins are dressed in their Christmas attire.



Above is the cabinet before decorated for fall.


Now it has been switched to a penguin lovers dream.


Here is before with soft cream and brown accent pieces for fall.
Now we are ready for the Christmas holiday with penguins galore. Notice I added black and white toile to the back of the hutch where it was just cream before? This was a remnant I got at Hobby Lobby for a steal, plus I had my 40% coupon.


One final look at the cabinet in fall display and then below with our favorite feathered friends.



I love these two penguin hinged boxes. They open up to hold a small note, piece of jewelry or clue to where the big gift is hidden.


Now won't you join our host, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Met Monday posts? Have a great week!
















Friday, November 27, 2009

Favorite Christmas Inspiration

Welcome to the first "official" day of Christmas preparation. I know many of you have begun your preparations months ago, some of you may have even started the day after Christmas last year, but for many of us the day after Thanksgiving begins the holiday season. Did you spend the day unearthing boxes of Christmas delight? Did you remember where all those lights and ornament boxes were stored from last year? I am always remember one last box that did not make it upstairs with the group.

As today is the first official Christmas prep day, I thought I would share a few of my "go to" books when thinking about my decor for the holidays.





I always pull out Carolyne Roehm. She epitomizes elegant style and inspiration to me. I review "Presentations" for ideas on gift wrapping.







Then I flip through "A Passion for Parties" Christmas section to refresh my memory on her divine ideas for the perfect party.
Then I grab "Winter Notebook" (pics above and below) to indulge in more pictures of Christmas delight.




After I return from the kitchen with my hot cup of tea, I pull out what was my first Christmas inspiration book loaned from my public library the year I got married, "Martha Stewart's Christmas". It was my go to for many of my first years decorating. Remember her giant gingerbread house replica of Turkey Hill, handmade wrapping paper with her daughter Alexa and homemade presents for her family and friends? Long before Ms. Stewart was the multi-media queen she is now, she was delighting me with her unique ideas.










Above, Martha Stewart instructs how to make homemade sugar cookies for ornaments to hang on her kitchen tree. I emulated Ms. Stewart by baking gingerbread cookies and strung them with red plaid ribbon to hang on my 2 foot tree in the kitchen of our first home (a rental) on Klonway Drive in 1990.
I cannot blog about Christmas books without mentioning the divine Ms. Garrity. Her books "Christmas at Home" and "O Christmas Tree" are both chocked full of glorious ideas for holiday decor.



While I do not own a copy (yet) of her newest book "O Christmas Tree" (images above and below) I have stood in the book store admiring it several times now. I must admit it has been on my Christmas wish list since I first heard of it's publication back in the summer time.


What a cozy fireside decorated with natural elements intertwined with the silver pieces.



I love her tabletop trees and the cloches below them!




A final book to mention is one I found quite by accident. Valerie Parr Hill, most known for her product line on a shopping channel, has a charming book entitled "Decorating for the Holidays". It is filled with some wonderful ideas and Christmas decorations.

I hope a few of these titles may be new to your library and if added will bring you the Christmas cheer they do me each season. Now lets get decorating!