Back in April of 2022, I made up a storyline for my Glencroft renovations, which went something like this...
"After due consideration, the Dowager has decided to vacate her spacious Manor; and transfer the house and all its holdings, over to her son and his family.
Prior to the Dowager's downsizing and permanent relocation, a vacant cottage within the ancestral property, was lightly renovated to suit the dowager's practical and aesthetic requirements.
A number of sentimental favorites comprised of both personal memorabilia and antique furniture, were carefully transferred from the manor and over to her new home.
Such items as her handsome Chippendale secretary and ancient tall case clock, shared the cottage space with a worn out leather sofa and a castaway wobbly tea table."
SO- as you all know, the Living Room of the dowagers cottage, was the first room I tackled.
I deliberately mixed old furniture with new, high end with low end and at the time, I liked the results!
Shortly thereafter, I completed the second room in the Glencroft. The English cottage bedroom renos, became an Edwardian Explorer renovation, published as -"Midnight at the Oasis. 🌴🐫
The 3rd renovated room that I tackled, was its former cottage kitchen which became the dowager's Garden/dining room.🌷 The design of the Garden/dining Room was bold, contemporary and dramatic, which in conjunction with the Edwardian bedroom above, made the adjacent living room look kinda dowdy by comparison.
By referring back again to my original storyline, some of the dowager's eccentric furniture choices, didn't ring true to me anymore especially "the worn out old leather sofa".
Why would a woman with both resources and property, choose the WORST sofa she owned or decide to salvage a roadside tea table, simply for the sake of downsizing?
This incongruity bugged me into a state of mind-numbing inertia. After Christmas, I could do nothing more with The Dower House except sit and stare at it. 😳
By mid-spring, I finally felt like working on the doll's house again, but since I still didn't know what to do about the sofa, I focused almost exclusively on the dowager's "previously completed" Bedroom.
I made a few specific purchases to further emphasise its Edwardian Explorer theme and found that the more I tweaked it, the better I liked it! in my next blog installment I'll post an update
Anyway, from the exaggerated theme in the bedroom, came the change in direction for the living room.
The challenge I'd set for myself was to visually connect both the Edwardian and Contemporary themes
without losing sight of my original story.
Naturally, one thing led to another, which eventually became a total Living room -
DO-OVER- it's the same- but different!
The first thing changedwereThe solid pinkWALLSTo break them up I painted in a"faux"lower panel and added a chair rail.
For the illusion of painted woodwork- I infilled the space between the new chair rail and baseboards, with 2 coats of white chalk paint applied directly over the vinyl coated wallpaper.Once dry, I lightly sanded the surface,followed by several top coats ofwhite acrylic paint to complete the effect.Dividing the wall(s) into upper and lower sections made a HUGE difference in the formality of the room, not to mention continuity with the white wainscottingas in the bedroom above.
As mentioned earlier,the "Edwardian Explorer"took on a more significant decor role in the living room, and reminded me of one of my favourite books- OUT OF AFRICA Thus, my dowager would have the same independent creative spirit as the real Karen Blixen along with a tiny copy of Karen's book, too!The dowager's next decor adventure was replacing the old draperies withNEW CURTAINSI photocopied an over-scaled magazine print of an exoticPersian rug, onto cotton sheets of Inkjet Fabric purchased on Amazon. Below-the old curtains↓
behold the new ↓
I backed each of the printed panels with a plain lightweight muslin fabric to bulk them up,then I added the fringe along the inside edge and brass curtain rings along the top, same as before.The pattern is subtle whilst the colour is rich:a pretty contrastagainst the pink and white walls. ❤️
THE LIGHTING The photo above is a silhouette of a new table lamp.I purchased this lamp from a vendor on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/usr/t.vennemanThe lamp is 3D printed; hand painted; and prewired with a 12 volt bulb.I covered the shade with the same rust/green Thai silk ason the chairs in the Garden/Dining room, I trimmed the top and bottom edgesof the shade in old gold bullion trim that either Linda or Janine had previously given me. 4 brass ball feet were glued to the flat bottomed base and VOILA!A PRETTY NEW LAMP! 👍🏾👍🏾Things were chugging along just fine by now,however, shortly after I'd installed the new table lamp above, a wire on the brass table lamp next to the grandfather clock,snapped off at its base.Since it was irreparable,I ordered another lamp from the same ebay vendor.The new lamp (the 3 graces) is tallerthan my first one. I customized it for the room,by changing the shade it came with, to one I already had.I covered the shade in the same iridescent Thai silk so it would match the other.I made a fringe by fraying a length of green grosgrain ribbon- and this is the end results!↓The 2 lamp DO-OVERSDONE!✓ THE CHANDELIERIn the very early days of the cottage renovationsI had wanted to use this dainty brass fixture, but I'd changed my mind because only 2 of the bulbs worked and none were replaceable.
Much Later on, I toyed with the idea again, and decided that it was far too pretty to entirely forfeit.SoI cut the wires offand removed all of the chainin order to hang the fixtureas high as I could.And although it doesn't light at all- it sure looks like it could! THE SECRETARY WALLOver the years, I've collected some lovely pieces of miniature fine china which continues to be a never ending passion of mine. I wanted to showcase more of it here on the wall,and include a few new photos to the mix.A few months backI found a pair of vintage, solid brass earringsat my local thrift storewhich became 2 rectangular picture framesfor the living room wall. I wonder if either of these 2 dapper fellows are Denys Finch Hatton or Berkeley Cole? 🧐Along with the Stokesay Ware china on the wall,I mounted a SMALL half round wooden shelf under the trumeau mirror,as a place for the dowager's keys. I staggered then glued 2 half circles together to make the shelf top,along with a pie shaped quarter round to act as a shelf support, all of which was stained using a dark brown felt-tipped furniture touch-up pen. I dressed the shelf with a metal tray and a tiny fob with car keys- and TA DAH!Bob's your uncle! UMBRELLA STANDA collection of umbrellas and walking sticksare to the right of the secretary directly beneath the English trumeau mirror. I bought the "Mary Poppins" parrot handled umbrella on Ebaybecause I LOVE birds and so does the Dowager! The olive green umbrella in the foreground below is by Fatima of BeauxminisThe rest of the canes and walking sticks I either already had &/or made from scratch.
ON THE DESKTOP
A jumble of papers, ink, fountain pen, figurines, Royal mail and a leather journalchronicling the Dowager's daily activities;litter its surface. I used a couple of drops of UV resin,for the magnifying glass which actually magnifies. It sits on top of an open Book of Curiosities by Little Things of Interest love her store! A tiny owl clock (a repurposed novelty earring) is perched contentedly amid the dowagers collection of assorted writing materialswhich includes a gold fountain pen: a direct reference taken from the movieOut of Africa
I was definitely enjoying the jumble
of academic paraphernalia crowding
the secretary desktop;
and yet it still felt incomplete to me.
I'd always wanted a task lamp on it
so after some minor reshuffling
I was actually able to squeeze one in.
"LET THERE BE LIGHT!
and there was light"
☺️
THE BAMBOO SIDE TABLEFor continuity with the dowager's Arts and Craft bed,I purchased a matching bamboo side table for her Living Room. It's big enough to hold a Huge Plant, yet small enough to walk pastwithout her bumping into it.Bamboo furniture made by ANTHONY DUNHAM MINIATURES
Whilst rifling through my stash of long-forgotten accessories,I stumbled upon a carved wooden rhinoceros -WHO HOO!!!It fits in perfectly with myOut of Africa/ Edwardian Adventurer🦏🌴🦏🌴 theme! 🌴🦏🌴🦏The carved wood green ball in the photo above is a textured wooden bead. I liked the size and colour of itso it stayed on the table until...
I replaced it with a "carved lidded pot"
This was made by stacking 3 buttons one on top of the other: its base is a leather shank buttonits lid is a brass buttonand a smaller wood button serves as a knob.
On the lower shelf of the table are stack of books on birds.And 2 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES also made by
Little Things Of Interest
The magazines are stored inside a large carved wooden bowl(a very large and unusual button)that sits on the floor underneath the table.A really FUN detail! fyiThese Nat.Geo. magazines are actually readable! THE FERN IN THE URN
was contrived from a package of Michael's fern stems
found in the"stickers & embellishments"asile.
These scrapbooking frondsare actually too big for 12th scale,so I snipped off the greenery from their widest end, down to a more reasonable length. I painted both sides of the paper frondswith a water based green enamel followed by a thin brown chalk and water wash. I filled the urn with a blob of Museum Wax; stuck the wire ends into it; and called it- DONE!
I also made the tall fretwork wastebasket from the cut sections of a sandalwood fan. I painted the wastebasket with black and red acrylic paintsthen randomly applied gold felt pen highlightsover the red. Clear UV resin was carefully painted around each of the tiny cut-outsfor a high shine, strength and durability. Lastly, I tossed several crumpled pieces of mini junk mail into it and called it a day!
THE ART NOUVEAU CHAIR
is a MINIATURES by Vio Etsy kit.
I upholstered this chair in a "leather look" fabric
which I'd stained with a dark brown felt pen, then sealed with a liquid floor wax. I've purchased several furniture kits
from this vendor and
I highly recommend them!
To warm up the dowager's "senior shoulders", a native hand-woven wrap drapes gracefully over the arm of her chair.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES are THE DOWAGER'S 4 NEW PUPSI hated saying goodbye to Churchill and Jenny the dowager's 2 previous dogs,but once she saw these 4 snoozing cuties on Ebay, madame insisted on adopting them all! These are in factCORGI FRIDGE MAGNETS and from nose to tail they are 2 inches long with a 1 inch body width.They're the perfect scale for this small cottage however I must confess that it's their cute sleeping positions which are the main attraction for me and for milady dowager! 😄
Janine ( Minworks) told me that corgis are notorious for getting underfoot, and as you can see they are all huddled together like a lumpy scatter rug. When madame finally returns to the room,she'll have to tiptoe her way through the huddle as well as reclaim her precious petit-point slippers made by Linda Park.❤️Naughty Naughty Puppies! THE PERSIAN RUG is from the Etsy vendorSTARBOC2 .It's always a gamble when you're trying to match colours onlinebut I think that this rug works really wellwith the new drapes. I purchased it in 1/6th scale for the extra lengthand it fits PERFECTLY HIP HIP HOORAY! The rug is printed onto very thin canvas which I've glued onto a thicker piece of fabric for visual weight and underpadding. so what do you think?And now for "THE CONVERSATION PIECE" Using dried grape stems as an amature and the assorted birds, beads and nail gemstones,a whimsical "singing tree" sculpture was contrived.It's displayed inside a vintage iron (candle cup) urn and next to the dowager's front door.It's a OOAK Birthday GIFT from the dowager's daughter- The Artist of the family! She also made the quirky metal leaf sculpture (commissioned by her brother)for the wall in their mother's Garden/Dining room.I deliberately tried to make this piece look quirky and outrageouswhich of course,has all the dowagers friends gossiping about it over their tea. "But My Dear have you seen it!????"🧐😱😳🤩😀 BEFORE the tree installation↓And AFTER↓I REALLY LIKE BIRDS! 🦅The following photos are a few NEW ITEMS OF INTEREST This green vining plant was made using assorted hearts punched out of a painted metal coffee can freshness seal.It sits in the Living room window recesson a stack of old books behind a table,where nobody can see it! 😄 This vintage Paula Gilhooley miniature Orchid was purchased AS Is. It has definitely seen better days.Even so,I love the cloud effect of its tiny yellow blossoms! The Parrot Pot The Parrot Pot
is the bird from the 2022 Christmas mantle garland showcased in my previous Post.I wanted to keep it in the Living Room so I glued it onto the thumbtack lid of my glass bead-jar.I decorated the lid with floral nail art and applied several thin coats ofTestors clear parts cement & window maker over the parrot and the lid to imitate the look of porcelain. I Love this Parrot Pot! THE TEA in the teacup is removable.It's made of 2 coloured and punched acetate rounds stacked on top of each other inside the cup. This method maintains the integrity of the chinawhilst providing the illusion of a hot Cuppa Tea minus any spillage ☕️The Next Phase of this Living Room Upgrade involved swapping outTHE FORMAL WING CHAIRThis was NOT part of the original planbut ONE THING USUALLY LEADS TO ANOTHERThe soft furnishings in Karen Blixen's African Farmhouse were chintz covered and informal,soI decided to replace the upright Wing Chair
with a more relaxed upholstered armchair.
This chair was solid light yellow when I bought it,which didn't work with the drapes. so I painted it with assorted felt pens and random daubs of red inka la BLOOMSBURY GROUP I added 4 brass casters to the legs and fringe around the base of the chair to match the fringe around the sofa.The doily on the back of the chair was cut from apiece of nylon lace.This new to old DO OVER reads more artsy and less formal than the its rigid predecessor therefore, more in keeping with its general theme.I've paired the chair with a resin ottoman: a discontinued sale item found at Michael's;originally covered in a dusty pink flocking.Using assorted green felt pens, I painted right on top of the pink flocking, and it worked like a charm!I trimmed the top and bottom circumference of the poof with 2 narrow bands of felt-painted picot trim then I glued 4 bead feet onto its base.
THE FIREPLACE MANTLE The original mirror was replaced with a vintage portrait of a family flapper.Then an assortment of unrelated accessorieshave been carefully rearranged on either side of it.
I tried several times
to get a better photo of the portrait in situ
but this was the best I could manage ....
The china dog and a peacock blue and gold vase
were both recent gifts from Fatima.
I filled the vase with tall, iridescent feathers
harvested from a ebay brooch pin.
THE TEA TABLE
has been
changed so many times I've lost count!
As of mid-July 2023
this is what it looks like.
The Sovereign Blue luncheon plates, cups and saucers are by Stokesay WareThe bone handled Mike Sparrow butter knifeis coupled with a mismatched sterling silver fork. A Pete Acquisto silver cake server is tucked under a slice of my own Studio E pound cake spilling over with mixed summer berries. I can't remember where or when I purchased the steele & china cake plate but how lucky for me that the shape of the handle echos the shapes of the mismatched tea service! A stroke of serendipity if ever there was one! ❤️
THE SILVER TEA SERVICE includes my FAVOURITE SILVER TEAPOT (signed by an unknown Artisan)and a Cream and Sugar bowl with tongs by U.K. ArtisanGORDON BLACKLOCK.The round silver serving tray is by Ken Chellis U.S.A.The Exquisite fully lined petit point tea cosy, is by the Incomparable LINDA PARKfyi I'll be selling an exclusive selection of Linda's AMAZING Needlework Creationsincluding her slippers, cushions, and teacosys at the 2023 VANCOUVER DOLLHOUSE AND MINIATURE SHOW this September I"M SO EXCITED! On the table is a single lace napkin in a sterling silver napkin ring.The other 3 napkins and rings are stored in the GARDEN ROOM'scorner cupboard drawer. I mention this here to remind myself LATER when I'm tearing my Studio apart looking for them! 😜
The floral tablecloth started life as a thrift-store rayon scarf.It's very thin and was quite easy to wet, shape and drape.
and now for
THE SOFA
I stripped off the old "ratty leather" using its original upholstery as my templates. I'd found a crumpled lengthof Steel Blue and Sage Green VELVETburied deep inside my fabrics stash drawer:a sleeve remnant from a thrift store jacket. To get an artsy"Bloomsbury Group"lookI covered the sofa's front and back in the steel-blue velvet and used the sage green velvet for the rolled arms and bench seat. To give the sofa a bit of slouchI filled the seat cushion with glass beads.By following the existing pattern from the old template,I tufted the arms and back with iridescent blue-black seed beads/buttons. Unfortunately,my tufting efforts turned out MEH!👎🏽I failed to get enough tension so the beads still look like- Beads! 😤Oh Well-Never mind! Thankfullymost of the "tufting" is hidden by the cushions👀🙈🙉🙈 I stitched together 2 new carpet print sofa cushions to counterbalance the colour weight of the carpet print window curtains. You can't really see the cushions unless you are looking in from the cottage front door.To save you the effort of stepping outside,I've turned the sofa around. Janine (Minworks ) had given me a long length of fringed selvagein blues, browns and golds. which was CAREFULLY fitted around the base of the sofa.And it was either Linda or Janine who'd given me a bag of old-gold metallic cordingwhich I glued end to end, along the top edge of the fringe. As you can see,the dowager's rescue kittentakes great pleasure in shredding it!
The help comes in twice a week
to "DO"for the dowager. She's just finished hoovering the living room carpetand will be back in a trice
for the dusting and tidy up.
Until she returns,
here's another quick tour around the
living room.
so in conclusion- it's gone from THIS↓To THIS↓the Same but Different! Thanks so much to everyone for stopping by. I do hope you've enjoyed your visitand please come again!
THE END
🇬🇧\🌴/🇬🇧
blessings-
elizabeth
As a reminder: I'm still having problems with the comment section. If you try to leave one before the sidebar finally appears, or before the whirly-thing in the tab stops twirling, then your comment won't register. This can take up to 60 seconds before the program stops loading and finally kicks in- Talk about frustrating!😩
oh well,... it IS what it is. 🤪
