Makeover Monday ~ Reviving Tired Linens

I have been hoarding collecting vintage and antique linens for a few years now. A good portion of my collection was acquired while living in Germany. No matter how many napkins and tablecloths I may have, if I see something lovely at an estate sale or flea market it comes home with me. I guess I have an insane desire to rescue cloth. Thankfully I now have an outlet for my passion in the form of Metis Linens.

As you may know I will soon be hosting the High Tea Tablescape linky party on February 23rd. Over the weekend I began rummaging through various closets and chests in search of inspiration for my own tablescape. I was also looking to see which lovely vintage and antique linen pieces could be added to the ever growing prize piles I will be offering at the party. Before to long my house looked something like this:

 

Ok I’m kidding. I found the above picture by googling “hoarder”. :) But I did find that I had no less than four white tablecloths all the same size. I am not even going to admit to how many sets of white napkins I have. (Mr. Décor reads this blog. :)

I decided that I wanted to create a tablescape in a pink and white theme but found out that I owned not a single piece of pink linen. So I selected the shabbiest, dingiest white tablecloth and napkins and headed to the wash room. First I hand soaked everything in warm water and oxy clean to rid the fabrics of any stains and brighten them up a bit.

I then grabbed a bottle of Rit Petal Pink Dye. I do like the liquid better than the powder. I wanted the tablecloth to have just a hint of pink so I added 1 tablespoon to the hot water bath. The napkins received about 3 tablespoons of dye as I wanted them to be a bit more of an intense pink. 

Once the linens were transformed into the wonderful shades of blush and bashful I hung everything out on the line. This is always the preferred choice, versus a dryer, when dealing with vintage and antique linens.

I removed everything from the line while they were still ever so slightly damp to make ironing a breeze. Here is the new pink cloth on the dining room table. I added a cream colored topper so you could better see the contrast.

I then began gathering all of my pretty dishes that feature shades of white, pink and green to use on the table. This dish is one of my favorites. It was a gift from Grandma Jingles and I didn’t even have to “demand” it. ( Smile~ a reference to Saturday’s post.) I just adore how it looks against the pink cloth.

Ok, back to the party. Everyone who links up a tablescape on February 23rd has a chance to win either the highly sought after “Fit For A Queen” or the equally desirable “Royally Scrumptious” winning titles. Of course to have such glorious awards we need a few experts on hand. So I invited two of the best tablescapers in all of blogland. First, we have the beautiful Susan from Between Naps On The Porch. I am sure that she really needs no introduction, but in case you are brand new to blogging, Susan hosts the highly successful linky party “Tablescape Thursday”. Week after week Susan presents such inspired beauty that her images often takes my breath away.

Next, we have my dear friend Yvonne from Stonegable. Now many of you might be familiar with Yvonne’s talent for creating truly unique and original tablescapes. Every time I see one of her designs I think “Love lives in the details.”  But I know a little something about Yvonne that perhaps you don’t. Given that the theme of this linky party is High Tea Tablescapes I think it is fitting that our expert Yvonne is well versed in high tea as she grew up in both Scotland and England. ( I try not to covet her fleur de lis utensil holders.)

 

I am in the midst of rearranging my living room to accommodate such esteemed greatness. I’ve moved in two new chairs. How do like it so far?

So here are a few little sneak peeks of the prizes that await you.

 

I will leave you with a favorite Valentine that I received from dear Nancy of My Crafty Little Page. The image of the wee lad in lederhosen reminds me of my own Sweet boy who was born in Germany.

Happy Valentine’s Day my friends!

XO

Laura

Button, button who’s got the button?

Royal Wedding Wednesdays~ Royal Residences Part II

Welcome to part two of the Royal Residences series. In this post we will begin with Windsor Castle which is located in the town of Windsor, Berkshire county.  Several parts of the castle can be traced back to the 14th century. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world with over 500 people living and working on the estate. It is also the oldest castle to be in continuous occupation for over 900 years.

It is H.M. the Queen’s official weekend residence. The Royal Standard flies over the Round Tower of Windsor Castle when the Queen is in residence and at other times the Union Jack flag flies in its place.

After Windsor Castle survived the English Civil War, during which the castle was used as a military headquarters for parliamentary forces, it was restored and rebuilt with Baroque interiors under Charles II with the assistance of architect Hugh May. It was neglected in the 18th century, then George the III and George IV both renovated and rebuilt  the castle to feature the current design of the State Apartments which are full of Baroque, Gothic and Rococo furnishings. These design elements can be seen in the Green Room.

The State Apartments  are formally decorated rooms that are used for state and official functions. While the rooms themselves are works of art you will also find paintings and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, Van Dyck, Canaletto and Rubens. Over 100 rooms suffered from a fire in 1992 and  great pains were taken to restore the parts of the castle that were lost.

The public is able to visit Windsor Castle. It’s open every day except Garter Day, Easter, Christmas, and one or two other days during the year. Opening times and access may be restricted at certain times of the year due to state functions. Wouldn’t you love to see the Grand Reception Room?

The history of Windsor Castle is quite extensive but it is quite easy to find information on the many Kings and Queens that have graced its hallowed halls. The opulence is truly awe inspiring as visible in the the bedchamber of the King.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrod Palace, is another official residence of the monarch. It is located in Edinburgh, Scotland on the Royal Mile on the opposite end of Edinburgh Castle.  David I, King of Scots, founded Holyrood Abbey in 1128. The Palace has served as a principal residence for the Kings and Queens of Scotland since the 15th century.

 

H.M. the Queen, spends one week in residence at the palace at the beginning of each summer, where she carries out a range of official engagements, state ceremonies and official entertaining. It is said that the Queen enjoys being seated at the center of the dining table so that she may converse with all of her guests. 

The wooden ceilings of the main rooms in the North West tower were created during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her monogram, MR (Maria Regina) and the IR monogram (Jacobus Rex) refer to Mary and her son, James VI. The suite contains an audience chamber and the Queen's bedroom, leading from which are two turret rooms. In the northern turret room, on 9 March 1565, the infamous murder of  David Rissio took place in Mary's presence. Tourists were often convinced that they could see his blood stains on the floor. During my visit I felt that I could indeed see the markings of this gruesome piece of history.

The Kings Closet is an extraordinarily beautiful room which features an elaborately detailed plasterwork ceiling, lovely Brussels tapestries and truly fine furniture.

Sandringham House is located near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house, which is surrounded by 20,000 acres of land, is privately owned by the British Royal family.

In 1771 architect Cornish Henley built Sandringham Hall. It was modified in the 19th century by Charles Spencer Cowper and designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon. The hall was purchased in 1862 by Queen Victoria at the request of her son, the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) as a home for himself and his wife Alexandra. The royal couple commissioned A J Humbert to create a larger building in 1865. The red brick home was completed in 1870 in a somewhat mid-Victorian country house design.

King George VI died at Sandringham in 1952. It has been Queen Elizabeth II’s custom to spend the anniversary of her father's death with her family at the house. It is her official base from Christmas until February each year.

The home is often used for shooting parties. Edward VII had such a fondness for hunting on the estate, that he ordered all the clocks to be set half an hour ahead of  GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) to allow more time for the sport. This tradition was kept on the estate from 1901 until 1936 until King Edward VIII ended the custom.

As it is primarily a hunting estate the interiors reflect a design of a luxurious hunting lodge fit for nobility.

As Sandringham House is the private property of the British royal family and not part of the Crown Estate the house became an issue in 1936, when Edward VIII abdicated his throne. As Edward had inherited the house from his father, George V, the estates did not automatically pass to his younger brother, George VI, when he abdicated. George, during his reign, made periodic payments to Edward as compensation for both Balmoral, (which was featured in last weeks post), as well as Sandringham. As the transactions were private it is unknown whether or not the titles were ever actually transferred.

Our last castle to be featured in this post is St. James’s Palace which is located on Pall Mall street in the City of Westminster, London.  The palace was commissioned by Henry VIII on the site of a former leper hospital which was dedicated to Saint James the Less which gave the palace its name. It was constructed between 1531~ 1536 in the red-brick Tudor Style.

The State Apartments of the Palace contain many beautiful items such as Mortlake tapestries and several displays of armor. As it is often in use for official functions St. James Palace is not open to the public. 

Recently, H.R.H. Prince William of Wales announced his engagement to Catherine Middleton at St. James’s Palace.

The official engagement portrait of the couple, by Mario Testino, was taken in the Council Chamber of St. James’s Palace.

The State Apartments in the Palace also contain an interesting range of Royal portraits from the time of Henry VIII. For those of you who have seen “The King’s Speech” you may remember the scene in which King George VI is surrounded by several austere portraits of previous Kings and Queens. St. James’s Palace was also the location where King George gave his inspiring speech that inspired the film.

This is a superb film which shows a very humanistic side of the monarchy. Although it does have an “R” rating due to language, it is a must see film worthy of its numerous Oscar nominations. (Good luck my dear Mr. Darcy Firth.)

The entire cast is stellar and Queen Elizabeth has given her approval which is saying quite a lot as the principal storyline of the movie is about Her Majesty’s father.

Just for fun I want to include an image of the grand staircase located in Buckingham Palace which is also featured in the film. Happy design ahh’s and sighs.

A gentle reminder that the High Tea Tablescapes link party is coming up soon!!! It  will  be held on February 23rd. Two separate English themed grand prizes will be awarded to the participants who design a tablescape or vignette that is “Fit For A Queen” or “Royally Scrumptious”. I will announce our esteemed judges as well as provide a peek at the prizes for the event next week.

How will you dress your table for the tea?

Laura

There is also an open invitation to come celebrate at the Bloggers Tea on March 26, 2011. It will be held at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree, Arizona. The owner, Joanne Gemmill, is authentically English.

Wedding Wednesday~ Royal Residences Part I

H.R.H. Prince William is currently based at RAF Valley as a Sea King search and rescue pilot. After his marriage to Catherine in April they will continue to live in the whitewashed farmhouse he currently rents on the island of Anglesey. They have stated that they are opting to have no servants for optimum privacy. Yet another sign that Prince William will be a thoroughly modern monarch. But when they are in London the couple will have the use of an apartment at Clarence House.

Clarence House is located in London in the city of Westminster. For over 50 years it was the residence of the Queen Mother and was also the official residence of H.R.H. Prince Charles and Camilla until 2009. The house was commissioned by William IV and built between 1825~ 1827 by John Nash.

The house is a four storied affair that has undergone extensive remodeling and reconstruction over the years, most notably after the Second World War. Interior designer Robert Kime did the most recent redecoration of the rooms.

Of course the official residence of H.M. the Queen is Buckingham Palace where she stays Monday through Friday. It will be here that Prince William and Kate will enjoy a wedding reception hosted by the Queen.

The palace was originally known as Buckingham House. It was built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705. It was enlarged in the 19th century by architect John Nash and Edward Blore to form three wings around a central courtyard. It became the official royal palace of the British monarchy on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The most recent major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They include the well known balcony upon which the happy couple should make an appearance on.

The original early 19th-century interior design was made on the advice of Sir Charles Long and much of it still survives. King Edward VII had a partial redecoration done in the Belle Époque style featuring a cream and gold color scheme.

Several of the smaller reception rooms feature the Chinese regency style.

Another favorite royal home in London is Kensington Palace. This was once the official residence of Princess Diana and where Prince William primarily lived as a child. Several other royal family members live here today as the palace is somewhat divided into apartments.

The palace was built in the early 17th century for the Earl of Nottingham and was known as Nottingham House. It was acquired by William III in 1689. The house was then extended by the great architect Sir Christopher Wren.   George I spent a good deal to create apartments in 1718 as well as the famous Cupola Room in 1722. 

The state rooms, as well as the magnificent Kings Stairs are open to the public.

I toured Kensington Palace close to ten years ago and was thrilled to see the collection of Princess Diana’s dresses.

One royal residence which Prince William and his new bride Catherine are sure to visit while on honeymoon is Balmoral Castle.

The estate is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was originally purchased by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, in 1852. The foundation stone of the castle was placed by Queen Victoria on September 28, 1853. An excellent movie in which Balmoral Castle stars is “Mrs. Brown” with Dame Judy Dench, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Queen Victoria.

Balmoral is the private property of H.M. the Queen and is not part of the Crown owned royal estate. It is primarily used as her summer home as well as her holiday retreat. Because it is privately owned by the Queen there are no public interior images of the castle. Although the film, “The Queen”, for which Helen Mirren won an Oscar, gives us an idea of what the interiors may look like. 

You may also recall when another royal couple spent a portion of their honeymoon there.

Due to the extensive list of royal residences this will be a two part post and will conclude next week with additional castles and estates.

Just a reminder that there is an open invitation to come celebrate at the Bloggers Tea. It will be held at the English Rose Tea Room in Carefree, Arizona. The owner, Joanne Gemmill, is authentically English.

To add a bit of fun there will be ~

A hat contest (Think English feathers, flowers and frippery)

Always a bridesmaid dress contest (And you thought you’d never wear it again!)

A white wedding elephant swap (Bring an item of décor that is nice, but perhaps had humble beginnings in a thrift store or is just something you have grown weary of. Wrap it as if it is the most lovely of wedding gifts.)

For those of you who live beyond and across the pond you will NOT be left out. We will have two online contests to be held via linky parties:

High Tea Tablescapes to be held on February 23rd. Two separate English themed grand prizes will be awarded to the participants who design a tablescape or vignette that is “Fit For A Queen” or “Royally Scrumptious”.

Royal Wedding Wear on March 9th. Got a crazy hat or some really magnificent pearls? Did your wedding dress resemble Diana’s? How about a truly awful bridesmaid dress???? I want to see them!

Start planning your creations as the best of the best will receive English china, chocolate, shortbread, and tea among other lovely prizes. There will be categories such as “Fit For A Queen”,  “Best British Baubles”, “Perfect Princess or Perfectly Putrid”  awarded by an esteemed panel of judges to be announced in the future.

May your own home be your castle,

Laura