More treasures and thoughts

A nice size parcel arrived for me today from the terrific Jennifers of Walsall.  

Literally the night before the York show I had tried out some trim that I bought from them and realised I had miscalculated badly in all sorts of ways when I came up with that decorating notion.  Usually I just bite the bullet when the error is mine but, this time, as I was off to the show the next day and the trim was costly (for me) I scribbled out an order from my 'to-be-ordered-from-Jennifer-when-you-have-the-money' list and resolved to ask if they wouldn't mind refunding the trim and sending me the stuff on my list.

Yes they would, so here are my goodies.

surprise

Being addlepated has its compensations - it means that unless I  have made a point of making a record of an order I haven't clue what's coming after I've ordered it.  As I said on this occasion it was a scribbled note, on a scrap of paper, written in a hotel bedroom the night before the show - what chance my knowing what was in this box.  It was like being at the bran barrel for a lucky-dip.

First, we have three of our eight (!) fireplaces.

drawing room

parlour

housekeeper's room

.... and the coals to light them

.... and the glue to make them.

I do have this glue from about four years ago and it probably is OK, so I suppose I should have checked but - hey ho - go mad and splash out on some fresh.  Glue and paint do deteriorate over time.

the only way to bond metal cast items really well

I gave the next item a lot of thought.  I was going to build floor to ceiling shelves along one wall of the library - plain shelving can't be that difficult to do.  Then I started getting ambitious - I would like them to be trimmed nicely, maybe some drawers or cupboards so they're not so boring, didn't want them to look like Ikea flat pack shoe-ins.....  Ultimately it seemed like a good idea to compromise by not spending on a lovely large finished piece but to settle on a kit instead.

good old Mini Mundus

Sadly I am fairly sure I don't have room for the pediment trim on top but, at least I have a decent size bookcase to go at with trims and drawers.  Many of their curies would have been 'displayed' in drawers to keep them free from dust and daylight so this arrangement makes sense.

I am getting to be very fond of the Turkish rugs you can find everywhere.  Unfortunately the largest I have been able find for my fifteen by twenty-one foot drawing room is twelve inches (actually only eleven and a half, if I lob off the fringes) by eight.  It might work if I use two of them.  I have been challenged to find someone who has two rugs the same in  that size and with a hint of green in there somewhere for my drawing room - I think I have got it here.  Well done, again, Jennifers.

I have given up on finding the historically accurate pattern!  I know when to quit.

not convinced about the fringes

nicely woven

Having two rugs rather than one huge one in real life means that it is marginally that much easier to roll them up for dancing.  As I have gone to this much trouble we are only having a musical evening ahead of us and maybe a little cards.  The rugs are staying in place.

wonder what's going in there

Jennifer's has two sizes of these domes in their repertoire and I think this is the large one (you'd need to check).  If it is any help to anyone you are welcome to two of these, just send me your address and I will post them off to you.  I am fairly sure I will do one as a butterfly display and just hang on to the other for now in case (no pun intended).

1.25 inches diameter and 1.75 inches tall.