Wednesday, March 29, 2023

My Gallery Wall

  I posted this on my other blogs, but thought I'd cross post, since it's home-related!


This is my office area.  When I moved in, I set up my computer on the peninsula between the kitchen and living room and then the decor evolved from there. To the left of the monitor is book wallpaper adhered to the back of a small shelf unit that I use as a divider "wall."  And it's extra shelf/storage in the kitchen. Above the monitor to the right were two cupboard doors that I removed and replaced with the bulletin board (which I've covered with lace). It houses kitchen stuff that's accessible from the kitchen.


Close-up of bookcase wallpaper & plants on top of shelf:

To the right of the monitor is more book wallpaper adhered to a piece of foamboard, to give a cohesive look and hide the back of the microwave:


Corner:

Close-up of corner:
Photos are of Mum's mum as young woman and at age 5, looking very Victorian!

Copper book plate for a fern book & a painting by my artist friend Betsy:

Full gallery wall:

The fabric is a fern eco-print from Nik The Booksmith and it covers a printer. To the right of that is a framed collection of dried flowers that I got at a thrift store: 

On the back, it says:

 
Detail of homage to Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward: 
Free floating moths are from The Graphics Fairy.

Complete with a mini-Wardian case from Dollar Tree:

Underneath the little shelf thingie:
Left to right: Professor Anderson, director of Chelsea Gardens, Dr. Asa Gray, botanist at Harvard, and Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward.

I suspect these to be 3 of NB Ward's children. The photos are from the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club: photographs by Maull & Polyblank, circa 1855. They look like siblings, and I see a resemblance to NB Ward:


More 19th century botanical artists and authors: 
Top, Left to Right: Helena Scott, her sister Harriet Scott with Harriet's moth painting between them.
Bottom, Left to Right: Kate Chopin, author of The AwakeningAnna Atkins, & Louisa May Alcott
To the right of all of them is Jane Austen, of course!


This a print from author and botanical artist, Christine Andreae:
She's like a modern day Edith Holden!

Fern print that camouflages the heat register:

Beatrix Potter with her dog Kep, at Hilltop Farm and Elizabeth Gaskell:



Here are a coupla bonus pix of the "Parlour" area, not in the video:
Tabby Bobcat asleep on the recliner. Lady is curled up in the cat/beagle bed. The book graphic is actually a shower curtain that I adhered to the back of a cupboard unit, that I use as a "half wall." It was a lot easier to do that than my original idea of doing the book wallpaper.

And up above, is Yoda-Kitty in her "Hutch Lair":
Zzzzzzz . . . .   :-)

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Interview about Dave Dobson

Recently, John Morgan and I got together with Doug O'Brien to chat about our mutual teacher, Dave Dobson. Loyal readers of this blog will recall my many posts about Dave. Here's our conversation:



SO MUCH FUN!  :-)