January, 2014 - Petite Haus

Angelina January 26, 2014 Hawaii

Hawaii Inspiration Travel Pictures

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A quick look at paradise… aka Hawaii

It’s the middle of Winter…

… and I’m dreaming of paradise. Although I must confess living in Southern California is hardly experiencing Winter! All the pictures in the post I have taken myself!

So grab a hot cup of tea and let’s pretend we’re there…

Molokini

Maui

Wailea Beach, Maui

Pool at the Four Seasons Lanai

Lanai

Honu, aka Green Sea Turtle, at Turtle Beach in Oahu

Waimea Canyon in Oahu, where Lost was filmed

Wailea Beach

Lanai

Hawaiian Sunset

Don’t you wish you were there?

I wished so much that I bought a plane ticket! Headed there in two months!!! Off to the island of Kauai, I have never been there before.

If you have been to Kauai before, I would appreciate suggestions of your favorite things to do in the comment box!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 19, 2014 antique

Antique Staffordshire Cats

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Have you ever seen a pair of Staffordshire dogs? I’m sure you have, as they are immensely popular and many faux Staffordshire dogs are widely available in stores today.

But, have you ever seen a pair of real antique Staffordshire cats? I have been slowly working on building up my collection of Staffordshire cats. The problem is though… they are pretty rare. And you know what that means. Rare = expensive.

I think these are from the 20th century, but they are my favorite. From a very good friend, given to me from her will.

Staffordshire cats were manufactured in the 1740s-1960s in several different pottery factories in Staffordshire county, England. However, I only care about the ones made before 1900. The older, the better!

The oldest cat in my collection! Wish I had the pair.

It is common that these figures are damaged… they are, after all, 150 years old! A little damage is okay, depending on the location. If it’s on the face it’s not worth as much.

my damaged one. She was $1. I’ll take it!

So, how do you know you’re buying a fake one vs a real one? That takes an eye… and I think I may be fooled sometimes too! The fakes even include fake dirt! Can you believe it?

Below are 3 examples of cats from the 20th century. Notice how they just look a little different?

The matching pair piece to this one literally jumped off the shelf and broke.

Notice the lighter blue color? Light blue = new.

Now, let’s take a look at some other real antique Staffordshire cats!

Calico Cat from the 1850s. Picture from antiquepottery.co.uk

Purple cats from Ebay. Sold for $400.

Seated cat from the 1820s. Picture from antiquepottery.co.uk

Cat and kitten from the 1840s. Picture from antiquepottery.co.uk

Calico cat from the 1850s. From antiquepottery.co.uk

Seated cat from the 1850s. Picture from antiquepottery.co.uk

This cat is from the early 18th century. From antiques.com

Seated cat, 1850s, from madalena.com

Kitten and cat pair, mid 1800s, from millersguide.com

Pair of RARE jackfield cats. I think from ebay.com. These go for $1000.

So you ask yourself, how old is my Staffordshire?

1. Glass eyes were introduced in 1885.

2. If a printed mark is found on the bottom, it is most likely from the 20th century.

If there is a printed mark that says…

“Trade Mark” it is from after 1862.

“R N” 1883

“England” 1891 or after.

“Made in England” is from the 20th century.

Descriptive words like “genuine Staffordshire ware” are modern fake copies.

For more information on Staffordshire figurines in general, visit this website.

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop, and What’s it Wednesday?

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Angelina January 15, 2014 travel

A Downton Abbey Castle

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A Downton Abbey Castle… Inverarary Castle

Since I’ve recently been thinking about all things Downton Abbey, I’m sharing with you about my trip to Inverarary Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

If you haven’t seen my post about Downton Abbey fashion… make sure to go here

This castle was featured in the Christmas Special from Season 3.

The fellas on the show at the fictional “Duneagle” castle.

Here are some of my pictures from June 2012. I had no idea the show had just filmed there a few weeks prior. Needless to say, I was very surprised to see it on TV!

Inverarary Castle is located in Scotland near the town of Inverarary in the county of Argyll. It sits on Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch of Scotland.

Inverarary Castle location is the red dot.

What’s that I see down there?

driving up to the castle, looking across Loch Fyne

The town of Inverarary is small and quaint. There is a woolen mill, a church, a jail, and a little hotel. We ate lunch in the hotel.

image from here

Pictures of Inveraray

clockwise upper left, the town next door, a sign to the castle, the Duke’s black sheep, a view of the Castle’s backyard, and a soldier statue that a seagull was sitting on.

Approaching the castle… It started construction in 1746. The castle was completed 43 years later. In 1877 there as a fire. It resulted in a third floor addition and conical roofs on the corner towers.

The Duke of Argyll, who is the seat of the Clan Campbell, and his family currently reside here today. The 9th Duke of Argyll married a daughter of Queen Victoria, HRH Princess Louise.

I waited a long time to get this shot with no one in it!

The photos below are from the official Inverarary Castle website. There were no photos allowed inside.

One of the things I liked about this castle was how they displayed their weapons here in the Armoury Hall. All 4 sides of the wall are covered in arms.

The dining room. If you look closely you’ll notice a ship made of gold. The chandelier is Waterford. The paintings were done by the same painter who painted for the Prince of Wales.

A bedroom with the family’s tartan I believe. Love this bed! However, this bed apparently is ghostly. A young Irish harpist was murdered in the 1600s. The bed was moved from that castle to this one. The boy’s ghost was so attached to his pretty bed that he travelled with it. When a member of the family is about to die, it is said harp music is heard coming from the room.

The beautiful drawing room! It is decorated with Parisian tapestries from the 1780s.

The estate sits on 60,000 acres. As you can imagine, just like Downton Abbey, running one of these estates is costly. The Duke of Argyll has had to market his estate. We actually met the Duke of Argyll in the basement bookstore where he was signing books. You can even rent the castle out for weddings!

A helicopter view of the property. It is a very pretty place to visit in Scotland!

For more information, visit here.

That’s all, folks!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, and life of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 13, 2014 Breakfast

Banana-nana Walnut Bread!

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Banana-nana Walnut Bread!

I’m sharing with you a recipe for banana walnut bread. It is GOOD. I brought the bread into work… it was gone in about 2 seconds.

Finished product! Cooling down… I’m drooling waiting for it to cool.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

3-4 very ripe bananas, smashed. (I had used old bananas that I had frozen; let them thaw and then smash them up).
1/3 cup melted salted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten (I actually used egg whites instead. Still turned out great)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup to 1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the melted butter into your smashed bananas.
Mix in the sugar, egg, and spices.
Mix in the baking soda and salt.
Add the flour. Mix everything well.
Stir in your walnuts last. (You may omit if you don’t like walnuts)
Pour mixture into oiled 8×4 inch bread loaf pan.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tester comes out clean.

Cool and serve! YUM!

Mixing the bread in the Kitchen aid mixer!

Cooking in the oven! Doesn’t look like much yet.

All done! Too hot to eat!

Ready to eat! Imagine the smell of freshly baked banana bread… yummmmm

Now go make some banana bread!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 9, 2014 Uncategorized

Downton Abbey Fashion and Costumes

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Are you obsessed with Downton Abbey like I am??

Season 4 premiere just aired this past Sunday on PBS in the US. Did you watch it? If not, now is the time to catch up so you can have a brand new show to watch this Winter!

Not only is the plot interesting, but the show is also a feast for your eyes! It is set at the beautiful Highclere Castle in England.

The costumes are just wonderful. And that’s what this post is about… we will be looking at the fashions from the show!
*PICTURE HEAVY*

Season 4 promo, Highclere in the background

Season 1 was set in 1912. The fashions are Edwardian. The colors here are nice and refreshing; perfect for a Spring or Summer day!

I prefer these day dresses to modern ones!

One of my favorite outfits is Lady Mary’s riding outfit. The top hat also has a veil.

Matthew Crawley is sporting a sweater vest, still popular today. Lady Mary is wearing again an Edwardian style dress and hat.

I just love this jacket that Lady Cora is wearing.

Here Lady Edith, Lady Sybil, and Lady Mary are wearing their Edwardian style dinner dresses. Can you imagine wearing such fancy dresses to just a regular dinner?!

Season 2 is set during WW1. This is one of my favorite outfits Lady Mary wears. I just love the tweed coat and the hat… it’s so English.

I also love this red jacket she wears. I would wear this today too.

Everyone is decked out in tweeds for their afternoon hunt. I’m pretty sure the Queen of England still goes on hunts.

A look at the outfits worn for the Christmas Special at the end of Season 2.

Here is the wedding dress Lady Mary wore in Season 3. It’s actually quite plain. The diamond tiara makes the outfit.

Here we are at Lady Edith’s wedding. Her sisters wear pretty pastels. The time period here is 1920.

Here we are at the Christmas Special at the end of season 3. As it is set in 1921, notice the dresses are starting to appear more flapper like. Also, Lady Mary’s dress is missing her sleeves. How scandalous!

I just love these dresses Lady Cora and Lady Rose wear to Buckingham Palace. The colors are so pretty.

Here is Lady Edith in a season 4 promo picture set in 1922. This orange color looks beautiful on her. The early flapper dresses on the 1920s were actually long and below the knees… when we tend to think of flapper dresses we think of the short ones!

The Dowager Countess, played by the lovely Dame Maggie Smith, always wears Victorian era clothes.

The house staff though always dresses in black and white.

Here is a pic of the pretty actresses from a Vogue photo shoot.

from Vogue

There is a nice article from the costume designer HERE.

I wanted to compare the show’s fashions to real fashions of the day. The Victoria & Albert Museum in England has a wonderful exhibit on clothing from different eras. The pictures below are from the museum website.

Edwardian Dress, 1910

Dress from 1913

Dress from 1922

Ohhh-kay. Did you have fun? I sure did.

Stay tuned as next week I will feature a post about my trip to Inverarary castle, the castle where the Season 3 Christmas Special was filmed!!

coming up next week!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, and life of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 6, 2014 Uncategorized

Royal Crown Derby Paperweights

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

I wanted to share with you today some information about Royal Crown Derby paperweights.

Royal Crown Derby is one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers from England, started sometime around 1750. The company’s history is a long one, if you are interested you may read about it here.

In 1981, they started producing paperweights. Because they only started making them 30 years ago, you will never find an antique one!! They have been producing collectible figurines, however, since 1750.

Here’s a look at some of their figurines!

An Imari rooster

Love this donkey!!

a goat!

A jackrabbit

I love how colorful the mandarin duck is!

this owl is very neat!

And now for my two!

I have two sleeping cats.
The one on the left is the “sleeping cottage garden cat”. The one on the right is the “sleeping imari cat”.

My sleeping cats! Aren’t they cute?

I kind of like this tortoiseshell cat for my next one… if I can’t have the donkey, that is!

tortoiseshell cat

Have you seen or heard of these before? They have so many different ones to collect, I’m sure you could find at least one you like!

They can be purchased here… or on eBay!

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop

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Angelina January 1, 2014 antique

Antique Black Forest Madonna Painting and Frame

We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.

Happy New Year!

I picked up this pretty Madonna miniature and wooden frame at an estate sale this past Summer. The sale was from a collector of all things Black Forest. I assumed it was a Black Forest frame.

Even though the collector obviously a collector of all things Black Forest… sometimes people are fooled. I don’t want to be fooled too!

I need your help in identifying what it is.

One thing I liked about it was how the frame closed. It reminded me of an altar piece from Europe. Except, this one is only 4″-5″ tall. The picture in the center is porcelain. I have a difficult time telling it if is hand painted or if the picture is transferred onto the porcelain. I can see brush strokes though, making me think it is hand painted. The picture is no larger than 2″.

With a search on the internet I found similar pieces…

This one, below, is a Black Forest altarpiece from a church in German, circa 1800s. It apparently is 14″ tall.

from Ruby Lane

Below is another similar type I found on eBay. Per the seller, it was sold by Closson’s in Ohio. Closson’s was a big antique store that opened its doors in 1866. They stated it was Italian.

Below is another one I found. It is French and made of metal. It is from the 1700s. Not quite the same but similar in style.

from Ruby Lane.

Here is another Black Forest frame. It is approximately 12″ tall.

from Ruby Lane

Ok. Can you help me answer these questions?

1. Is this frame Black Forest or is it something else?

2. How old do you think it is?

I’ve linked up with The Scoop! Visit Confessions of a Plate Addict blog, Tablescape Thursday at ‘Between Naps on the Porch’,Wow us Wednesdays!at Savvy Southern Style, Open House Party at no minimalist here, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage,Seasonal Sundays & Oh the places I have been at The Tablescaper, andlife of the party at the grant life, and the style sisters, and ThursdayFavorite Things Blog Hop

Hawaii Inspiration Travel Pictures

A quick look at paradise… aka Hawaii

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Antique Staffordshire Cats

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A Downton Abbey Castle

A Downton Abbey Castle… Inverarary Castle

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Banana-nana Walnut Bread!

Banana-nana Walnut Bread!

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Downton Abbey Fashion and Costumes

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Royal Crown Derby Paperweights

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Antique Black Forest Madonna Painting and Frame

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