Coming Up Roses




This post was inspired by the last of the climbing roses that managed to bloom in my garden until a week ago...the longest they have flowered, and probably something to do with the warm November we had.

Sadly the weather has become bitter, and the roses have gone, but I realised they were the theme that connected a few new things around Daviot House that I wanted to show you.

Some bright red climbing roses at the front of the house help to break up the white facade.


This is a portrait of Lady Rose MacGillivray, lady of Daviot House, painted about 1640.  She was the daughter of Flora MacGillivray, who had the current wing of Daviot House built in 1615.

I have been painting a few family portraits recently, documenting the inhabitants of Daviot House, and Lady Rose is my latest work.  


Lady Rose hangs above the wonderful 17th century casket from Tony



 I think the black frame of the painting, though a bit austere, goes well with the casket.  

And then, because I never manage to go to any miniature fairs, a few new items... a tiny rose teacup and box of rose Turkish Delight from Small Wonders, and a stunning bonbon dish from Glasscraft. 

You can just about make out a tiny crochet doily, made by MiniGio, who makes the most perfect crochet items.



And that's not all...  For the longest time I have been stalking Kris Compas's portfolio page waiting for a replacement sofa for the parlour.  Kris made the original dark blue Chippendale sofa that was in the parlour, but I found that the parlour was getting a little too dark.  I wanted to make the parlour slightly more light an feminine, to balance the serious green of the library.  

I was very pleased when she put up this sofa for sale, along with a perfect 'crapaud' style armchair... and lo and behold, on the fabric are tiny little rose buds... perfect!


And who is this looking very proprietorial on the new sofa?!  A new addition to Daviot House, a beautiful ginger moggie, just like my RL cat, Edgar.  He is a creation of Kumi, who makes delightful needlefelted cats and dogs. 

 I had tried to make a needlefelted cat before, as I believe in trying to make things first.  How hard could it be? Well, it was a complete disaster, glue and fluff everywhere!  So I admire Kumi's work very much, so beautifully detailed, and perfect in scale.



I love the lighter sofa, it draws the room together without being too heavy, AND, best of all, it goes with the rug I have been sewing forever, and was worried about having to do again.  Hooray!



Sadly, the lighting is terrible for this photo, as we have just had horrible gloomy weather, so the blues look a bit too strident under the daylight lamp.  The colours are much softer in natural light.  You can see the armchair in the corner, so wonderfully made by Kris, and topped off with one of my embroidered cushions.

  ...And there is a hole right in the middle, just waiting to be filled by a rug....  (New Year's Resolution 2016)!

The shelving looks a little bare, now that the books have been moved to the library, but that is no bad thing, just an opportunity to fill them up with more miniatures!

I hope you are keeping warm and cozy in the Northern hemisphere, and enjoying Spring in the Southern,

                                            Jonquil



Comments

  1. Hi Jonquil! I LOVE your painting of Lady Rose!!! What a great idea to do family portraits! I think the dark frame is perfect for the era too! And the rose blooming on the front is beautiful! How wonderful to find a theme that ties together so much you have already done! The new sofa and chair look great together.... lighting in the dark time of year is So frustrating! If you can get the light past the camera shadow it is much too glaring! (We understand!) As for the shopping spree... you have selected gorgeous items ...from the kitty to the candy dish.... clearly you know how to shop! It is always wonderful to see an update on Daviot House!

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  2. Jonquil! Such wonderful progress!! I love the sofa too, the stripes add more interest than a plain fabric, and so handy it will match your rug. The roses are lovely. I keep promising myself I will try making plants one day - when I have walls to put the on! Funnily enough, my RL roses all bloomed again last week too! needless to say, the frost has just killed them off! Have a great week.
    Hugs
    Si

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  3. las rosas hacen un bonito contraste en la pared. Preciosa decoración.

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  4. Hi Jonquil, what luck to find that sofa with the rosebuds in the right colour! I can envision your joy when you saw that the colors worked together and that all your hard work on your rug was not in vain. Edgar looks like he is very pleased with his new sleeping arrangements ;-)
    Love the painting you did of Lady Rose! And I like the austere frame, it fits in well with the other miniatures and of course is right for the period.

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  5. Hi Jonquil! What a great joy and pleasure seeing so many new and beautiful items filling out Daviot House. Your skills at portrait painting is Marvelous and the Lady Rose is perfect in every way for the space above the table and your 17th Century Casket.
    Also have to agree that your new sofa and chair give the parlor a light, fresh and feminine atmosphere that draws me in and makes me want to sit and share a cup of tea, eat Turkish Delights and pet the cat. Or look outside at your climbing red roses and think of Spring happening in your garden. Everything that you have shown has been a Feast for the eyes for me. Thank you for making my day once again, with a visit to your Lovely house.
    Now I'm looking forward to seeing your needlepoint rug, as I'm certain that it too, will be a Beauty! :D

    elizabeth
    p.s. There is a hard frost here on the south coast of western Canada. Up until then, I had One climbing English rose that had decided to bloom and is now frozen on the cane in a perpetual pink glory. Makes me feel both happy and sad at the same time. Hurry... spring

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  6. What a beautiful replacement Jonquil, I totally agree this fits much better! And will complement your AMAZING rug, I"m so happy for you this means you can still use that one here. I can't believe you're actually making that and can only imagine how you look forward to the day you'll finish it, for more reasons than one. You've have done a wonderful job on that painting, wow! It looks wonderful over that cascet Tony made. Lovely roses and that crocheted doily, from what I can see that IS very fine! Is that adorabe cat needlefelted? wow, wouldn't have guessed.. Can imagine it being hard, so it's great other folks have experience in it and do it so well!

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  7. Just meltingly lovely - every little things. Marilyn

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  8. Hello jonquil,
    The painting of Lady Rose is wonderful. your detail always amazes me. The roses are such a nice touch on the house, well done. The new furniture in the room looks perfect. the room is so fresh and beautiful. You used wonderful shades of blue. Well done my friend!
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  9. The new sofa was clearly meant to be given the timing and availability. It fits into it's new surroundings beautifully and I do like the family portrait - it's a lovely touch along with your recent purchases. I also like the tray very much.

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  10. So many beautiful miniatures which are real treasures. Your painting of Lady Rose is exquisite.
    Geneviève

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