Tuesday, June 5, 2012

La Maison


La Maison. Fenêtres éclairées, 1900
Henri Le Sidaner

Small Stone Cottage


I love the look of this small stone cottage. The size of the main house looks perfect for me. Anything that doesn't fit can go in the long addition in the back. One of the rooms back there will be a potting shed. Another will be a guest room. It's very charming, isn't it? Low maintenance too. Just wonderful!!!!! via

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth by Pietro Annigoni

'Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Regent' by Pietro Annigoni, 1954-5.
Copyright The Fishmongers’ Co.
I love this portrait; she looks very Napoleonic, doesn't she?

"The Queen: Art and Image," organized by the National Portrait Gallery, comes to London following a highly successful tour to Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.
“The Queen is the most represented individual in history, but she remains an enigma. All we really have are images. This exhibition explores the creation of the queen’s public persona and the way such images reveals a world of changing ideas and values,” said Paul Moorhouse, curator of "The Queen: Art and Image," and 20th-century curator at the National Portrait Gallery. Read more...

Monday, June 4, 2012

19th-century Wardian Case


Isn't this the best architectural-form Wardian Case you've ever seen?  It reproduces the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851. via
Terrariums are generally credited with being invented by a gentleman named Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward. He invented them during the Victorian era and created a style of glass case with a metal frame that was very popular during the era. These terrariums were called "Wardian Cases" after Ward.

Double Decker Porch


When one porch is not enough, stack them. via

Cooling the Pies


If you close your eyes and inhale deeply, you can smell these pies cooling on the windowsill. via

Ivy Covered Dream House


Here is another classic country house with more cooperative ivy than the last one I posted. It's lovely, isn't it? I woke up to another cool rainy day. It seems the British weather has come to America. I enjoyed watching bits and pieces of the Queen's Jubilee yesterday with similar weather. Have a great week. via