Tuesday, March 9, 2010

March Expectations!

"March is the month of expectation..." (Emily Dickinson)

Many wonderful things occur this month -

Baseball season begins - Go Braves! (And Phillies!)
Daylight Savings Time
My birthday!
March Madness (We're rooting for Temple!)
St. Patrick's Day and the wearin' o' the green
First Day of Spring
Sometimes Easter and Passover fall in March (and yes, we celebrate both)
This year we had the Oscars in March - congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for winning best director!!!

And most importantly, visiting season begins! My two daughters and their pups will be overnight guests this month (at different times) and so I thought I would post on guests and entertaining.

One of my favorite picture books on entertaining guests is "Guest Rooms" by Hilary and Alex Heminway with photography by Audrey Hall.This chapter is on Guest Bedrooms and gives some great hints on how to make your guests comfortable
What a warm and inviting room this is...
One of Sweetbrier's guest rooms welcomes guests with an eclectic mix of styles from the early 1900's through the mid 1940's
Seating with an afghan is available for those quiet moments...
Or just to put on your slippers.
Artwork adorns the walls, also from various time periods. The next two prints are from my grandmother and dated 1901-1904.

A reminder of time and romance...
A photograph of a pouty but precious little girl
No need to have an alarm clock when you're visiting, but it's nice to know the time
Ahhh, there's nothing like an early morning snack in bed...
Preparing for the day, a brush and mirror are provided for guests. I love the petite point roses and the finely detailed handles.
Although guests have their own bath, the pitcher and bowl is a reminder of times before indoor plumbing. A variety of soaps are provided in fragrances that would please both men and women.
An assortment of reading material is provided...
Two of my guests are fans of Queen Victoria and William Shakespeare (and yes, we have reading material for men plus cable tv)
Old magazines from 1899-1904 are such fun to read or to just browse the ads
Tailor made suits for $5 and look at the amount of fabric involved! Note the ad on the right page under the chair. The lady is exercising with a type of pulley that you see on today's infomercials
Of course proper lighting is essential to any guest bedroom
Love the detail on the base of this lamp
Photographs of family and friends, past and present, can be very enjoyable not to mention educational. How clothing styles have changed!



A stereoscope with pictures of distant lands or romantic comedy provides lots of fun and entertainment
And of course, the canine and feline visitors must also be considered. A stool in front of the window allows our feline guests to view the birdies that alight on the branches of the trees (we also provide a variety of pet beds and a litter box if needed:)
Cassie, our feral kitty, inspects the room for us
Yes, the bed is comfortable!
Hmmm, something moved outside
What's that, a bird, a plane?
This requires closer inspection...
Ahhh, yes, birds, how entertaining. Yes this room definitely meets with Cassie's approval!

4 comments:

The Victorian Parlor said...

Wow-everything looks wonderful (my compliments to your decorator). So do I get breakfast in bed when I come to visit-haha! (You know I really was born to royalty and then switched at birth:). Cassie is too funny checking things out. I hope the room passed with her approval!

Blessings,

Kim

Michael823 said...

Happy Birthday!

La Petite Gallery said...

SOOO WHEN CAN I COME???????
You have a full calendar...
Happy Birthday. I am going to paint my quest room
after this post butter yellow.

Great post as always.
yvonne
my post is sloppy this week.

Pam of Eastlake Victorian said...

What a beautiful and inviting guest room! I just loved taking a close look at everything... there's so much to see! I love ALL your touches. I especially like the velvety photo album, old framed photos, your chippy white tin full of loose antique photos, and your stereoscope and cards! AND the great books and magazines would keep me from EVER getting bored during my stay!

I also love the window seat for the animals and the pretty lace curtain. Cassie is a typical cat, isn't she? We call our Penny "The Little Supervisor" because she always has to inspect what we are up to! :)

-Pam