Innehållsförteckning för January - February 2009 från Victoria

Through the pages of Victoria, the editors share with you our favorite stories about people, places, special events, and other things we hold dear. We invite you to tell us what inspires you. We want every issue of Victoria to speak to your heart, so we’ve listed some questions that will allow you to tell us how we can serve you better. • What is your favorite Victoria column? • What topics would you like to see covered in future issues? • What is your idea of a dream vacation? • Who inspires you? • How would you define your decorating style? • If you had an afternoon all to yourself, how would you spend it? Visit www.victoriamag.com/share to send us your responses. We look forward to receiving your answers.…

Iwish the sky would rain down roses….They would fall as light as feathers, smelling sweet: and it would be like sleeping and yet waking, all at once.” —George Eliot The night was clear and frosty, all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy slope; big stars were shining over the silent fields.” —LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY A song is no song ’til you sing it, And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, Love isn’t love ’til you give it away.” —OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN…

The Westminster chimes of the clocks in her studio indicate that it’s precisely 10:00 a.m.— teatime and time for artist Maria Thomas to put down her antique pen for a spell. The freshly brewed black beverage and roasted rice cakes, buttered and salted and peppered like gourmet popcorn, are waiting for her and her team of artists on the secondstory porch of her Victorian home in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. As Maria sips her English-style tea with milk and sugar, she surveys the beauty of the landscape from her perch: the woods, the edge of the old mill town, the apiary with 50,000 bees. “People say that letter writing is a lost art,” she says, “but it’s an exciting, emotional experience. You cannot reread a phone call or hold an e-mail close…

Around a common table, women gather to pluck the spiky petals from a resilient flower. They line up heaps of dried thistle next to the fragrant oils of fresh lavender, bottles of pressed olive oil, bars of beeswax, and jars of Dead Sea salts—all the natural ingredients needed for an organic bath-and-beauty line. Founded in 2001, Thistle Farms is a cottage business built around the premise of caring and concern for others. Each handmade product is designed to be kind to the environment and to the body. Entrepreneur and author Becca Stevens, an ordained Episcopalian minister in Nashville, Tennessee, visualized a femalerun business with the mission of healing other women. In achieving her dream, she was inspired by the belief that “love is the most powerful force in the world…

Following the introduction of European Meissen porcelain in the eighteenth century, sets of china tableware became highly sought after by anyone who could afford them. Sometimes comprising more than two thousand pieces, porcelain dinner services were a symbol of wealth and power—Catherine the Great, of Russia, was said to have owned several sets, each with enough pieces to serve sixty guests. At a regal European dinner feast, especially in France, it was not uncommon to see twenty or thirty dishes for each of seven or eight courses. Among these courses was consommé, a rich reduction of the stock from a roast, which was served in individual pots à jus—tiny, lidded cups with a single handle. The lid kept the broth hot, while the handle allowed diners to drink directly from…

After only a moment spent inside this peaceful shop, it’s easy to feel as though you’ve stepped into a dreamlike world where flowers bloom in the snow and angels flit about overhead. Tranquil music plays in the background, providing a gentle soundtrack for this otherworldly place. Although white can sometimes feel cold or austere, the opposite is true here—snowy white, creamy ivory, and antique ecru swirl together to create a welcoming palette of soothing tones. Here and there, hints of dove gray, pale green, and taupe lend to the nature-inspired décor. The idea behind this serene wonderland in Birmingham, Alabama, all started with a simple T-shirt. “I’ve always loved flowers,” says the shop’s owner, Diana Hansen. “Twenty-four years ago, my husband and I lived in a beautiful old home with…

Fran’s Chocolates was born of a passion for pastry and a fervor for artisanal ingredients. While living in Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s and caring for her two small children, Fran Bigelow mastered the art of cooking. She studied first in the home kitchen of an 82-year-old Le Cordon Bleu graduate and then took classes at the California Culinary Academy. As her children grew, Fran’s talents triggered a wish to open a pastry shop—a business in which she could combine her love of chocolate and all things sweet with her desire to embark on a personally fulfilling career. Inspired by French chocolates and carefully constructed desserts, she launched Fran’s Patisserie and Chocolate Specialties when she moved to Seattle in 1982. Her daughter, Andrina, and son, Dylan, smile as they…

As I anticipate winter, I always imagine landscapes transformed by blankets of pristine snow. For those of us who live in areas that don’t get a lot of snow—perhaps just a thin dusting sometime in January—I like to bring the pale colors of snowy climes to the magazine pages. Our seasonal salute will inspire you to dream of fashions and interiors that echo my favorite soft tones. During my teen years, one of my passions was sewing—everything from clothing to quilts. By my early 20s, I was happy to be making much of my own clothing. One of my favorite efforts was a lovely winter white lightweight wool dress I created following a pattern by the designer Emanuel Ungaro. It was a vision of perfectly curved inset seams and little…

For many people, it’s only natural to feel a little let down once the excitement of the holiday season has abated. But the varied events taking place as we herald a new year make it easy to banish the winter blues—marvel at the intricate craftsmanship of nineteenthcentury porcelain; witness the elegant choreography of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; or celebrate the essence of the legendary painter Frida Kahlo. ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER Bass Hall Fort Worth, Texas February 24–25 Join the celebration as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater marks its fiftieth anniversary of bringing African-American cultural expression to the world’s stages. Legendary founder Alvin Ailey created more than seventy-nine ballets during his lifetime and was a pioneer in establishing a multiracial repertory company that forever changed the perception of…

Nothing compares to the pleasure delivered by a handwritten letter. And the joy of expression can be yours when you choose pen and ink for capturing your thoughts. The faux ivory pen feels comfortable in hand, and will provide the means for writing sweet sentiments and notes of thanks on charming cards adorned with lavender botanicals. OUR PRIVATE COLLECTION 1900 International Park Drive, Suite 50, Birmingham, AL 35243 Ivory Mark Twain Signature Collection Fountain Pen @ $64.00 (CP-MTIF) Lavender Fleur Stationery Set @ $13.00 (NBW81) Write Me a Letter Watercolor Print @ $39.95 (AIRJF08) Frame for Watercolor Print @ $49.95 (AIRFME) Order Online with Visa/MasterCard by visiting www.victoriamag.com, or call toll free 1-888-411-8995. If you prefer, you may order by mail using your credit card or by sending a check…

With a pen dipped into an owl-shaped inkwell in 1875, Louisa May Alcott crafted sentences into art to create some of the most enduring pieces of American literature. Inkwells like the one Alcott treasured were essential tools in the nineteenth century, when carefully written letters were often the only link to loved ones, and business deals were scripted and sealed with wax. The first inkwells were developed by the ancient Romans and used throughout the ages by other civilizations. But by the early 1900s, when the more practical fountain pen was developed, inkwells had largely been abandoned. Admirers have resurrected these vintage desktop vessels, and the wells have become coveted collectibles. Inkwells come in hundreds of shapes and styles—from the “very plain and functional to the ornate and whimsical,” says…

The culture of mail and postage carries a universal mystique—where a letter or postcard originated, where it traveled, and where it ultimately came to rest. The notion that technology has trumped written correspondence, and has diminished stamp collecting, is little more than that: a notion. Vicky Fenimore, a stamp collector for more than forty years, is witness to a resurgence in the hobby, as adults are revisiting their collections and inviting their children and grandchildren to join in. A member of one of the most established stampcollecting clubs in the country, the Lynchburg (Virginia) Stamp Club (formed in 1932), Vicky visits elementary schools and teaches beginner classes to ensure that the hobby is passed to the next generation. Eager to share their love of animals or sports, the children are…

IN THE VICTORIAN STYLE by Randolph Delehanty (Chronicle Books) Among the most noted architectural trademarks in the United States are the Victorian homes that line San Francisco’s hilly streets. These narrow dwellings with their detailed façades represent more than a building trend from the late nineteenth century; they played a key role in San Francisco society and embody a culture that welcomed new technologies while honoring the past. In the Victorian Style explores the legacy of this piece of architectural history and serves as a guide to San Francisco’s Victorian rows and neighborhoods. The land rush that followed the Gold Rush in the mid-nineteenth century led to “the imposition of a grid plan on the hilly site, the quick selling off of unim proved blocks, and then the sporadic subdivision…

A HISTORY OF HOSPITALITY English white ironstone has been tickling the fancy of Americans with its decidedly unfancy appeal since it was first imported and fervently acquired in the nineteenth century. Now a chic antique, the gleaming all-white earthenware has a goeswith- anything simplicity and a fits-in-anywhere charm that elicit as much pleasure among modern-day collectors as when it graced the tables of colonists, pioneers, and Victorians centuries ago. Introduced by Staffordshire potters as a durable, affordable substitute for porcelain, the earliest incarnations of the dense, heavy stoneware were colorfully decorated. But when unadorned white ironstone garnered instant favor in America for everyday use, its popularity inspired a heyday of mass production from 1840 to 1870. Ever since the era in which English white ironstone made its way across the…

“She was a delicate, ethereal creature, swaying and willowy, light and graceful of movement…She moved with a certain indefinable airiness. She was like a bit of Dresden china, and I was continually impressed with what I may call her fragility.” —Jack London, The Sea-Wolf With their demure expressions and couture garb, Dresden figurines have captured the imaginations of Western writers and painters, especially the artists of the Germanic region of Saxony, who inspired the regional renaissance during the rise of nineteenth-century Romanticism. After the court of Augustus the Strong rediscovered the recipe for porcelain in the early eighteenth century, Saxony produced original objects and patterns in this “white gold” for the delight of the aristocratic and merchant classes. Dresden figurines became distinguished for the innovative two-step process of casting the…

POTS DE CRÈME: A TASTE OF HISTORY AT THE TABLE Begins on page 48 Classic Vanilla Pots de Crème Makes 6 servings 1 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup whole milk 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved 1/8 teaspoon salt 6 egg yolks Garnish: amaretti cookies (Italian almond macaroons) 1. Preheat oven to 275?. 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla bean and reserved vanilla bean seeds, and salt. Cook over mediumhigh heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat. 3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Using a ladle, add approximately 1 cup of the hot cream mixture to the beaten yolks, whisking constantly; repeat. Return…

Buttons clutter the bottom of my sewing box. I fish inside, looking for pins or a spool of thread, and my fingers sift through old buttons, reminding me of what I used to wear. There are white pearl buttons from an angora sweater and black beaded buttons from an evening dress. Alongside these are heart-shaped ones—jelly red, shiny, and dime-store cheap. Pieces of our past are everywhere, even in the bottom of a box. My grandmother saved buttons in a round Louis Sherry candy tin with a spray of violets painted on the lid. Whenever I complained that I had nothing to do, she suggested I play with the buttons. I counted, sorted, and arranged them in piles. It was satisfying work for a restless child trying to make sense…

Although we love bright colors and vibrant hues, in the quiet of winter, sometimes the absence of color is the most stunning. These companies understand the beauty of this simplicity. Maine Oyster, a shop based in Portland, Maine, offers lovely jewelry, clothing, gifts, and home accessories. Although the brickand- mortar shop recently closed, the store’s Web site includes a beautiful selection, such as freshwater-pearl necklaces, ocean-fresh potpourri, cozy throws, and oil paintings by a local artist. Owner Jeannie Koby carefully selects each item for Piccolo, a Carmel, California, shop. Among the unique wares are handblown glassware from the Czech Republic, French chandeliers, local artisans’ creations, cards, and books. The eclectic merchandise appeals to sophisticated local customers, as well as to Carmel’s many visitors from around the world. Spencer House Antiques,…

“For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still.” —WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE…

For many who choose writing as a profession, the decision is not made definitively until their college years. But this career path seemed almost predestined for Susan J. Gordon, a prolific essayist based in White Plains, New York. Her work has been published in a variety of national magazines and newspapers. “Even as a young girl—long before I ever thought that I would become a published author—writing was my way of making sense of things,” she says. “Putting my thoughts into worthwhile and clear sentences helps me figure out how I feel, and this has helped me make meaningful changes in my life.” Many of Susan’s early childhood experiences were instrumental in shaping her lifelong love of the written word, an appreciation that the budding scribe came by naturally. “I…

On a February evening in 1898, the crème of Richmond society stepped down from their carriages and swept past tall palms and banks of red roses into the festively appointed rooms of Maymont House, dubbed “one of the most handsome in the South” by the Richmond Dispatch. All were eager to experience the mansion, especially because leading citizen James Dooley and his lovely wife, Sallie, had postponed the grand soirée until they felt their home was truly ready. It was a memorable night for a reborn Richmond. James, a backer of railroads, was part of that rebirth, and he profited handsomely from it. On a 100-acre country estate, he and Sallie established a formal Italian garden, a fashionable Japanese garden, a plunging waterfall, and even a rustic grotto. The many…

Flickers of candlelight dance throughout the room, carried from wall to wall in the reflection of an exquisitely framed mirror. Upon the mantel, shimmering silver vases and candleholders offer elegance of old. Even when the fireplace logs aren’t burning, the room remains warm with the glow of a winterborne wonderland. A thing of beauty is a joy forever… —JOHN KEATS Sleep, sleep, beauty bright, dreaming in the joys of night… —WILLIAM BLAKE As the winter chill whistles outside, let the gentleness of white warm your home. Natural light, plush linens, and fragile lace beckon sweet dreams and heavenly serenity. This bedroom provides a welcome escape with special touches that make the space unique. Fresh roses at the bedside whisper a soft welcome as crystal and silver dress up the room.…

Thamrock shapes in mother-of-pearl. Flourishes and scrolls in brass. Flower forms, wooden disks, and delicately etched glass beads. These vintage sewing notions speak so eloquently of a bygone era when a simple smock could be transformed into an heirloom gown with the addition of hand-tatted lace and a few dainty buttons. Take your creative inspiration from these generations-old fasteners, and craft sentimental yet practical keepsakes.…

COVER Mottahedeh Pont Aux Choux pots de crème, $170/set of 4 cups and lids; saucers, $90/set of 4; tray, $70, 800-242-3050, mottahedeh.com. MASTHEAD Pages 6 and 8: Ralph Lauren “Beach Side Matelasse,” $174, 888-475-7674, ralphlauren home.com. CALLING CARDS Page 12: Manuel Canovas “Tiffany,” available to the trade, colefax.com. JUST LIKE NEW Page 20: Avon Anew Rejuvenate Night Cream, $32, Flash Facial, $48, shop.avon.com. The Solution Anti-Aging Complex, $74, 800-993-9511, envision-beauty.com. Page 21: Johnson’s Be Radiant Cocoa & Shea Butter Body Lotion, $5.49, and Be Radiant Exfoliating Body Wash, $5.49, drugstore.com. Michaelmarcus Clean It Foaming Cleanser, $38, 800-300-2561, michaelmarcus.com. Lancôme Crème Mousse Confort, $24, 800-LANCOME, lancome-usa.com. Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting Crème, $250, esteelauder.com. Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Skin Firming Night Creme, $25, burtsbees.com. FAVORITE THINGS Page 22: Mr. Boddington’s Studio…