Victorian Dinner Party #12

 By collecting together vintage objects, I was able to creative small vignettes which added to the "back in time" feel of the party. Here, beautiful old wooden spools of thread were paired with metal thimbles and two tiny shoe pincushions, creating a sewing-theme vignette.

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These Victorian leather baby shoes, compete with tiny black buttons, joined a vintage wooden shoe-making last. By grouping like objects together, it is easy to create interesting displays that add layers to your decor.  

Victorian Dinner Party #11

A large blackbird under a glass dome and a wreath made from black feathers were further tie-ins with the party's blackbird theme. The wreath was fashioned by sewing an inexpensive feather boa around a twig wreath that I already had.

And what would a Victorian gathering be without a Victorian gazing ball?  This glass ball from my garden was pressed into service. It was quite surprising to see how many things I already had tied quite nicely into the Victorian theme. 

Victorian Party #10

Several portraits in the room hold secrets. When you look at them from various angles, ghoulish figures are revealed, giving the passerby a fright. 

 The portrait's alter ego...

A distinguished looking gentleman morphs into a skeletal figure.

These beautiful cream-coloured leather gloves form part of this vignette.

Another seemingly innocent portrait...

... that hides a more sinister side.

A skull oversees a bowl of old rusty nails that were found on the banks of the Ottawa River. 

Victorian Dinner Party #9

The coffee was served in this demi-tasse set, given to me by a dear friend about 20 years or so ago. I think this is the first time that I have used it. Its black and white with gold pattern was the perfect accompaniment to the table setting. Some things are just meant to be.

 

Out of the blue, M. offered me these tiny gold spoons, exactly the right size for the cup and saucer's diminutive proportions. The camel at the top of the spoon works well with the Victorian theme, as the Victorians were great travelers to exotic places.

Victorian Dinner Party #8

After our aperitifs (a glass of sherry), the ladies were escorted to the table and the soup was served,  a medley of harvest vegetables with a dollop of sour cream.

The next was the seafood course, shrimp cocktail in a bed of greens. And for those who do not eat shrimp, there was an alternative, a Victorian-type prank... a shrimp-like substitute was served with a straight face, false teeth gummies. 

Turkey pot pie (called Blackbird pie for the occasion) was the main course, with haricots vert on the side. I made little bird prints across the top of each pie as if a blackbird had walked across the crust. A spring of rosemary, freshly cut from the garden adorned each.

To cleanse the palate, a small scoop of raspberry sorbet came next, garnished with a small meringue and chocolate spider. 

The raspberry sorbet was followed by the desserts: a Victorian sponge cake, battenburg cake, and gingerbread cake.  After which came tea and coffee, and a choice of meringue, madeleines, and almond crescents. The desserts and tea and coffee were followed by a cheese and biscuit plate (groans from the guests were audible as this was offered) and finally a selection of brandy, cognac and liqueurs. Wine and ice water were served throughout.

Victorian Dinner Party #7

Some antique alphabet blocks spell out Victoria on the mantle.

A selection of items were gathered together into a vignette for effect, providing a suitable backdrop. This clock looks old but is actually an inexpensive thrift shop score.

An old print about October was a lucky find in a thrift shop, only a couple of weeks before the party. Even better, it cost the very reasonable sum of $1.99, including the matting and frame.

The poem is appropriate for Halloween and the past, with its mention of chill October winds "sadly sighing, when the leaves in circlets fly, all seems dead or dying."

  

Victorian Dinner Party #6

These are the take-away gifts that my guests received as they were leaving the party at the end of the night. Inside the Victorian cones was a combination of  "tricks and treats", tricks such as a plaster skull, sticky eyeballs, scary hands, a mouse and a spider; and yummy baked treats: meringues, almond crescents and madeleines. 

The loot was wrapped in black-and-white printed tissue paper in which was placed a layer of parchment paper. The cones had black ribbon handles.

The cones were made with black construction paper and reinforced at the seams by patterned contact paper in a suitable Victorian motif. On the black construction paper areas I glued images that I had photocopied from the 1901 Eaton's catalogue, cutting them out and placing the masculine items on the cones for the men and the ladies' items on those for my female guests. 

Here are some of the ladies' cones.

  And here is one for the men.

They were all a llittle different from each other.