Sandy Kay Slawson (The Homemaker/Writer): My First Novel's Inspirations~The Conclusion/Furni...

Sandy Kay Slawson (The Homemaker/Writer): My First Novel's Inspirations~The Conclusion/Furni...: Hello! So glad you could make it for my last installment in my series My First Novel's Inspirations . I have enjoyed this series, but it...

My First Novel's Inspirations~The Conclusion/Furniture

Hello! So glad you could make it for my last installment in my series My First Novel's Inspirations. I have enjoyed this series, but it's time to move on. Before I get into the meat of my post, I want to direct you to my website. I hope you will subscribe while you're there. I plan to have a newsletter sent out by the end of this week. I have plenty to share with you about my writing journey, my trip to the ACFW Conference last week, as well as other changes coming. BUT, only my subscribers will receive my newsletter, so don't miss out. It's free and I won't overrun your email with spam. Thank you for being here! 

In my novel, Hope for Charity, I have the task (I'm still editing.) of balancing my story with descriptions of the places, people and things in my novel. I want to give you glimpses of these things, without making it read like a catalog description. In today's publishing world, there are guidelines. A writer is to keep their manuscripts between about 75,000 to 95,000 words. Here are some well known books from the past and their word count.

Ayn Rand-Atlas Shrugged 561,996

Charles Dickens-A Tale of Two Cities 135,420

Daniel Defoe-Moll Flanders 138,087

Emily Bronte-Wuthering Heights 107,945

Fyodor Dostoyevsky-Crime and Punishment 211,591

George Eliot-Middlemarch 316,059

Harriet Beecher Stowe-Uncle Tom’s Cabin 166,622
Henry David Thoreau-Walden 114,634

James Fenimore Cooper-Last of the Mohicans145,469

John Steinback-The Grapes of Wrath 169,481

John Steinback-East of Eden 225,395

Leo Tolstoy-War and Peace 587,287

Mark Twain-The Adventures of Huck Finn 109,571

Mark Twain-Life on the Mississippi 127,776

These books are memorable. These books make a mark on their readers. Why? I personally think it's because the authors weren't limited. They were allowed to tell their stories to their fullest. Able to describe their "worlds" in ways that made the readers feel like they were a part of the story. We're told today's readers are different. They supposedly need the fast food equivalent in books. What do you think?

 I'll write to the best of my ability within the confines of the guidelines, even though I would love to describe every piece of furniture, every clothing item, every person, etc., it just isn't feasible. So, dust off those imaginations people, I'll give you a taste and then it's up to you.

I do hope this series helps. When or if you read my story you will have an idea of the styles and environment of the times to give you a head start. I'd love to know if you have any favorites.

Alright, let's finish this series up with Georgian Era furniture. With me it's a love/hate relationship! What do you think?

Kitchen/Dining Room

Modest Oak Table with Benches and Chairs

Kitchen Wash Stand

Hearth (Oven & Stove)

"The Georgian style became lighter throughout the one-hundred-and-twenty-three-year period, with regard to decoration, colours and design. Earlier Georgian style veered towards burgundy’s, greens and grey’s, however colours became muted over time, with soft dusky pinks and Wedgwood blues gaining in popularity. There was a chinoiserie feel to the décor, with soft furnishings such as cotton fabrics featuring small, delicate sprigs of flowers; often upper class Georgian homes had matching curtains and upholstery.

Earlier Georgian furniture was sturdy and heavy, however as time passed symmetry, light and space determined the delicate furniture that was later made." 

Dining Room Table with Chairs/Mahogany

Sideboard

Sitting Area

"Georgian pieces are likely to be made from oak or mahogany; prior to 1730 walnut was the wood of preference. However when mahogany was imported, firstly from Cuba then Honduras, it was used to make the large majority of formal furniture produced during the time, as it was more durable.

Key pieces of furniture from this period include sideboards, kneehole desks, cabinets, chaise longues, four-poster beds and washstands. Furniture was often very delicate, winged chairs were a very popular choice." 

I love the embroidery on this couch.

Canepé a Oreilles

This gorgeous fabric is made even better with the contrast of the dark wood.

Baroque Style Chair

An Italian Rococo Giltwood Open Armchair mid-18th century, probably Venetian

I saw a chair like this recently on Facebook Marketplace. I know of a couple places in my home a chair like this would be useful. 😀

Corner Chair

This blue sofa is beautiful!

18th Century French Rococo Sofa

French Louis XVI Pedestal table in Mahogany

Bedroom

18th Century Canopy Bed

French Louis XV Giltwood Console Table with Marble Top (I pictured something like this for a bedside table.)

One of the bedrooms in my novel looks much like this small room.

Twin Beds

Small Table with Chairs

Office

18th Century George III Mahogany Pedestal Desk

18th Century Queen Anne Walnut Wing Chair With Tapestry 

"In particular, we think that the Georgian period produced some of the finest examples of furniture design. What makes Georgian furniture interesting, is the immense variety of styles that emerge throughout the period. From the years 1714 to 1830, over a century, we see outstanding craftsmanship from the likes of William Kent, Thomas Chippendale, Robert Adam and Thomas Hope." 

Georgian era furniture can definitely be on the ornate side. Some of it can be absolutely gaudy, but there are also many beautiful pieces. I hope you enjoyed looking at some of the pieces that inspired me.

Remember to subscribe to my website so you don't miss out on my newsletter. Have a great week and may the Lord God bless you and your family with Faith, Hope and Love in Jesus' Name.

In Christ,

Sandy

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My First Novel's Inspirations~Part 10b/Women's Accessories Cont.

Hello and Happy Monday! Thanks for coming to find out more about Women's Accessories. I've got three more accessories I want to cover today. First, if you have subscribed to my blog, check out those buttons over there 👉press the buttons and follow the directions. 👍I appreciate all my followers and I'm so glad you've come back again and again, to follow my journey to authorship and beyond. For those of you who've been keeping up with this series, MFNI's, we are almost done. Today's post and one more should finish it up. September 30, I won't be able to post, so look for the last post in this series on Oct. 7th.

Women's Accessories

(continued)

Fans

The way women used fans back in the 1700's, is fascinating to me. Women used fans as a form of communication. They could flirt, scold, express interest or disinterest and more. Certain movements of the fan could speak volumes to anyone who could speak the language.

"The 18th century was the heyday of the fan. It was an essential accessory in a stuffy, crowded ballroom. Fans were made in every medium: ivory, painted silk and paper, lace, chicken skin (a very fine kid) and so forth.

However fashionable your fan, you would not be considered elegant unless you held it in the right way. A lady might take snuff genteely, use her handkerchief daintily, and smile with refinement, but nonetheless she would be laughed at if she used her fan in a bourgeois manner. On the other hand, as was said of George III’s queen Charlotte, even the plainest woman could become attractive if she used her fan graciously.

Young ladies were therefore instructed on the proper ways to handle their fan. For example, Matthew Towle’s Young Gentleman and Lady’s Private Tutor (1770) devoted several pages to the subject, and portraits of the period show ladies holding their fans in one or other of Towle’s recommended positions.

But 18th century ladies used the fan for more than keeping cool: they used it as a form of expression. More than any other article of fashion, the fan became part of a lady’s body language. Supposedly, there even existed a ‘language of the fan’ whereby ladies could send messages across a room without saying a word. To use this language, it was essential to know your right from your left! For example:

Touching right cheek – yes
Touching left cheek – no
Twirling in left hand – we are watched
Twirling in right hand – I love another
Fanning slowly – I am married
Fanning quickly – I am engaged

Open and shut – you are cruel
Open wide – wait for me
Presented shut – do you love me?
With handle to lip – Kiss me
In right hand in front of face – Follow me
Drawing across the cheek – I love you
Placing on left ear – I wish to get rid of you
Twirling in right hand – I love another

The Art of Dancing, Soame Jenyns
What daring bard shall e’er attempt to tell
The powers that in this little engine dwell?
What verse can e’er explain its various parts
Its numerous uses, motions, charms and arts?
Its shake triumphant, its virtuous clap,
Its angry flutter, and its wanton tap." 

Ivory fan with vellum leaf - 'Return from Abroad'

c. 1740

Folding fan with ivory sticks (probably Chinese) and printed paper leaf published by Martha Gamble English, c. 1740

The two fans above, can be found at the Fan Museum in Greenwich, London. 

Here's a few more beautiful fans:

Jewelry

If a person had the means to own jewelry or simply jewels, they could be used in many ways. Such as, weaved in a hairdo or clothing, on fans, reticules, buckles, etc. Of course there is the more expected places, on a brooch, ring, necklace etc. I had a really hard time narrowing this down for you, since there are so many gorgeous pieces to choose from, but here are some of my favorite period pieces.

brooch

pendant

earrings

ring

locket

Gloves

"As a consequence of technical advances and new forms of fashionable dress, the consumption of fabric and knitted gloves began to increase during the eighteenth century. The lower cost of these materials meant that gloves soon became accessible to a wider section of the populace. Changing fashions, along with the high cost of elaborate gauntlet styles, led to the emergence of shorter, wrist-length gloves. Such styles were often constructed of finely embroidered and printed leather or multicolored woven cloth. Gloves of this type were designed to complement the popular fashions of long ruffled or lace-trimmed sleeves." 

Gloves

Well, that's all I have for this week. What accessories are your favorites? I don't know if I could choose just one! I know I loved the chatelaines from last week and the jewelry this week. Comment if you have a favorite.

Thanks again for coming! Remember October 7th should be my last post for this series, so don't miss it. I'm looking forward to going to the ACFW Conference next week. Remember to subscribe here or at my website to get my newsletter in October. I'll try to update y'all on the conference and a few other things that have been going on there. 

Have a great week! May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love. In Jesus' Name.

In Christ,

Sandy

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My First Novel's Inspirations~Part 10b/Women's Accessories

Welcome to another Monday blog post! I'm so glad you came. Don't forget to subscribe 👉 while you're here. I understand many people are nervous about subscribing to a site, because they don't want to be inundated with emails and offers to buy this or buy that or be asked to pay for a subscription. That will not happen here. You'll be notified when I have a new post and when I've sent out my Quarterly Newsletter (at least that's the goal). When my book is published, you may be given a link or directed to where you could go to buy it if you so choose. So, don't be afraid to subscribe. My goal is to grow my readership and become a published author. Believe it or not, every subscription I have can make a difference in whether or not I'm picked up by a Literary Agent or Publisher. Ok, enough of that. Let's talk women's accessories!

Women's Watches and Chatelaines

 "Women did not wear breeches with fob pockets, so while men hid their watches in a fob pocket and let the watch chain hang from it, women wore their watches at the hanging end of their equipages in full view:

Equipages pinned or clipped to the waistband of a woman’s petticoat since she didn’t have a fob pocket. Others were designed to be worn hooked over a sash, like those worn over zone-front gowns. The weren’t just for watches, but could also include a multitude of accessories, grooming tools, sewing implements, or small vials of perfume  and did not necessarily have to include a watch–some were more like suspended sewing kits–" 

"In the wardrobe of the 18th century ladies was an accessory, which now fashionable women never dreamed of – it’s decorative belt hook, which was called Chatelaine...is a belt hook...on which they wore a wide variety of items: notebooks, knives, thimbles, measuring tapes, thermometers. Chatelaine was much more convenient than modern handbags in which their owners have to dig frantically  to find something. In the early 18th century Chatelaine has gained more and more popularity among the aristocratic society. The rapid growth was assisted by the popularity of  wearing mechanical watches. Mechanical pocket watch attached to a chain – the type of Chatelaine." 

"Before purses or pockets, people carried their important tools or accessories dangling from pins or hooks attached to their belts. Decorative as well as practical, these belts, known as chatelaines, could hold scissors, watches, writing instruments, notebooks, eyeglasses, etc. (They enjoyed widespread use until the 1900s). Made of cut steel, the chatelaine below includes: a disc-shaped pin cushion, a button hook, a thimble holder with steel thimble, a folding corkscrew for perfume bottles and a decorative cut-steel attachment. Despite some rust on the steel due to age, this piece remains in very good condition. Intact chatelaines, like this, are very rare. Over the years, people dismantled many of these to use the tools as pendants." 

Parasol

"The history of sunshades goes back thousands of years, but it was during the Italian Renaissance of the 16th century that umbrellas and parasols were introduced to Europe. At first the items were large, used interchangeably, and generally carried by a servant to protect the wealthy from the elements and sun. Some were heavy (made of leather) but silk, paper, and cotton grew in popularity. During the 1700s parasols had already evolved into a woman’s fashion item, designed and decorated to match each promenade dress or walking suit, and was clearly defined as a sunshade; not for rain and snow. To make them collapsible developed around 1800, but ribs would break, paper tear, and the materials mildew if left damp." 

    

Rain Umbrella

"By the mid-18th century, the rain umbrella moved towards an everyday item among women, but it was not until the Englishman Jonas Hanway fashioned and carried a rain umbrella on the streets of London in 1750 did men begin to take notice. Although ridiculed at first, Hanway carried a rain umbrella everywhere he went, and by the late 1700’s, the rain umbrella became a common accessory among both men and women. In fact, in the late-1700’s and early 1800’s, a “Hanway” evolved to become another name for a rain umbrella."    

Reticule

"A reticule is a small drawstring bag carried as a purse by a woman in the 18th and early 19th century.  It was also used as a synonym for any kind of purse or handbag carried by a woman."

"From the beginning of time women needed a place to put personal things. And whether you call it a chanery, chatelaine, pocket, reticule, handbag or purse it became something a women couldn’t do without. The English called reticules “indispensables.” The French called them “ridicules” and mocked women who carried them. An interesting thing is how very small they were in the beginning in the 1700’s. That was because way back then women rarely carried anything. If she went shopping a maid accompanied her and paid for all the purchases. A woman didn’t talk about money and heaven forbid she certainly didn’t HANDLE it. (Of course, this applies to those women wealthy enough to afford a maid. -sandy) So, visiting cards, a handkerchief, small bottle of perfume, or the ever-present smelling salts (because you never knew when you were about to keel over) were about all she needed to keep with her. They were made of all sorts of things—silk, velvet, brocade, leather, straw, old doilies, handkerchiefs. You name it and it could be made into a reticule. And then there were the knitted and crocheted ones. Some had adornment and some were plain Jane." 

As is the case with anything, the wealth of the woman determined what she could and could not afford to own or the quality of what she owned. If the women of the 18th century were anything like the women of today, I'm sure they found ways to make or find dupes and knock-offs, of at least some of these things. For example here are a couple of handmade chatelaines:

I sort of like the idea of a chatelaine. As I was looking for pictures, I found patterns for making modern day chatelains, mostly used for sewing. I may make me one...

Having things isn't wrong, God blesses us with so much. It's when our hearts worship the things instead of the Creator that we have made those things our treasure  (idol) instead of God. Make the Lord God your treasure and you will always be rich.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Come back next week to learn about the last three accessories on my list. Have you been enjoying this one so far? I know I have. 😀

I hope the rest of your week is great! May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love in Jesus' Name.

In Christ,

Sandy

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