Monday, March 23, 2015

Parlor Day: March 18, 2015




THE PARLOR arrived last Wednesday, and I swear I haven't been so excited about what is,essentially, a toy, since the Christmas I received She-Ra's Crystal Castle. For all you non-80s Kids out there, She-Ra was He-Man's sister, and she lived here:

(All credit for these two lovely pictures goes to coolandcollected.com; I found them through Google, and I'm so happy to be able to see what I once had in all it's original glory. Let me just tell you, the one in my parent's basement looks nothing like this anymore, and I can't remember a time when the doors and windows weren't broken off.)




Anyway, once I lugged the three gigantic wall pieces upstairs and into the doll room, I was squealing about absolutely everything like a 5-year-old. There is a fireplace that lights up. There is a picture of a ship that hangs over the mantel that you can reverse to be a mirror. There is a window that comes with a reversible insert to make it look like it's either sunny or stormy outside! Oh, the possibilities!! 

So, of course, as predicted, everyone wants in on the Parlor action.

First one in was, naturally, Miss Scarlett, thinking to herself that this might do nicely as Tara's parlor, with a little redecorating. What is with all the water and boats out the window? I want to see my flowers and shady trees. Lydia followed her in, playing the part of Miss Melly for the day because she looks the best in this dress (!!) She and Scarlett get along very well, by the way, since they are a bit younger and have lives yet uncomplicated by beaux.


 (All thanks for the amazing GWTW costuming, by the way, goes to bobbyjosue on Etsy.)

Bridie McGowan, who was also already out of the closet for St. Patrick's Day, took a peek out the window. Pardon me, lassies, but I believe ye might be mistakin'! This is surely the common room for 
our school over in London.
O'course, we don't have such a nice view. More likely, it would be loads o' people and hansom cabs rushin' up and down the streets. And fog. Or rain. Or both.


Suddenly, Anna appeared, and was absolutely smitten with the window seat. No, it's not London, it's Arendelle! See all the ships out there on the fjord? This is our palace! Elsa, come here and look at this!

Elsa waltzed in, wearing a bright green dress that she had borrowed from Belle. She is still on a high from being freed from her life of cursed isolation, and she is all about color and happiness. Princess Anna, who is naturally like that anyway, approves mightily of her sister's new attitude.


Oh, Anna, it's perfect! It's everything we could ever want. It just needs a throne...and look at this FIREPLACE! You and Kristoff can snuggle in front of it whenever I decide to bring the winter back! 



That's a joke, right? Anna asked, laughing nervously. She didn't want to see any more ice and snow for a very, VERY long time.


Of course. LOOK! Look at this view! 

Look at these curtains! Don't they make me look like the picture of sophisticated grace?

You're the picture of something, hahaha. Aaack, Anna, what are you doing? You're going to make us fall! 







What is this foolishness? In MY parlor? Maria Francisca Montoya grandly entered the room. This isn't your fairytale palace, it's my stately home in Sante Fe, New Mexico. And we're celebrating my sister Josefina's birthday, so move along, now, if you please!


Josefina was a bit confused, but Francisca explained that once she had married Patrick O'Toole, they would have a lovely new fashioned home build with all the wealth they would have from Patrick's trading business.

So, it's not your house yet, right?

Oh, minor details, Josefina! Besides, don't you want to have a party in this nice parlor for your birthday tomorrow?

Well, when you put it that way...time for a fandango! But, I think we need a piano in here to make it just right...




And so on, and so on, and so on. I don't think this is going to get settled any time soon!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Whose Parlor Is This, Anyway?

Well, today I did something I never dreamed in a million years that I ever would or could do. I ordered Caroline's Parlor from American Girl. Yes, that 3-walled monstrosity that debuted in 2012 and shocked the collecting community with an unprecedented $300 price tag. I, like many, looked at it wistfully and then tried to forget it. There was no way I would ever drop that much money on a single doll accessory, EVER.
Today, lo and behold, it was put on sale for $135...and I thought about it. I thought about it a lot. Suddenly, it cost less than the original price of Caroline's Table and Chairs, which I added to my collection gleefully last Christmas. Suddenly, it didn't have to just be a fantasy anymore!
So now, I am having fun thinking of all the scenarios it can be used in. It has a sort of timelessness that can fit into a lot of different historical time periods, which is perfect for my collection. It can be:

-Felicity's parlor, late 1700s
-Cecile's parlor, 1850s
-Scarlett's parlor, 1850s
-Lydia Grace's home in Cape Cod, mid-1800s
-Victoria and Charlotte's parlor at Mycroft Manor
-Generic Victorian/Edwardian parlor for scenes with Samantha or Rebecca
-a perfect backdrop for some of my non-AG dolls, including a palace parlor for Anna and Elsa. I can just see Ariel or Belle or Anna sitting on that window seat and daydreaming!

and so on. Probably the only one who won't be using it, ironically, is Caroline herself. She has completely shed her canon self and become Kirsten's best friend Marta living on the Minnesota prairie. (Josefina and Francisca were delighted to inherit all of her Regency-period dresses!) But one thing's for sure, the parlor is destined to be very popular here.