HOW EXCITING to have my internet connection back just in time for this class #3!
I have learned so much from your classes already! Thank you so much Judith for doing this! And for doing it before the holidays and before I stage my house for sale! This is a great help to me, since I do not have the time to do that much 'studying' on my own while so much else is going on in my life! You are a generous dear for doing this!!!

Mary Ruth, glad to have you back, I KNOW you missed your internet! LOL It is so exciting that you will be staging your home soon, we'll have fun with that.

Well, here are a few of my thoughts, I hope they are helpful.

Disclaimer. Please remember that this are my own observations, how I look at things. Some of you will probably see things differently or completely disagree with me, this is simply an exercise in how I come to view things, I am not formally trained. But hey, we all have to start somewhere.

I do love her books, as well as other authors, but I do wish they would go so much more deeper in their explanations on how they come about with their designs, I figure between the group of us doing this, we can all figure this out together.

Rating this vignette from a simple vignette and a complex one, I would from a point of easiness to difficulty on a 1-6 scale, I will put this at a 3. This is not a "simple" vignette where maybe only 3 items are used (for example, a tall lamp, a green plant, and a smallish porcelain statue this being a "basic odd number 3 piece set up".)

Another important part of looking at a vignette is seeing what the style is. The author says she loves the contrast of the more expensive and classic items with the more rough, earthy rustic items. It is a total visual contrast, but yet it still flows. This, like any design or designer takes into account as to whether you even LIKE his or her style. I love her style, I like to do the same thing in lots of my designs too, but of course there will be people where her style is not a good fit for them. And thatÂs OK too, this is why there is so many designers out there. :)

This vignette involves at least 24 items. (depending on how you broke them down) If you did the complete Excel breakdown sheet then you will have far much more description, but this is how I did it this time for me because discussion will follow in this case. You will notice I left out the eggs, feathers some other things etc, for me this works out OK right now.

Of course if you are a beginner then I recommend doing the whole breakdown/roadmap discussed in the earlier classes.
The following is a "simple" breakdown:

2 tall candlestick lights
1 large urn
1 mid size height brass weight/scale
1 small porcelain statue
1 smallish gourd
1 smallish pedestal chalice type
1 mid size wine bottle holder
2 bottles of wine
1 nest
1 "top" of a cement/resin column (ornate)
4 groupings of natural mossy and twiggy items
3 tiny flowers
5 good size sunflowers in various colors

So this particular list adds up to 24 items/objects

Some rambling thoughts:

Candlestick lights, I love the finials at the top of them. If I purchase a lamp and it doesnÂt come with a nice top/finial then I will purchase a finial that will look good with the lampÂfor me, details are everything.

The upper part of her walls are quite dark, I think it is a paint of her formula, a very rich dark bluish navy. The dark color makes a great contrast and drama for the room with the lower white area there as a balancing look for the room.

What might appear to be casually and easily placed for this vignette, is actually well thought out and detailed.
The heights, color and subject matter and how it relates to the room was all carefully considered, it so totally important to the success of the vignette in my opinion.

Lets talk about the "feeling" she might be going for:
I think itÂs warmly elegant, casual, with a nod towards
decorating for the Fall seasonal colors.

Lets talk about the color scheme:

Notice the rich golds, browns, and greens. The art work on the wall flowed beautifully with the warm colors of the vignette, to include the sunflower's colors, the white/cream in the sheep pulling the powdery white on the urn, the white background of the wine labels and the upper white of the candlesticks The is the gold theme to include the brass weights, colors in the flowers (large and small), gold tone in the gourd,the rich earthy colors of the small porcelain sitting on one of the weight scales and the landscape area in the art. The small burnished gold footed chalice holding the nest. Even the small brass rod like attachments to the buffet is part of the whole. Lets not forget the nests, twiggy stuff and mossy materials flowing thru.

There is an amazing amount of detail here, if a few things were left out, it might be kind of empty looking (at least for her style).

Heights:

Look at all the different heights here. She has your eye traveling all through it, it becomes exciting and interesting, never static. These varying heights in a vignette is one of the important factors in what makes her vignette successful. (for any vignette for that fact)

Lets talk about the flower "arrangement". This flower arrangement appears to be very simplified, well yes it is, but it is still structured. There is a taller sunflower, followed below by 4 other sunflowers in varying heights in the urn, along with that, there are some twiggy items coming out from the bottom lip of the urn, therefore drawing your eyes back into the center of the vignette. You will also notice the twiggy things coming from the lip of the urn ties in nicely with the twiggy birds next and other natural materials in the vignette.

I hope this is helpful, if it is not please tell me.

**********Well I have LOTS MORE comments, I will add to this tomorrow.*********

Judith,
This was a very fun exercise. I have always had trouble defining my "style" because I'm very casual and love the rustic garden look. But, I totally love silver, china, crystal and the more formal tableware also. This style combines my two seemingly opposite styles. I've always had trouble putting them together. I usually went one way or the other. These examples and exercises are really helping me. Now when I go thrifting (another interest) I can justify putting the two different styles in my cart. Very fun! All your comments (and the comments from everyone else participating in this exercise) are so helpful. I will probably not do the Excell sheet - I do a lot of that at work and don't like to do it at home - seems too much like work to me. But I'm doing it in my head. Who knows, maybe I'll get to that point eventually.
I liked the vignette with the brass scales. I bought a scale a couple of years ago. I was going to give it to my DD when she finished Law School (scales of justice and all)but decided that it wasn't really her style and kept it for myself. I have had it sitting on a table in my stairway but it has never really "popped". Now I have a few ideas. It would be fun to change it out with the seasons. I'm better at planning in my head than actually doing an elaborate vignette but maybe I'll actually finish one (LOL). Again, I look forward to all the comments.

Wonderful insight into the vignette Judith! I like how you have broken down each aspect of it and told us how it all relates to each other. I am finding your comments very interesting and helpful. So do you mean now that we go and analyze/break down the vignette on page 90 on our own?

DD

delphinium, I am glad you are finding it helpful :) From what you are telling me about your style, it sounds like your style fits right in with the authors (mine too). I do think that mixing styles is still a bit tricky, that is why it is so important to understand how she does hers, therefore helping you to put yourself forward into designing vignettes successfully for you. Don't worry about not doing a Excel sheet, if that is not your thing, and you can do it in your head, that's fine, the idea is to do whatever it takes to help you see things, not everyone needs to write down things to "get" the vignette. I still use a spreadsheet for the more involved things, and and do most of the easier ones in my head (plus I love Excel (99% of my daily work/job is in Excel, but I still like using it LOL) So cool you have a brass scale, I think they are a really unique accessory, now you get to ponder on how you can use them for Christmas :) I am already seeing possibilities.

dining delight/DD I am glad it helped, there are a few more comments for me to add to this vignette (so not done yet). I was just so long winded yesterday, I figured I would add another part today. But, yes if you want, you can go ahead and write out a description of that photo/vignette.

Judith,
I wanted to do the homework before reading your comments. I made a detailed list, atleast thats what I thought but yours is much more comprehensive. Thanks for explaining how you see the vignette and the flow of things. I will have to go back and study the pictures when I get home tonight.

I got a copper scale once at a garage sale for 25c but I am using it in my garden planted with little succulents... LOL. I think DH would object if I brought it inside now!!

Mo

Judith, You've made every aspect of this vignette come alive. Poor Alfred will stop going shopping with me because now I will be studying every detail of every display in every store!
I have to start going back through all of my decorating books and magazines now that I've been taught to examine every detail. Heights, colors, contrasts, etc.
Also, I have been wanting to paint since I moved into this house, but after seing how the background in your vignettes and in these classes really set the stage, I HAVE TO PAINT!
That brown beadboard on the bottom and white above ain't cutting it!
So... what's next?
Betty

Judith,
I feel like you've taken my blinders off ...so many of the things I never noticed before your classes...Thank You!

posted by kathie738, and I agree and quote: "Judith,
I feel like you've taken my blinders off ...so many of the things I never noticed before your classes...Thank You!"

I gotta tell you gals that Judith has a heart of gold... she shares what she holds dear to her heart! Thank you Judith!

Ditto on what Betty, Kathie, and Mary Ruth just said.

hugs, Karen

mo13, I am glad this little exercise has been helpful. :)

Betty, thank you too, I am glad it is helping. the photo in her book is a little confusing to her ACTUAL wall color, her actual color is a lovely deep midnight blue on the upper wall, but the way it was photographed did make it look like a different color.

Kathie, great, I am happy you are getting some use out of the class too, make sure you start to "practice" on some of your treasures, the more you practice the better you get.

MaryRuth, you are too sweet, thanks!

Karen, thank you too, you all make it worth it!

I just got through reviewing these vignettes and drew some lines on them. I hope you can see them! I will post two different times so that the picture is not on this board but on a link. I copied them right out of the book for review and study.
Vignette #1 on page 90
Nell Hill's Entertaining in Style

I hope you can see the writing on them! I will post two different times so that the picture is not on this board but on a link. I copied them right out of the book for review and study.
Vignette #2 on page 96
Nell Hill's Entertaining in Style

First thing I noticed is that I should have typed out my reply on Word first, lost it all. I forgot to change the top title... Grrrrr!

I hope you can read the text and see the lines in the two posts above. If not let me know I will interpret. It is basically this:

Carol Garrity uses a square to contain her vignettes on both pages 90 & 96 in Nell Hill's Entertaining in Style.
The hard lines and confinement of the square helps to contain where the eye will flow around the items.

The 3 or 4 (you can find more if you study the vignettes more) triangles create a little tension and movement in different areas of the vignette. They take your eye up and down the item better than rectangle items would.

The circles and round items give you relief from all the hard lines and soften the vignette. In as sense they add the feminine touch.

Some people are symmetrical and some are asymmetrical, I am (asymmetrical) I notice the 'box' right away that confines the vignette. This sytle does not work (confined in a box) IF you want someone to view other things near by. Let's say you have a whole village set up on your mantel for Christmas, you don't need to make one house the main vignette, you would want everyone to view the whole scene!

Well Judith, that is my study of these vignettes.

My goodness, Mary Ruth, your diagrams and descriptions sure were an eye-opener to me. I had no idea just HOW CLUELESS I was in figuring this stuff this out. Hopefully with Judith's classes and your help, I'll learn to see things much better.

hugs, Karen

purplemoon,
Thanks, I am sorry, I get sooooo technical sometimes that I forget that I go on and on. I love the technical part of design, art and photography. I am so glad Judith gets that way with her classes, cause you learn as much as a college course! REALLY!

I just found some of my notes about Interior Decorating. They also apply to smaller vignettes and table settings!

1) Enlarge a piece of furniture visually with artwork. For instance to enlarge an armoire, stack 2 skinny vertical prints on top of each other.
2) Repeat similar shapes for a harmonious look. i.e. A round coffee table would look best if accessorized with round objects, such as a bowl, vase and candle. A square table would look best with square items such as decorative boxes or rectangular picture frames.
3) The Magic Triangle. Lighting should be dispersed throughout a room in a triangular pattern. When accessorizing, keep the shape of a triangle in mind. One tall object in the back is the peak of the triangle. Complete the vignette with a medium and small piece to form an outline of a triangle.

And to think I never had a clue so much went into this type of arrangement. I always thought everyone just tried this, that, and the other until they got what looked "right" to them. I'm finding all of this new information interesting, but at this point I'm afraid I will be afraid to try doing my own for fear of not getting the "formula" right! I think I will just try to follow a picture like one of these and use things I have around the house that might be similar. I'm anxious to hear and learn more. Luvs

luvs,
don't be afraid! It is just that if you don't like how it comes out, you will have some clue as to how to kick it up a notch!

I've learned a very valuable lesson here....I'm totally clueless when it comes to vignettes and accessorizing.

I agree with Karen - this has been eye-opening.

Judith,
Are we finished with Class # 3 and moving to class # 4? Anxiously awaiting more.
Betty

Hi Betty,

My computer crashed at home AGAIN!!! So I have hardly been here to look, let alone my poor blog. This is not a good time of the year for me to put out big bucks to fix it Again Sigh....... I am posting from work this a.m (which I do not like to do, for the obvious reasons :(((((

yes, I thought I'd try to do one more "class", folks had asked about my Christmas tree decorating earlier, but I am not too sure people really need that since it has been discussed before. But at any rate, I can post from the Library or my friends house if needed. Also I am just bringing out my decos now (I don't start Christmas decorating until the day after Thanksgiving, so that may be too late for some of you to see pic and instructions ????

Judith,
Please post on the tree decorations if you get the chance. I think everyone can learn something new. And some of us do not put our trees up till after Thanksgiving as well.... My fam is already giving me a hard time about the decorating I've already done!! LOL!

Judith, I sympathize with you. My computer crashed a week ago, and this is not the time of year to have to shell out bucks to get it repaired. My son has a computer at home, but he's always on it...so I'm reduced to posting at work and the occasional time that son isn't at home.

If you get a chance, please do go ahead and post the tree class. I think we'd all like to see how you get your trees so gorgeous.

Yes, Please do the tree class. All of us would love it. It will help us all, I'm sure. I know I can sure use the help.
Betty

Judith, a Xmas tree tutorial would be welcome from you ANY time. Its something most of us would save in our own Inspiration files too. So please, if you can do, that would be wonderful. I'm so sorry the computer is messed up again. I know you are chomping at bit to be on here and kind of hard without your PC. Wish Santa would bring you one for Xmas, (when he brings Jaybird her camera. LOL).

hugs, Karen

That's just not fair, Judith. You didn't get to join in here much last year because you were sick, and now this! Those "repair guys" must have not fixed it correctly. Did you talk to them? I'm so sorry you are having all this trouble with it. We miss you. Luvs

My SonIL who is in the tech industry needs to make a trip to VA to get Judith's computer fixed once and for all! If Judith wanted to, he could probably do it via the telephone. Just a thought............