Alright readers, gotta be honest, I’m starting to feel burned out on this project! I’m currently on number 76 on instagram, and struggling. I’m going to be working on finding inspiration today. Let’s hope it works!
One of the reasons I started this project was to explore all the places in old houses that are not “on the tour.” Places like servants’ rooms, attics, basements, forgotten storage rooms, well houses, carriage houses, etc. Those are the most interesting to me. Once you’ve seen several Victorian decorating jobs you’ve really seen them all. The only difference is usually level of clutter. But these forgotten spaces can tell so much more about history than people think! Let’s see what the next 10 hold for us.
I do keep turning back to toys, but that should surprise no one who knows me. This staircase was in our church nursery when I was a kid and I loved it. I think my babysitter had one too. I loved playing hide and seek with the little people and my friends.
The next one is another staircase (boy do I love staircases for some reason!) from my childhood. Some good friends of ours had a wonderful main staircase that had a little staircase coming off from the landing going into their kitchen. It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but I’ve drawn it the best I could from memory! Their pantry utilized the dead space from under the main staircase for storage.
One of our quarantine projects has been to work on our carriage house. It had some major termite damage including a giant hole in the outside wall! Here is the closet under the stairs that go to the maid’s quarters above.
And here is what was inside that closet.
When we had to demo the plaster on the termite damaged wall to repair it we found all kinds of mouse nests, spiders, dirt dobber nests and refuse!
Here is the wall.
This is the window above the garage in the maid’s quarters. The sash matches the sashes in our house.
Then I went on the work on some illustrations for my new book of ghostly stories and creepy things. This story is all about some girls that find a box with a bracelet made from human hair (a very popular practice in Victorian times!) in a closet in the attic. Unfortunately the bracelet belongs to one of the girls, and she is really a ghost!
Another illustration for the same story. I think I like the first one better.
A few years ago we took a lot of pictures in the cemetery. I love to sketch there. This is my favorite mausoleum. It seemed appropriate in this time of plague!
Lastly a closet that was in our last house in the attic. Major “Ring” vibes here! We never used it.
Alrighty, I better get back to work and find some more inspiration!
-Jaime
Life on Kansas Street 