Mr Thornton believes in technological advancement. Is that responsible for him arriving quicker at his destination than John Standring? Plane and train has taken the Northern manufacturer much quicker to his destination than the shy Northern farmer. Is Standring still galloping along on sheep-back??? In any case, you may have already caught a glimpse of Mr Thornton – I just cannot bring myself to call him by his first name here, somehow he seems to demand the respect of the formal address – He arrived in Poland on Friday, and coaxed his hostess, Agzy, out of her current absence *yay*. Now that he is happily esconced in Casa Agzy I can show him off here, too.
I had such fun photographing him… oh how much fun would I have photographing Richard, then??? I can’t bear to think about that 😉 I love styling for photographs, and here was a little an opportunity to display him in some sort of appropriate context…
Once again, improvisation has brought out the best of my creativity, I think, because the Thornton Pocket Shrine is another one of my favourites. And I had to work with one of the tins that came from my own stash. This one *had to be* used for Mr Thornton. N&S fans know exactly why…
Marlborough Mills, of course. Please don’t hate me, but yes, I smoke.
Here is the highly respected Northern gentleman, rubbing shoulders with a bust of my husband’s grandmama. Not quite Victorian, like himself, but classy enough, I hope.
For the shrine I recreated a Victorian interior – with Victorian wallpaper (genuinely a pattern from the time) and a silver candlestick, Mr Thornton himself all haughty in a gilded frame, hanging on the wall. But since he is not just the “overbearing master”, but quite the lovely, love-struck man, he also had to be represented sans cravat, his eyes full of love, looking at his beloved.
The yellow rose pops up twice – in front of the 3D picture, as well as in the lovely Helstone scene where Thornton picks a yellow rose, thinking of his beloved Margaret. (Unfortunately the little satin rose must have come loose when in transit to Agzy 😦 )
There we are – a proper little altar to worship Mr Thornton from, lit up by candles and sparkled over by the mini-disco ball. I hope it will get lots of use in Agzy’s shelves of Admiration… Read Agzy’s post here and see what else she has collected for her Armitage display case.
With the end of the month near, I find again that work has piled up, and I am way behind with my shrine-making as well as my *ooof*ing. Not sure if I will make it tomorrow with an *ooof*. Please forgive me!
Guylty Pleasure 
Lovely! Or should I say adorable? Thank you!
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Thank you, Nell 🙂 I am particularly fond of this shrine…
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this may be an odd question but have you ever decorated doll houses or done something similar? it is a hobby that requires a certain aesthetic, that you seem to have 🙂
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Good point, Kel, but no – and I never would be interested, probably because I have very little patience, and the thought of doing an entire doll’s house would drive me mad. Mind you, if it was a multi-storey RA-shipping character display I might reconsider 😉
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a whole house filled with RA character themes…your husband seems to be good at this stuff too, get him working on that 😉
I spruced up and painted my childhood doll house once (very bare bones, nothing fancy) back when I had more patience and a steadier hand. it was fun 🙂
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*hehe*, I think my husband would not rise to *that* challenge. One of my husband’s cousins builds dolls houses from scratch. They are little works of art, really.
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I love, love, love the framed portrait touch…Victoriana all the way!
And don’t worry, into each fangirl’s crafting Nirvana a pile of real life work must fall – oof when you’re able 🙂
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It was great fun recreating something realistic in the shrine. The 3D effects are what I love most about them, but it’s not always possible, depending on the size of the tin. Thornton really demanded something classy and elegant, though 🙂
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Gorgeous, just gorgeous 😀 The lid is classic 😉
As a sad ex smoker, if we meet you must promise to blow some smoke my way so I can enjoy it vicariously 😉
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*teehee* – don’t encourage me, Helen! But yeah, in this case the smoking habit came in handy. I got quite excited when I copped on that the embossed Marlboro logo was ideal for a Thornton shrine…
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You’ve excelled yourself there, Guylty- clearly you have oodles of patience to achieve such charming results in such a tiny space! Love the period wallpaper, and the man in the frame, needless to say.
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My patience is only enough for an easy-to-overlook project such as a 4×4″ tin 😀 Even then it takes me 3-4 hours to make them, including all the research *coughs* for pictures and accessories. The wallpaper here took me a long time to find because I wanted yellow roses specifically. The man in the frame was easier 😉
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Oooh, this is really beautiful! I think this might my favourite of all the Pocket Shrines I’ve seen. (:
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I made Thornton the same time as Harry Kennedy, and both those shrines are favourites. Also, the Porter shrine with half-naked Porter on the cross (*ugh* that *really* sounds weird) is a favourite. It probably took me a while to get the hang of it. Also, it is easier to make the slightly bigger shrines than the tiny ones. More scope for creativity.
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Very lovely Thornton shrine, bravo. 🙂
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Merci April 🙂 I think the design will be copied a few times.
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I love the Thornton Pocket Shrine! You include such awesome specific features in the shrines. I’d be hard pressed to say which one I liked best. I think that’s part of what makes them so special – it’s in the details. They are thoughtfully and creatively done. Tree 🙂
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For me, that is the fun in them – finding the specific little symbols or associations that characterize the individual characters. The yellow rose for Mr Thornton. A catchphrase – “Look back, look back at me”. A few accessories that go with each of them, to create a rounded mini “stage design” in which the character lives. It’s such fun… especially because I know that you all understand my references. They are true “inside jobs” 😉
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I love this one, including all the symbolism.
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You’re a classy one then 😉
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drooling and oofing over Thornton.I confess I stopped holding my breath waiting to see Standring>I fear my first RA love is lost somewhere !!!!
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Oh, I really hope not :-(. I mean, I have the pictures of the shrine to enjoy, but I am pretty sure the recipient will be very disappointed… It’s a surprise for her, so she doesn’t know it is coming, but eventually I will have to ask her…
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This is the most beautiful Shrine so far, and because of the featured chaRActer!
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🙂 Yes, Mr Thornton does have that effect… Mind you, I think I could’ve botched it 😀
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Ooops – WordPress app is changing my thoughts! I’m so sorry. It should have said: NOT because of the chaRActer! It’s really beautifully done. 🙂
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hahaha, it works either way… 🙂 I suspect Mr Thornton’s handsome smoulder momentarily threw you off…
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It threw the app off. Such is the power of smoulder.
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I c n dly rite ere nymor . Th nt rnet is p rman ntly br ken…
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LOL gree
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I freakin’ LOVE that shrine, no lie!!! It puts a smile on my face each and every time I walk past it 🙂 It looks particularly beautiful when the lights are dimmed and the candles are burning. It’s such a beautiful gift from a dear friend!
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Aw, it makes me very happy that you like my little gift, Agzy.
Nice idea about darkness and candles – next shrine will be styled, set up and photographed in the dark with the candles burning.
Keep praying 😉
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I don’t smoke but I am ready to start it if “cigarettes” look like this. Sure this is VERY good for health !!!
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Don’t encourage me, Katia :-D…
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I LOVE your shrines, but I couldn’t have one – it would be the final straw for my poor put upon husband. He is sick of Armitage mania, so is my son!! I think I am going through a strange mid life crisis. I always go for men who are dark haired, pale faced, with nice dark brows, great cheek bones and jaw line, clever and with gorgeous artistic hands. Ironically this describes both RA and my husband (a brilliant cartoonist). One is more perfect looking. One is 6 foot 3 ins, one is 5 foot 9 inches. I LOVE tall men!!!! My husband’s only weakness!
I have a ton of beads to spare, if you need some, if I can find them, as I got into jewellery making then have stopped because I am getting more and more sensitive to metals other than high carat gold.
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Hello Lemonjapp – welcome to the blog.
I fully understand the predicament with the RA-beleaguered husband. I am sort of keeping my shrining to myself, too. (And I have no shrine, either – I only make them, enjoy them for the time it takes to make them and storing them before they get shipped off to someone else. But well, I have the husband-made Original Portable Shrine… in a way my hubs is responsible for all of this. Ha! So no pity *ggg*)
TDH men are a new development for me. Although I have always loved tall men. (My hubs is the same height as yours, I think… I don’t wear heels *ggg*) So, hello sista 😉
Thanks for the kind offer!!! The whole shrining project is as much about RA-fun as it is about repurposing and recycling. If you genuinely want to get rid of/pass on stuff, I am delighted to take it. (And I can find a inconspicuous = non-RA way of showing my appreciation 😉 ) You can e-mail me behind the scenes 🙂
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