Sunday, March 29, 2020

Decisions, Decisions

I spent a lot of time this weekend planning, looking for furniture in my mini stash, and looking for the right wallpaper.  I plan to have purple drapes, so it can't clash with them.

I couldn't find anything that I liked at a reasonable price.  I looked at some miniaturized versions of real wallpaper but I couldn't justify spending so much money.

So I turned to scrapbook paper.  None of mine would work.  I need something in either the perfect shade of purple or in a neutral that's striking enough to be a bit gothic looking.

Enter Hobby Lobby.

I think it'll work pretty well.  We'll see how long it takes to arrive.  It was only twenty five cents per sheet which is great.

I felt like last year I took the easy way out with my floors.  I was concentrating on books and the stairs and railings and making everything look real.

This year I want to do a more interesting floor so I've been looking into herringbone, parquet... and I still haven't completely decided, though I'm in love with how Marion's floor looks.  I ordered some popsicle sticks since I'm almost out of mine.  I don't want the wide plank floor look like the WQRC had in the stillroom/workroom.  I need something narrower so the popsicle sticks will work better.

I'm also researching gothic looking fireplaces and trying to decide if I want to use my House of Miniatures Fireplace kit and bash it or make one of my own from scratch.

I showed you the new door last week.  I had some pediments that matched it so I microwaved the windows and removed the tops of them.  Then I added the pediments and on the smaller window I turned it into a six light to match the larger one.



It gives the windows a more cohesive look.  I'll add a knocker and handle to the door.  I'm planning to paint the mullions black.  The rest of the window and door trim, I'm not sure.  I might try to do an aged paint using a crackle finish.  Not sure about that.  Something to consider.

But the door has to be black I think.  Something moody.

I had my walls cut out and my floor.  So I glued the ceiling and two walls in.  One of them is hinged on the book cover which is handy.

Knowing that I'll have the fireplace and bookcases on one wall I started to plan out my ceiling details.  I learned the hard way last year that ceiling embellishments can't go to the walls or they'll run into the crown molding.  And having the 'plaster' ceiling medallions and corner details looks ridiculous without crown molding so I can't skip it.



Finally having gotten them situated I glued them down.  But I'm reasonably confident that I won't have to pry them up and move them this time.

I want cornices over the curtains, but nothing frothy and delicate the way NOLA House had.  So I got some of my trim and cut it into lengths to go over the windows.  My ceilings aren't as high as NOLA House so I can't get too crazy with them.



I'll cut some small pieces and angle the ends of the fronts to make them stand out a bit from the walls.  But I don't want to do that because I'll want to paint or stain them and I can't until I determine the color of the bookcases and the rest of the trim.

I want to add wainscoting but I'm not sure about how elaborate I want it.  So I'm still thinking.

But I did add the 'plaster' to my ceiling.  I used the same method as last year.  I added a lot of the texture medium and very little paint in an effort to get a plaster effect.  It's subtle but it worked pretty well.



I deliberately used some lumpy paint in places to give it a slightly rougher look.

Then I found the desk I plan to use and got my bookshelves.  The box is meant to represent the fireplace.



I'll end up building up the bases of the bookshelves and adding panels to mimic cabinets.  I have a corner bookshelf but I'm not sure I want to use it.  I'd rather build out some wide simple wood panels between the walls and fireplace and bookshelves.

Whatever I decide to do about the wainscoting I need to decide before I begin the bookshelf/fireplace wall because the trim has to look the same.

From the above angle I know a herringbone floor would look gorgeous.  But I don't want to do a million and one angle cuts so I'm still debating that.

On the plus side the ceiling looks pretty cool from this angle.



So I'll be spending time looking for different options for the fireplace and floors and wainscoting.

I've been going into the office, all of last week while my husband worked from home.  This week he goes into his workplace and I'm home tomorrow.  Luckily I have a printer from work and several things I can do once I log into my work computer from home.

Let's hope that works because it didn't when I tested it Friday night.

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy.  We'll all get through this, even if it seems insurmountable now.  And terrible as this is, I keep comparing it to the Spanish Influenza outbreak and realizing that we're really lucky to have the medical knowledge we do.

So I'm counting my blessings.  Which includes all of you out there who keep me company just by sharing this hobby with me.

15 comments:

  1. That wallpaper looks great and I love the medallions on the ceiling. Glad to hear you are staying safe and healthy!

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  2. Me gusta como avanza la escena! El techo se ve genial y ese papel tapiz le irá muy bien,espero que no tarde demasiado!!!
    Besos.

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  3. The ceiling is beautiful. I love the embellishments you used.
    Keep safe and take care.
    Hugs, Drora

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  4. I sure like what I'm seeing thus far Sheila! With the windows and the door cut out, the room suddenly takes on a personality of its own, however I can fully appreciate how difficult it can be trying to find the right wallpaper for a particular project as it sets the mood for everything else which follows.
    I Love the ceiling treatment and the bookshelf/fireplace wall is going to look Smashing and I suspect that after having filled up an entire bookstore, that from now until the end of the quarantine, you'll have mini booking down to a fine art! :D

    elizabeth

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  5. I like what you've shown us now, Sheila, the embellishments of the ceiling and the treatment of the plaster look great.
    I hope you can find the wallpaper of your choice, especially if it's pictured in your head what is has to be.
    ;).
    Stay safe and healthy, take good care for yourself.
    Hugs, Ilona

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  6. Nice progress on the library, and excellent choice on the wallpaper! Could you do a pre-cut herringbone floor, like this? https://www.miniaturemarketplace.com/HERRINGBONE-FLOORING-P75329.aspx A bit pricey, but would save time and energy. Or the pre-cut tiles from Dollhouse-Flooring? He does a herringbone pattern. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be beautiful. Interesting that you and your husband are alternating going in to work. I hope you were able to get everything to work! We are all required to shelter in place here unless we fill essential services, and my spouse is retired anyway, so it's a LOT of togetherness. 😉

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  7. Nice progress on the library, and excellent choice on the wallpaper! Could you do a pre-cut herringbone floor, like this? https://www.miniaturemarketplace.com/HERRINGBONE-FLOORING-P75329.aspx A bit pricey, but would save time and energy. Or the pre-cut tiles from Dollhouse-Flooring? He does a herringbone pattern. Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be beautiful. Interesting that you and your husband are alternating going in to work. I hope you were able to get everything to work! We are all required to shelter in place here unless we fill essential services, and my spouse is retired anyway, so it's a LOT of togetherness. 😉

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  8. The wallpaper is perfect. And I love the ceiling. All your ideas are amazing.
    Hugs!

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  9. Many decisions to make but I´m sure you will make the right one as always. I really like this project, it´s so interesting! Your ceiling looks wonderful. Keep safe.

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  10. I have always wanted to make a roombox out of books, but never knew how so it's so nice to watch your progress. I do have one made this way that I purchased in Florida on a trip. It came back with me on the plane sitting in my lap. I refused to let the flight attendant put it in an overhead! I read about the Spanish Influenza outbreak several months back before this all started. We are truly lucky to have the medical knowledge, equipment, and drugs we have now. So many people were unnecessarily lost to it because they didn't have the tools and drugs we take for granted.
    Stay safe and I hope your work from home setup works. I've been working from home for 1-1/2 weeks now, going into the office a couple of times a week to check in.
    Marilyn

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  11. Great progress and great photos. I like what you have done so far and I am excited to watch your progress!

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  12. This room is going to be packed with so many great details! I am excited to see the window coverings and what you come up with for the fireplace! Glad you can work from home, sneak in extra mini time and that you are safe!

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  13. It really looks like you’re cracking on with this and making great progress. Love the ceiling - gives a sense of grandeur appropriate to the room. And I think the wallpaper will work really well. Take care of yourself! X

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  14. Hi Sheila! You are making great progress! The solution for the wall-paper looks good to me! The drapery will really set the mood... the Victorians loved their window dressing! I am really enjoying watching you build this room-box! I hope you both get to stay safe at home as this crisis gets worse! Please take care! :)

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