Ceiling and Furniture

I decided to go with Jodi's suggestion for the second floor lofted ceiling.  Mostly plastered with a few boards showing through in places.  It gives the second floor a similar look to the walls of the stair tower and as Jodi pointed out, keeps things light so we can see details in the rooms.

So I got the roof set so I knew where my beams would be and began to add 'strategic' boards.

Since they needed to look as if they were covered with plaster, not over a layer of plaster I used dry wall spackle to build up the ceiling around the areas of the boards.  I stained them, glued them in place and then added some more spackle to make sure I'd achieved the look I wanted.

Once the spackle was dry I added my stucco/plaster.  Then I had to wait for that to dry.

While I waited for that to dry Jack decided he would observe my progress.  He also sniffed around the tower with great interest and then looked at me like 'What? I'm not supposed to touch this?'.

So Of Course I took a picture of him being cute and innocent.

The plaster takes a while to dry so I started working on my making my fireplace firewood look a bit more burnt.  I'd gotten more charcoals and fixative and I think in comparison they look a lot better.  Here's a picture from last week.

And here are a couple with my 'burnt' wood.  The fire light isn't on in these so we don't get the full effect but I think it works.

A little more sooty and more like a fire has actually been burning in the fireplace I think.

By the time I got done with that my plaster was dry so I glued half of the roof in place.

This was another frustrating exercise and there was a lot of cursing involved before I was done.  But once the glue dried I put some painters tape over strategic areas of my beams so I could plaster over the obvious join from the roof to wall.  I ended up with a lot of spackle on my fingers.

I also glued the dovecote in place.  There were a few places where my pencil outlines of the beams hadn't quite lined up, so I added some plaster to make it a bit less obvious.

I'm going to wait for everything to dry completely and then see if I like how it all looks.  A lot of this is going to be behind furniture and it's not like drywall so I don't want it to be perfect and smooth.

Speaking of furniture.  I still had a ton of it to stain.  And in some cases carve away excess glue, stain and reglue.  I had already done the main table of the stillroom and the 'desk'.  So I added one of the 'gothic' candlesticks to the desk.

I stained a chair to go in front of it.  I need to add a sheepskin or cushion maybe.

Then I got the settle, four bookshelves, a sideboard and cupboard stained.

The chair was stained with Red Mahogany, the settle with Chestnut, the sideboard with Brazilian Rosewood, and the bookcases and cupboard with Red Oak.

The other thing I did was paint the spinning wheel I bought from Marion's shop on Shapeways.

This is a picture of Marion's.  I need to do a little more work on mine.  Right now it's all one color, it needs some detailing and the little strap and peg to attach the peddle to the wheel properly.  But I'm excited.  I'm hoping I can do a little spinning straw into gold.

Once I've got that done I need to start on my loom.

I might take the pieces out of the bag and start to stain them.  Then they'd be dry by the time I'm ready to put the loom together.

I want to paint up some of my little bits and pieces.  And I'm making a list of all the little things I still need to make for the kitchen and stillroom.

Things like:

A saltbox
Lantern
Clogs
A still (might be able to do this with Kris's 'paper pottery')
Wool cards
Sausages on a string
Dyed wool drying
Wool bundles
Woven cloth

I'll admit, the clogs I have no idea.  Wool cards I've seen pictures.  Sausages I might be able to buy.  Died wool and bundles I think I can make from cotton balls.  A saltbox shouldn't be too hard, and a lantern should be doable.

I got a few things crossed off the list.  And a few more added.  I really want to try making some 'magic' potions... and a spoon floating over a cauldron stirring it.

We'll see.

How are the rest of you doing?


Drill & Route out channels for lighting wires.
Finish shutters & interior trim for all windows on main cottage.
         First Floor          
         Second Floor
Build Fireplaces & chimneys
        First Floor
        Second Floor
Cut bricks and stone for outside of lower walls and tower.
(Test Magic Brik) - in progress
Add brick/stone to fireplaces.
        First Floor         
        Second Floor
Age fireplaces
        First Floor
        Second Floor
Attach Tower to Main Cottage
        Doorway Finishes
        Hall Stone?
        Floors.
Bedroom mantle
Plaster upper walls and third floor of tower.
Add timber to upper walls and third floor of tower. (testing)
Paint stone.
Add grout to stone and brick.
Ceiling beams on first floor.
Ceiling beams and roof support for lofted ceiling on second floor.
Second floor Ceiling finish?
Ceiling beams and roof support for the tower.
Stain purchased furniture
          Bedroom
          Kitchen
          Stillroom
          Weaving/workroom
Build furniture:
          Make sink
          Make curved table for tower room
          Make loom
          Adjust tables for lab
          Make stool
          Make telescope 1/2 done
          Make orrey 1/4 done
          Make tapestry
          Make rush mats
          Make bedding
          Make books & scrolls
          Make paper pottery
Stillroom paraphernalia
          Potions?
          Cage with spider
          Cage with mice
          Cauldron - floating spoon?
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconce
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
Build base for house
Create 'slate' roof
Bargeboards/trim for roof gables.
Create front garden
          Make tree?
          Make stream?
          Make lake/river to go alongside house
          Make stone wall to go around garden
          Iron front gate.