The Bedroom and Tower

I was so excited to see Keli is closing in on finalizing her build!  Can't wait to see it.  Her houses are always so interesting to look at!

Wednesday I wasn't feeling all that well but in the evening I managed to add another mattress to the WQ's bed.  Apparently in Tudor times and a bit before, bedding was really a big deal.  People would leave their bedding to people in their wills.  Having more than one mattress was the norm.  A straw one for support and on top of it a softer one filled with down or wool.  That was if you were wealthy enough to fill a mattress with wool or feathers.  Most peasants weren't. They made do with straw.

It gives it a little more height and realism I hope.

This weekend I braced the tower up and got some of the supports reglued so the top room isn't listing to the side.  It seems to have worked.  While I did that I added some wood strips to either side of the stair tower's opening.

I was reading Casey's blog and she mentioned a way to make the sides of an oatmeal box look more like a substantial stone wall. She said she builds them up with wood and wraps her stone around the wood and the box so the edges look thicker.  Wood strips are step one.

See?  The tower looks plumb now. Yay.

I had to let everything dry so I started to put wool on the drying rack that will fit beneath the window.  Then glued it into place.  I'm pretty happy with how it looks.

The next thing on the list was the upstairs hallway.  It took a bit of work and some cursing.  Why is it everything works when I'm dry fitting but the minute I put glue on something I can't make it fit?  I swear, glue must have magical properties of expansion.

But I did manage to get it done. Finally.

I was lucky, that pretty much finished up my twisted trim.  And I'm down to half a length of my corner trim until the box from Miniatures.com arrives.

Here's a quick picture of the lower hallway now that the glue has dried.

I got the little bit between the main roof and the tower cut out and glued in.

I love seeing the light from outside come in through the windows!  That just makes me happy every time.

I'll add the little bit more to the removable part of the roof so it comes off easily.

Once all that was done I couldn't put off doing the bedcurtains any longer.  I'd bought some aluminum foil since mine disappeared.  Most likely I used it in the kitchen.  What was I thinking?

But I glued the fabric to the foil, then cut up some old napkins with scalloped edges and glued that to the other side of the foil.  For the two curtains that will go up against the wall I needed a full panel so the interior didn't look super dark.  But the rest just have the scalloped edging, it made the curtains easier to pleat and work with.

Once I got them all cut and glued I added them to the bed and glued trim over the top edges where the bed rails are so I could hide the fact that they weren't real moving curtains.

It's not as noticeable here but I added a simple flat bedskirt, at least to the side of the bed that will show.

All this was on Saturday so I let the glue dry overnight.  This morning I started to work on the ties for the curtains.  Luckily Casey's blog talked about tassels and I remembered how to make them from NOLA House.

I'm pretty happy with how it came out honestly.

Once I got the bed curtains on I made sure that it would still fit nicely into the bedroom.  It works pretty well.

You can see the pattern of the curtains which I like, but they don't take over either.  It's a bit more color in a room full of wood.  Something of a relief.  Fabric is not my favorite medium anymore. I might fiddle with the tassels a bit, so they hang down more, maybe tack them to the curtains?

But when that was done it was time to work a bit more on the tower walls.  I still had brick paper I'd used on the interior, and since I'd worked pretty hard to match the color of the paper when I used the Magik Brick system I figured I could wrap the wood strips with the brick paper.  Then I used some of the mortar from stone exterior of the cottage and mixed it with drywall compound and some paint to make it match the mortar I used on the brick.

I blended it against the edge of the paper into the Magik Brick and let it dry a little before wiping off the excess.

I like how it looks.  Better than the cardboard edges of the oatmeal cartons, that's for sure!

I'm adding magnets to hold the hinged door shut properly and then I think that'll be it for that little issue.

I didn't have the energy to start working on the roof, though that is the next big project until I get my electrical supplies.  So I decided to make the hooks and lantern I wanted for the kitchen near the door.

I cut a piece of dowel and inch and a half long and wrapped it in thin cardboard, then painted that black for a dark interior.  I cut another piece of cardboard and used a hole punch to make a spiral design for the front and made a door for the back to put the candle inside when it's in use.  I painted that gold and aged it with metallic black so it would look more like brass.

Then a handle to hang from the hook.

It looks a little beat up but I like that.  It's not meant to be new or fancy.

The next step was the hooks for the wall near the front door.  A piece of strip wood and some toothpick ends for pegs and I used Dark Walnut stain on all of it.

Last weekend I forgot to show all of you but I added wood to the niche in the kitchen and built up the wood in the fireplaces to look more realistic than my plastic flame logs.

Here's a view of the bedroom through the window.

And one through the tower hallway.

My stones don't quite match up but they're close, and I don't anticipate anyone really being able to get a good look at them from this perspective.

A few more things crossed off the list.  And some things added.  But that's not necessarily bad.  I need to go to the post office tomorrow and pick up a package that will hopefully either have some baskets or food in them.

And I need to order more spackle to make my slate roof.

How is everyone else doing?  I hope you're all having a good weekend!


A saltbox (Keli)
Clogs (Keli) 
A still (might be able to do this with Kris's 'paper pottery')
Sausages on a string (ordered)

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
Build base for house
        Get the wiring for the bottom floor extended to go out the back (must be done before attaching            cottage to base.
Get cottage on base
Attach Tower to Main Cottage
        Doorway Finishes
        Hall Stone?-Brick
        Floors.
        Finish stair tower edges
        Attach latch or magnets to hold shut
        Extend Roof over tower hall
        Attach Back wall
Finish back of house
Lean to, to hide light switches.
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.
          Dormer ceiling supports
          Add final supports to desk alcove
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? (some bottles made)
          Cage with spider (on the loose)
          Cage with mice
          Cauldron floating spoon? (testing)
Tower - shelves
          Books
          Scrolls
Workroom
          Wool cards (make)
          Drying rack ?
          Hanging died wool
          Carded wool in baskets
          Finished fabric on shelves (some folded maybe? rolled instead)
          Second spinning wheel w/straw to gold? Might look too crowded.
Kitchen
          Put food in baskets
          Add food & utensils to table
          Make lantern
          Hang sausages
          hooks
          Cloak
Furniture in place finalize lights.
          Make sconce
          Make candelabras
                 Standing Candelabra
                 2 small Candelabras
                              Remove candles from extra and add to stillroom table.
Add flooring
Plaster inside walls
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.