Monday, April 15, 2013

Very Little Progress




Next To Nothing Done.....

It was One of THOSE weekends, Dear Readers, the sort when no matter where you turned there were things that needed doing and even when projects got started with the Best of Intentions.... it seemed as though Nothing got Done! The Weather didn't help, because after what had seemed like a promising start to Spring.... we were met with more Winter on Friday.... (certainly only the Cold and Unappetizing Leftovers of what John of Merriman Park had to endure...) but still, it quite dashed all hopes of spending time digging in the Garden!

And when that Spring urge to dig the garden is thwarted.... 
it sends me into a Spring Cleaning mood....
Which fortunately only lasted Part of the Weekend....

Because, like Mole in "The Wind In The Willows".... 
there comes a point where one just Has to say "hang whitewashing" and run off to play!!!
Which is what I did around 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon! 
I realized I was Desperate to get Something done on my mini projects!
So I started in on the Ceiling of the Chinoiserie Bedroom in the Tree House....
Remember where I left off with the realization that the ceiling was too low for the bed....?

Sorry for the dark picture.... 
but here you can see I have added the gilded ceiling trim at the top of the walls....
And because the chimney is at an angle... 
I decided to "round off" the other corners of the room....

By putting more trim across the corners.....
And filling the gap with ceiling.....

Leaving the middle "octagon" open for a Domed ceiling 
high enough to fit the bed.....

Here you can see the opening from below..... 
All that was accomplished Weeks ago, Dear Readers, 
leaving me with the next step of Designing the Dome.....
Which is where I started on Sunday evening....

I will NOT bore you with the exactness of my method... 
because it is so far from exact as to be Laughable!
The Room is un-square to begin with... so all the angles are unique.....
So I cut a paper pattern and I Wing it... 
It just has to have slits cut out of the edges... 
and the sections need to be longer than the flat ceiling measure....

So when they are folded up the sides are glued together.....
And the over-all width of the "Dome" is now equal to the original flat width of the Ceiling....
And then I wanted to add some more trim.....

So I carefully cut and mitred the central "octagon"  pieces....
None of them are the same... 
but they had to fit in the oblong section of the middle....

After gluing them in place I wanted to test the look.....

But it isn't done yet.... I couldn't leave it alone....
I thought it needed gold "ribs" over the joined sections....

But, like many half grown teens... 
it still looks half finished to me......
It is nowhere near what I have envisioned....
But it is as far as I got on Sunday!
And the Other project I tried to work on this weekend, Dear Readers, 
was the stitching on the Tiny Bed curtains.....
Which you can see here below....
 
Oh, you think it looks Exactly the Same as last week???
Well, if you look VERY closely, 
you will see that I added the stitches at the Center of the Rose blossom,
as well as the darker row of stitches on the petals!
Just How long will this take to finish...?
And speaking of How Long Things Take TO Finish.....
I have just Realized that this is the Third Anniversary of this Blog!!!
And Oh, Dear, that prompts one of those 
"let's see where we are with all the Dollhouses" moments....!!!

The Book Nook is still waiting for Books.....

The Wizard is still working on potions in the Lord's Chamber of the Castle....
So far he has not succeeded in Magically finishing The Chamber....

Hazel got tired of waiting outside for a House of her own....
So she came to visit in The Lovely Old Dollhouse....
Where nobody Ever cleans up the Kitchen.....
(But Pie and Tea and interesting conversation seem to be Always available..!)

 Victor and Joanna are still entertaining themselves in the Living Room....
Playing music only they can hear......

 And in the Castle.....

The Chapel is still just as I left it..... 
Murals half done.... floor unfinished....
And Anna Maria and Samuel Whiskers 
are still discussing whether it would be a good home...
While the Tree House is under Construction....
Ah... the Tree House!
That Project begun almost a year ago....

And Sooooo Far from Finished!
And I cannot even bring myself to Look inside the Cupboard House.....
Waiting patiently in the background.....



Can it be I have Spent the Entire Year building the Tree House???

And No, I didn't even finish the Spring Cleaning!
What a Year it has been.....
The Progress has all been So Very Little...!
But Next to Nothing is Done....!

24 comments:

  1. Hello from Spain: I like your work. I see the progress of your creation. Nice pictures. Keep in touch

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  2. Thank you for taking us on a visit of your wonderful projects. All progress is good progress, especially if you enjoy what you are doing.

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  3. I have been planning to make my own version of Brambley hedge...for the past twenty years, and still have done nothing about it! lt must be said that l have come a way with the planning and drawings though, over the past year. Perhaps l will even start constructing the tree trunk sometime:-)! As far as my Norwegian farm house is concerned, l finally bought the wallpaper yesterday. Love your work, your sence of detail is wonderful. I am sure the tree house will be amazing when finished! Have a good week, Pam

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  4. Oooh those plans....!!!!! I guess everyone has so many plans, but to do... that is another topic, Betsy. You have done a lot of work on so many projects as I can see on the pictures. My canalhouse is waiting for 12 years now and still I haven't begin for working on it ;)!
    You have found a great solution for the ceiling problem, as always: you are a genius, Betsy, I really love to read about your creative finds :D!
    Hugs, Ilona

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  5. Hi, Love that Black and white in your bathroom! It is so beautiful!
    Hugs
    Kikka

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  6. Красиво и восхитительно ))

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  7. Hey Betsy, I agree with you...the minature hobby is a time-consuming one and I often feel a strong urge to work on my house while the demands of real life keep me from it. I can tell you; I am really struggling with this every day. And blogging makes it worse (but it's so much fun and so inspiring!!!) I sometimes write my ideas down for later use, for I can be bursting with plans now and then.
    Anyway; again you made some wonderful additions to your treehouse and the bathroom looks lovely. Thanks for this post.
    I'm off now; real life has it's tasks waiting for me :-(

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  8. Hello Betsy,
    First of all, I do not think anyone would ever dare lauigh at your methods because the finished product always rivals the best artists out there. The dome came out looking lovely and is such a great feature to the room. I look at all your projects in these pictures and I think "she really can do anything and do it well". I am so happy I catch up on blogs in the morning because work like yours, with it's beauty and charm, just put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  9. you've had one of those weekends - I've had one of of those MONTHS! Was just getting back into sme mini project to finish the Winter, when bang went spring, and I had to go digging!

    The progress on your bedroom is just lovely - I can't get over the painted walls, and now a dome - I can't wait to see how that turns out!

    Your embroidery is looking great too - you are so methodical with all your preparation - very professional!

    hugs

    Jonquil

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  10. Can't wait to see this ceiling ready! It already looks so so good!
    It's good to see all your project in one post, Betsy. Even if you call your progress "little", wish I did as much as you did through the year.:)

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  11. I like that dome--and I have always had a love of octagons--standard or "all sides different sizes"--adds to the charm!

    I think you have done an incredible, beautiful, and amazing amount of mini work this last year.

    Pretty soon it will be time to try to juggle time to go outside to garden with staying inside to do minis (never mind spring cleaning housework)

    Cheers,
    Iris

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  12. Hi Betsy!

    BRRRR! that does look like a cold day outside! We've actually had a little sunshine over the past few days, which is so nice after months of grey skies!

    I think you achieved quite a lot over the weekend, that dome would have taken a long time to get all the angles and measurements right, and is a very clever solution to the problem you have with the bed's height.

    Are you going to paint the ceiling or leave it plain? I think I can guess the answer, but you might surprise us! ;o)

    Congratulations on managing your blog and all your projects over the past three years! Keep up the good work!

    Hugs
    Andy xxx

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  13. Everything looks great! I love what you did with the octagon ceiling and the gold frame. The breakfast noon in my new house a similar one - except a local artist painted a design on it. Let me know if you want to see a pic? Troy

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  14. Love the domed ceiling.
    I think almost everyone who does arts, crafts, or a combination thereof, starts something new when they're inspired, not necessarily when everything else is done to perfection. Certainly I do -
    Don't despair. Spring and summer will come, and you'll get back into the castle, the lovely old doll house, etc.
    Love,
    Mom

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  15. Oh, please don't say next to nothing is done. You have accomplished more in a year that I have in I won't say how long. I'm too ashamed! You never cease to impress me with your creativity. That dome is sheer genius. It's hard to figure out the dimensions of a construction like that one but you do it so well. I always, always love your colour choices. I'm a fairly new follower and so it was nice getting a review of your projects. Perhaps one day I will go back and read your blog from the beginning. I am reading John's blog at the moment. I think yours will be the next. Because there is so much talent here and I'm sure much to be learned from you.

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  16. Fabulous! I love the octagon ceiling. If I took a picture of every unfinished mini I have my camera would explode LOL. You accomplish so much moe than you realize.

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  17. Oh, no! I hope the cold snap didn't hurt your garden! You crack me up, Betsy --what you say is 'not much done' is MAJOR GOT DONE to the rest of us! I love the octagonal dome over the bed. I wonder how you will finish it...? It will certainly be awe-inspiring, like everything you do.

    HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!

    XOXO,
    John

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  18. Seeing that da*n cold white stuff in your garden gave me a pain in the stomache... at the moment I'm luckier like you, we're enjoying some kind of spring light now... But enough of that weather babble - that dome is a burner!!! What a fantastic way to solve your problem with the bed's height... It looks so stunning right now - but as I know you'll be adding a little magic still by colouring it. Congrats on your Blog's anniversary, it was fun to see all those amazing projects, and in my opinion you've achieved major progress. With all those amazing details you're always adding it's totally impressive how fast you're working.

    Greetings
    Birgit

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  19. I agree with Birgit, you've added such wonderful details to your projects they're a joy to look at, you've really done a lot of work so be happy!

    Hugs
    marisa

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  20. Ah, snow again? I ´m so glad we have spring here since last weekend and I really hope the white thing won´t return before December! Don´t be so hard to yourself: so many things you wanted to do and you actually made many things and more: you made unique things, that takes time! The dome looks already gorgeous without being ready at all and I also like the pictures from the bathroom they have a great athmosphere!
    Hugs, Sandra

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  21. Everything is perfect. I like the bathroom.
    Bye, Faby

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  22. Almost a year!!!! And look how much you have done! I would have needed at least 3 years to do so much...oh no, I could never make something so detailed and beautiful as your tree house :-)
    Love the dome!!!

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  23. Hello Betsy! I love your solution for the bedroom ceiling and how well it turned out! You are so good with what you do and how you do it. What future plans do you have for that lovely room and how do you plan to finish the ceiling? I love the way you did the mural cieling in The Folly with the cherubs; so romantic. You are always very creative and your stories are such a pleasure to read! I go a chuckle out of "Victor and Joanne entertaining themselves in the living room, playing music only they can hear!" Too funny!
    You have a real gift, Betsy. I love the picture of your RL garden too. I did a little bit of work in mine just recently when we had a couple of nice days earlier this week but those nice days don't seem to want to last and even when the sun is out there is a chill wind that can still cut through to the bone. What difficult weather there seems to be world-wide. Yet hope springs eternal. Almost a 1/3 of the year gone already, can you believe it?

    elizabeth

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  24. Hi Betsy,

    I am completely with you on the finding the time problem, I'm the same as Liduina, I am constantly thinking about working on my DH but never seem to get to it!!
    I have time right at this moment.....I did think I will check in and see what Betsy is up too, so once I have finished here I will set up....then Mia will come back from netball and want lunch and I'll have another 6 interruptions...but I will give it my best shot!

    I love your domed ceiling, you are so clever and seem to be able to achieve anything!

    ML Fi xx

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