Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The Jewels In The Crown...




Or Dew On The Vines....

Can you Believe there is More that I have added to this ceiling, Dear Readers? One thing is a practical necessity, because as careful as I was during construction, with each layer added, the dome became less and less flexible and I must finally admit that it is Warped! This meant that the ends of the dividers between the coffers did not align correctly with the corners of the walls.... and there were noticeable Gaps between the ceiling and the tops of the walls.... on the ends more than on the sides. To Disguise this failing, I have added another layer to the gilded coving at the top of the walls.... really just a layer of cardboard Carefully cut to fit the opening and in effect extending the top of the coving further over the open area of the room.... 
If you look carefully you will see the detail below.....

See? there is an additional layer to the gilded coving at the base of the ceiling!
It hides a World of imperfections!
And the Other detail I have added to this impossibly ornate ceiling is some glittering jewels....
Did you notice them?

Here you can see the ceiling with the "final touches" added.....
I did not have the skills to add tendrils of vine or minute blossoms...
but I thought the vines should culminate with Something....
Perhaps just glittering dew drops...?
So I added the tiny "gems" ..... 
really just scrapbook rhinestones!

Oh, and a little more was added to the stitching on the bed curtain....

A flower and a half to be precise!
Other than that, nothing was accomplished  this past week in the Tree House..... 
Because I spent so much time on RL Gardening and House projects!
But rather than leave you there.... with a very short post....
I am reminded that I started this Tree House just a year ago,
So I thought it would be fun to have a Review!
I hope you will bear with me....
It began with a Dream I had....
I Dreamed there was a large Tree in the Garden of The Folly....
Moss covered and ancient....
And inside it were tiny Rooms....
The Dream was SO Compelling that I had to start right away...!

This was the start of the Kitchen.... 
carved into the foam base layers.....
with the door attached to the main support post 
and the walls just rough cardboard...

Here the hearth and the cupboard are begun.... and the stairs.....
(I spent HOURS going through all the old pictures trying to cull this down to a few....!)
It is not possible to show all the steps....

So here we have the Kitchen nearly done.....
Only the tea kettle and teapot are missing....
(Do you remember that wonderful chair...???!)

And here you see the door open with the beautiful window seat......
And the start of the exterior structure made of cardboard.....
And the next floor.....
Which would be The Salon....
It is now mid June.... the Kitchen took six weeks....
I Thought I would possibly be Done by Christmas....!
 
Here I have begun the paper mache structure of the roots....
and the walls of the Salon....


With the beginnings of the Fireplace and niches.....

And then the Painting added.....
And trim around the doors.....

And more Enchanting Tiny Furniture.....!

And a Tiny Chandelier....
And a ceiling Fit for Gods!!!
Here... you must come closer....
 
It is almost Impossible to see!
(Please note the glittering candle flames!)

And the entire room.... with the Lunette window....
By now it is the end of July.... 
six more weeks have passed....
And we are at the Beginning of the next room....
The Library!

With the Gothic cabinets and Doors that must open and close....!

A huge stone hearth....

The Chairs....

And Books! Gorgeous, Tiny Books!
But Time is passing.... 
it is the end of September and we are only just begun....!

There is still the Secretary.....

Ancestral Portraits and Tiffany Lamp.....

And a Brilliant Blue Ceiling.....

A Sparkling Candelabra.....

And an Insane amount of Collections...
In Bell-Jars...!
By now it is becoming clear that I will not be done by Christmas!
The Christmas Season is upon us....


Our Tiny Friends have arrived to supervise the Construction....

And Decorate for the Holidays!

But construction resumes in January....
Ready or Not, we have moved on to the Bedroom....

With it's Roccocco Fireplace and Juliet Balcony.....
In February I painted the Chinoiserie walls....

And made the Pagoda Bed...!

Dressed in the Finest Lace and Velvet.....

And the Dressing Room that was just an Afterthought...!
(Consumed a good part of March)
With Rose Arbors and Wardrobe.....

and that UnForgettable Recamier....

And the Ceiling.... the Domed Ceiling.....

 Bejeweled and Begilt....
Did it use up ALL of April....?
 And where do we go from here, Dear Readers...?

The Tree House as it now stands.... 
Next to the Folly....
Not even Half finished!!!
DARE we say it Might be done by Next Christmas?
And could I even Imagine where the next rooms will take us...?
THAT remains to be seen! 


But Meanwhile, we will Dream of the next rooms... 
Perhaps while lying in the Chinoiserie Room....
gazing up at the Ceiling... 
wondering whether those glittering drops are Jewels in the Crown.....
or just Dewdrops in the Ivy....

21 comments:

  1. What an amazing fantasy house!!! I love your two mouse characters too. Beautiful work! xo Jennifer

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  2. Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by and look at how much you've accomplished, Betsy. Every room is more spectacular than the preceding one --and it all comes to a glittering crescendo with your opulent boudoir! More, please...!

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  3. It is just amazing. Such small rooms but so detailed with wonderful finishings and furnishings. Such a creative imaginative project. I look forward to new rooms.

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  4. Hello Betsy! I am sooo glad that you did this retrospective of how you built this delightful little house from the ground up! I had not viewed the progress from the beginning before and I have to say that you certainly are not afraid to tackle BIG JOBS when doing your INCREDIBLE minis! I am hesitant to say which room I like best because with each one there is a special atmosphere and tremendous details that blow me away.... I Love them All! What an artist you are.

    elizabeth

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  5. Очень красиво ))

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  6. Hello from Spain: nice curtains. Your work is amazing. You create true jewels. Keep in touch

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  7. the domed ceiling is more than beautiful!!! Everything you added just made it more marvellous!
    And how wonderful to see all the stages of the building of the masterpiece! I hope you will work on this beautiful treehouse for a very long time, it is so enjoyable to follow!!!

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  8. The bedroom is still my Favourite so far, but thank you, Betsy for reminding of all so so Fantastic, Stunning Rooms and the whole Amazing House! Boy! What a journey! And it still continues! You have outstanding talents!!:)

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  9. Hello Betsy,
    Definitely the jewel in the crown. The ceiling is fantastic and if I may repeat myself, it really looks like the ceiling of one of the grand country houses. To have that in a tree house is wonderful. Of all the projects out there, and I follow a lot, the three is the most magical to me. It is such a thing of beauty and really every bit of work you have done is stunning. I would love to shrink down and spend a holiday in the tree. Keep up the incredible work betsy, you inspire more then you can imagine.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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  10. What a masterpiece. Everything looks perfect.
    Greetings Dorien

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  11. Oh the stories I could write about your beautiful house. So absolutely charming! I'm green with envy over your creative talent.
    Best Wishes,
    Vicki

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  12. Hello Betsy, I can be brief about this: it's UTTERLY GORGEOUS :-)

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  13. Betsy, awesome work this whole Tree House!! I love the way you have experimented and you've found solutions to the problems you had. It is all looking fantastic!
    Hugs, Ilona

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  14. You should just tell yourself "I'll be done by Christmas" - without pointing down WHICH Christmas... *grin* Really, it doesn't matter how long it will take you to finish it, but it will be worth every minute spent. It was so much fun to see all those steps of developing this stunning, extraordinary masterpiece again. Each room is so very special on its own - and you always manage to add just a little extra magic - like sparkling the dome, whether it's jewels or dew... how knows, maybe both... ;O)

    Greetings
    Birgit

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  15. You are amazing Betsy!
    So creative and so dedicated to your vision. I love the way you keep working no matter what problems arise. Your Tree house is a magical dream....literally. It is always a pleasure to visit and see how you work no matter the hours spent.

    ML Fi xx

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  16. I can not tell you how many times I left written here how much your work is great.
    Now he is 'crowned', a dream come true.
    Thank you for this beautiful 'chronic' where the dream was rescued step-by-step.
    A big hug.

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  17. Hi Betsy! I had to come back for another look and NOW I know for sure that even though they are all spectacular creations, my heart is drawn to the LIBRARY! The fireplace, the books, the comfy chair and the spectacular and original ceiling are calling my name out loud! Even though it is tiny, I COULD perhaps still squeeze into it!?

    What about if I lost some weight?

    elizabeth

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  18. Your house is magic! I like evrything.
    Bye, Faby

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  19. Hi Betsy,

    It's great to see an overview of work on the Tree House so far, nice to see all the progress, and some of the tiny details I had forgotten about!!

    hugs
    Andy xx

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  20. Thank you for doing this overview of how you did the tree house Betsy, it is really good to see it all in one place like this. It is going to be a wonderful project when finished. Sandie

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  21. Your treehouse is absolutely enchanting. You've given me a gazillion ideas for someday finishing mine. I can appreciate the time put into these little treasures. Love the painted rooms and the ceiling is just stunning.

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