Monday, November 27, 2017

Teeny Tiny Upholstered Chairs....




Embellished....

Some of you, Dear Readers, might Not be surprised to learn that I love color in my decor! And some of you might remember that when I was first working on the furniture for the Secret Christmas House Sitting Room, in particular the two Wing-back Armchairs, I was having trouble deciding on the color to paint them. This problem was further exacerbated by not having the drapes in place, and therefore not being clear about the color scheme for this room. The drapes provided by the kit (only printed paper) were a fancy shape but a color that exactly matched the wallpaper. And the instructions for the chairs said to paint them a "lovely soft green that harmonizes with the room colors". So I tried. The above chair is my attempt to harmonize with the room color. I think it is very close, but I also think it is too bland. The chair disappears in the room! and especially once I had made the drapes in a darker green, I knew I was going to want to change the "upholstery" on the chairs! And since this room is just the "Sitting Room" and therefore less formal than the Parlor or the Dining Room, I thought I could get away with a less "matchy" look! And I hope you will not be too surprised when I show you the "fabric" I chose for one of the chairs!

Here you can see I am testing the pattern in the room.....
It is almost the right colors....
I wanted it to have one of those densely patterned Tapestry-like fabrics...

Here you can see it beside the cast iron stove.... 
I will darken the colors a bit more...

And here you can see both the Wing chairs.... 
I decided to not upholster them in the same fabric!
And yes, the green is not blue enough... 
I will darken it more too.

And while I am painting these chairs,
 Finally able to decide the colors because the Drapes are in place, 
I have also decided that I must start to glue the furnishings in place!
(Because Christmas is coming and I want to have this project done in time!)
So I started with the girl's bedroom, 
because the furniture was all completed.... 
or so I thought!

The Dresser, the bed and the side table 
tuck neatly into the back of the room... 
here finally glued down!

But when it came to the other side table
 which sits at the front of the room.... 
there seemed to be something lacking!
There was a little glitter tree in the middle 
and a wrapped gift on one side... 
and the other side was bare!
(And I forgot to take a picture of it just so!)
But I thought of something I could add....

A Teeny Tiny Snowman! 
(Made from tiny beads glued together and painted....)
Then I attached him to the side table....

See how well he fits?

And then I glued the table in place!
I think he looks perfect!
And then I decided to glue the furniture
 into the Mother's bedroom too... 
because it was mostly finished as well.

Starting with the bed and dresser and side tables...

Then adding the bedroom slippers by the dresser... 
and the shopping bag by the bed.....
(These are not part of the kit but my own inventions.)
 Here, can you see them better....?
Aren't those slippers cute?
And then I remembered that the Wing-back Armchair for this room 
also was in need of some "re-upholstering"!
The instructions wanted it painted white or cream.
I had thought that was a bit "ho-hum".......
So I painted it in a delicate rose floral pattern to match the wall-paper....
(even though I claim to not be a Matchy" type!) 

Can you see the pattern .... sort of?

And how it goes with the wall-paper?
And I had also made a tiny foot-stool....

Can you see it? 
(It is really hard to get these tiny items in focus!)
Maybe this angle is a little better...?
Well, never mind, 
it is also "upholstered" in the rose print "fabric"!

Meanwhile, Dear Readers, 
I have darkened the colors of 
the Sitting Room chairs by a good bit.
Now the dark green is a closer match to the drapes, 
and the "tapestry" fabric is a little toned down. 
I think I will continue to work on it... 
too much gold is still showing.
And then I started to make 
one of the "Embellishments"
 I have been dreaming of.......

I wanted there to be some "knitting" on one of the chairs... 
because my Mom knits... 
and that makes it feel like "home" to me!
You can sort of see my attempt to make knitting in the above picture...
 I know it is a little bit large.... someone is knitting a blanket!

Here it is draped on the chair... 
the ball of yarn is getting away... 
it will be positioned correctly 
once the chair is in place in the room!

Here you can see all three chairs with their "embellishments"!
The bedroom chair has a lacy "throw"... 
and the other sitting room chair has an open book 
(saved from the Library collection!) 
left on it's seat.

Here is the chair in Mother's Room... 
along with the footstool. 
They have not been glued in because 
there is supposed to be a pile of wrapped gifts 
behind the chair.... 
I have not finished them yet!

And here I am testing both the chairs in the Sitting Room.... 
the colors are pretty much the way I want them.
 (The ball of yarn will be positioned later...!)

Here's a closer view of the knitting chair....

Trying to get good lighting and a view of the drapes too....

And with the Tea Table in place.... 
can we still see the chairs?

Here.... a little closer....?
Yes, It is really difficult to get a good photo Dear Readers!
But I think the Teeny Tiny Upholstered Chairs 
are Embellished to Perfection!

12 comments:

  1. Hello Betsey,
    Thank goodness you got your creative hands on this kit. the colors suggested in the instructions is so safe and dull. I love your choice of "fabric" for the armchair. The colorful green based one in the sitting room is such a great touch of color and has so much character, and paired with the dark green they stand out nicely in the room. The rose fabric in the mother's room, so elegant and just right for the room. The knitting is such a nice touch. I love the slippers (got to remember to get some for the countess) and the snowman on the table is fantastic. You have really raised the bar on this kit Betsy. It is so beautiful and so warm and welcoming.
    Big hug
    Giac

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  2. I think the teeny tiny snowman is my favorite but I love your knitting and the patterns you've chosen for the chairs. Makes them show up in the room and that is definitely what you want. No bland for you!

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  3. Awesome!!! Your work never stops amazing me.
    Geneviève

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  4. Your choices for the "upholstery" are Spot On, Betsy! The green chairs are just the right shade of green which is subtle yet still distinctive, and mother's chair in her bedroom looks like she loves to sink down into it as she pursues her knitting.
    I wonder who on her gift list, will be getting a knitted scarf,cap or slippers from her this Christmas?

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  5. Your teeny-tiny house is just adorable! I particularly love the snowman on the dresser - heavens! I have a question, tho - what is that blue snake draped over the floor & the corner of the bed in the mother's room? I looks like a bit of misplaced vacuum cleaner.
    Lots of love,
    Mom

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  6. It is astonishing just how small these tiny pieces are, and inconceivable how you can add so much depth to the detail of each one. "Amazing" is just too watered down a word for what you deserve, but I can't come up with one better. I can tell you that it is so delightful to see the photos, and so much fun to appreciate every thoughtful detail!

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  7. This is just so cute! I love all the details you‘ve added. I think it is a good idea that you have stuck everything down though, cos they are all sooo tiny it would be easy to lose them! Or inhale them. You should feel very proud of this little piece of art.

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  8. Oh, Betsy, you know that I admire your patience!! But for changing this kit with tiny furniture and adjusting the colors to your liking, I admire your patience even more ;O! Your choices for new colors are great: it looks much better this way!
    I love the teeny tiny knitting and together with the open book, the tiny snowman and more other detailed miniature works, it makes this tiny house so welcoming and cosy! Fantastic work and I agree with Shannon: it's a little piece of art!
    Hugs, Ilona

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  9. Hello, Betsy - This tiny house just keeps getting more and more interesting, thanks to your fine eye for detail. I love the homey, cozy touches that you've created with the knitting, the slippers, and the lacy throw. Your upholstery choices, too, are just right; I like that you didn't match the wing chair upholstery - and the shade of green that you've decided on is perfect. Of all the pretty things throughout the house, I think my favorites are the rose print chair and footstool in the Mother's bedroom - beautiful!
    Marjorie

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  10. Everythhing is very tiny but perfect and amazing. Great work!

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  11. According to me adding this tiny snowman to cover some *coughcough* blank space was the best decision you could ever make - because snowmen always melt your heart (or is it just the heart of my Mom because she's always happy to add new members to her snowman collection... hmmm... *smile*) But next to this clever decision deciding to leave the instructions for decorating the chairs behind and to let your own creativity flow was the second best decision. Although I have as usual in these teeny-tiny-Besty-painting-cases no idea how you managed to paint these patterns the result is breathtaking. So much better... and of course it can never be wrong to add personal touch to a kit. And you're adding so much Betsy touch that this will truly become a Betsy house... it already is. Nobody else than you would ever come up with the idea of attaching knitting work to a chair in this size... ;O) Wonderful work... it's always a pleasure to look at your pictures.

    Hugs
    Birgit

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