The Next Steps.....

 

 The Tower Stairs....

As I am sure you have realized, Dear Readers, this project does not develop in a direct path with clear instructions. There are always raw edges that need to be completed after the main part has been done, necessitating all kinds of disruptions to the structure that was almost finished. In this case you can see the taped up section of the herringbone floor where the doorway to the Tower Stairs enters the room. the bottom of this door frame is the upper section of the ground floor room.... and it still needed the "rocks" (made of egg carton) added and then painted. Two tiny little areas of "stone" needed to be added and primed and painted before any of the walls or the alcove could be glued in place! And it was as I was adding these "rocks" that I realized that I needed to get this doorway properly aligned and the door attached before I completed the "rocks" so that the door could open properly into the Tower Stairs landing. And I am sure you have guessed where this chain is headed.... I needed to get that landing in place before I could attach the door...

You can see here my first attempt to attach the door, 

with no landing in place.

It did not align properly and I had to rethink

 the placement of the hinges!

 

Here's the view from the other side without the end wall in place.

It was clear I was going to have to back-track

 to the bottom of the Tower and just build the stairs first!

From the beginning of this project I have planned to use Quaker Oatmeal boxes

 as the structure for the Tower and have the stairs spiral up the inside. 

(The last time I did this was for The Cloud Palace

 and the stairs go up the outside of the Tower!)

I really just needed to know how many steps were needed

 and make sure they started and landed in the right place.

 I drew a diagram to calculate minimum step depths.

(Sorry my sketch is a bit faint....)

 

I calculated three-quarters of an inch height for each step,

 and would need a minimum of twelve steps for a 9 inch rise.

 I could space four steps in each 90 degrees of the spiral, 

thus using 270 degrees out of the 360 in a circle.

 (This means 3/4ths of the way around

 leaving room for landings. Just perfect!)

 

Meanwhile, I had decided that my initial "base" for the Tower

 was too small and the initial "post" was too wide

 (I had used a 1/2 inch dowel)

So I re-cut them both. 

The new base is 3/8ths inch plywood

 and the post is 1/4 inch dowel.

The steps are cut from 1inch builders foam 

sliced down to approximately 3/4 inch thickness.

It is hard to be exact when cutting the foam... 

and I am accounting for "discrepancies" in the "stone" steps.

The first steps are glued in the above picture.

 It takes a while for the glue to dry 

and you need to not rush too quickly... the steps will sag too much!

I glued a whole bunch of "pairs" 

so that I could add two at a time once they were dry.

Here is the view from above...

 trying to make sure I am getting my four steps 

into a quarter turn of the spiral....

If the lower stairs are firmly dry, 

the new pair will stay put while they dry!

Here the door has been re-attached... again...

I have made three attempts to get it right!

It now hinges off the back side of the support post.

This allows the Rock of the door frame more thickness 

and the door appears to be recessed.

The top steps always seem to be off a little bit....

Yes, there was some sag... 

and there was some allowance for different thickness

 of floor for the landing...

Here you can see the Oatmeal box temporarily fitted around the stairs.

And the "landing" floor temporarily placed to see how it fits.

I was able to re-use my original base for the landing!

Here you can see the stairs without the Oatmeal Box...

and the door and landing temporarily placed.

I am using some of the foam "slices" to shim

 the top step so it meets the landing properly.

(I didn't get a good picture of that.)

 

And while all those steps were gluing, Dear Readers,

I was adding the rest of the stone door frame to the wall...

And making sure it fit around the alcove posts and the fireplace...

Such a small amount of "stone-work"... 

but so essential!

Now I can glue the alcove in place!

And starting to fit the wallpaper too!

And with the ceiling temporarily in place....

(And the flash in play....)

Or maybe just the atmospheric light...!

But clearly, Dear Readers, the next steps

Just had to be the Tower Steps!

Let There Be Light.....

 

Heaven Scent... Lilacs....

Yes, the Lilacs are Blooming, Dear Readers, in RL and in my mini world. But capturing the moment of sunlight in my dark corner of the work room is tricky indeed. The Dollmaker's Studio project is sitting in the spot where the sun shines more fully, so I must catch the few brief moments when the lilac is lit early in the morning if it is a sunny day! You can see the sliver of light reaching into the garden in the picture above.

Aaahhh.... it really is magnificent!

 (And worth being late to work to catch the best shots!)

It only lasts a couple of moments and then it is gone.

But the lilac is magnificent even in the gloom!

But I am sure what you really want to see, Dear Readers, 

 is what I accomplished on my Dollmaaker's Studio project.

You may recall that I wanted to get the alcove completed

 so I could attach it at the back of the room.

Once the wallpaper was attached I needed to add the baseboards

 and the ceiling trim, and the ceiling panel itself.

And I hope you are not surprised that I needed to paint the ceiling first!

You can see the beginnings here... a sky with rosy clouds...

And testing it in place.... 

but it needs the trim too...

 

Which will be gilded....

And with some cherubs looking over the worktable!

Can we get a sense of how it will look...?

And in the alcove with the lamp...

because we need to see if it adds enough light!

Because I have not figured out the lighting for this room yet...

This is the battery operated led lamp that comes with the kit.

I also needed to "beef up" the woodwork on either side of the alcove, 

to equal the mass of the rocks in the arch.

And finish adding the baseboard trim as well.

And while I was painting things....

I was also working on the fireplace...

 painting the brickwork...

(This was surprisingly challenging to paint!)

With the morning light shining into the room 

I can see the  way the alcove is shaping up!

Even better with the light on!

(Forgive me, Dear Readers, this will be a long post!)

With the baseboards added, the alcove itself is complete!

And I must tell you that the tiles for the fireplace

 were bought a few years ago with a gift certificate

 given to me by a Secret Santa for our annual Christmas Party at work.

I think they suit this fireplace perfectly!

Testing in place..... I Know....

It is too dark!

But what I was really eager to get working on Dear Readers,

was painting the rest of the ceiling...

I needed to get it all done at once.... 

using the same paint mixtures and with the same "feel" to the painting....

I had already primed the board and added the blue sky paint... 

so it was just about the clouds...

And testing to be sure it works with the section in the alcove.

Then adding layering and detail to the clouds....

 

And the cherubs...!

You have no idea how many times I had to put the ceiling in place

 to see if I was getting the perspective even remotely right...

Because the angle of viewing does make a difference!

Testing in place.... with the flash...

 because it is late and getting dark and impossible to see...

But there has to be another cherub....

And another testing....

But I think the painting is finished....

(It took hours and Hours!)

And you must know those darling cherubs are holding the lamp!

(Where is that lamp....!)

This is another old salvaged item... 

two out of three of the lights work...

but I need to find my plugs in the light of morning.

So for now, all we have is the flash.

But with the morning light.... 

can you see the picture...?

Here, come closer!

But I must go to work... 

I will have to see about the lamp later.

 

 Ah... there it is! 

Can you see them now... holding up the light...?

Well, Dear Readers, whether you can see them or not....

We have light!

And we can even call it Heaven sent!

I hope you are all finding the light in your lives too!