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....

Coffered, Bossed and Gilt

The Dome - Part Two....

I hope you will forgive me, Dear Readers, for I am sure that Some of you will think that this is Way Over Done... while I am sure that it is Not Quite Done! I warned you that the ceiling as you last saw it was Not At All as I had Imagined it! I am certain that this style of ceiling was not what I had originally imagined for this room, but then it had to have a Dome to accommodate the bed.... and I had recently been looking at a Book I got for my birthday which featured some of the Awesomely Ornate Interiors of British Country Houses... and there were a bunch of Amazing plasterwork and gilt ceilings.... and so the Idea happened to make this ceiling in the style of those ornate plaster ceilings! Easier Said than Done!
You may recall that the room is irregularly shaped... so the "octagonal" dome is also irregular... which means that none of the sections are the same shape or size! I had to cut patterns individually and then make each layer of the cardboard for the "coffers" carefully cut to fit.....

Here below you can see one section with the three layers cut 

and the central openings cut out in graduated sizes...

along with one of the sections already painted and testing the "bosses"...

(those raised textured pieces made from jewelry findings...)

And here below you can see the dome with the first sections being tested for looks...

 And adding more sections.... 

coffers cut, stacked and painted and bosses too....

This was an amazingly slow and tedious process!

I needed to keep testing this in place....

Because I wasn't sure how it was going to look....

 

Although it really was impossible to get a feel for it 

with the sections only partly painted....

And particularly when the all white textured ....

 "trying to look like plaster"... ceiling was tested.....

I know some of you will think "Oh, she should have stopped right there....!"

With the current fashion for Minimalism and all-white interiors.....

But I could Not stop there! I had seen the pictures in that Book!

I wanted Gilt bosses!

So I added the gold paint.... no they are not truly "gilded".....

And tested it again....

And I wanted the edges to be corded in gold roping.....

I know, it is barely noticeable... 

on a ceiling it is really hard to see....

But I thought it added Just the right touch.....

So I glued the thread on one section at a time.....

And then we Have to see it in place again....

Can you see the difference????

No?????

I know it is hardly visible.... 

But I think it adds a definite Edge to the coffers....

And then the question of whether or not to add the central Bosses.... 

And ... to Gild or Not to Gild...?

But having come so far, Dear Readers, I was loath to leave it there.... 

afraid to try for the defining moment....

And so to give myself Courage, 

I looked again at the pictures of those Incredible ceilings....

And went for the Gold!

I Know, it is rather Dizzying to our Modern sensibilities.....

But I like to think of this Tree House as being from those Older Times....

Of course we Have to see how it looks in place....

You have no idea how difficult it is to photograph.....

It can't be seen unless you are on your knees looking up....

But perhaps it is worth all the effort...?

And we can Pretend we are looking up at a Baroque Gilt Plaster Ceiling?

It is Almost Done, Dear Readers..... 

and even if some of you think it is Over Done...

I Know it is Not yet Done!

 The Dome.... Part Two...

More to come!