AtticBathroom

This will be the best view of the little attic bathroom as in the near future we will only be able to see it through a small dormer window. The bath, basin and stool are part of a Chrysnbon kit. The little shelf above the sink has the supports that were part of the toilet.

On the shelf you will see a candle holder, bead bottle and bead vase, a clock and also a clear jar with lid all made of buttons, a shell from my collection and a postcard. On the sink there is a fimo soap and a button for a glass soap holder.

Once again I arranged everything on a piece of rigid packaging plastic. I did make a mistake as I wanted the candlestick to be on the right but the only way you can see it when the roof is enclosed is in the mirror and everything is reversed.

Under the sink is a waste basket made from a filigree tube. I have four from the thrift store. They seem to be a cover for something but I have never seen them again.

The stool beside the tub has a large book on it created by covering a block of wood with paper from a magazine. The picture is part of an antique map and the bead jar has a tiny Chanel label on it.

To enable you to see more of the room I placed a large mirror in a horizontal position on the wall. This was made from a picture frame the decorative edge suggests a fleur- de-lys. I painted the decorative edge with silver enamel paint to tie in with the chrome fixtures on the vanity and tub.

You may notice the Napoleonic foot soldier that came from a military game painted and used as a door stop.

The wall paper is a small toile de jouy that has a little bright yellow colour in the gentleman's trousers. I painted the tub and the underside of the sink the same colour and tried to have the dried seed pod/flower absorb the yellow colour... somehow it resisted the strong yellow colour but I have accepted it as is!

I glued a section of a baby's white sock to the tub to create the soft fall of a very fluffy white towel.

The bath seems to be sitting in the middle of nowhere but when the roof is on the bath will actually be sitting up against the dormer window.

This was all a bit of fun as despite my fever for finishing slate tiles I needed to finish the bathroom and glue everything solidly before the base for the roof tiles closes this corner of the house.

GrandSalon

Here we are, looking into the Grand Salon - the door on the left has a sheer silk curtain in pale gold to match the panel trim which is wood beading painted gold and then fitted around the panels. The doorway leads into the entry and staircase to the upper level. You will notice that the fireplace has not been attached or finished. I love the settee and chairs that I recovered.

To the left is a baby cupboard (Bespac) that I decoupaged in the chinoiserie style and painted with a mahogany stain, a colour to match other furniture in the house. Blue and white wear displayed and closest is a side table and chair for reading. Note the little Eiffel towers used as book ends. These were a prize pair of earrings from a thrift store.

NapoleonicRoom

I have called this room the Napoleonic room as once I found the picture of Josephine that is above the fireplace the room began to take on a life of its own. I painted water colour paper the colour I desired and drew double gold lines around the ceiling and trim on doors and baseboard are also gold. I could have called it the Josephine room but it seems more masculine in the strength of colours in the furniture and walls.



The French went crazy over anything Egyptian - note the leopard skin sphinx chair at the desk and the sphinx supported mirror on the top of the desk. Crystal ball is made of a crystal bead mounted on the base of a large snap. The lamps are lead candlesticks painted gold. The lampshades are electrical caps covered with Napoleonic battle scenes. There are so many to chose from!




I dressed the sleigh bed with cushions of yellow fleur de lise and striped gold as well as a couple of fine lace ones to soften the bedding. The sheets are made of an old fine-lawn handkerchief. Note the Napoleonic bee cushion.
The curtains are temporarily strung as I have not decided if these will be used. I tried the gold striped fabric but it does not fall correctly.



I made the breakfast tray and most of the items on it - this includes the teapot, bread and boiled egg and fruit cup and rose in a bud vase.. also the milk jug and sugar bowl made of beads.
I had a weekend once doing nothing but making frames for all the prints and pictures I thought suitable for the house. I really got a lot of use out of the little mitre box I had bought.



Above is a photo of the Bespac cupboard that I painted in the Biedermeier style and decopaged prints of the Battle of the Nile on the doors. They need little tassels on the knobs I think.

Below we can see the whole room. The chaise lounge with an old-fashioned telephone on the little side table behind it. Vignette includes a bowl of chocolates, clock and framed photograph. A LV style purse and a bunch of roses are on the chaise. Shoes are kicked off and will be found at the end of the weekend still underneath.
To the right is a bombe cupboard that displays a tray of ivory bead bottles. The frame (with photo) was made from a decorative button, silver candlesticks and a couple of old postcards finish the scene.






Perhaps you can see inside the suitcase that contains a blue sweater with a small leather purse on top, stockings in their package and speciality underwear in a Paris box. There are also delicate undies almost concealed under the box of chocolates.

This room is occupied by the youngest daughter, who returns to the home most weekends. Much of the furniture has been in the family for decades but Josephine changes nothing.
She loves to come home, kick off her shoes and relax.

BathroomMore

The bathroom is unfinished but I will not do anything more to it before I pack everything away once again. I did make a brass type circular shower rail and curtain and I did have a paisley dressing gown draped on the hook on the door (not visible as the door is open). I have put the dressing gown aside as looking at it through the lens of the camera it seemed too distressed. I think that it may be because the soft blue paisley pattern had a beige shadowing.
I have lots of Chanel style bottles, jars of shells and ornamentation to go on the plate rail around the bathroom. I also plan to place a collection of ornamental mirrors on the wall with the door. I have quite a few made from earring backs etc and they looked quite interesting when I stuck them on with blue tack. My goal is to make the rooms look as if we just missed seeing someone pass through the rooms.
I think that the scale of the taps for the bath and the sink are too large. Perhaps I will paint the body and feet of the bath a different colour? Does anyone have an opinion on the scale of the taps?

Bathroom:

The tiles on the floors and walls were made by measuring and scoring white laminate. When you score the laminate the backing shows through and it looks like mortar. You need a steady hand with mat knife.
The cabinet is Bespaq. The display is a combination of items made by Elizabeth and I when we were making and selling miniatures prior to 2002. These items include the tray on the toilet and the one in the bath. Note that the soaps on the lower shelf of the cabinet are displayed in a suction cup! The drawer (unopened) is filled with toilet rolls. Items are all glued to clear plastic sheeting to save the wood. Picture is in a button frame.
The wall display unit was "bashed" - do people still use this expression? It means you take something and turn it into something else. It was some kind of wire thing that I used snips to trim of excess decoration to simplify for a wall unit. Items are mainly bead bottles, towels made from baby velour wash cloths tied with a silk ribbon and bow.

Kitchen Stove:

I'm thinking of painting the stove a gloss black, leaving the copper detailing. Not sure yet.

Kitchen sink counter:

This will be leveled and attached permanently when I finish the sink. I imagine it will be filled with cut flowers ready to be arranged in vases. I do have a set of glass-fronted cupboards to fill and place above the counter to the left of the window. Windows will be open multi-paned windows with window boxes.

Kitchen Table Detailed

Just in from shopping at the market. A pot of English tea and mail to read. Must get back to making the labels for the seed pots.

Kitchen - continued

Etagere.