What? Christmas already?

When I was trying to come up with a name for this blog at it's inception I wanted it to include any smaller project I embarked on alongside the Netherton project - hence "Small & Stately".   I'm afraid there hasn't been much "Small" lately but now...………….yes, there is a small project happening.

We have little people in our family now and they are of an age where they now "get" Christmas.   So, I thought it was about time I embarked on a Christmas Room Box, something I've been itching to do for years.    Probably more for me than them!!

I've always liked a particular Dolls House Emporium box which is unfortunately no longer available but I managed to purchase two from Ebay quite some time ago and they've been languishing in the attic every since.   Until now, that is!

This is what I've got to work with -

The previous owner had already scraped off any paper and décor previously used but the uprights and part of the frame came apart while it was stored.    Fortunately it is a simple job to put everything back in place and add the acrylic.

So far I've papered and fitted carpet but of course I couldn't resist having a little play.   Since then, I've been to the York Miniature Fair and managed to pick up a good selection of Xmas bits to add.

Work has now progressed with the room box and it is finally finished and on display for the little people.

*Please excuse the quality of the pics - I am no photographer!   More "aim and fire".

I'd also like to wish all my followers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Starting work on The Study

Before going any further, a very big thank you to all followers for your lovely comments on my Morning Room and yes Simon, I made the curtains.

Yes, I know, I said I wasn't going to make another sofa!    Again I couldn't find exactly what I wanted (or was prepared to pay) so out came the foamboard, logged into One Inch Minis for the instructions and here we have the last - yes, the final - sofa I will make.    I don't think it has as good a finish as the earlier one I made but I'm putting that down to the fact that this one has silk upholstery and the other one doesn't.    I didn't find it as easy to work with and added to that was the performance involved in keeping glue away from the parts that didn't need it - all in all, a few bad words were bandied about but it's done and looks fine - I think.

Black isn't easy to photograph but you may see that I added a trim up the front to the arms and another piece over the back corners.

This furniture is destined for The Study.    A Gentleman's space for a man who likes collecting items from foreign parts, namely Egypt, and stamps..   A place where he can read the paper, have a wee dram and entertain his cronies.

The cabinet on the left has been in my stash for a few years now and is, I think, ideal for this space.   I have an idea for a picture to be placed in there but more on that for another post - there's a story attached to it.

At the moment I'm trying to decide whether to go with the darker shade on the wallpaper for painting below the dado rail (something that's holding me back - getting the right colour) or going with the paler shade in the stripe which would be keeping the colour scheme in the neutral shades along with the three other public rooms.

This is turning out to be harder work than decorating the RL house!

I couldn't help but have a little play to decide furniture placement.   I call the photo below "Just Chillin' ".

Lots more still to do, lights to purchase, accessories to buy but I'm enjoying this one - so far!

At last, a guided tour of the Morning Room

Thank you all for your lovely comments to my last post, especially with regard to the sofa.  They're very much appreciated and (she whispers) I'm about to make another one!

So, on with the tour -

The room measures 16" x 16" x 9" (40.64 x 40.64 x 22.86cms) and is entered from the right hand side.    I decided to have a carpet AND a rug in this room for a change and it may happen again in another room - we shall see.   Stripey paper above the dado rail and Lincrusta below.

In the left-hand niche is a family photo and ornaments from Ottervale China.

The right-hand niche has a couple of glass dishes, a family photo, another ornament from Ottervale China and some books.

The desks on either side of the chimney breast were purchased from Art of Mini

Ta-da, the sofa!   I've had the desk chair in my stash for years and is made of resin.

The finished room complete with chairs re-upholstered in red and gold silk, handmade cushions and kit footstools and tables.

Below shows the fourth wall.

Lighting makes all the difference, doesn't it?

Below are a couple of photos showing a bit more of the detail on either side of the room.

The sewing box below was a Kensington Fair purchase.

Wine, anyone?

So-fa, so good.

Firstly, thank you for the very encouraging comments on my last post.   They are very much appreciated.

Since my last update I have been busy!

The little chaise in the photo below has been in my stash for ages and I thought it would fit very well in the Morning Room.    As it was a barewood piece it got varnished and upholstered.    At the time of finishing it I didn't have the two chairs sited to the left but when it was placed with what I did have, it didn't really do it for me so an alternative had to be found.

I made one!   I know I said last time that I wouldn't be making any more sofas after creating the suite now placed in the Drawing Room but it seemed the only way to get what I wanted and besides it is fun creating it.    Many thanks again to Kris (One Inch Minis) for her excellent tutorials.

Below, you can see my foamboard structure.    The chairs are barewood, waiting to be re-upholstered and were an Etsy purchase.

Ta-da!   This is the sofa in situ with borrowed cushions.    I didn't want to fall into the "brown" trap that I had with the Drawing Room so here, I'm trying for a much lighter, airier feel.   My next task will be to find suitable fabric to recover the chairs.

Les Chinnoiserie fabric has been used for the curtains (shown here on the "fourth" wall).   I doubt very much that the floral display will stay but is fine for the time being.

I'm glad that, at last, I feel progress is being made with this room as I struggled for a while.   Now that the sofa issue has been resolved I'm hoping it wont be so long between posts.

Morning Room Update

Apologies to my followers for the slow progress with this room since I last posted.    Work has been happening in the RL house and my time was taken up with that.    I do however now have something to show you.    It's not much but I'm further along than I was and can now see the room starting to take shape.

You may remember from the previous photos that I had created arched niches on the fireplace wall.   I was happy with that until I had the idea to add decorative trim to the top.   That's when they became square!

I'm working on furniture at the moment and searching for suitable curtain fabric.

I hope to work more on this during the holidays so, until then, I'd like to wish all my followers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Playing

Not a lot has been happening in Netherton recently despite finding the long awaited rug shown in the last post.    I still need to add pictures, a few accessories and fill the cabinet.    The problem is I wont know until I see these items that they are what I'm looking for!     So, bearing that in mind, I decided to move on to the Morning Room.     The Morning Room sits to the left on the First Floor and opposite the Study/Library.

The whole room has been given a white basecoat and a false wall has been put in to create niches which will eventually be shelved for ornaments.    The mirror is a laser cut affair that will need "mirror" card to be added and the fireplace needs a brick back.    Wallpaper to ceiling height and embossed panels below are the order of the day.

Entry is by way of the door front right.   This room is solely for the Lady of the house, where she answers correspondence, prepares menus, settles accounts, does a bit sewing/embroidery and plays the piano.    She will also entertain her lady friends here.

Lots to do and lots of planning ahead.   I have a good few pieces for this room already but I love this planning stage.

A small update

Following on from my last post regarding the Drawing Room and the difficulty in finding a suitable rug and the desperate need for a fair, I finally found a floor covering I'm happy with.    Sadly though, no fair.    It was cancelled and there are now no miniature fairs in Scotland - at all.

Said rug is now in place, a couple of pictures up and more will be added, table lamp wired in and cushions in place.   At last I feel this room is going somewhere.   There are still lots of little items to be added but I'd like to think it wont take as long as it has to show you another update.   I'm feeling the love!