New Camera!

Regular habitues of Merriman Park will no doubt clap their hands and rejoice that my old camera finally bit the dust.  Or should I say bit the sand --as in the powdery, fine beach sand from the islands of Hawaii, sand which found its way into the minute, inner-workings of said camera and left it utterly inoperable.  And I had just figured out (thanks, Irene, sweetie) how to snap a non-blurry photo with the blasted thing...

So I thought I would practice using the new camera by shooting a few pics of some of the very latest features I have recently acquired for Merriman Park.

Here are a pair of chairs I made from a vintage (1980) House of Miniatures kit.  (They're still under construction, so don't judge them too harshly)!  These will end up in the Entrance Hall once I finish them all up. They come two to a box and somehow even though I only have room for six I ended up with eight total!  Note to self: ebay plus cocktails equals too many chairs!  The olive-green, striped silk coverings arrived the other day in a batch with some other silks.  But more of that, anon.

The table in the background was an inexpensive piece I doctored up with a faux-walnut finish with gilt accents.  The top is a light stone effect and I added a mirrored back for extra sparkle.  Because there can never be enough sparkle, right?

These chinoiserie-style stands will go in the Drawing Room, flanking the door.  I love using black as an accent color!

The tops have little scenes painted on them!  How cool is that?  They will be placed in the very back of the room, so unfortunately you won't get to see the design very well...

The book and compote I think will add to the 'lived-in' feeling of the finished room.  That is of course IF it ever gets finished!  (Rest assured that I'm working on something better to put inside the dish --other than the balls of museum wax-- so don't read me)!

I think these griffin andirons will look great in the Drawing Room fireplace (and they would also make fab real life cuff links!  Bonus)!

They go so well with the console table I received from Glen for Christmas! 

I splurged a little on this tea set but that's what income tax refunds are for, right?  I guess some of these photos are a little blurry, but I'm still getting the hang of the new camera!  (Sorry, Pedrete)!

I would love to have a real tea table like this one from JBM!  Of course I don't drink tea that often, unless we're talking the Long Island Iced Tea variety! Ching-ching!

I think that's it for the Drawing Room...but here's a little sneaky peaky of some of the Dining Room features...

The wallpaper is a period  (1803) French pattern from Chinoiserie.  The fireplace is from Braxton Payne and the newly-arrived striped silk will be used in the buffet niche, and for the seat cushions and draperies.  I can't wait to use my Pretty Pleater, Ray!!! Pretty Pleater!  I just can't get over that name, LOL!  (Wasn't she a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race)?

Wall panels, mirrors, ceiling ornamentation and a flooring surprise...

Finally, at long last, some of my long-awaited supplies started arriving this week.  My wall panels from Lawbre were well-worth the wait, (as was their ceiling medallion).  The ceiling medallion  is made up of stylized tobacco leaves, arranged in a classical pattern.  Very appropriate to a Virginia residence!  It's going to look great centered in the ceiling frame I built from stock moldings.  Speaking of moldings & supplies, I've made several jaunts to the local dollhouse shop, Little Enchantments, (Hi, Karen!) where I have become a familiar fixture. 

Unfortunately, the parquet flooring I ordered on-line turned out not to be real wood.  For fake wood, I have to admit, it is a fabulous faux;  in fact, when I unpacked it I played around with it for about ten minutes before I had the "wait a minute!" realization!  I suppose I should have just packed it right back up and sent it back whence it came, but I was so utterly desperate for a project to work on, I laid it out anyway.  It's just glued down to a backer-board so I can always toss it as my whim dictates...

I dunno, I keep going back and forth on it...I mean on one hand it's a great reproduction.  Plus my 'marble' floor in the room below is not exactly 'real' marble either so why the double-standard? 

But I had my heart set on real wood!

I'm sure there is no compare between a real wood floor and a fake one (however well-done).  I just am not experienced enough to have savored the difference...Merriman Park is, after all, my first dollhouse.  I'm just afraid that if I stick to the fake flooring someday I'll be like, "oh, hell,  no!  What was I thinking?" 

Pardon me while I rant:  when I bought this flooring there was no mention in the description that it wasn't real wood.  It was sandwiched between real wood floors, so I'm sorry --it was rather misleading.  Guess that's the risk you run from buying on-line.

Wall panels from Lawbre.  I think I figured out how to make my own...stay tuned!

My Braxton Payne mantel and mirror I made to go with my niches.

It's really not so bad...or is it?

Don't worry!  It's all just held up with wax for now:  I'll make sure everything is centered. 

It's Official: Dollhouse Weather

This is the scene I woke to this morning,dear Readers.  The first snow!  The first snow is rather devious:  it always fools you into thinking, "oh, how pretty.  Maybe winter isn't so bad, after all..."  That's before it piles up in glacier-like proportions.  They are predicting a 'colder and snowier winter than usual,' here in Siberia I mean Minnesota.  All I have to say in response is "BRING IT!"  I have five count 'em five rooms to work on!  And Old Man Winter (and Seasonal Affect Disorder) ain't about to stop the likes of me, I'm here to tell you!

Winter-Schminter!  I laugh in the face of sub-zero temperatures!  Wind-Chill Factor?  Ha!  --Oh, I suppose you probably don't even know what the Wind-Chill Factor is, poor, deprived Reader!  The Wind-Chill Factor is, I believe, strictly a Minnesota thing (or at least a Mid-Western thing), when the thermometer actually reads thirty degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) but because of the Wind-Chill Factor it feels like fifty below!  I know!  What fun, right?

But like I said, who even has time to dwell on the weather when the empty, bare-plywood rooms of Merriman Park are staring me in the face?

So I'm plodding along with the Drawing Room...  My new fireplace mantle from Braxton Payne Miniatures arrived this week.  May I wax poetic for a moment on Braxton Payne?  If you're not familiar with him, gentle Reader, you should be!  His mantles are the most divoon creations on Earth!  Not only are they exquisitely designed, but also expertly wrought with the most superb detail.  He even signs and dates his work, which I think is such a nice touch!  But don't take my word for it:  check out his on-line catalog.  You affectionados of eighteenth-century design will undoubtedly find something to delight the eye. 

The arched frame over the mantle will hold a mirror, and mimic the corner niches.

Because there are so many moldings and panels in this room, I decided to use illustration board, cut to the rooms dimensions, as a 'backer' for everything.  This way, I can work on each wall separately and flat on my work table.  It will also conveniently hide all the wiring.  Sweet!  I stole this idea from Mulvany & Rogers.

 ...Just waiting for my cornice, flooring and ceiling ornamentation to arrive.  Hopefully, it will all come before I run out of stuff to work on!  If it doesn't arrive before then, I may end up like poor little Edie, the Sheltie:

Poor girl!  She looks positively bored to sobs!  I know exactly how she feels --I tell you, it's this weather!  Think she needs a walk, or something?