More wallpapers: moving on to the library

Since Kassandra still does not know what is she going to do with the spare room in the attic, we moved to the floor below, and started working on the library.  The lovely wallpaper that was chosen was created by the talented Ana from Easy Print and Cut - Kassandra is a big fan of her work, so check her out!

We started with the back wall, to check the style and the composition.  We decided that the end of the stairs would be the perfect place to hang the tapestry depicting Sir Galahad, which was stored since her other residence was reformed.  So we included a red and gold under-tapestry to frame it:

See the tapestry, waiting for the renovations to be finished

Then, we moved onto the wall that leads to the terrace.  It was easy enough to leave out the hole for the door:

Then, the wall that leads to the bedroom:

Superb!

We procedeed to put back the stairs rails and to hang the tapestry in its final place:

The clock is also in its final place.  Kassandra is thinking of replacing it

"It looks marvelous!  Oh, the wonderful hours I will spend here reading!"

"Mmm, I don't know if I like the empty gaps around the terrace door frames..."

"I will be putting up some curtains.  You cannot have a door to a terrace without curtains."

"I know, but still... I think we should fill those gaps with paper as well."

"Maybe you are right.  Very well, we will do that."

And so we did.  We used the same paper we cut for the door frame, so the matches are excellent!

"Now it looks wonderful!"

"Indeed! But we still have the floor to do..."

"I know, but I am dying to put the wallpaper up in the bedroom.  You will see how gorgeous it will be.  I cannot wait to show it to you!"

Kassandra's big renovation part 2 - Study

The second room in Kassandra's home is finished!  It took me a couple of days to do it, and it posed a little challenge for me.

I started stripping the walls of everything they had attached: paintings, portraits and shelves.  See the dreaded Blue Tack stains.  I decided to let the curtains hang until it was really necessary to remove them.

Following with the same wallpaper I had used for the bedroom's ceiling I took measurements for the walls of Kassandra's study.  This time I chose the complete design with all the details showing.  I adjusted the design to my measurements and printed 3 sheets.  It was very easy to do the front and left side walls.

The right wall had a little difficulty: the space for the door, which I have covered wth the courtains.  I took them out very carefully (thank goodness no damage came onto them!), and then I used scrap paper to make a pattern, so I would not make any mistakes in cutting the printed wallpaper.

Well, guess what?  I made a mistake, and so I had to reprint one of the sheets (two were necessary to cover the whole wall).  But once the mistake was corrected, the whole room looks very nice and regal.

It reminds me of an antique library, or one of those Catholic choirs from where the monks used to sing.  Maybe it is a tad dark, but Kassandra loves it.  She says she finds wood very soothing to study and read.

Kassandra says now that the room has been redone, she is thinking of getting rid of the fireplace and putting instead a little table to hold more of her books and artifacts.  She is still thinking about it and window shopping for ideas. 

And finally with the curtains in their place

 Next stop, the shop!

More books and free printable

The book fever is consuming me.  Please send help!

Just kidding, I am having a blast making mini books for my libraries.  Today I even managed to make some inside pages sets of my own.  One of them features the antiphonary pages that I used to sell in my shop; the other features sheet music from my favorite operas.

I am so happy how they turned out I want to share them.  So, here you are, some medieval and sheet music pages.

I left the sheet music in white in case you want to use them in a more modern setting; but if you print them in cream or yellow colored paper, or even parchment paper, you will have a lovely antique look.

As always, feel free to print as many as you like and pass them along to any one - links would be nice too.  But please do not sell them.

Enjoy making books!

New Spell Books up for sale in my shop

A new collection of books are now up for sale in my shop:

They can be acquired as a collection, or one by one.  The first three feature graphics mady by Chocolate Rabbit.  They feature skulls, bats, scrolls and other motives.  The last one features graphics made by Vectoria Designs.  It looks like a very old tome with decorated corners.  

All of them have antiqued blank papers, hand cut one by one.

They will look perfect in any medieval setting, library or study of a witch or wizard.

Make them yours today!

The drawing room renovations

So, my vampire tenant said that the drawing room in the dollhouse had been planned for a human inhabitant, and that was fine, but she had no need for some of the items on it, and asked for some renovations.  Sometimes it is stressful to keep her happy, but I am happy to oblige because I adore her.  Let me show you how the drawing room was before:

She said she had no need for a china cabinet, or even china, since she is not so fond of tea or coffee.  Instead, she wanted it replaced with a bookshelf to have a library - the book cart was too small for her.  She also wanted new wall art - and for the dog to find another home.
This is the after, althoug it is far from finished:

I substitued the china cabinet for the bookshelf, and replaced the existing paintings for some with a medieval theme, which she likes very much.  The bookshelf needs still to be painted but that will be done soon.  My tenant says she misses her castle, but now she feels more at home.  The tapestry and the coat-of-arms are a nice addition too, she adds.  I have a surprise for her, since I bought 3 big shields that are going to be put on the wall beside the clock - but they will take some time since they are unpainted (don't say anything to her!).

The Pomeranian dog has found a new place to live in my mother's garden (they are doing a barbecue party over there, so he is quite happy with the change), and a kitty in his basket is sleeping now near the table.  I mentioned before the new chandelier with LED lights.  

But I wanted to note specially the books on the shelf.  Some I already had, but the new batches come from Treefeathers, and the big Dracula volume that is on the book cart is from Lee Ann on eBay:

The books from Treefeathers feature real antique editions of the covers of the books; and the Dracula volume is written: it has the first chapter of the book in tiny tiny print.  The shelf still have lots of room for books, but those will keep coming in time...

Happy MiniBirthday!

Today is my birthday (yayyyyy!) and my mother has gifted me a couple of oh-so-beautiful minis that I could not wait to share!

My vampire tenant had been complaining for years that the round white wire table she had in her studio was SO not to her taste and that she wanted it removed and replaced for something adequate to her dignity.  I was always sorry to inform her that I had not found any suitable table, although I had never stopped looking.  

Well, when I purchased for her the tapestry depicting Sir Galahad, she suggested that the talented lady that made it maybe had something that she could use as table.  And indeed she was right!  But the table she liked was out of my budget, and my mother bought it and gifted it to me today.  

I just came back from redecorating the studio.  This is how it was before:

See the dreaded table under the velvet cloth

 And after:

She is so so happy with her new writing desk!  The lid can hold papers and books, and it lifts to reveal an storage space underneath.  The drawer opens and it even has a small key hole. Another wonderful piece from Linda Sweigart. 

I like the room very much now: it's more visually appealling, it looks like it has more space.  I am waiting the delivery of a gothic chair to match the desk, which I know will make my vampire tenant ecstatic.

She is also very happy to have a new chandelier in the drawing room:

It's another LED lamp with batteries.  She says it will be great to read her new collection of books - I will tell you all about them very soon, as well as the reformations that had been happening in the drawing room...

More new minis

So, here are the promise pictures of the new minis from Linda Sweigart.  This is probably my new favorite thing in the dollhouse:

It is a wonderful tapestry entitled "Sir Galahad".  My vampire lady says it reminds her a lot of her beloved, who used to be a knight of the realm too.  You can see there is a picture of "The Accolade" very near it.  Also, a coat-of-arms that I purchased ages ago, and that I just recently finished painting:

I also have a stack of medieval pages (you can see them on the red chair), also the work of Linda, that are waiting for their new place to be.

There are too new lamps in the bedroom and in the exterior wall of the house:

I love these lamps!  I was too afraid of wiring my dollhouse for electricity, so up to now, it had no lights at all.  All the lamps were just props, and did not work.  But some time ago my mom told me about a new type of lamps that worked with batteries and had LED lights, and that did not need wiring; you just attach them to the walls or ceilings with a magnet.  She purchased one for me, and I acquired these two.  They are great!  They have an ON/OFF switch (just like the real ones) and have a lot of shine.  They look wonderful when it's dark.

As of today, I am going to make renovations in the drawing room, and I just purchased a new bookshelf that is going to be full with books and papers.  Books with pages, as I do not like dummy books.  I am also waiting for the first book to arrive, and I have more that I intent to purchase soon.  More info on that when they arrive...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

P.S. My mother decorates her dollhouse and scenes for Christmas (trees, gifts, cakes, decorations, Christmas cards, nativity...)  Do you as well?  My vampire lady celebrates Winter Solstice, but she does not decorate.

Nail design of the week

Remember some time ago I mentioned I purchased a stamping plate with dragons?  Well, on Monday I used it for the first time, and the results were fabulous:

Excuse the chipped nail!  I couldn't get pictures the day I made them

These are the tools I used:

Unglax nail hardener as base coat 

Black Orchid nail polish by Sally Hansen

Messy Mansion stamping plate #MM05

Konad plastic scraper

Konad small stamper

Icy Princess nail polish by essence for stamping

Seche Vite top coat
Naio coconut cuticle oil for the cuticles when everything is finished and dry

The designs are BIG, which is great for my nails, and as you can see, the stamping is very clear and precise.  The one in the pinky does not look good, but that was my fault.  The pinky of the right hand looks awesome.  Fot the thumbs I used the crown and the axes.  The axes look great, but I could not get a really good stamping with the crown.  But overall I am happy with the results.  I think this is the best stamping work I have made since I started.

I hope I can use the backgrounds with other nail designs as accent nail.  They will undoubtedly cover the entire bed of any of my nails, they are so big.

Here is a little vid I made of the Messy Mansion plate.  Enjoy!

A new stamping plate for my collection

Just a few days ago I purchased a nail stamping plate from Messy Mansion:

Picture from the Messy Mansion store

It is great, isn't it?  This is the first plate that I have found that is not what I call "girly", i.e. no butterflies, flowers, kittens, smileys or hearts.  Instead, dragons, knights, axes and castles, along with a crest and a background.  So awesome!!

Messy Mansion also has a website for you to peruse full of nail art goodies.  

I will let you know when the plate arrives, and how well it performs.  I am dying to try it out!