Balcony Alcove Enfin Termine'

Don't you just love French?  It sounds so romantic and charming and has a certain je ne sais quoi.  I feel like Marie-Antoinette . . . minus the head cutting off thing.  Anyway . . .

Today is a cloudy, rainy day and I'm enjoying it immensely.  It's been hot and dry for, gosh, I don't know how long, but the rain is a welcome relief.  And it gives me a chance to stay indoors and work on the manor!

I finally finished the balcony alcove.  It turned out beautifully.  I re-did a few things and fixed those wonky posts.  Instead of using stir sticks, I purchased some 1/4 inch half round and cut it to length.  This matches the full round posts on the rest of the balcony and looks so much more cohesive.

Before . . .

With that finished I moved on to the front porch.  The gazebo is almost finished.  I had to stain a few more shingles for Brian, so I'm hoping he'll be able to finish the roof tonight.  Fingers crossed!  I also put together a couple of railings and am waiting for the glue to dry before I paint and install them.

I found this beautiful wicker set on Etsy and Brian said to buy it.  I didn't waste any time!  If you're searching for unique wicker items, check out this shop.  Her work is amazing.  I can't wait to decorate the gazebo!

All that's left on the exterior is the brick foundation and most likely a few touch ups or fix ups here and there.  Next on my list is to wire a few plugs and lights which I'll do before adding the brick.

The new wallpaper for the rearrangement of rooms should be here on Monday and I'm excited to start the redecoration.  I've ordered drapes and I'm hoping to get the rooms done before they arrive.  It's an exciting time at the manor!

It's a Disaster!

Panic has set in!  What have I done?!!  You don't realize how well you put things together until you have to take them apart!  As I started to take down the wall boards in the bathroom, I realized I had to use foam board to thicken the walls because of the windows I purchased for the additions.  Add that to the crown molding which is also glued to the ceiling, and you have what boils down to a big headache!  I had also wrapped the wallpaper around the foam board which makes a nice edge on the back side, but not so much when you want to change the wallpaper.  EEGADS!  Calgon, take me away!!

As if that wasn't bad enough, I ran out of ink for my printer so I can't print the new floor for the new bathroom until the ink I ordered arrives.  Heavy sigh . . . I will not be defeated by foam board , crown molding, and lack of ink!

Onward and upward!  I will have to buy some card stock to make templates and then glue the wallpaper to those.  Since I don't want to remove the crown molding, it is going to take quite a bit of finagling to make it look like it was meant to be there in the first place.  I'm going to take another look first to see if I can somehow manage to take the crown molding down without ruining the ceiling paper.  Wish me luck!

Room Reversal

A wonderful follower of the blog left this comment . . .

"Is it too late to wish that the bathroom would be traded for a larger little girl's room and that the little girl's room be swapped out for an en suite?"

I have to admit that it seemed odd that the little girl had to go through her father's boudoir to get to her room.  However, the little girl in the story was a complete after thought.  I had not intended to have a) a nursery or b) a little girl's room for that matter.  However, in favour of balancing the manor (and at hubby's request) I added the room that became the little girl's room.  And in the process of doing so I found myself quite excited at the prospect!  And honestly, I did think about reversing rooms at one point, but didn't want to go through all the work to do it.

I moved the rooms around this morning and found that it does seem like this was meant to be.  After asking dear hubby for his opinion, he agreed.  He also said that they wouldn't have had such a big bathroom in those days.  I lamented about all the hard work of removing and redecorating and he stated that was the point of having a dollhouse . . . wasn't it?  HA!  I thought I was near the end of the building, renovating, decorating stage, but apparently not!

Bathroom - Before

Bathroom - Before

Bathroom - After in what was the little girl's room.

Bathroom - After in new location.

Bathroom - After in new location.

Little girl's room - Before

Little girl's room - After in what was the bathroom.

Little girl's room - After

Little girl's room - After

Little girl's room - After

I swear I could see Rosemary smiling in what is to be

her new bedroom!

Am I daunted by the thought of all this extra work?  Not in the least!  Okay, maybe a little.  Pulling out trim and removing wallpaper is not one of my favorite things to do.  However, it must and will be done!

Also, I just ordered curtains for the bathroom and had to revise the order from three sets to two.  And I had to contact the lovely lady I bought the bedroom curtains from and see if she can make me another set.  Hopefully, with this taken care of I can move full steam ahead.

Now, I'm off to order wallpaper . . . but not before I thank JODI for a great suggestion and the encouragement to make the change!

And since the Pennethorne's have put in yet another change order (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) . . . they've gone on holiday to Mackinac Island to avoid the construction mess.

The Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island

Move In Day

The Pennethorne's have arrived despite the manor not being finished and insisted on moving in.  Okay, so I was impatient to get my miniatures moved in, play around a bit and see what I still have to do on the interior.  This probably wasn't the best idea, since I still have to electrify some lights (which means laying the manor on its' back) but since I'm waiting for a new transformer before I can do that, I thought I'd play!

I decided to add another transformer that will light the conservatory chandelier, balcony and front door lights and the gazebo light.  I thought to do this as sometimes it's nice to have everyone sleeping on the inside whilst the night is lit with the outdoor lights.  In hindsight it would have been nice to have all the rooms on switches to create different moods, but I think it will still be nice to create indoor and outdoor moods.  Also, since the conservatory chandelier will be plugged in, I can just unplug it for a night time effect.

I tore apart the balcony alcove today because I just couldn't live with the posts being spaced wonky.  I'm redesigning it a bit and hopefully it will look better.

For now, allow me to take you on a tour of the interior of Pennethorne Manor. . . .

We'll start on the main floor in the Conservatory and work our way to the Grand Dining Room.

The Conservatory - still have to add plexiglass windows and hide the cord to the chandelier.

The Conservatory

The Breakfast Room

The Parlor

The Parlor

The Main Hall

The Main Hall

Mrs. Pennethorne arriving home after a day of visiting friends and
making new acquaintances.

The Grand Dining Room

The Grand Dining Room

Ceiling in the Grand Dining Room

The second floor starting in the Little Girl's Room . . .

The Boudoir

The Boudoir

Second Floor Hall

This light fixture is meant to be on the newel post in the Main Floor Hall.  In Victorian times it represented that the mortgage had been paid in full.  However, if I put it in the Main Floor Hall you likely won't see it because of the staircase.  I'm still thinking on its' placement.

Second Floor Hall

The rather large Water Closet

The Water Closet

Third floor starting in the study . . .

Lighted fireplace and Lord Pennethorne's trusted companion - Duke.

Third floor Hall and Chapel

The Chapel is on the left - still a work in progress.

Reginauld is reminding me of the time - time to go!

And lastly the attic . . .

That concludes our tour of the interior of Pennethorne Manor.  I hope you enjoyed your visit and will return at a later date for High Tea.  Farewell until we meet again!