It's been a day and a half of pretty solid work on this, but the roombox is ready to give to Mum! David and his friend, David, cut and grooved the plywood for the box yesterday and I painted, stained and papered it so we could assemble it this morning. It's not finished -- it still needs its picture frame front and external finish, but it's finished enough to show her. It was very odd to work on something that needed wallpaper and baseboards and crown moulding and a picture rail -- it was so civilized! And using an oak stain instead of walnut ... freaky.
I have a bit of a thing for Staffordshire dogs (I brought a pair home from England last year, much to my Mum's amusement), so early on in my miniaturizing, I bought a tiny pair of them, in spite of the fact that I really didn't have any place to put them and wasn't planning a Victorian house, ever, really. It always amazes me when things suddenly turn out to have a home, after all :)
I think the Reutters porcelein Tiffany lamp is incredibly beautiful. I wasn't sure until I saw it lit up.
I think the Reutters porcelein Tiffany lamp is incredibly beautiful. I wasn't sure until I saw it lit up.
The furnishings are temporary. They're all just pieces that belong somewhere else, but will act as visual placeholders for the pieces I'd like to get for Mum's room. The stained glass window I'm not really happy with -- it was my first attempt and it's pretty blobby. I like the effect, though. I can still pop the window out and have another go :)
I really like the wallpaper. And the picture on the wall is my inspiration painting :) I did some miniature knitting which you can't really see in the basket. As I was knitting on tiny needles, I remembered trying to knit socks a few years ago, and vowing never to knit anything so small and fiddly ever again!
These are some books I made from a kit I bought from Silly Sisters in the Netherlands. I wanted them as shelf fillers, but there were some of the books I just couldn't pass off as Tudor or Queen Anne :)
We're just going to take it over to Mum -- I hope she likes it :)
And to ALL the mums, moms, mothers and mamas out there, Happy Mother's Day!
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It looks really nice and you've been so fast with it! I love the wallpaper, it's perfect :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that your mom will be delighted :)
Ira
You are so quick! It looks fabulous, I'm sure your Mum will love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift for your mum. I´m sure she´ll love it! I like the fact that you give her a gift, you can add to over time...
ReplyDeleteThe books are lovely, I have to take a peek at The Silly Sisters.
I love the wall paper, it's gorgeous! I bet mom will be quite pleased. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys -- we're back, and she really liked it! I'm so happy ...
ReplyDeleteAnnie -- that was what I was hoping for, that this would be a cumulative and collaborative present. Looking at it for the first time, as she focused on what was inside, Mum said that she'd like a cat, and would also like a rocking chair like her mother's, neither of which I had thought of.
Dear Nina, I spent this "Mother's Day" with my mom and my daughter (17 months) and together we poked around for blogs: it was very nice! So imagine the joy when your mother get this wonder, a gift of his child ...
ReplyDeleteEverything is beautiful, there's a relaxed atmosphere and this is, perhaps, the most beautiful gift :-)
Kisses
Flora
Nina, you move at warp speed! lol I love this little room, it has a wonderful atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteYou said that your stained glass window is bobbly?! I couldn't get a close up to have a look, but when I have added glass paint, I used a cocktail stick and an ultra fine brush (it only had a few bristles) to apply the paint. Your room box all looks fantastic though and I'd love it if someone had made it for me. :o)
Michelle xxx
It is wonderful....O knew she'd just love it.
ReplyDeleteI can't beleive you got it done so quickly.
The staffs you bought back...did you mean real Ones ?
Lovely room, lovely colour, beautifully done!!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully finished room (so far) and you'll have fun looking for the pieces your Mum would like to add.
ReplyDeleteA whole day just to mini - you must have had such a good time! The box for your mum is lovely and maybe it worked out well that you didn't have all the necessary bits for it and she can add things that mean something special to her that perhaps you weren't aware of - like the rocking chair.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully thoughtful present. It looks soooo cosy.
ReplyDeleteFlora: it sounds as if you had a great time with your mum and daughter :) I've got something to go in the mail for you this week, by the way :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle: I deliberately didn't include any close up of the window because it sucks. Truly. Thank you SO much for the hints -- they'll help a lot when I produce attempt #2 :)
Tallulah Belle: The Staffordshire dogs I bought were 20th century reproductions, which actually suited me just fine. I salivate over the authentic ones, but just can't justify spending that kind of money on them. They're black and white and remind me of a great day out in Southwold on the Bank Holiday Monday, where I found them :)
Glenda: Thanks! The colour has really grown on me, and it works perfectly with my Mum's living room (I was relieved to see, today!)
Margaret: That's going to be the best part of it -- looking for little presents for her to go in her room!
Irene: I so agree with you -- I think all worked out for the best. I would NEVER have thought of a rocking chair!
Janice: Thanks so much for your kinds words!
Great present - really from your heart!
ReplyDeleteI love wallpaper - so detailed. Lovely room for the rest:)))
Any mum will be touched by this room box, Nina :). You have made it so cosy and really "mum-like" :). I am glad my mum does not read blogs or she will be so jealous ..haha. I like how this box starts out with a lot more room to add stuff. Maybe you will get her hooked on minis after this ad go shopping for a rocking chair. Better yet, maybe she'll make one herself! This is a lovely lovely present, Nina, bravo!
ReplyDeleteAww Nina,
ReplyDeleteI've made tons and tons of mistakes with my mini's...I think sometimes it helps to show others as they may have tips of how to go about either rectifying the mistake or what to do next time. I'm glad that I could help though. ;o)
I LOVE Southwold, I used to live in Suffolk and we used to go there for an afternoon out. :o))
Michelle xx
Thanks, Michelle :) We love Southwold, too -- we've stayed there a few times in the past for vacations, and love it -- great pubs, really nice people and a lovely town. It was funny to visit it on the Holiday Monday , because the place was, of course, crawling with holidayers - it was VERY lively! We'd only been to stay in the off season before :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's very helpful to see people make mistakes and learn how to avoid them or fix them. If all we ever show is perfection (assuming we can even achieve that), then it's not as interesting and not terribly realistic!
Gosh! You are so fast! It is beautiful roombox Nina! Your Mum must just love it:)
ReplyDelete