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The Lily Pad won an Honorable Mention in Hobby Builders Supply's 14th Annual Creatin' Contest. Welcome to the Lily Pad, the home of Captain Walter Bulrush, retired from a life on the high seas as a member of the Merchant Marines, and his family: wife Lydia, and sons Algernon and baby Moses. ... ... When I saw the houseboat kit, it told me immediately that it wanted to be part of a fantasy, the home of a frog family, and that it wanted to have a ballroom with a two-story ceiling and a skylight. When the Bulrush family arrived from Scotland, where they'd been vacationing, they had more ideas about their new home. And thus was the Lily Pad born. All of these demands, plus the relative size of the 1:12 scale houseboat and the family, made it clear from the beginning that this project had to be done in 1:24 scale, something totally new to me. It was my first bash of a dollhouse kit, and reducing the scale was challenging. Working on it on and off for the past 10 months or so has been a joy and a real learning experience. Come, take a tour! The Stern The front door boasts a pineapple, long a symbol of hospitality. New England sea captains often brought back pineapples from their voyages to the South Pacific. When they returned home after months at sea, they would put a pineapple on the fencepost to let their neighbors know that they were welcome to stop by to see what treasures resulted from their latest trip. Mom Lydia is checking the mail delivery. The little red and white fender, to keep the boat from bumping when tied up at a dock, is a discarded eye-drop container. All of the railings on both decks are hand made, as are the gangplanks. The red, white, and blue deck chairs are hand made, as is the life ring (from a Fimo mold). To suggest water, the pontoons, split in half lengthwise, were glued to the base, and a piece of red craft foam was glued over the opening, The foam helps to cushion the sheet of Plexiglas that forms the surface of the water. The upper half of the pontoons rest on the Plexiglas, and the boat appears to be floating. The red craft foam looks like a paint line on the pontoon. ... ... Foyer The entry, with its Chinese red rug, scrimshaw floor vase, imposing Ionic columns, and glittering artifacts makes visitors aware that they are not entering just any old houseboat. The parlor can be seen beyond the foyer, and to the left, the dining room. Dining Room The dining room cabinet holds some of Mom Lydia's collection of silver, and more is on display on the table. The door under the stairs leads to the kitchen. The ballroom is adjacent on the left. This makes entertaining very convenient. Thirsty guests can slip into the dining room for a bit of refreshment kept well stocked by the catering crew. The stairway leads up to the music room. Ballroom Two-story ballroom boasts a crystal and gold chandelier, faux marble walls, parquet floor, and a brass harem screen that separates it from the master bedroom. The half-inch scale Colonial chandelier from HBS is embellished with crystals and jewelry findings. The harem screen was meant to provide leaves for making mini plants but instead it serves as a way for someone in the master bedroom to peek in on the festivities below and adds airiness to both rooms. The skylight with its stained glass panels lends romance to the setting. The musician's balcony leads into the music room. ... ... Music Room The piano in the music room can be rolled over to the doorway to the musician's balcony when needed for a party in the ballroom. Mom Lydia plays very well. Captain Walter is the violinist. His beloved instrument has traveled the seven seas with him. He would like Algernon to learn how to play it, but Algernon is more interesting in fishing. The circular stairway provides access to the upper deck. It is hand made. The beautiful cinnabar floor vase is a bead. The hallway leads down to the bathroom and nursery. The near door is to the boy's room. ... Boy's Room Algernon's room is typical of any boy's room, whether on land or afloat. Toy cars, airplanes, books, a shell collection, and an aquarium reflect his varied interests. The bed, dresser and bedside chest were made from kits and hand painted. Where is Algernon? Right now he's fishing from the bow of the Lily Pad. Algernon is Fishing Algernon got tired of fishing with a fly and caught a fish with a worm on his bamboo pole and bobber. He's netted the fish and is going to put it into the bucket with the other fish he caught. He doesn't realize that the lure on his fly rod has attracted some big fish from the shadows beneath the houseboat. The ripples are glue on the Plexiglas surface. The fish are OOAK, made from Fimo and painted. They're mounted on pins stuck into the Styrofoam base, so they look as if they're suspended in the water. The hatch is the opening to the engine room. Algernon doesn't know it, but his proud father is watching him from the upper deck. ... Upper Deck – Pilot House Captain Walter is most at home in the pilot house. Here he stands with his binoculars near the signal cannon. Inside, all is ship shape, maps and charts stored flat in the chest, and signal flags stowed away in their cubby holes. The red foghorn doesn't get blown often, now that they're nearly permanently birthed, but the Captain delights in giving it a toot for special visitors. The children have a play area on the upper deck. The little trees keep them away from the ballroom's skylight. ... ... Upper Deck - Lanai Mom Lydia insisted on a comfortable place to entertain guests informally. She loves the lanai with its comfortable table and chairs, but she also enjoys her own little quiet place tucked away behind the little shelter for the circular stairway. The shelter, including the screen door, is scratch built. A pair of gray pantyhose gave up some fabric for the screen. ... Canoe and Shoreline The canoe is ready for an afternoon paddle. The base is constructed of contractor's foam board sprayed with stone-textured paint. ... Master Bedroom Continue the tour on the middle deck, starboard side. The master bedroom has a view of the ballroom. It's difficult to see in the photo, but the green wallpaper repeats the leafy tracery of the brass screen. It holds more of the Captain's souvenirs from Europe and Africa. The bed and round table are made from kits. I dressed the bed. The green light on the right is the starboard running light. The far door is a closet. The near door leads into the bathroom. Bathroom The bathroom wallpaper is an image scanned from a painting by Lucien Barbarin, an artist friend of the family. I made the OOAK wire towel rack from paper-wrapped floral wire. I made the sail maker's bench from a kit. The tiny drawer opens. Captain Walter's family has a long history of seamanship, boat building, and sail making. It is a prized family heirloom. The door on the left leads into the hallway, and across the hall is the nursery. ... Nursery & Parlor Baby Moses is waiting for Mom to come feed him breakfast. The picture of the cow jumping over the moon decorated her nursery room when she was a tadpole. The parlor is used for formal visits. The bay window holds a ship's model that Captain Walter made on one of his long voyages. The door to the right leads into the kitchen. ... Kitchen Mom Lydia keeps a ship shape kitchen. She got up early this morning to bake a chocolate cake, the Captain's favorite. Friends will be coming over for tea in a little while. She set the table for them, but thinks perhaps she'll move the party up to the lanai as it's such a nice day. The door on the back wall leads to the dining room. Beyond the wall on the right is the Captain's library. ... Library The library is papered with a wonderful design of sailing ships. The shelves display some of the Captain's extensive collection of books and souvenirs brought back from his world travels. The door leads into the ballroom. The shelves were purchased unfinished. The rocker and library table were kits. ... Thanks for visiting. Come back, y'hear?

Today I added fish to the water, four of them made from Fimo polyclay. The first three fish started out looking like the others, but they came out really strange,looking like lumps of toxic waste on a pin. They started out looking like this: But came out looking like this: The next four fired up just fine and were painted with acrylic paint, including some silver touches for shine. They're mounted on pins stuck into the contractors' foamboard base. The pins don't show as much in real life as they do in these photos. This lure will be attached to the fishing line. It's glued to the surface of the Plexiglass.

October 10, 2007 Today I finished the landscaping and put the boat in its setting. The protective plastic has been removed from the Plexiglas. It's so clear that it nearly doesn't look like water! I found the little fence at Big Lots, part of their Christmas decorations which the clerks were busy arranging on the shelves. Lloyd donated the canoe to the project. I'd bought it for him at Hobby Lobby some time ago and forgotten it. Mrs. Lydia Bulrush will be very happy to have her furnishing back on board so normal life can resume. Right now they're living in a 3-room storage facility. Here's what's left to do: mooring lines and underwater critters. Time to get out the Fimo and make trout or some other kind of tasty fishes.

October 8, 2007 Worked on the shoreline today. The shore was sprayed with stone-textured spray paint and looks very much like half-inch scale rough sand. Plants, rocks, and shells added, along with some green model train turf in nooks and crannies. Not quite sure what the sides and back edges will look like, but definitely not as detailed as the "front". I put the boat in place so I could see how the plantings looked in context. The "water" is still covered with plastic and over spray from the textured paint. It will be clear, eventually. Notice the addition of fenders ... they're empty eye drop capsules that I filled with white gesso and added a red paint stripe. October 7, 2007 Have decided to amend this entry until the base is finished. There's not that much more to do. The following 3 photos show the beginning of the decoration, adding rocks and lycopodium to the bottom of the slip, then layering with the Plexiglas. In this shot, the Plexi still has pale blue protective plastic on both sides. When construction is finished, the blue plastic will come off to make the water clear. The red on the pontoons is craft foam. It will help cushion the Plexiglas and will appear to be a red water-line painted on the pontoon when the boat is in place. October 5, 2007 The base is made from half-inch contractor's foam board. A solid piece for the bottom, then two outer layers to build it up. Could probably have done this with wood as well, but this is lighter. A piece of Plexiglas will lie on top of the 3rd layer, and a 4th layer will sit on top of the Plexiglas to finish it off. The bit in the middle will be hidden under the boat. It's there to keep the Plexiglas from bowing. How can the boat "float" in Plexiglas? Easy ... I've taken off the lower half of the pontoons, which will be attached to the base. The Plexi will rest on top of them, and the boat itself will rest on top of the Plexiglas. I did a little test, and I think the effect will be awesome. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo, but have patience, one will come. I covered the base with wallboard mud. The sides slope a bit to enhance the idea of looking into a pond. The mud cracked a bit while it dried, but I spread a generous layer of gesso over all, which filled in the little cracks and made a good surface for painting. The base is painted a basic sandy color with darker shadings in the water. This will be enhanced with some underwater items yet to be made.

I've decided to do the decorating methodically. Started with the top deck. Unless I decided to age the decking a bit, it is finished. I don't think I will age it. Captain Bullrush keeps his boat ship-shape, so even tricycle marks would be painted out nearly as soon as they're made. You may notice the frog pond is missing. The jury is still out on that item; it may turn up on the lower deck. On the middle deck, the boy's cabin is pretty much finished. Have decided not to do a curtain or drape in here. Here is it with the light on. I notice a few stray threads on the bedclothes, and he could use a few more toys, or a basket to keep his toys in, but for the most part, this room is finished. The music room is beside the boy's room. I didn't put any lights in here. The sconce in the hallway shines some light this way and the chandelier in the ballroom casts light in here as well. And I just noticed that the dining room light shines up the stairwell, too! The hall runner is a sort of brocade ribbon I got at Wal-Mart. The rug is silk with the ends fringed. The scrollwork that goes over the door into the ballroom balcony is leaning upside down against the doorway. I need to make the curtains that will hang behind it before it is mounted. (Side note: I found fabric for all of the rugs in the goodies that Sharon (Beachpeach) shared with us at the Bishop Show in Chicago in 2007. Thanks again, Sharon! For the half-inch scale, the thinner silks worked best, although I will be using some textured fabric in the starboard side cabins.) The dining room rug is also silk with fringed ends. The scrollwork that goes over the door into the ballroom is on the floor. Must make curtains before it is mounted. And finally, the ballroom. Haven't done anything in here but mount the balcony rail with Mini-Hold wax. Have some trims to mount and curtains to make. I think the chairs on the balcony may be painted gold, and I may make a few like them for the ballroom floor.

October 1, 2007: I vowed to get the boat finished by the end of September, and here we are. The past few days I've been tweaking ... making accessories, getting pillows on the bed, and so forth. Here are photos I took today, with the Bulrush Family on board. Capt. Walter, wife Lydia, son Algernon, and baby Moses. There are still some little tweakings to do ... accessories for the parlor, fenders for the boat, etc., for for all intents and purposes, I'm declaring the boat itself finished! The next project is the base ... a lazy riverbank or a pond, not sure which yet. Meanwhile, here are some of today's pictures in no particular order ...

Today I added pictures to the nursery and bathroom, made a rug for the parlor, added a foghorn to the pilot house and installed a yardarm with flags, made and installed (non-lighting) running lights, put a flag on the stern, and put a shawl and candle on the piano. (The music room has no light of its own and is darker than I'd like it to be.) Also installed the aquarium. My list of things to do is getting shorter. The ivory rug brightens this room considerably, thank goodness! No, I'm not going to tell you what the flags spell. Lloyd says the flags are too small; I say, "where was he when I was making them?" If I can see 'em, they're just fine! Another snippet of Anna's fabric and the innards of a small ballpoint pen made a nice stern flag. The running lights are not functional. Made from bits of round dowel, balsa, and a couple of beads. I figure this ol' boat isn't going to leave the dock soon! Algernon is waiting patiently for me to make him some fishing equipment. In real life, the cloth is silver with silver spots. It really sparkles! The aquarium is installed in the boy's room. This room needs more clutter. It's way too clean for a young boy!

After a few weeks' hiatus, I got busy again yesterday. I built a baker's rack out of white-covered floral wire for the bathroom and loaded it with towels. Can't have too many towels on a house boat, eh? Also added a toy to the hallway and a mirrored shelf, and put a towel on the sail maker's bench in the bathroom. I'm going for a lived-in look. I added a stained balsa window sill to the bay window in the parlor, then I turned to the parlor curtains. I made them from paper I got at Big!Lots and a bit of lace glued to a piece of strip wood. (I see some tacky wax peeking out. The camera doesn't lie ... I hung a couple of paintings on the parlor wall. I really don't like the red, red of the mahogany furniture in here. The room is way too dark, even with the lights on. Do I want to rework the furniture? Maybe. How? I dunno. Ideas welcome! Then I got a bit crafty. Poured some resin into the little aquarium I got at the estate sale a few weeks ago and made a stand for it. It's going into the boy's room. And got out the toaster oven and the Sculpey and made a half dozen life rings. They'll be painted like the model and will hang on the railings. There are fewer and fewer details to add, thank goodness! The to-do list includes some wooden folding deck chairs, fishing equipment, life preservers and boxes to store them in, silverware for the kitchen table, and the elusive Margarita pitcher and glasses for the upper deck cabana table.

The curtains in the dining room, music room and ballroom slowed me down a bit. I'm not really satisfied with what is there, but I'm moving along with the thought that those things can be revisited. The Master Cabin is not finished. Need pillows for the bed, and I don't like the rug. May want to soften the porthole and/or harem screen with some fabric; not sure about that. Bathroom needs a white wire shelf unit (I think I can make one) and a frame for the mirror (which is resting in the bathtub). I like the "moonlight" shining through the skylight in the photo below.

Here are the photos from yesterday's efforts. The canopy has been rebuilt and edged with some neat lace I found in a bridal shop for 29 cents a yard. What a deal! Two of the deck chairs have had cushions added, thanks to some nifty froggie fabric that Anna gave me. (The nice shiny wheel and compass in the pilot house also came from Anna. Lloyd is beside himself over it, as the compass really works!) And some astro-turf was installed in the children's play area. The lower deck railings were a bear to install. I need to go over the mitered corners to fill in gaps. The long rail proved a challenge, as it rests on 5 or 6 beads, with no side supports. I drilled little holes in the bottom of the rails and used toothpicks to peg it to the beads. Now that it's dry, it seems strong enough to withstand the gymnastics of energetic little frog kids. The gaps fore and aft will be closed with bits of chain, although I guess if a frog falls overboard it really wouldn't be that big a deal, eh? It's hard to believe that the major construction is really finished! I'm taking the day off, and tomorrow will start a room-by-room effort to complete them with curtains & draperies, rugs, little accessories, etc.

Well, I spent most of the day in the basement, catching up on several days worth of recorded Y&R episodes and working on the upper deck. The photos below tell the story. The empty flowerpots will eventually have plants in them. The door on the stairway shelter is made from balsa wood and a piece of gray nylon stocking. I'd really like to grab a glass of lemonade* and sit under the awning for a while. Can just feel those pond breezes on my cheeks. *Edit: I just looked back at 5-1/2 months of work on this project and changed my order to a pitcher of margaritas.

The canopy has undergone some modification. It's a lot less likely to attract the Pope now. It's roofed over with some bronze material like the copper used on the bay window roof. The upper deck railings are glued in place, and some of the upper deck items are scattered about. Still thinking about where the plants and playground will go and whether the table and chairs need a sun umbrella. That dark rectangle in the corner is a frog pond. I'm not sure it will stay. A family of frogs keeping frogs in a pond --- kind of creeps me out! LLoyd is after me to do something about the clear "glass" in the stairwell cover. He says he keeps thinking about the crow that flies into the window in the Windex commercial. I'm thinking some stained glass might work. And yes, I know it looks as if the kids could fall through the railing, but I don't think I'll do much about it.

In the previous entry I mentioned a canopy. Well, here it is. I cut a plastic frosting container in half for the arch, made the underlying frame from skinny sticks, and added 4 porch ports. As you can see, it looks more like something erected for the visit of the Pope than protection from the weather. And there is no protection from the weather. So, the porch posts were cut down and a 2-litre soft drink bottle was cut up. A little trimming and scoring, and voila! A very modern shelter. No rain will get into the music room after all. Still need to define the edges of the door and doorway, and am considering some kind of embellishment (maybe stained glass design?) to make it look a bit more substantial. The next step, one I've been putting off because I knew it was going to be mind-numbing, was building the railings for both decks. I finally decided on a combo of matchsticks and skinny sticks with 1/2" scale top & bottom railings. For some reason, the matchsticks (not really matchsticks -- these are craft sticks found at Michael's) slipped easily into the bottom rail but had to be shaved to fit into the top rail. Come to think of it, the spindles one buys are fatter at the bottom than the top ... doh. At any rate, I now have a little bag of tortilla chips stashed for a 1:12 project. I made 11 feet of railing ... and then figured out I'm probably going to need 12 feet. Will install what I have and see what else is needed.

Working on this and that -- spiral stair installation, skylight installation, and canopy for the spiral stairs. I've been geeing and hawing over how to protect the spiral staircase from the elements and have settled on a canopy. I don't want another blocky item stuck on top (like the pilot house). What to do about weather? Maybe clear walls can be added ... but a door? Naahhhhhhh ... I'd prefer to think this houseboat is anchored in Paradise, where it never rains. The skylight window panes are tinted coral and yellow. The bit of paper toweling is a sling that holds the chandelier. I don't want it banging around when the boat gets tipped and turned as I work on it. BTW, the chandelier was the last light to be added ... they all work just fine, thank you! Components for the canopy. Four purchased port posts and an empty frosting container, plus skinny sticks. You can catch a glimpse of the canopy in the photo just above.

Over the weekend I worked on the stern bulkhead. Couldn't do it before, as lighting wires run down the outside. Now they're there for good! I didn't feel like painting each shingle individually, so I used painter's tape to layer waxed paper under the bottom row of shingles. I did that to block off the single row of blue shingles, too. It worked perfectly - not a drip or smudge in sight. The "copper" roof on the bay window is an adaptive reuse of a peel-and-stick metalic materials from Lowe's. It's meant to cover electrical outlets & switchplates. Comes in brass, aluminum, copper in plain brushed texture and antique patterns. This is the antique copper. I really like how this is coming together. The issue of the railings is still looming large. I just can't decide on a design.

Today I worked on the pilot house and its accessories. I thought it was pretty close to finished, but then Lloyd the Sailor came by. He doesn't like the stanchion for the wheel, and pointed out that the gimbels on the compass are reversed. I wondered about that myself, since green is starboard, red is port, but the photo I used as a reference has them the way they're shown here. So, next session I'm going to lose the wheel stanchion and replace it with a pipe, and reverse the gimbels. The first two shots are of the outside with the asphalt shingles in place. They really look good. I made the map case (with drawers) and the flag case out of balsa wood. The front of the flag case is a photo I found in the internet; how perfect is that? The little ship's clock is also balsa with a printed face glued on. I'm not terribly pleased with the wheel itself. It is also photos glued on both sides of balsa and touched up with craft paint. I wish I could find a nicely varnished wheel. I'm still looking. The rail shown below is a prototype that isn't going to make the cut. The thought of getting dozens of little plexiglass panels glued together perfectly is staggering. I think I may go with a simple top and bottom rail with fewer vertical posts and run a couple lines of wire horizontally. And here's how the pilot house looks in place:

Today I got the top deck cut and painted, made a window frame for the ballroom skylight, and started on the pilot house. The only three lights left to install are in the bathroom, ballroom, and by the front door. The first two will go in when the top deck is ready to be glued in place; the door light will go in when I can attach the siding, which won't happen until the bathroom light is installed. Oy, the logistics make me crazy sometimes! Lloyd the sailor said I shouldn't put a light in the pilot house. Lights only hamper night time sight, he says. I'm glad to believe him. A lantern will hang by the chart desk, but it won't be electrified. The solid wall in the pilot house will have a door. Am waiting for said door to arrive from HBS before I cut the opening. I know the size, but still ... Before I can go much further with the top deck, I need to paint a ton of trim: railings, spindles, and gingerbread. Also need to paint and install the quarter round I'm using instead of cove molding to finish off the wall/ceiling joints. And I still have to figure out what kind of canopy or roof will go over the circular stairs. Don't need any rain running into the music room!

My goodness, but these lights are tiny! Today I finished wiring in the lights on the lower and middle decks and have (successfully!) connected about half of them to the tapewire. I'm following Tracy's (Minis on the Edge) lead and using her idea to combine round wire and tapewire. The wires from each light fixture run through holes in the deck and are bradded and soldered into the tapewire. Most of the wires go through the bow or stern walls. They'll be covered by siding. This is one build where the inside really needs to be finished before I can start on the outside. There is one strip of tapewire running the length of the boat between the pontoons. To make insertion of the brads easier, I glued a thin strip of soft wood to the deck and stuck the tapewire to it. Also following Tracy's lead, I removed the plastic layer from the tape so I wouldn't be burning plastic during the soldering process. Besides making noxious fumes, the plastic would probably also gum up the tip of the soldering iron. It's hard to see the solder on the shiny tape. The solder blob is about the size of a pinhead, but that is sufficient to hold everything together. In this photo, the houseboat is doing a Poseidon. When I get this part of the wiring finished, I can put on the top deck. The ceiling light in the bathroom will be attacked to the top deck. There will be lights in the pilot house and (I think) at the top of the circular stairway.

Today I played. Thought it was time to stage the rooms to see how they're shaping up re furniture and accessories. Found that some rooms are nearly complete, a few have some work to be done. Once again it hit home that instead of a 3-room houseboat, this is a 12-room mansionboat (if you count the foyer and hallway as rooms).

While I'm waiting for some bits and pieces from HBS, I've been doing some accessory stuff. The plain Colonial chandelier has had crystals and doodads added and is now fit for an elegant ballroom. Note that there are only 5 bulbs. How did I know to order extra? One of them hopped like a piece of popcorn and tee-totally disappeared. Even sweeping the floor with a soft brush didn't it turn up. Here are before and after photos: The shelves in the Captain's library have been filled with books and souvenirs. A little more to add, but a tedious job out of the way. (Photos to come)

Today I did a lot of fiddly things ... wallpapered the music room & installed the tile focal point, went through the stash of fabric from Beachpeach and found the perfect carpet for the nursery and a vinyl for the bathroom, glued the stern wall in place and added the doors. Door framing needs to be added, but am ready to add the top deck and celing lights for middle deck rooms as next step. Am thinking about changing color of dining room/parlor walls from yellow to a pale yellow green to pick up the color of the panels in the ballroom. I used clear yellow in the middle deck hall and music room to brighten up the space and am not happy with yellow up and yellow down.

Here's a roundup of the past few days' efforts. Have been working on the middle deck. Ballroom walls are up. Balcony needs to be finished. Haven't decided on window treatments. Boy's cabin wallpaper is up. Very patriotic! Walls are leaning at this point, not glued. Hallway light is installed. Nursery is papered. It's a busy pattern that may get changed out. Bathroom was going to be white with blue Delft tile panels in the wall. That looked pretty blah, so I went a little wild in here. The mural is a painting called "Fire on Water" done by one of Lloyd's artist friends. I printed it out right way and mirror image and butted them in the center of the back wall. The pattern is perfect for the sink/mirror. :whistle: The blue/white checked tiles that were going to go here are now back in the stash. I wasn't too keen on having red/white checks in the kitchen below and blue/white checks in the bathroom just above it. (see photo below) Changing the wall treatment took care of that problem. Not sure what will happen with the floor. (A thought: a handi-wipe type cloth on the workbench has a pattern that looks very much like teensy hexagonal tiles with light blue grout. I'm thinking about it!) That's not a hole in the wall .. it's a mirror that needs a frame. Master Cabin walls are up and harem screen in place. The slot hole in the floor will be covered by a rug. Although the walls don't line up from one deck to the next, I think it looks okay. The faux door on the angled wall doesn't lead to anything. I thought the cabin was a bit too boxy, so added this bit of architecture to soften it.

Today I made window frames for the harem screen that will go between the master cabin and the ballroom and put together the circular stairway that connects with the upper deck (where the wheelhouse, playground, BBQ area, and garden will be). The stairway treads, brackets, and base are cut from balsa wood. The centerpost is a wooden meat skewer; it will be trimmed when I figure out what it will look like above deck. The base and treads are stained walnut; the post and brackets were colored with a black Magic Marker. The stanchions were found in the jewelry.beading section at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. The "railing" will be of rope. Haven't decided yet whether to make it of white cotton or tan jute. The stairway will not be installed permanently, so it can be removed easily for modification. The brass harem screen is too cute for words. Can't wait to get the wallpaper up. It is fairly fragile -- the pads of my fingers caught on the tiny sharp leaves and pulled them up, even though I was being very careful about handling. I think I will put a piece of acetate or other plastic on one side to help stabilize it; am thinking on the best way to do this step. I don't want to take away from the beauty of the brass. There is a matching frame for the ballroom side of the screen. I just realized that I've been working on this boat for 3 months and haven't reached the third deck yet. Goodness!

Today I finished painting the furniture for the boy's cabin and started placing the walls bulkheads for the middle deck. Painting the little bitty stars was a challenge, but I think the overall effect is nice. Sort of rough and tumble for a boy's cabin. I'm thinking cheesecloth fishnet draped across one wall, maybe part of the window treatment. Before I could start constructing the middle deck, I had to run the wires from the kitchen and library ceiling lights down below. The library was no problem. I'd put the wallpaper on with rubber cement, so I just pulled it loose, tucked the wire into the corner and stuck the paper back over it. There was no wallpaper in the kitchen, so I just used Aileen's Tacky Glue to stick it into the corner. After this photo was taken, I painted it blue to match the walls and it nearly disappeared. The refrigerator will be in front of it, and I may add a border around the top of the room, so it won't be noticable. Here is the middle deck roughed in, port side. Ran into a bit of a problem. No place for a doorway into the music room because of the placement of the two stairways. (White circle marks spot for circular stairway). I solved it by staining another bit of board and partially filling in the lower stairwell and will not put a wall between the music room and the circular stairway. Nice railing and bannisters will be added around the lower stairway opening to keep the little people safe. In the photo above, note the brass tracery, lower left. These are leaves stamped out of brass, meant for making little plants. However, I see one or two of the panels left intact and mounted in the wall between the master cabin and the ballroom -- that big blank wall. It will become a screen to let someone in the upper cabin peer into the ballroom and listen to the music. The master cabin wallpaper has a leaf pattern that is about the same scale. I think it will be ultra neat! The white circle marks where the circular stairway to the upper deck will go. And below is the starboard side. I've never seen such a large head on a boat, but then I've never seen a two-story ballroom on a boat, either. (Counting the Titanic as a ship, not a boat! :whistle: ) The flash wiped out most of the wallpaper behind the headboard. You can see a glimpse of the pattern in the corner. The bed, table, and rocking chair were made from kits. The rocking chair needs a cushion, to be done when I figure out how the bed will be dressed.

Tonight I worked on the furniture for the boy's room. It's all laser-cut wood. The background will be shabby chic white, stars will be red, stripes blue. So many tiny pieces! The pencil and finger are there for scale. The loose pieces will be made into a night stand that matches the dresser. Am searching for a 3-hair brush to paint with! :whistle: