Garden Faerie Room

About a week after we moved in, Ella had her 4th birthday party. We hired a Faerie to come in and do crafts, read stories, and generally keep them entertained for about an hour. Worth every penny. Ella even wished that she could be a real faerie when she blew out her candles. How cute was that!?! I think it was the next day, or even later that evening, that we started taking apart her room.

The previous owners had torn down the plaster walls and ceiling (and in doing so knocked out some 2x4s in the walls, and put all the lathe and plaster in the hip space) and put up O.S.B. with 1x2 over the joints. Painted it white, left the ceiling with just the insulation, and the light fixture hanging. Wow. Quite impressive actually (note sarcasim). Demolition!

During the open house, we noticed that the dormer at the front of the house didn't actually connect to any living space, and their realtor had no idea what I was even talking about when I asked about it. So, when we tore down the lovely OSB we framed in a doorway, and walls for a little room under the dormer. The girls love it.

After the walls were opened up, we insulated, vapour barriered, and drywalled. Then the painting begins... and it's been about 9 months and I'm still not finished it! The blue went on first, 2 coats, and when it was dry I added some clouds- very subtle- and using a kitchen sponge with green paints, I put in the grass. The castle went up easy like the trees did, and now all that's left are the details... more flowers, faeries, and general Tuscanish shubbery. The light fixture is a yellow stained glass tulip that was in my room as a child. We added sconces and curtains.

The little dormer room is another story. We've just started to put up the drywall. It's an awkward space to say the least, and there are many angles, the highest point being about 6'. We've only got about 2/3 of it up. Then the fun part... taping, mudding and sanding. I'm not sure if I want to paint it a flat colour, or make it like the White Rabbit's house, making Ella Alice when she's in there. Cute idea, but I'm quite the slow painter of late. It is hard to find the time to paint with a 5 year old and a toddler! Almost as hard as keeping them from picking your flowers from the bulbs you planted last fall!