Eh bien..........Je suis toujours là

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Hello my patient friends!   Well......I am still here....
It seems like an eternity since I sat down to share thoughts and pictures of the miniature structure I have been working on.  Real life seems to always be in the way.

So, first things first, to my followers both old and new thank you for continuing to join me here.  I appreciate your input and the opportunity to get to know you through this, and your blogs.  I feel honored and sometimes humbled to be here among so many talented friends.

Progress as of today on La Maison des Grandes Rêves........I have spent a considerable amount of time working on the Master Bedroom, connecting hallway, Master Bath, and floors and doors......it seems endless.    You will recall in my last post that I had asked  Susan Bembridge if she would re-color one of her wallpaper patterns to work with my color scheme for this house.  She very kindly agreed and then she and her husband "Andrew" set about creating an absolutely exquisite colorway for me.  I could not be more thrilled with the results.  Here is a peek....

This is the Susan Bembridge Designs pattern "Coral and Flowers" done in reds and blues on a mottled cream background.  I chose this pattern for the Master Bedroom after being inspired by a bed chamber in

Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte.  This one bears a stong resemblance and I knew I had to have it.  I will tell you that this paper and fabric are the finest quality I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

This is the Master Bedroom in its begining stages.  You can better see this wonderful wallpaper pattern here.

This is another view a bit further along.  I still have the mantlepiece to paint and the firebox to finish.  This view gives you a little "tease" of the tub in the Master Bathroom.

The doors in this space I made myself  from 3/16" thick stripwoods, 1/16" thick panels, and a combination of 3/32" half round and 1/16" double bead moldings.  I am very pleased with the end result, particularly considering the fact that I made these doors wrong the first time and had to start over!

I did a small ceiling relief for this room using...............can you guess?      Chandeliers will happen somewhere along the way!

This is the rear hall connecting the Master Bedroom and the other two bedrooms of this floor of the house.

I spent a considerable amount of time making this paneling that will only be seen throught the doorways of these bedrooms.  The open door you are seeing here is the Master Bedroom.

                                                         Drama Time!

This tiny space is the room that connects my Salon and Dining Room.  I chose another Susaan Bembridge design for this space because I have long admired this stunning "Black" colorway.  This pattern is "Sutton Park" in the smaller of the sizes offered.  I wanted the scale of this to not overwhelm the room since the only furniture piece will  be a grand piano. The colors of this one work beautifully with the adjoining spaces.  You will better see my goal when I show you these spaces furnished.

                    Here is another look with the Dining Room visible through the doorway.

      This is the faux marble floor I did for this room.  Sorry that you cannot see the veining in this because it is red on a mottled cream field. The border is Charcoal, black, and gold. 

This last picture shows you my choice for the Guest Bedroom.  I have long wanted to do an entire room in "Toile" so this will be it.  I wish you could see the beautiful pattern and color here. This toile is another Susan Bembridge design called "Pastorale" . The colors are Charcoal and Cream. I knew this first time I saw this that it would be perfect with the brass and painted bed I will be using in this room.

I want to extend a special "Thank You" to Susan and Andrew Bembridge.  They were, and are, lovely people to work with.  You would not regret using any of their exquisite papers and fabrics.  They made it possible for me to have exactly what I wanted and again I could not be more thrilled!

So my friends, that is all for this episode of life in Ray's blog............until next time

À bientôt