Houseboat: Decorating Port Side

Houseboat (a conversion to half scale)

Entry posted by KathieB August 20, 2007

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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.