Getting Going With the Mad Hatter's Room Box......

If there is one thing I have learnt when starting a project it would be that forward planning is essential, even with what appears to be a straight forward room box. I want to make sure that I have a clear idea as to what will be required to enhance and disguise before I start all the interior pretty bits. 

The floating lawn area has required an additional strip of wood to be cut and this needs to be in front of the front perspex sheet. 

It seems ridiculous to actually mention such an obvious adjustment but there have been many occasions when I have gone along merrily and realised too late that pieces have been glued down in totally the wrong place or I have had to add bits at the last moment because I didn't take the time to think things through.

 I have also cut all the mouldings for both sides, the front and the top even though I will not be gluing down any of the front and top pieces until the whole project is finished. This enables me to paint everything at the same time and I won't run out of the particular shade of grey I have opted for and all the wood with receive the same treatment at the same time.

 I used a basic mitre box and hand saw for the mouldings and was pretty pleased with the results. 

 The top of the box has a large perspex sheet which will be edged by a cornice moulding but the front edge sat too low to add any support to what will be a long piece of cornice and a join. This has meant my adding a long strip to the edge of the perspex to support the cornice and front moulding.

 While waiting for coats of pain to dry I started to play with the interior walls. Although there will be three flower beds I needed to add a background for the planting. I am not very confident with a paint brush so started with a very basic blue sky and green bushes.

I then started toning down the sky by adding dollops of white paint to my basic blue a bit at a time and just layering on different shades of paler blue.

I repeated the same process with the green bushes but in a slightly more dramatic style.

Four differing shades of green and my background is ready for the planting to begin.

I am going to have a try at making some tree trunks out of Fimo and air drying clay for a more woodland feel and give the idea of height. The actual scene is eleven and a half inches high, so eleven and a half feet in twelfth scale, so I can get away with some tall trunks suggesting much taller trees surrounding the Tea Party. 

I need to do a bit of research on how to do it but as the will be flat backed I am hoping to do all the work on my glass tiles which will make the sculpting slightly easier........famous last words I know!!

So lots of moulding to paint but moving along nicely at the moment.

Rainy days are great for getting stuck in to a new project!