Room box exterior, Music Room Remodel, and going on Holiday

Hello my friends,
I hope you are all well. I know I sound like a broken record, but thank you once again for all your wonderful comments. It amazes me that so many artists take the time to follow and comment on my work. It really does mean a lot to me.

I short post this time. I finally finished the exterior of the room box

My friend called and received it while I was writing this post. I am so happy he got it safe and sound and that he liked it. I decided to cover the exterior with fabric and put a simple frame on the front of the box. I started by cutting templates for the top and 2 sides of the box in illustration board. The back is open in case he should decide to electrify the room or put an exterior scene behind the window.

I then cut a strip of fabric big enough to cover the top and sides, then glued on the illustration board pieces (picture above). I used this technique to make sure the fabric is nice and tight and did not get glued on too crooked or lumpy. I left a small space between the pieces to permit it to bend easily over the box corners.
Next, I glued the edges in over the illustration board. The fabric is an upholstery fabric so I was not worried about the glue going through.

I covered the piece with heavy books and let it dry. I then covered the 3 sides of the box, placed the fabric covered illustration board over it, and clamped and weighed it down to set.

The final step was the front frame. Naturally, I ran out of picture frame molding. I took out my illustration board and cut it to the size of the box, cut out an opening, and used a tiny piece of trim I had for the edge

I painted it with the green paint I used as a base coat for the marble in the room. When it was dry I glued it on and voila

The room box is finished. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I refer to the person as my friend, but in truth he is a brother to me and very important in my life.
Now, you might say that is not a lot of work since my last post. Well, I was also working on a design for the Music Room floor. I looked at many books, many websites, and drew a lot

I finally came up with a design I am very happy with and started building it, but you'll have to wait until the next post...okay...maybe one little sneak peak...

Of course when I saw the floor medallions I started thinking about the rest of the room. I am still in planning phase, but right now I am thinking "gold" and "peacocks".

My next post will most likely be the remodelled music room, but you might have to wait a little while. Jo and I are going on holiday this weekend and will be away for a few weeks. I will catch up on your blogs when we get back. I know many of you are from Spain. We are going on a cruise of the Canary Islands leaving from Barcelona. I was wondering 2 things: first, how should we dress, second, are there any good restaurants you could recommend in Barcelona? We will be staying near the cruise terminal. We have a lot planned so it will be a hectic vacation, but I will definitely visit miniature shops...I think there 3? I can rest when we have days at sea.

Thank you once again everyone. It is really a pleasure to get to know all of you through your artwork, and a pleasure to share my work with you. I send you all many hugs for the weeks to come and as always, I wish you all the best.

Giac