Rainy Day Project: Kess's Apartment

So yesterday we felt the affects of Isaac and spent most of the day indoors because of all the rain.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad that we got the rain- our yard REALLY needed it- but it made for finding something to do indoors a little challenging.

I've had this idea for a photo story in my head for about a year now.  I'm a very visual person and haven't gotten past the very general outline as far as characters are concerned.  Kess is by far the most fleshed out of the characters so I thought I'd start with her living space.  In the story she rents an apartment on the top floor of a renovated Victorian style house not too far from the university she attends.  It's basically one big room with a bathroom attached, but it suites her needs.

I had gathered up some of my supplies with a genral idea sketched out in my notebook and started by doing a lot of measuring.  Kess has had a bed since before she arrived home last year.  It's a second hand American Girl Doll bed for Samantha I found on Ebay while I was i the midst of the eternally long wait for Fairyland to get her to me.  I just bought the basic frame.  I made the quilt, pillows, mattress and dust ruffle.  Kess is a quiet girly girl and likes feminine things so the colors I chose are soft and nature based.  Having the bed and the basic color scheme really helped in my choices of paper and accents for the room so I just needed to find patterns and colors that leaned towards Victorian. 

Tri-fold foam core board (like you'd use for school presentations etc.) makes great wall material.  The larger sheets can be a bit pricy, but that's where my Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon came in handy! ;0)
I used a sharp exacto knife to cut the foam core down to size and cut out where the window seat would be.

Next I made the actual window seat.  I scored a section of the bottom part of the window instead of cutting it completely free and folded it out of the window.  Then I just cut pieces of foam core board and created a 'box' for the seat.  I used clear packing tape to adhere the pieces together.  It works great and I have a ton of the stuff!  I also added the side walls and the top to the window seat.

Then I started papering.  Scrapbook paper is awesome and it's even better when you can get each sheet for 50% off!  I used the larger 12"x12" sheets and started with the top and worked my way down.  Had to make another trip to Hobby Lobby because I miscalculated and had to get more paper. :0/  After that I mitered and painted my wood trim for the chair railing.  I bought the trim at Michaels in the wood craft section.  I got the medalians there as well.  Once the paint was dry I glued the trim and the medalians with Aleene's Quick Tack.  That glue is thicker than regular tacky glue but it seems to dry a lot faster and holds quicker.

I also added and papered the cornice piece over the window seat area.  I thought 2 medalians would be enough, but I was wrong.  Need to make another trip to Michaels....

                     Here's Kess enjoying some computer time on her bed in her in progress apartment.