Finished Walls and Family Portraits

It's a rainy day here outside of Boston and I spent the day finishing the walls and ceiling.  The attic structure is now 90% complete!  All I have left to do is the support beams.  It is very stable on it's on so the beams will just be decorative but I need them for an owl that I have and for, eventually, Bella.  I think I need to get a Bella to put up in the rafters so if anyone out there is ready to part with theirs, drop me an email.

Here are two finished pics of the interior:

Once I got that done I started in on a project I have been wanting do.  I found some Evangeline-scale picture frames at an antique store here in MA.  I figure the attic has to have some old family portraits in it, cracked glass, dusty frames, etc.  So here's what you need to do this project:

1) small frames

2) color photos/print outs/copies (yes, I "borrowed" pictures of EG and family from the WI site.  I hope I don't get in trouble for that.  If anyone from WI is reading this, I am using these for personal use only. I am not selling them.)

3) glue

4) Mica Tiles 

You can find Mica tiles in most craft stores now.  You need to find ones that are big enough to use as the glass for your frames.  If you can't find them in stores you can find them online, just google them.  They are actually a mineral.  Mica in it's natural form looks like a rock but is a series of thin layers much like filo in baklava.  You can buy the separated layers to use in crafts and they look like old glass, kind of smoky, kind of dingy, sometimes cracked.  You need to cut the mica layer to the shape of the frame to use as the glass.  I rotate the mica layer around until I find a cool position that has cracks or missing pieces.  Once you're happy with the position of the mica and you have cut it to fit just go ahead and glue it in.  when the glue dies, cut your picture to fit, replace the backing and you're done.

Here are pictures of Evangeline's mother, father, and grandparents.  Perfect props for the attic!  You can't see in the photo really but the mica looks really cool.  There are cracks and missing pieces in the portrait of EG's mom.

here's a close-up of EG's mom's portrait, you can see the cracks and missing pieces:

These will look great hidden off in the corner of the attic, collecting dust and spiders.  Coming up I have a few more projects on deck to make props for the attic.  stay tuned!