The Lion’s Pride

Tags

Aslan, DIY, Grandkids

The grandkids were here this morning, and it was a beautiful Narnian kind of day.

It was also brisk and breezy, so when they came with us to fetch the milk cow into the barnyard, they needed something to keep them warm.

This called for their special Narnian jackets.  I found the sweatshirts on clearance at WalMart for $5 apiece.  I added adorable (clearance) iron-on lion patches from Hobby Lobby.  The final touch is a charm dangling from the zipper of each jacket–a nice manly-looking crown for Kol and a rhinestone-studded one for Charis.  The kids love their jackets, and I love how special they feel as members of the Lion’s Pride.  The perfect jackets for the kiddos that are Mimi’s pride and joy!

Fun in Narnia

Tags

Aslan, Aslan's Tent, Grandkids, Narnia

One day last week Monique brought the grandkids for the day.  It was bitter cold outside; so much for pony rides.  For a while we read books and played with blocks downstairs, and suddenly Charis said, “I want to go to Narnia.”  So we did, and everyone had a wonderful time!

Riding Aslan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting on lots of bling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots and lots!

 

 

Playing peekaboo in the Ikea tent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I see you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a hilarious game of “Ring Around the Lamp-post.”  (Note that the lamp-post is in focus.  The kids are just moving so fast they’re blurs!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep Away around the lamp-post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charis couldn’t understand why Kol kept trying to be in front of her when she wanted to lead.  How do you explain to a 4 year old that even if she starts out leading, if she runs faster and catches up to him, then he’ll be leading?

But the hilarity of the game quickly dispelled any disappointment.  And it also made sure that everyone was going to be REALLY ready for their naps!  Even Monique got a nap in Aslan’s Tent–the parent’s bedroom one, not the Ikea one!

DIY Decor Project: Making “Sail” Curtains for the Dawn Treader Berths II

Tags

Aslan, Dawn Treader, Decor, Design, DIY, Grandkids, Narnia

Jim & Monique and the GKs were coming for the weekend, so I wanted to get all the curtains done in Narnia.  I wanted the kids to have a quiet, darkish place for naps and a fun curtain to hide behind for play.

The first step was to collect my supplies for the stenciling job:  the stencil I ordered from Your Memories Captured on Etsy; spray adhesive from Hobby Lobby; gold stencil spray from Hobby Lobby; paper towels; masking tape (you know what that looks like!)

Here’s a closer look at the stencil.

I used printer paper to make a large paper frame around the stencil and taped it all together.  This is to prevent over-spray.  When everything was ready, I sprayed a light coat of spray adhesive on the back of the stencil and part of the paper around it.

Next, I marked the center of my curtain by pressing a small crease in with my fingers, then laid the curtain out on my work surface.  I put several paper towels under the curtain, and using a marker, I marked the paper towel where the center of the curtain hit.

Then I put lengths of paper towels all around the printer paper shield, covering all of the exposed curtain.

After thoroughly shaking the can of gold stencil paint, I sprayed it evenly over the stencil until I was happy with the amount of paint I had applied.

Here’s where I have give you a warning to learn from my mistake!  See that thick layer of paint puddled on top of the stencil?  Well, I didn’t think anything of it and excitedly peeled my stencil off to see how it had turned out, and the liquid paint splattered onto my curtain.  😦

 I was able to get most of it off with a damp paper towel, but I learned that an extra step was necessary.

From then on, I took a doubled-over paper towel and gently blotted the excess paint from the stencil; often it was necessary to blot even more around the edges or on the stencil itself or on the paper shield.  But I had no further splatter problems!

Once the stencil was finished, I gave it a few minutes to dry to the touch while I did the other curtain panel of the pair.

Next it was time to hang the curtains.  I used 7 clip rings per panel.  One went in the center and two at the ends.  That left me with two rings to divide between half of the panel.  I measured from center to end, and it was exactly 24″.  That meant that I put a ring at 8″ and another at 16″–and the rings were spaced perfectly enough to please the most CDO of OCD personalities!  (CDO is like OCD, but it’s alphabetized!)

I may bore you with my numerous shots of the curtains hanging, but I was SO excited at how they turned out (and I just told my OCD side that the splatters on the first curtain are proof that they are hand-made!)  Here’s one in the darkened room with the reading light on inside.  You can see that this kid’s light will never bother his or her sibling in the next berth.

Here’s what they look like in the light.

And a close-up of my crown.

Here are both the curtains on the girls’ side where the berths are longer.

And here are the curtain fashion options on the boys’ side: both open or just one side open.

And a final look at the curtains with Aslan gazing on approvingly from the open curtains of his tent.

DIY Decor Project: Let Your Walls Speak with Wall Words from eBuySigns.com

Tags

Aslan, Decor, DIY, Inspiration, Jesus, Narnia, writing

This project ranks right up there with Aslan and the Wardrobe as one of my very favorite design details in Narnia.  And even more clearly than either of them, it speaks to the reason at the heart of our project:  Why Narnia?

I discovered eBuySigns.com while searching online for vinyl wall words.  Reviews on their website say they are lots cheaper than all their competitors.  Their “wall lettering” page claims to provide “Wall lettering made easy” and “Free shipping over $25.”  Believe me, IT’S ALL TRUE!  Once I had designed my wall words in a few easy steps with the design tool, I went to half a dozen other sites and put in the same parameters.  EBuySigns’ price (under $40) was less than every other competitors’ price of $100 -$200.

The design tool lets you choose your own font, the number of lines you want, the height and width of your final product and your font color, as well as highlights and borders to tweak the appearance of your lettering.  You can see your final product on a background color similar to your own wall color.

One tip I would offer is this:  If you have a long quote (as I did), it works better if you copy and paste your quote in line by line.  I tried pasting my entire quote, and it appeared smushed and impossible to read.  When I called the helpline, a friendly tech told me to break the quote into lines, and it instantly appeared the way I wanted it.  Once that was done, I was able to play with arranging the lines in different ways, as well as making the sign higher or wider until I got it exactly right.

I ordered the sign, and a few days later it arrived, safely packaged in a sturdy cardboard tube.

 Jenny and Jean-Marc were already here for Christmas, so I pressed them into service as Official Photographer and Assistant Sign Applicator.  One question I had wondered about was whether the size indicated online would be the size of the sheet or the actual size of the letters.  If you’re working with a limited space, this question becomes very important.  The design tool seemed to indicate that there would be a border of paper around the letters, so I ordered accordingly.  As you can see from the photo above, this was indeed the case.

Applying the sign was just as easy as the tech and the website claimed, and the instruction sheet that came with the sign was simple and easy to follow.  This post will illustrate in detail the steps we went through, beginning with (1)  Position the sign on the wall, making sure it is level.  While Jean-Marc held the sign, I got on a ladder and measured so that Jean-Marc could level the sign as needed.

(2)  Apply a piece of (masking) tape as a hinge across the top of the sign.  (At this stage, we double-checked our measurements.)  Once we were sure the sign was level, Jean-Marc removed the corner pieces of tape.

(3)  Lift the sign, holding it in place by the tape-hinge, and begin to remove the backing paper.  I began loosening the backing paper at the top left corner.

(4)  Steadily pull the backing paper loose while holding the sign away from the wall.

(5)  Completely remove the backing paper, still holding the sign away from the wall.  That’s the easy part done!  The next part was easy, too, but a little scary–made less so by eBuySign’s guaranteed application!

(6)  Lower the sign against the wall and begin to adhere it at the top center.  (The letters themselves are the only adhesive part of the sign.  They are held in place by the cover paper while the adhesive is protected by the backing paper.)

(7)  Using a credit card (maybe the one you paid with!), begin to press the sign firmly against the wall, working outwards and downwards to smooth away any air pockets.

(8)  At this point we added another step:  Using your fingers, apply firm pressure to any areas that appear more opaque (indicating a lack of adhesion to the wall). We found that fingers could exert more concentrated pressure than the edge of a credit card, while being gentle enough not to tear the paper.

You may note the crescent of blue wall that appears at the top of the sign (left of my hand).  I inadvertently left out the right-hand parenthesis and was dismayed to see only the left-hand parenthesis on my sign–despite careful proof-reading.  The solution was as simple as cutting out the offending parenthesis with a scissors before beginning installation of the sign!

Now comes the fun part!

(9)  Begin removing the cover paper from the lettering by pulling away the tape along with the attached cover paper.  Our hints for this step are to GO SLOWLY and to WATCH CAREFULLY where you are pulling.  There were a few spots where the sticky lettering had not been adequately adhered to the wall, and I could see them actually pulling off on the cover paper.  It was very easy to stop pulling and apply extra pressure at those spots to make sure the lettering was stuck to the wall before proceeding.

(10)  Continue removing the paper, working across the top of the sign from left to right.

(11)  Once the top of the sign is free of the cover paper, continue pulling steadily downwards to remove the paper.

(12)  Hold your breath in anticipation as your sign is nearly revealed in all its beauty!  (Just try to skip this step!)

(13)  Turn and face the camera so your Official Photographer can catch the triumphant grins you have applied to your faces at the same time you applied your beautiful eBuySign to the wall!

(14)  Be sure your Official Photographer zooms in for a close-up of your amazing sign …

(15) … and don’t forget to have her zoom out to get the full effect of your quote.

That’s all there is to it!  I promise you, it took me twice as long to write this tutorial as it took to apply my sign, and it will take you longer to read the tutorial than it will take you to follow these steps to your own customized, unbeatably-priced, unique wall words.

A Royal Visit

Tags

Aslan, Grandkids, Narnia, Wardrobe

December 22 was a Red Letter Day for Narnia, the day the Grandkids arrived for Christmas.

Charis and Kol raced up the stairs, exploring their new realm with Dada and Mama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was lots to see . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. . . but they couldn’t wait to explore Narnia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We lifted them over the base of the Wardrobe at first, but it didn’t take them long to find their own kid-friendly way in and out of Narnia.

They soon discovered the royal treasure chest . . .

. . . bedecking themselves and Aslan for a royal photo shoot in front of the Christmas tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soon it was time for dinner, and everyone went downstairs leaving Alsan in bejeweled solitude.  He didn’t mind, though–a Son of Adam and a Daughter of Eve had once again returned to Narnia!

Narnia: Ready for a Royal Visit

Tags

Aslan, Aslan's Tent, Cair Paravel Library, Dawn Treader, Decor, Design, Grandkids, Jesus, Kara, Narnia, Spare Oom, The Lodge, Wardrobe

Here’s a glimpse upstairs after I finished getting Narnia ready for the first Royal Visit by the Grandkids.

(A word of explanation is in order about “Narnia.”  We call the whole upstairs “Narnia” because all the different rooms were actually in the real Narnia, and they are part of our whole Narnia theme.  We also call the Grandkids’ Dorm itself “Narnia” because you go through the Wardrobe to get there.  Hopefully the meaning of my use of “Narnia” will be clear from the context.)

Aslan’s Tent is the parents’ bedroom.  As you climb the red-carpeted stairs, Aslan’s Tent is on the right, across the hall from Cair Paravel.  It’s the only room that already existed upstairs.

There’s room for a sitting area in the corner of Aslan’s Tent near the French doors to the balcony.  (The large mirror is only here temporarily.)  I have plans to make Aslan’s Tent more Rococo-Morocco, but all in good time.

Step across the hall into Cair Paravel, soon to become the Library.  The doorway at left leads to The Lodge; the one on the right, to the landing between Cair Paravel and Aslan’s Tent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other side of Cair Paravel will soon hold bookcases, and the reading area will move over next to the Wardrobe.

The stained glass door that leads into Spare Oom contributes to the castle ambience of Cair Paravel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s peek into The Lodge as we call the bathroom (in honor of the furry friends who led the Pevensies to Aslan).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was delighted to find this Amish-made towel tree in a local furniture shop.  I was also excited to find the Bed, Bath & Beyond shower curtain that ties in the colors of the river rock floor, the Brazilian cherry vanity, and the log walls.  Who knew furnishing a bathroom could be so much fun?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every bathroom in our house has to be set up for reading, so an antique hook and a Victorian-era hanger were pressed into service as a magazine rack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kara found this reproduction sampler (made in China) at a local antique store, and we laughed so hard I had to buy it.  That’s one of the best $10 I’ve ever spent!  Kara thought hanging it across from the shower would be the perfect touch.  In case you can’t figure out why, here’s what the motto says:  “When this you see remember me, and bare me in your mind.  Let all the world say what they will, speak of me as you find.”  (The answer appears at the end of this post.)

I had fun making this toilet paper holder from:  a lion’s head pull I spray-painted bronze; a key chain ring; a piece of leather rein; a curtain rod hook; and a piece of an old broomstick that Herb cut down for me.  The rein is permanently screwed to the dowel on the right while the curtain rod hook fits through an existing hole in the rein for changing rolls of TP.

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s take a quick peek into Spare Oom as we call my craft room.  It’s a great place to read by a window with a view or to stick an extra guest, as long as they don’t mind a crafty mess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally–on to Narnia proper!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aslan waits beside the miniature Christmas tree Kara decorated as a gift for her niece and nephew.

If you look behind you after you enter Narnia, this is what you see.  Some of the decorative features are (from left) a cross-stitch of Jesus and the children rescued from a junk shop along with the lion mirror (Aslan, of course!); an antique hunt cabinet with a dragon that we purchased from Kara; and next to the lion corbel, the quote that sums up our whole project, taken from C. S. Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader:

“I am [in your world],” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

(A future post will cover this vinyl wall words project.)

The berths on the boys’ side have fur throws for blankets and red velour spreads which can double as dress-up capes.

The dress-up capes on the girls’ side are purple.

At the foot of each bed is a crown hook for hanging pajamas or robes.  (A future DIY post will feature the hooks.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we turn out the lights, all is ready for the arrival of Charis and Kol, Daughter of Eve and Son of Adam, Queen and King of Narnia.

Busy As a . . . Flat-tailed, Dam-building Rodent!

Tags

Aslan, Colors & Paint, Decor, Lighting, Mimi's Cave, The Lodge, Wardrobe

This was the 45th day of construction, and since it was Saturday, I was the only one working.  I think you’ll agree, though, that I deserve to count it as a day building Narnia!

I got four of these decorative wood pieces at Hobby Lobby, then stained them with the same stain as the berths, followed by two coats of polyurethane.  The final step was applying the Rub ‘n Buff, also from Hobby Lobby.  They will decorate the sides of the berths when we get them built.

Adding the finishing touch to the ceiling light in The Lodge was a simple as climbing on a ladder.  I stuffed the light into the fish basket, then hung the basket from the chain with an S-hook.  Voila!  My version of Pottery Barn’s $99 light fixture for well less than half the price.

You may remember this lion corbel from Van Dykes’ Restorers.  When I first bought him, I thought Ben would be building a faux wardrobe, and I called him “The Wardrobe Lion,” thinking he would be the ornament on top.  Once Stuart recommended that I buy an actual wardrobe, I decided to put this handsome Aslan inside Narnia above where the Wardrobe opens into the room.  Two coats of stain and two coats of poly, and Aslan’s ready and waiting to be hung in place.

Most of my day was spent finishing The Lodge.

Well, not quite “finishing” since Ben isn’t finished nailing all the logs up–but I’ll let you peek, anyway!

This was lots harder than staining the berths, and the door was pretty tricky, too.  This Olympic Maximum Stain & Sealant Semi-Transparent wood protector from Lowe’s gives a mildew-resistant, water-resistant stain.  It’s meant for decks, and I imagine that would be fairly straight-forward.  Putting it on vertical walls with lots of joints and corners and edges was a whole different matter!  It’s meant to go on in one thin coat, but I found that a thin coat was impossible to brush on.  So I brushed one log at a time, then wiped it back with a lint-free rag.  I’m happy with the end result, but after two days of working on this, my right arm is about dead!

The door was extremely tricky, but so is staining a door.  There’s a certain amount of technique to always brush on and wipe off in the direction of the grain of each panel of the door.  A little at a time is definitely the way to go, along with frequent stirring of the product.  And have more clean rags on hand than you think you’ll need, because you’ll still need more!

One tip I learned is, don’t kick the bucket!  I mean, don’t accidentally kick your bucket of stain and flip the stirring stick out.

This is what happens when you do.  Of course it happened to the hall side of the door that is supposed to be stained with Minwax.  And Olympic Maximum does NOT come off once it’s on!  I’ll see if some sanding will help and hope my English Chestnut color is dark enough to hide a few sins.

This was the first wall I did.  Right after it went on I wasn’t too happy with the color, but I trusted the process–which means, stain a sample of the actual wood you’ll be staining, and then trust your choice!

The final task of the day (and a fun treat after the door!) was staining the wooden switch-plate covers I got at Ace Hardware of Chickamauga.  They need some poly, but they were a nice way to end my day.

One final thing I did before creeping painfully down the stairs to wash my brush was to check out the light coming in through the window of Mimi’s Cave.

Ahh, now that’s a view to warm the heart of a weary worker!  (And remind her that she needs to clean the windows!)

Prime(d) Real Estate

Tags

Aslan, Cair Paravel Library, Construction, Decor, Narnia

All this week was devoted to spackling, sanding and priming.  Friday was the 31st day of construction, and by the end of the day, the upstairs was a blank canvas, ready to be decorated.  The craft room is going to be sunny and cheerful with a white ceiling and yellow walls.

The color scheme for the hall, the Library at Cair Paravel, is red and gold.

The ceiling of Narnia was inspired by this photo.  The window will have a faux stone arch painted around it, similar to the arch on Naxos Island.  I’m working on a plan to have the resurrected Aslan framed by the arch with the light of the window shining behind him.  It’s very clear in my mind–it remains to be seen if I can bring it to life.

At any rate, this is when the fun starts!

Busy Waiting

Tags

Aslan, Dawn Treader, Decor, Jesus, Narnia

Now that we have our building permit, we just have to wait for our contractor to finish his current job.  It’s supposed to be finished up by the end of this week.  I’m trying to be patient!

Meanwhile, I’m never really “off the job” when it comes to Narnia.  Today I had to run some urgent errands, but on the way home I decided to reward a job well done.  On the spur of the moment, I stopped in to a little resale shop I’ve passed many times.  I don’t have a list of anything special I’m hunting for–just anything Narnian!  This is what I found:

A mirrored Aslan . . .

. . . and a cross-stitched Jesus with little children on His knee.

They’re perfect to illustrate our theme quote:

 “I am [in your world],” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”  (C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

I couldn’t believe I found them both in the same place!

Didi has already agreed to make a frame to more securely hang the Aslan mirror, and I’ll decorate the two frames so they complement each other.

As if that wasn’t enough spoils for one day, an impromptu stop in a somewhat “Ye Olde Junque Shoppe” place in Chickamauga uncovered this little treasure right inside the front door.  The nice thing about it is that curious toddler fingers can explore it (while sitting on a rug, of course!) without fear of sinking the delicate ship!  A little imagination, and it’s the Dawn Treader sailing Narnian seas.

Why Narnia?

Tags

Aslan, Aslan's Tent, Cair Paravel Library, Dawn Treader, Decor, Inspiration, Jesus, Narnia, Narnia Movies

Perhaps this should have been the first post!  But the question arises, why create Narnia in our attic?

The simplest answer is: The minute that an expectant grandmother looked into this empty attic space, it was Narnia, entered through a wardrobe door.  At the time I was thinking of combining Narnia and Middle Earth into a sort of Narnian Hobbiton.  But the more I’ve thought of it, the more clearly it has become purely Narnia.

I know now that there was a deeper reason, one that I had not consciously realized.  It took watching a movie I hate to help me see it!

Part of my early planning process was to re-watch the Narnia movies.  I wanted to see them again with a different viewpoint:  What was someone else’s vision of Narnia?  

I really liked “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”  With my camera was right beside the remote control on the couch, I could hardly watch the movie for snapping photos of things that inspired me.  That’s where I got the idea of Aslan’s Tent for the parents’ bedroom and The Lodge for the bathroom.  I wanted to represent the children’s gifts from Father Christmas as well as their four crowns and a Narnian flag with a lion rampant.  I now had a clear idea for the Stone Table and the arch behind it.  Best of all, I had a vision of how I could faux-paint the stone arch around the large attic window with the resurrected Aslan silhouetted in the light of the window!

I liked “Prince Caspian,” too, although there weren’t any new bits of inspiration.  

Next in the series would be “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”  Hmm, small problem:  Didi and I hated the movie and refused to buy it!  But Kara came to the rescue with her DVD, and I settled down to force myself to watch the movie, mainly because I wanted to catch the producers’ vision of the Dawn Treader.  

Yep, I still hate the green mist and the great extent to which the movie strayed from the book.  It’s like a bad combination of “The Exodus” and a video game quest!  But I found myself caught up by the rich inspiration in so many scenes:  The Dawn Treader sailing through the sunset, the weathered deck, the rich wood everywhere on the ship, Caspian’s cabin, the way the light & shadow fell in the hold where Eustace stole an orange, coiled ropes everywhere, the dragon’s hoard, the treasure chest, and the Eustace-dragon himself.  I realized I wanted portholes revealing mermaids and seahorses.  Maybe no sea monsters, though–we are trying to get small children to sleep there!

Perhaps because my attention was no longer focused on how much I hated the movie, I was struck by the ending as if by a bolt of lightning.  How could I have forgotten this powerful scene that was almost edited out of the movie?

When Lucy and Edmond learned they could no longer return to Narnia, there is an interaction between Aslan and the children.  Lucy is crying because she will never see Aslan again if she can’t come back to Narnia.  He reassures her:

“I AM [in your world],” said Aslan. 

“But there I have another name. 

You must learn to know me by that name. 

This was the very reason

why you were brought to Narnia,

that by knowing me here for a little,

you may know me better there.”

And there it was:  The real reason I want to create Narnia in my attic for my dear grandchildren.  I was in tears, myself, touched by the beauty of Aslan’s words and how clearly they point to Jesus.

This is not just a fun playground or a fantasy world for some spoiled grandchildren.  This is a place whose very purpose is to point little hearts to the Savior that loves them, died for them, and rose again–through the image of a loving and lovable, though never safe, Lion.

I knew I wanted to display this quote in Narnia.  My internet research led me to the idea of having it made into vinyl wall words.  I found a great website called EBuySigns where I can have it done for about $50 compared to almost $300 on every other wall words website I checked.

The movie I hate has put into words better than I ever could the very reason I’m creating Narnia in my attic!  If that’s not humbling, I don’t know what is!