Thank you for the suggestions! I still have quite a bit of shopping to do for the project (and will probably go out tomorrow or on the weekend). I've been quite busy at the studio recently (spending about 10-12 hours a day working away), so some progress has been made since I've last updated. The most significant accomplishment is the kitchen. Pictures are better than words, so here is one: The kitchen is practically done, except for the stove top. The kitchen, living room, and bathroom have all been "tiled" (with peel-and-stick tiles cut into unimaginably small pieces, then peeled-then-stuck) and "grouted" (with some drywall compound). The dining room has been floored and stained, as has the small hallway which leads to the bathroom. All the interior walls have been painted and a few erected. The bathroom has a frosted-glass shower (vellum with aluminum duct tape "trim") and a vanity/sink (minus the sink). The toilet and sink, to be made out of oven-hardening modelling clay, will be made and baked by Saturday. I've run out of mini-tiles for the studio floor, so I have to go and buy some more from Dollarama and cut them. Some wooden furniture pieces only await painting/staining (to the same dark mahogany finish that you see the floors/cabintes in) while others still need to be constructed. I need to get rugs for the living/dining/bed room. The sofas/armchairs/bed/dining chairs all have feet or legs to be cut, stained, and then glued, not to mention the upholstering (which may not happen). Some exterior walls need to be cut and others painted, while the entire back "window-wall" needs to be constructed out of balsa pieces and then either stained the rich mahogany, or trimmed in metal. Finally, artwork/accessories need to be made to adorn the rather bare walls. And that is for the interior only. The exterior: Foamcore bases need to be constructed for the hot tub, steps, and raised stone deck. Peel-and-stick vinyl tile has to be cut to the right sizes (probably 3x3-foot squares, set into a running bond) and then applied to the surfaces. The bonsai garden's: pillars need to be made and then painted; base to be set in drywall compound (think dry raked garden); moss needs to be set and painted; potential bamboo screen to be constructed; bonsai need to be crafted. The Japanese garden's: tree's trunk/branches need to be made of wire, covered in glue gun for bark texture, painted, and then foliage (crumpled florist's foam) applied and then further painted/textured; moss/shrubs need to be made/set in place; gravel set on the base; tsukubai/rocks made (probably out of drywall compound); water applied (saran wrap?). The outdoor furnishing also have to be made. Phew. That's quite a to-do list. I better get cracking! But tonight is my night off to relax. (Friday/Saturday nights are not as ideal as other people are partying so the noise levels are obscene, so I plan to...

my only suggestion would be to try scoring the lines first to break the grain of the paper fibers. Use a light touch with something like a fine stylus or a heavy tapestry needle. Listen for a scritching sound and make a thin light line on the vellum but don't press so hard that you break through the paper.

While I love red rooms in other homes, I can't take it. We've had a solid red rug and I would get tired (not bored) looking at it. We have a red office (my husband wanted red) and I am going to repaint this winter. I used to have bold gold in our LR/DR (DH didn't want beige or green, so I didn't know what else would work with our maroon sofas), but it was too much for me. Intense wall colors are just too much for me, oddly. I am MUCH happier with the cream walls we have now. The room has so much going on anyway (esp. since there we have 4 kids ages 8 and under) so it feels busy enough for me. That being said, I do LOVE (and I mean love) red done right in others' homes!

Suz - Love your Weston Flax. Let me throw another pretty yellow in the mix that is similar. It is Lowes Valspar Homestead Resort Sunwash. I think they have a line of "Homestead" colors. It actually looks like a dirty, creamy white on the paint chip and I would have never chosen if I had not seen it in person. I have it in my DR, hallway, and entry to bathroom. EVERYTHING looks good with it. Nice soft yellow - no green, lemon, peach or banana undertones. I copied it from my DD's spare bedroom and several of my family and friends have copied the same paint. It looks good with the sun pouring in, on a cloudy day, and with artificial light. It looks gorgeous next to my Flowering Herb kitchen. Tuesday