Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Hot Weather, Bedroom Floor, Flowers

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Spring = lush, lush green. Everywhere.

We’re in the midst of some very hot temperatures, which will last at least a week. Lots of watering outside and on the porch and work on the dollhouse must take place in the morning hours. There is no air conditioning in the studio. That’s what I did yesterday and what I’m doing today.

I’m halfway through laying the floor in the bedroom. This is fiddly, painstaking work and what you see here took 4 hours to complete. I’m happy with it. Today, I will finish it. I will say it’s enormously satisfying to see it all come together!

Wild roses.

Buttercups. Love, love them.

You’ve read about my dear friends, Joe and Jan. We shared a house together for a few years, right before I moved to Philadelphia for graduate school. We lost Jan last year to cancer. Joe was there by her side throughout that battle, taking care of everything for her. Now, he is facing his own battle. He has a cancerous growth on his kidney, as well as a growth on his abdomen. The growth on his abdomen was removed during outpatient surgery a couple of days ago. He will have a partial robotic nephrectomy on the 18th to remove the carcinoma from his right kidney. It looks like it is early stage and that is a good thing. But this is very worrying. After all his constant support and care of our Jan, he’s facing this. Needless to say, I’m thinking of him all the time. Jan and Joe are/were like family to me.

And on that note, I’ll close.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Flowers, Wallpapering, and Rearranging

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Isn’t that a beauty?

It’s a strange spring around here. Some plants are more prolific and lush than ever, but others are not. The Annabelle hydrangea is not doing well. I’m going to have to cut it back at the end of the season. The climbing hydrangea is also not doing well. And the bridal veil spirea is flowering, but very sparsely. I wonder if all of that has to do with the very harsh winter we just went through? I suspect it might. Oh, and the rose bush is also a problem. Lots of dead branches.

There’s lots to be done.

The wild roses always do well!

Okay. It took me two days to wallpaper the bedroom in the Beacon Hill. It was stressful and frustrating and that was because I had to work around all the trim that was already in place. That’s something I haven’t had to deal with before. So, it had to be pieced together. Ideally, each wall would be one continuous piece of wallpaper, but that was impossible.

On Monday.

On Tuesday around noon. It’s definitely a test of my patience and a reminder that rescuing a dollhouse involves all sorts of challenges. I love this wallpaper, by the way. Papyrus Floral by Cobblehill Minitatures.

I turned the dollhouse to get better light and look what showed up in the window? Dove Cottage. It almost looks like a little neighborhood.

It turns out the daybed works perfectly in this room. That wasn’t planned, but I’m sure happy about it.

Now for the floors…

I moved my sofa that had been in the miniatures cupboard down to Hummingbird Cottage.

I really love it in here and it picks up the colors in the rug.

But now, the blue and white easy chair looks out of place. Hmmm. I’d like to keep this sofa in the mix because I think the living room needs a shot of a different color. Everything was “lots of shades of blue.” And this is such a gorgeous piece (by Emma of Croft House Miniatures in England.)

I’ll be keeping my eye out for another chair.

Okay, my friends.

Some weed whacking is on the docket for today.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Wildflowers and Miniatures

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The wild phlox, or Dame’s Rocket, that is growing everywhere on the property will soon be winding down. I walked around yesterday and I could see that some of them no longer have any blooms. They are so beautiful, but their time here is brief. I’ll miss them.

This might be my favorite time here on the property, the time when there are wildflowers everywhere. Down by the mailbox, all around the shed, on the edge of the woods, in the secret garden, and in the spaces between pavers on the funky patio. I just love it. I generally leave them alone and modify any weed whacking I might do so they are protected. The bees love them.

The wallpaper is arriving today, a day earlier than predicted. That means I have to do some prep work on the dollhouse and make some templates that I can use when I cut it. Yesterday, I was inspired to move a few things around in our shared studio space – mainly so I could get better access to that antique cupboard that holds some of my miniatures. Then I reorganized the cupboard (I forgot there is a drawer inside!) Then a general clean up and straightening of the space because too much clutter annoys me. Healthy clutter, yes. Too much clutter, no.

I got two more miniatures on Saturday, from the same seller that made the tramp art/victorian framed painting. I had been eyeing another tramp art piece and when she restocked a couple of them, I went for it. I also purchased an easel.

Look at that frame! Isn’t it perfect??

Oh boy! I love her creations, which are very reasonably priced. Tight budget here!

I’ve decided that the tiny room on the top floor, the one that is so tiny that it’s almost like a closet, will be a wee little art studio. It has two windows so it would have good light. Just an easel, some shelves for supplies, and a stool of some kind. Maybe some mini oil paintings here and there, waiting to dry.

Today would have been my parents’ 80th wedding anniversary.

Okay. Time to get going.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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