Welcome to Mockingbird Hill Cottage. I’m Claudia and I’ve been blogging for 10 years. I’m a former actress and theatre professor specializing in voice, speech, text, Shakespeare and dialects. I have been lucky enough to teach at two of the best actor training schools in the country. I now freelance as a Voice/Speech/Dialect/Text Coach for the theater. I’ve worked On and Off-Broadway, at regional theaters throughout the country and with private clients. My husband is an actor and a singer-songwriter. We live in the country. We said goodbye to our beloved dogs Riley and Scout just a few years ago. We miss them every day.
I’m not a niche blogger, nor will I ever be. That may not get me the stats I’d like, but it’s the truth. I have so many interests and passions that I would be bored out of my mind if I had to stick to just one. I want to share it all with you: gardening, animals, animal rights, collecting, vintage anything, reading, on-the-road adventures, social causes I believe in, photography, decorating, quilting, DIY and re-purposing – along with an occasional plea for civility, kindness, and compassion. And all of it shared through a great passion of mine: writing. This blog, a glimpse into our life at Mockingbird Hill Cottage, gives me the opportunity to do just that.
I love reading and books, especially the three dimensional kind. I’m a strong supporter of libraries and Independent Bookstores. I also write book reviews.
I’m so glad you stopped by.
If you would like to contact me, drop an email to: Claudiasparks444(at)yahoo(dot)com
Please note: I do not accept guest posts. Since this blog is about my life, I have no need to do so. I am the sole author of this blog. Thank you.
I have been searching for someone that had a McCoy lotus blossom pitcher like mine… And here you are! My pitcher was my grandmother’s. My father said that she served milk in it at breakfast time. I keep it above my sink along with another small pitcher of hers. I am not a collector of McCoy, but do enjoy collecting pottery of all kinds. That’s the thing… Collect what you like. It doesn’t have to be of great value; just what makes you happy. Your collection is beautiful. Thanks for sharing with everyone.
So glad you stopped by! Thank you.
I found your blog because I have been toying with the idea of getting a dollhouse for several years now. I’m not sure, exactly, what search brought me to your blog but I’m glad it did. I was reading your “So you want your own dollhouse” post and saw you found a pre constructed one on Craigslist and I thought “hmmmm…..” and immediately went to my local CL and there she was. A pre-made Beacon Hill for the bargain price of $80 and all of three minutes away. The next day she was mine. So thanks for pushing me over the edge. I think.
She is in desperate need of a makeover (current colors are Barbie pink and painter’s tape blue) and while my plan is to concentrate on a paint job in a more subdued palette (both exterior and interior) first, I have somehow managed to spend $200 on furnishings and decor in two days.
I initially came to your blog because of your dollhouse but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the rest of your content. Thanks especially for sharing links to resources – super helpful for the novice!
~Andrea
Lovely! I’m so glad you found a Beacon Hill! Enjoy. It’s a wonderful process.
Hi Claudia :) I have been reading your blog for quite some time. I discovered you on
“Simply Balisha”. My daughter and I will be in Manhattan in April and we are going
to see Anastasia. I have read with great interest you posts about working on the play.
We are so excited! Thank you for such an interesting blog. Bobbie
Thank you so much for writing, Bobbie! I think you’re going to love Anastasia!
Oh Claudia – how sad. I’ve had this happen to nests here over the years. I had a dear friend who always refused to check bird nests because she was too sad if the babies didn’t survive to fledge. I can never resist and sometimes it is heartbreaking to see the sometimes painful cycle of life.
I had said I wouldn’t check it, but something made me do it. Heartbreaking, indeed.
Dear Claudia,
I came across your lovely site while researching about Edgar A Guest.
I am writing a book with my husband about our adventure challenge business which we run in Scotland, UK. We want to quote the poem “It couldn’t be done” but only with permission from the family. Do you have any idea who I should contact? Please e-mail me if you do.
Jo and David
Hi Claudia, I was looking at ideas for fairy gardens and came across your fairy door and decided to visit your blog. I read the that talks about who you are and thought this is my kind of person, here I am.
Nice looking home you have, cozy from the outside and after reading about you it’s probably cozy on the inside too.
I too have many interests, like gardening, embroidery, drawing with colored pencils, traveling, bird watching, looking for butterflies and Herps. I’m definitely an animal lover. Trying to keep up to date on what is going on with our environment and wildlife. I’m into crafts of all kinds. Next year I hope to start creating a secret garden in a corner of my backyard which will include an area for the fairies.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Susan!
I so enjoyed reading your blog and added you to my sidebar of “Daily Inspiration”…looking forward to being your newest follower. :)
Well, thank you so much, Val! Welcome!
Hi Claudia! I’ve been following your blogs for years.. but now I cannot see them only if I go to your site… Why did they stop coming to my email? Any ideas?
Well, I love it when you come to the site directly as it helps pay for the expense of maintaining this blog.
But as to the emails, I have no control over them. I do know that they’re going out, as I subscribe via three different email addresses and I’ve been getting all the posts. So it’s something on your end – either your email host or your server. Make sure they aren’t been considered spam. Sometimes email providers block certain kinds of email because they consider them spam. Other than that, you can unsubscribe and resubscribe or subscribe under another email address. Good luck!
Hi!
I found your site from your ‘I hate duvets’ post lol. I wanted to mention that your beloved Winston was beautiful and looked a LOT like a black and tan English Shepherd! I have owned several of them and they are such wonderful dogs.
Blessings to you!
Interested in the Wenoka apple crate if you still have it and interested in selling.
Still have it, but it was my grandmother’s so I’m not interested in selling.
I found you by searching for Edgar Guest. I have a scrap book of his newspaper entries called just folks that my great aunt collected in 1953. I would love to give it to someone that would really appreciate it. I tried to contact one of my cousins on ancestry and she never wrote me back about it. I was wondering it you would like it or if you know someone in his family that would. I would be happy to send it to anyone that wants it.
It’s very sweet of you, but I have several of his books and a bit of memorabilia from my family, as Guest was my dad’s godfather.
I don’t know any of his extended family, but a search might bring up some information. Edgar Guest lived in Detroit for years and my family is from Detroit. His son, Bud Guest, was the host of a daily radio show on WJR that was hugely popular and ran for years. Maybe searching for his descendants?
Thanks so much, Pam.
Ok thanks. Thought I’d give it a try! I will try a couple other things. Thanks for answering me!
I have been following your blog for many years and , all of a sudden, I am not receiving it. It’s been at least 2 weeks. I am having to look up your blog to read it. Is anyone else having this problem?
Thanks for your wonderful posts, Claudia. Take care, Susan T.
I’ve written about this extensively over the past year: Google is no longer supporting Feedburner, which is the vehicle for the post emails. It’s been slowly phased out. I warned everyone over a year ago. I am not going to pay for another service. So, bookmark the blog on your browser, click on it, and come here directly. No one really needs an email reminder that I’ve posted since I post every day and I always post before 11 am EST. Besides, if you come here directly, you’ll see a prettier version than the boring email version and you’ll help to contribute to my ad income! Thanks for reading, Susan!
Best,
Claudia
Thank you for your reply, Claudia. I always used my gmail for a link to your posts and went directly to your site.
xoxo
Dear Claudia………i have not been receiving your updated posts ….the last one was in July…..Do not know what the problem is………..Please help …pdurato@yahoo.com……miss you……Fondly, dee
I love what you have done to your little cottage. I too have rescued an Arthur dollhouse. I am in process of planning as some parts are missing as well. The window trim in particular is such a headache. Thank you for sharing your ideas! I may borrow some.
Thank you. Have fun!