Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Breakage

May 6, 2026 at 8:51 am by Claudia

Well. Yesterday was a strange day. It was abnormally warm  – in the eighties – and in the afternoon it got windy. It was noticeably windy but not anything I would have been overly worried about. At one point, I was sitting in the den and I heard what I thought was stuff moving around on the porch. So I went outside to make sure the plants were secure and there was a huge limb on the ground. It was from the big maple tree next to the house, a tree we love and a tree that has already lost several large limbs over the twenty years we’ve lived here.

I was shocked. The winds hadn’t been all that intense. I called Don and we carried it to the pile on the side of the property. It was a significant loss. Shortly after that, another  limb went down from a maple near the secret garden.

All of this was very upsetting and I’m in mourning today. I love our trees. I love all trees. The whole thing was so unexpected. The only thing I can come up with is that the winds (coming from the SSW) were in the ‘perfect’ position to cause damage, if only for a specific pocket of time – almost like that time we had that microburst.

It’s about 20 degrees cooler today and it’s going to rain.

What else?

My hair has been driving me crazy. It’s baby fine and I have been dealing with breakage. Consequently, it is many different lengths and unless I blow dry it, it looks terrible! I had been talking to Don about cutting my hair again (he loves to do that) and I decided the only thing to do was to cut it so that it matched the shorter breakage area around my face.

Five inches gone! This is the shortest my hair has been in years. It already looks healthier. Don thinks I look younger. I’m not so sure about that, but I like it. And it will be cooler for the summer.

No work on the dollhouse yesterday. I took a break to ponder what room I’ll tackle next.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: life 22 Comments

Beacon Hill Living Room

May 4, 2026 at 8:10 am by Claudia

It was a windy and cold day yesterday, so I delayed my plans to sow some zinnia seeds and work outdoors because of the dreaded pollen. Instead, I concentrated on finishing off the basics of the Beacon Hill living room. On Saturday, I had added all the baseboards, patching all the joins (they look good!) Yesterday, I rubbed some paste wax on the floor and then kept the window open the rest of the day. That stuff has a strong smell! I stained and painted the fireplace. And then I built a table from a kit that I had on hand. It’s the same style of table that I built for Hummingbird Cottage.

Anyway….I may add another layer of either stain or paint to the table but I’m holding off on that for now. For fun, I added the furniture that I have so far, placed the fireplace in its spot between the baseboards, and took some pictures.

I’m real happy with it so far.

The Knole sofa was made by Joanne Shimakawa. I won it a couple of years ago in an auction for a very good price. It is the inspiration piece for this room.

The fireplace came with the Beacon Hill kit. I used a pecan stain and painted the interior a mix of black and gray. That’s one of my mini Roseville pottery pieces on the mantel. I need to get a few more. There are quite a few in Hummingbird Cottage but I don’t want to steal them, though there is one I have my eye on.

The black chairs are vintage Bespaq, a sort of upscale line of dollhouse furniture. I won them in an eBay auction.

That’s the table I put together yesterday. It may need another coat of stain.

Whoops! I need to sweep the floor again. I want a large cabinet/wardrobe/china cabinet for the wall to the left. I have a table kit that I’m going to put together for the area next to the sofa. I need an easy chair. I have my eye on one, it’s a bit pricey – but, oh would it be perfect as a companion for the sofa!

And then, of course, the room needs all the little extras: rugs, plants, books, pottery. That will come later. I don’t have much left in my stash. Everything has been used in other dollhouses. I only buy specific items for the houses. (Budget, budget, fixed income, budget.)

I hope you like what I’ve done so far! I’m having fun and I’m so grateful to finally feel engaged and committed to this project. Now I have to figure out what room to start in on next. In the meantime, work outside today!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, miniatures 32 Comments

Flowers, Phileas, and a Mess

May 2, 2026 at 9:01 am by Claudia

I stayed indoors much of the day yesterday to give my allergies a break. It helped a great deal. Since it rained all night (right after I had sprayed the plants to keep the deer away, grrr!) I’ll probably wait to do anything else outside until tomorrow.

I did venture out to get the mail and grabbed these pictures.

A bud on the shag hickory.

The lilacs have just started to open. Don told me he got a whiff of their heavenly scent so I had to investigate.

Don had an encounter with Phileas the other day. And we’re sure it’s the same frog this year. Don heard a splash in what we’re calling the Frog Pond, so he went over to investigate. As he stood there patiently, he sang the Phileas song he sang last year. Eventually, Phileas appeared and swam to the side of the culvert, popping up his head to say hi. It made Don’s day.

Started in on the baseboards for the living room. I was having ‘a day’ and couldn’t quite figure out how to mitre the joins in this strangely angled room. My solution? Fudge it. And that’s what I’ve done, if only to save my sanity. In the end, this project is for me. I’ll use a little spackle to cover up any space in the join. I briefly thought about painting the fireplace white, but that seems too matchy for me. I’m going to stain it in pecan, instead.

And lest you think I have things under control, this is the current state of the studio:

It’s a mess. A creative mess, but a mess. This is when I long for a larger space. Ah, well. I just saw some photos of my friend Gwen’s new studio and doll space and I’m incredibly envious!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse 12 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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