Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Trash, Books & Minis

May 14, 2016 at 9:01 am by Claudia

5-14 kitchenmorning

I know a good trash can is a necessity in a kitchen – in ours, we need one that is really secure, since various critters fly inside our house during the summer months. We had one for years that was made by OXO and it was great; except for the lid, which had structural flaws in its design. Eventually, no matter how careful we were, the plastic portions would disintegrate and it wouldn’t work. OXO was very helpful, sending us replacement lids throughout the years. We must have had at least 6 different lids. But the flaw actually got worse, and the latest replacement fell apart in less than two months.

So we bit the bullet yesterday and bought a new one. Not the most exciting thing to buy, but a necessity. We rewarded ourselves by going out to breakfast and stopping at the bookstore.

5-14 bookfinds

I picked up Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty – a memoir by Diane Keaton (I am a huge fan) and then I got a discount copy of The Shining Girls  by Lauren Beukes. I read her newest novel, Broken Monsters, a few months ago and really liked it.

I also ran into Michael’s to get some plastic storage bins for my minis – right now, they’re all over the place.

5-14 redminitable

And I found this mini table – I like the color and the lines.

Then we came home. Driving up and down a busy highway full of stores and strip malls isn’t really our cup of tea. We were relieved when we got back to our little cottage.

All this running around meant I didn’t get the seeds planted in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, so I’ll do that this morning.  And by the time we got back home, I realized that I had to pick my health plan before the end of the day, so that became a priority.

But there was a little package waiting for me in our mailbox. It was from my pal, Linda.

5-14 eggcupsfromlinda

Oooh! The egg cup on the left is Harlequin by Homer Laughlin (in my favorite color) and the egg coddler is a lovely one from Royal Worcester.  Thank you, Linda! We both collect egg cups, by the way, so we are definitely enablers.

She also sent along three mini record albums for the TSP, but I am unable to get a good shot of them this morning. I’ll remedy that later in the day.

We might get more rain later in the day, so I’m going to attend to gardening and potting later this morning.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

 

Filed Under: books, bookstores, egg cups, gifts, miniatures 24 Comments

Hidden Surprises

May 13, 2016 at 9:05 am by Claudia

5-13 hiddenviolets

As I was mulching the garden beds on the side of the house, I saw these violets tucked under my spirea. What a lovely surprise! Later, I found a white violet in the garden bed.

I love garden surprises.

5-13 hiddenwhiteflowers

Hidden under the hosta: surprise Star of Bethlehem flowers. This plant was already up and running when we had the big freeze/ice, so I didn’t think it was going to bloom this year. There are a couple of other flowers completely hidden under the leaves at the left.

5-13 hiddencatmintflower

And tucked away in the back of the big garden bed, hidden from view, the first blooms on the catmint.

Since we’re in the midst of what has turned out to be a late spring  (no matter what the calendar says) and green is the theme – green shoots, green baby plants, green leaves – encountering these little blooming surprises makes my day.

Mulching is done for the time being. We scattered grass seed on some bare patches in the big corral. I weed whacked.

Today, I’m going to start potting impatiens for the porch. And I’m going to plant some morning glory and zinnia seeds in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden. Rain is on the docket for this afternoon and tomorrow, as well.

And we have to buy a new kitchen trash can. Isn’t that exciting?

Just finished reading The Travelers  by Chris Pavone. I’ll review it next week on Just Let Me Finish This Page. I’ve read his other books – boy, can he write a spy novel! Excellent.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: flowers, garden, reading 26 Comments

It’s Nice To Be Spoiled Every Now And Then

May 12, 2016 at 9:56 am by Claudia

Greetings from the land of mulching, and mulching some more, and soaking morning glory seeds, and planting impatiens. I did a bit too much yesterday (big surprise) but the garden beds are looking so much better. It was worth it!

As to the mystery plant, I’m still leaning toward spirea, but reader Ann suggested chokecherry and when I looked it up, well – it could very well be a chokecherry. The way to determine that is to watch and wait, and if it eventually develops berries, then I’ll know the answer. And since chokecherry is a tree, I would have to remove it. So let’s hope it’s a spirea – they are both from the same family, as it turns out.

The day before yesterday, a package from Barbara arrived in the mail.

She mentioned that she found a wonderful site on Etsy that sells fèves. Fèves are little trinkets that are made to be put in a King Cake, which is baked on Epiphany. Whoever ends up with the fève is King for the day. I didn’t know about any of this, but I’ve since explored the shop and I am enchanted by these little mini figures. Barbara thought they would be perfect for dollhouse miniatures – and they are. They’re from France.

Some photos of the little fève vases:

5-12 fevevase1

5-12 fevevase2

5-12 fevevase3

5-12 fevevase4

Right around this time in the picture-taking, I thought I’d throw in a penny for a size comparison.

5-12 fevevase5

5-12 fevevase6

They are made from porcelain and are hand painted. Simply exquisite.

I’m over-the-moon about this shop – it’s called ValueARTifacts. I already have a wish list going. These pieces are so well made and the are perfect for dollhouse projects.

Also in the box:

5-12 pringles

A can of Pringles (not a fève) – that will go in the TSP.

5-12 muffins

And some muffins!

5-12 vase in TSP

An overhead shot of one of the vases in the TSP. Don’t you think the colors are perfect in that space? And heaven knows, I can’t fill that shelf unit entirely with record albums, though I do have a few more on the way via Etsy.

Oh, I almost forgot the other item in the box:

5-12 rosevillebleedingheart1

This piece of Roseville. Barbara wasn’t sure if it was a legit piece (it is) and it has a tiny chip on the base. As you know, I care not one bit about little chips, so I am thrilled to have this join my Roseville family. It’s the Bleeding Heart pattern. Love those graduated Art Deco-like handles!

5-12 rosevillebleedingheart2

The other side.

I’ve had curtail my Roseville buying lately, as any extra funds I have are being used for the TSP. Thank you, Barbara, for everything. You spoil me!

But, I have to admit, it’s nice to be spoiled every now and then.

Speaking of spoiling, the other present I received from Don on Mother’s Day was Adele’s new record album, 25 – yes, on vinyl. I love it.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: garden, gardening, gifts, miniatures, Roseville pottery 37 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 1026
  • 1027
  • 1028
  • 1029
  • 1030
  • …
  • 1847
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in