Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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They’re Here

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My favorite time of year at Trader Joe’s is here.


The peonies have arrived! I made a quick stop there today, hoping they would be there. I love, love peonies. If I can’t be home to see our two peony bushes in bloom, this surely is the next best thing.


Aren’t they the most gorgeous, lush flowers? And the scent! This is a necessary indulgence for me – and photographing them is such fun.

Those of us on the creative staff for a production always get a rose on opening night. Three of these beauties are in a vase here in the apartment. Two of the designers had to leave before opening, so I got their roses.


There were so many great name suggestions for the koala:

Dundee, Kolby, Martin, Diego, Toby, Dennis, Sydney, Blinky Bill, Romeo, Clip, Darcy, Sleepy, Ichabod Crane, Mate, Sheila, Brisbane, Kiki, Sweet Pea……

I love them all. My sister insists on Darcy (we both love Pride and Prejudice.) So Darcy it is, but Darcy’s nickname will be Sweet Pea. I see him/her most every day. He sits on a metal bar and hugs the fence. His eyes scrunch shut and he is absolutely adorable. Norma from Australia tells me that they sleep a great deal of the time because their diet of eucalyptus has almost no calories. I would be happy to supply a nice soft sofa for Darcy to sleep on – really!

I’ll post photos from the Urban Barn sale in my next post.

Little Treasures

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Happy Sunday to everyone!

One play has opened – 3 more to go. Whenever I start to talk about how hard this schedule is, I stop and think about the actors who are in all 3 plays and the stage managers who work such long hours. Then I shut up.

I got out of rehearsal a little early yesterday and took the opportunity to visit the Urban Barn. For those of you who have been reading this blog since last year, the monthly barn sales at La Maison Rustique are now in a new location – The Urban Barn. The shop is open Wed – Sun, but the special monthly sales continue. Of course, I took photos for you. I will share them with you on another post.

Keeping to my budget, I only bought 2 small and inexpensive items:


I fell in love with these on the spot. The packaging, the graphics, the sweetness – how could I resist? Each of the sides of the box has a little message: ‘For Dolly’s clothes,’ ‘Useful in Travelers Kits,’ ‘Useful for Stockings, Handkerchiefs, Lingeries, etc. etc.’


I collect figural egg cups – but this non-figural cup caught my eye. I don’t need to hint as to why. This is my favorite color combination. Isn’t it sweet?


You might be thinking, ‘Why the tree photos, Claudia? We all have them.’ When I left home these trees had only little tiny buds on them. My husband sent me some photos today of all the new growth. That’s the Catalpa on the left and the Sugar Maple on the right.

Be still my heart – what do I see?


My peony buds! I’m starting to get sad that I won’t see them for the third year in a row. However, my husband just said this in a phone conversation: ‘Don’t get sad. I didn’t send these to you for you to get sad.’ Okay. I won’t be sad.

What have I been doing when I’m alone and bored in this apartment? I’ve been going back to old posts (I have over 450 of them) to change the HTML on all the photos to make them larger. The smaller photos I was posting really look weensy on the new template. The very first photos I posted were even tinier. In the course of doing all of this, I realized that I blogged for quite a while with 1 or 2 comments – sometimes 0. I’m glad I didn’t let it get me down. There are new bloggers out there with 1 or 2 or 0 comments. When you come across one, leave a comment. Remember how it was for you when you first started out. We all need encouragement, don’t we?

Have a wonderful day.

By the way, please stop by Kelee Katillac’s blog. Her post today is terribly important. The oil spill is a major catastrophe and we need to use all of our energy to come up with a solution.

Vintage Pottery in Orange

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As I was exploring Old Towne Orange, I came across an antique shop that had a treasure trove of vintage pottery.


This showcase was full of Bauer Pottery – one of the great California Pottery companies. Bauer used colors that were in the same range as Fiesta. You can see the famous Bauer rings on some of the pieces. Fiesta also had rings but they were sharper, more angular. One of Don’s friends here in San Diego has a big collection of Bauer Pottery.


Brown Eyed Susan by Vernon Kilns. I include this photo because these are the dishes my Mom used every day when we were kids. I am always delighted when I see a set. I spoke to a man working in the shop and he said they were getting harder and harder to find.


Some Fiesta and Harlequin. I used to have an extension collection of vintage Fiesta in the original colors. I eventually sold all but a few pieces as my taste changed. I still love to see it, though.


Some Fiesta, some Bauer and some Roseville.


Be still my heart – a beautiful Featherweight. I’ve written before about how much I want one of these beauties.


I had to take a photo of this beautiful vintage stove. Love the colors, of course, but I really love it because my husband’s last name is Sparks! Now wouldn’t this be perfect in our cottage?

Only bought one little thing – this vintage tin:


This is a 91st anniversary tin issued by Avon in 1977, honoring its start as the California Perfume Company. I don’t collect Avon products, but I’ve seen tins like this on a few blogs. I love the graphics and the colors are my favorites. So when I saw this, I snapped it up. It may go in the studio when I get home.

I have lots of suggestions for the Koala’s name…I’ll share them with you next week. I saw him twice today.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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