Claudia — Page 1621

Potpourri on Friday

April 8, 2011 at 10:04 am by Claudia

From Boston’s Public Garden: The ponds haven’t been filled with water yet, but luckily there was enough for the resident duck population. A boy and his father were having a good time feeding the ducks. Speaking of birds, have you been watching this as much as I have? Absolutely fascinating.

From a cupcake shop on Charles Street: I loved this idea. What kid doesn’t like a cupcake? A whole wall was filled with framed photos of children eating cupcakes.

I had a cupcake and I must be honest. It was too rich. No, you’re not seeing things. It was too rich for me and I had to stop eating it. A cupcake apocalypse?

Remember my post about Moxie?

I spotted this little shop on Charles Street. Excellent name for a shop, don’t you think?

And finally: Bored in my hotel room, I started taking photos of myself in the mirror above the desk.

My hand looks enormous.

Yes, I’m wearing different glasses now. I still have the blue ones, never fear.

I played around a bit in Picnik and used the Cross-Process effect. I kind of like it.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Little Bird & Some Roseville Pottery

April 6, 2011 at 9:57 am by Claudia

This little guy was surveying the Beacon Hill scene from his perch on this hedge. Thankfully, he stayed still long enough for me to snap this photo.

It has finally stopped raining here at MHC. Maybe I’ll get some much-needed yard work done today. The sun is out…dare I hope that Spring may finally be here? Crossing fingers. Let’s just say that I learned my lesson a week or so ago. The snow shovels are still out.

I promised to show you the contents of the other package that was waiting for me when I got home from Boston. A while back, a reader of this blog named Sonja wrote me. She noticed that I had some Roseville pottery. She was getting rid of a piece or two…would I like them? Uh…yes!

Hello, beautiful Magnolia Cornucopia! This is made doubly precious because it was passed down from Sonja’s mother. It now has a place of honor alongside some of my other pieces.

There is a lush quality to the Roseville flower designs that I love. It’s the best word I can think of to describe their look. Years ago, I remember reading an article about the actress Teri Garr’s home. She has a great decorating style. Originally from Ohio where Roseville was manufactured, she had amassed a wonderful collection. I think that was when I fell for Roseville. I kept that article for years – wish I still had it.

Sonja sent me a second piece that she suspected was a knock-off. She said something just didn’t feel right about it. I did some research yesterday and I’ve come to the conclusion it is definitely a fake. The markings are wrong, the glaze is off and one of the numbers on the bottom is reversed. Nevertheless, I really love it – I am treating it like the real thing. It’s Don’s favorite. He has a good eye and suggested I place it here on the piano:

The pattern is Fuchsia. I like the way the wood tones of the Keyboard sign are picked up by the brown color of the vase. Good call, Don.

Once again, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of one of the readers of Mockingbird Hill Cottage. Thank you, Sonja, for these wonderful additions to my little collection. Sonja doesn’t have a blog yet, but she’s thinking of starting one. Let’s encourage her!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Mini Presents in the Mail

April 4, 2011 at 2:15 pm by Claudia

I drove home in my rental car yesterday. It was a Nissan Cube – funny looking, but a great little car. It really has a lot of power and my problematic lower back loved, loved the design of the driver’s seat. There’s quite a bit of storage space and lots of head room.

I liked it so much, I took a picture of it. The light was strange but sort of otherworldly and cool.

Sitting on the kitchen table were 2 packages that arrived while I was away. Today, I’ll share the contents of the 1st package to arrive at MHC. Casey of Casey’s Minis had a giveaway and I was one of 3 winners. Casey let us choose what miniature we wanted and then proceeded to make them for us. She is amazingly talented. I continually gasp at her creations. I mean, let’s face it, I am in the midst of the slowest dollhouse renovation in history! I have no idea what I’m doing. Casey, on the other hand, is constantly making miniatures and most definitely knows what she’s doing.

But I digress. Here is my present:

Gasp! (See, I told you I am continually gasping.) Casey made this wicker chair. Isn’t it beautiful? Look at the detail. Unbelievable. I had my choice of fabrics and I chose this sweet design.

She added a slot for reading material.

And she sent along some extras:

The sweetest, most whimsical ottoman – or ‘pouf’ as I like to call it.

And this basket:

I’m in love.

A side view of the chair:

Such incredible detail.

Thank you, Casey! These are priceless additions to my dollhouse. Don absconded with the cigar box in which the chair was snugly packed. So I guess he won something in the giveaway, too.

If you haven’t visited Casey, please do. The ‘tenants’ of her dollhouses, Tessie and Zar, make frequent appearances in Casey’s posts. In fact, Tessie had a hand in the making of this chair.

As you can see, I took lots of photos in different lighting conditions in order to find just the right shots of this miniature furniture. It was a little frustrating. My new mantra? “A new camera with some spiffy lenses is coming my way. A new camera with some spiffy lenses is coming my way. A new camera…”

You get the idea. Maybe one will magically appear on my doorstep?

Potpourri on Friday

A Little Bird & Some Roseville Pottery

Mini Presents in the Mail

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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