Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

A Perfect Present

November 22, 2010 at 2:31 pm by Claudia

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the wonderful birthday greetings! Between the warm greetings on this blog and on Facebook, my cup of good cheer runneth over.

My birthday was lovely and quiet. Well, not quite so quiet when Don put on some music in the evening and we all danced (and I mean the dogs, as well!) Don and I went to our favorite local tearoom in the afternoon and had some hot chocolate with big old homemade marshmallows. Ummm good! In fact, here was my menu for the afternoon and evening: cheese and crackers, hot chocolate, pancakes and eggs for dinner with apple pie for dessert. A day of comfort food favorites.

Now for my present from Don. I saw this in Heidi’s shop when I was helping her out during her Holiday Open House. In fact, I went by it a few times before the light bulb clicked on in my decorating brain. I was tired of the rolling desk chair I had in the studio. It was from IKEA, wasn’t very sturdy and I was getting tired of the cover which was lovely, but was now seeming a bit too flowery. And since my sewing table is at the top of the stairs, rolling of any kind could result in a quick trip down the stairs, if you know what I mean. I told Heidi I loved the chair, she told Don and now it’s mine!

Isn’t it beautiful? Heidi got it at an auction. It’s as if it was made for this space. The puff is artfully covering up a bit of nail polish spilled by a previous owner. It doesn’t matter to me because the chair will be tucked in most of the time. Some details:

I’m in love. 

There it is in its new home. Dare I say this? I think the studio is finished. I do. In the past 2 months, I’ve added the cabinet, the vintage feedsack shoe bag, my vintage dress form, Letitia, the newly trimmed chalkboard, the rediscovered and newly painted shelf (which you can see in the photo) and now….the chair. And all of it was very inexpensive and in some cases, free. This space was definitely done on a minuscule budget.

It really is a room in itself now. It’s pretty. It inspires me. Don loves it. I love it. C’est fini!

Oh, here’s my pie from the local bakery:

They decorated the pie! That’s a first – what a smile that brought to my face. I always have a birthday pie. It was yummy.

Elyse sent me a little something for my birthday which I will share with you in the next post.

Hope your Monday is a terrific one.

Forgot to add that Margaret B. of The French Bear is the winner of a copy of Outside the Ordinary World. Congratulations, Margaret!

Filed Under: birthday, studio, vintage 49 Comments

Birthday

November 21, 2010 at 1:00 am by Claudia

If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few days, you know that today is my birthday. If you haven’t…well, now you know.

I recently found the charm bracelet I wore in high school. It looks just like new. Among the charms are Comedy/Tragedy masks, musical notes, a megaphone (because I directed a play in my senior year), a Thespian charm, a bell – I think it was for choir, a cap and diploma – and a Happy Birthday Sweet 16 charm. I remember that birthday. My friends threw a surprise party for my friend Wendy and me. Wendy’s birthday is the day after mine. It seems a lifetime ago, yet I can remember it all very clearly. I suppose in the time/space continuum it happened yesterday. Or is happening now. Or something like that. I’m a lot older than 16 now, but that 16 year old girl is still a part of me. I carry the little girl I once was, the pre-teen, the teenager, the young adult, and all the ‘me’s’ I have been over the years.

I have always loved this quote from Carol Matthau:

There is no old age. There is, as there always was, just you.

Despite the fact that I sometimes feel every bit of my age, I firmly believe that age is a state of mind. So as I celebrate this birthday, I vow to be young at heart, take more risks, read more, continue to keep an open mind and heart, reach out to others in need be they human or animal, fight for the underdog, trust more, express gratitude, be less judgmental, continue to fight for the causes I believe in, dance with my husband, laugh as much as I possibly can, kiss my dogs, learn something new every day, tell those dear to me that I love them, offer a smile to a stranger, hold the door open for others, be compassionate, let go of worry as it accomplishes nothing, and be willing to embrace change knowing and trusting that there are even more exciting things ahead. And there are.

Have a great Sunday!

Filed Under: birthday 51 Comments

Studio Projects & a Celebration

November 19, 2010 at 4:24 pm by Claudia

The studio fluffing and sprucing continues – inspired by the addition of Letitia. Remember when I made the chalkboard for the kitchen? I had an extra board that I painted with chalkboard paint and I ended up drilling two holes in the top, threading twine through the holes and hanging it in the studio.

Well after the arrival of the cabinet and the dismantling of most of the design wall, I wasn’t sure where to put it. I was considering shoving it in a closet when husband’s words rang in my ears…”why don’t you use the doors to hang things?” Well, I don’t want to use every door (there are 3 of them that open onto the studio) but I started eying the door to the guest room/office/music studio. I found some trim that I had on hand, painted it to match the shelf and the re-imagined bulletin board and glued it to the sides of the chalkboard. Then I threaded some pretty aqua ribbon through the holes. And now it hangs on the door.

By the way, have you tried those fabulous Chalk Ink Wet Wipe Markers? Oh my gosh, they are so much better than chalk. I suppose they are what restaurants use on their chalkboards. I’ve been on the lookout for some and found them the other day at Michael’s. I see much chalkboard writing in the days ahead.

I also painted the shelf I discovered in the shed. It now has a home just above the sewing machine table. (Why I didn’t take a photo of it before I hung it, I’ll never know.) Because this little area is a niche under the skylight and can be dark, I had to fiddle a bit in Picnik.

Excuse the cord. Now I have a place to put stuff that used to clutter up the table. Another view:

Now, if only I could find an attractive version of the lamp on the left. Any ideas or recommendations?

This morning I spied this little one in our back yard. (I also put her on my photo blog.)

She was looking at me through the kitchen window. Look at those eyes. This is why I am a vegetarian. This is why I am against hunting. And though that may not be popular, it is a very big part of me. I’m proud of it.

And it’s my birthday this weekend. I’m celebrating me.

Filed Under: DIY, studio, vegetarianism 26 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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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.

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Lambs Like to Party

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