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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Puzzle, Egg Cups, and Rain

March 8, 2024 at 8:35 am by Claudia

The finished puzzle. I particularly loved this one. And so did Don as he has always loved this form of artistry. He purchased a couple of framed woodblock prints not long after we met. We still have them. This was a Cavallini puzzle. They are always quite beautiful and come in a cylinder, rather than a box. All of the pieces are contained in a cloth bag. I’ve done a few in the past. I just glanced at the other Cavallini puzzles available on Amazon and I think I’m going to have to do another one. By the way, these woodblocks are the artistry of Kawase Hasui.

Sunny today – rare, lately! We’ve had – what else is new? – a LOT of rain. And we’re due for more Saturday and Sunday. It did turn sunny in the afternoon yesterday and it’s lovely right now. But it’s hard for me to imagine the ground drying out. Ever.

More egg cups:

A series of Japanese egg cups: on the left, a dog, then a little boy dressed as a cowboy, another little boy with a scarf around his neck and a blue cap, and on the right, a little boy and his dog. I have them displayed in adjoining cubbies. They should be able to chat with each other, don’t you think? All of them are vintage.

I realize that when I say vintage I am often using 2000 as my guide to count backwards. Isn’t that strange? We’re more than twenty years beyond  2000! Just like I think the nineties were about 15 years ago. Ummm….no.

Wooden people egg cups in this photo.

On the left, an egg cup from Italy, made by Sevi. They made a series of these egg cups and they all came with a knit cap to keep the egg warm. They’re still accessible on eBay, but sometimes the knit cap is missing. I believe this one was a gift from a reader, but darned if I can remember who. (Too many names of students, actors, directors, childhood friends, fellow grad school students and readers to remember!) I love this little girl.

On the right, another wooden egg cup made in Japan. A sailor. I have a feeling he had some sort of hat, as well, but it was long gone when Don came upon it in a local antique shop. Ahem… Scout  came upon it, because it was a gift from her.

Remember our talk about visits from beyond? Last Friday, I had two from my mom: one while I was sitting in my chair – the distinct smell of Oil of Olay, and another later in the day when I was driving home from my errands.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: egg cups, jigsaw puzzles, mom 22 Comments

Egg Cups, the Beginning

March 6, 2024 at 9:21 am by Claudia

Another rainy day. That’s all I’ll say about that.

I saw one of the Carolina wrens this morning. Or rather, I heard him first and turned to look out the den window. There he was, perched on the top branches of the hydrangea, singing away. I haven’t seen any robins yet. When they first appear, they’re usually in a group. Maybe traveling north? We seem to be a favorite stop on the way, Anyway, I’ll alert you when they make their presence known.

I probably should have taken more than one photo for the beginning of the egg cup tour, but my plans to take them yesterday were scuttled as I was deep into solving a jigsaw puzzle. I haven’t done one in a long time. This one’s theme is Japanese wood blocks. It’s beautiful.

You’ll see it soon. I hope to finish it today.

The first group of egg cups, chosen randomly.

On the left, one of my favorites. I found it on eBay when I first started collecting. I love the designs where a chick or a duck is either holding up the egg cup or, as in this case, hiding on the other side of the cup. They’re so playful and charming. There’s a pale pink marking around the top of the egg cup. A chicken/rooster is pecking at food and a chick is on the other side of the cup.

Center: I’d say this one is in my top five (I’m not counting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They’re in their own category.)

Again, found early in my collecting journey when beautiful cups like these were easier to find. It’s very difficult to find them these days. The bunny as artist. He’s wearing an artist’s smock with a bow, a pair of pants, and is holding a palette. He subject is the egg itself; he’s transforming it into a smiling face.

Right: A darling egg cup that was a gift from my friend, Linda (who you know from this blog.) The sticker says “Our Own Import.” You can’t see the tail, but it’s a salter. There are holes in the tail and you pull it out to salt your egg. Ingenious!

Oh, there are a lot more to go! I suppose it’s time to pull out the fabric eggs, as well.

In other news, I’m plunging ahead with Wolf Hall  (only about 150 pages to go) and have already ordered Bring Up the Bodies  (the next book in the trilogy) from the library. In a rare instance, it’s actually on the shelves at my local library branch. Two of my favorite authors, John Connolly and James Lee Burke, have new books coming out in May and June and I’m on the hold list for those as well.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Filed Under: birds, books, egg cups, reading 24 Comments

Pastel, Weird Hair, and Upcoming Egg Cups

March 4, 2024 at 8:31 am by Claudia

I sometimes take part in a thing called Flat Lay Sunday, run by my friend Tania. Yesterday’s theme was Pastel. I only do it if I can come up with something quickly. In this case, I could. I went upstairs to the office and pulled 4 things I had on display, along with this quilt. And of course, Mabel, with the pastel pink hair. (She had been wearing red, so an outfit change was required.) And there you go!

Th quilt was one of the first I made and it remains a favorite.

We walked yesterday and we’ll probably walk again today as we have three days in a row of rain starting on Tuesday. But yesterday was glorious! Sunny, temperature in the sixties – everyone was out and about. It was truly lovely.

Don’s gigs went very well, especially the one on Saturday night. It was a new venue for him and it was packed with young people who were very appreciative. He fed off that energy and was pumped when he got home.

Speaking of Don, yesterday he came into the den and I started laughing because this is what I saw:

He’d been running his hands through his hair again and had no idea what he’d created.

Don Einstein? Don stuck his finger in a light socket?

I swear, it’s never the same way twice!

I have to wrap and pack an Etsy order this morning and get it to the post office, but that’s the extent of my errands for today.

I realized yesterday that Easter is on March 31st, so I suppose it’s time for a tour of the egg cups? Hurrah!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Don, Easter, egg cups 29 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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