Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Cooler Temperatures & the Beacon Hill

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It’s cooler this week, with temps in the 60s. So refreshing! It was very cold when we got up this morning and I reminded Don that we have to get used to it. Our thermostat will be set  quite a bit lower this year as the price of heating oil – because of this foolish war – will be higher than ever. We are just going to have to wear layers. I don’t like it, but we are on a fixed income and the price of oil is really going to hurt us.

I will probably mow the corral today – it’s way too long. The lilac side of the front lawn will be next and then, in a few days, the two of us will tackle the front lawn.

Little changes in the Beacon Hill:

I got another battery operated lamp for the bedroom. It’s the kind that I can touch with a magnetic wand and it will light up. I’m pretty sure I’ll paint the base of the lamp and maybe do something with the shade.

I made a mirror for the living room from a House of Miniatures Kit that I had in my stash. It’s a Chippendale style mirror. It was more ornate than this, but I eliminated the side pieces They were very fragile and a bit of a pain. I had to do a little bracing on the back of the mirror, as well. I stained it, then added bits of green. You know I like to create ‘aged’ looking pieces and that’s what I did with the mirror. I love that it picks up the green in the pottery and the big cabinet, as well as the wallpaper. (That blue you see under the pottery on the left is part of the blu-tac that secures the pottery. I hadn’t noticed it until I took this picture! That’s why it’s a good thing to take some close up photos of a dollhouse. You notice things you might not notice otherwise.)

And finally, the bathroom wallpaper arrived. I spent a few hours cutting, measuring, and applying it on Tuesday.

I decided to go with pretty and slightly exotic. The fixtures will be basic and elegant, I think. I still have to decide on them. I’ve ordered ’tile’ for the floor. And there is one of my favorite little Petite Princess pieces – the chest of drawers – that is now in 3 of my houses. I had to find a place for it in the Beacon Hill. It picks up the gold tones in the wallpaper. The background on the wallpaper is gold with a very slightly pinkish tint.

Thankfully, that is the last of the already installed windows that I have to wallpaper around. That has been a huge pain in the tush. And none of the cut-arounds are perfect, believe me. Far from perfect.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous to sit in the tub with this beautiful wallpaper surrounding you?

I cannot say enough how much I really, really, REALLY love the way this house is evolving. I wanted it to be a big deal (for me and maybe for you?) and I think it is.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

The New Normal

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I did a LOT of work outside last week – weed whacking, mowing the front lawn, yanking out lots of invasive plants. I had decided to take it easy on Saturday, but of course, I saw those invasive plants and I couldn’t ignore them. By Saturday afternoon, I knew I had to stop. My arms were sore, my legs were sore, and I was exhausted. Yesterday, we both took it easy and we’re going to do it again today.

We had a long conversation on Friday about the changes in our lives due to age. We just can’t do the things we used to do. Well, we can, but we tire out much more quickly and our bodies complain much more loudly. I hate that. I’ll admit it, I get angry and frustrated with these new limitations, most of which have hit us in the last couple of years. But I cannot deny the facts. We’re in our seventies and attaining septuagenarian status comes with new restrictions.

I napped yesterday, fell asleep during a god-awful movie last night, and slept in today. I’ll play around with the dollhouse today, write this blog, and that’s about it.

Speaking of the dollhouse: I won this table on a eBay auction. It was made by Bespaq, a high-end miniature company that is no longer in business. I have a few Bespaq pieces; the art deco chairs in the living room, the chaise longue in the bedroom.

And this:

This drop leaf table.

Isn’t it lovely?

It is now in the kitchen, where the owners can open up one leaf and sit down for a bite to eat. Or, the owners can move it into the large entrance hallway, fully open it, and have dinner parties.

It is now sitting underneath a cupboard that I made the other day.

The dishes are a bit matchy, but they were the only dishes I had that would fit in that narrow shelf space.

I love my cheery little kitchen!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

Playing House

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Monday holiday today: Labor Day. As I say every year, my brother and my dad were union members. My husband is a proud union member.

We support and celebrate our labor unions.

My vintage miniature sofa arrived on Saturday.  I don’t know its history or who made it, but I love it. The other sofa has moved back to the folk art dollhouse. I love sofas with big flower prints, sort of like the ones you see in movies from the 40s.

Yet another frustrating day re-wallpapering this wall. Yes, I will have to do it again because I want it right or as right as it can be given the funkiness of this house. But not now. So I made that rustic frame for a print and placed it just above the chaise, right where one of the mistakes is. Another miniaturist slipped that little print in a package years ago and I’m finally using it!

I also stained and painted that table. It was by the bed, but I moved it next to the chaise.

Then I played house with the den, trying to figure out possible furniture arrangements. If I put a a chair in there, then I can’t have bookcases. But I could have bookcases on the second floor stair landing, so all is not lost.

With the Morris chair, moved upstairs from the living room.

(Dark, because it was taken this morning.)

Then I tried chainging out the chairs. This beautiful red velvet chair is from the bedroom in Dove Cottage. I like the way it picks up the red in the sofa.

Just playing, but it’s sure fun!

We’re taking it easy today. I’m feeling a bit under the weather. Tomorrow, we mow the front lawn. I ordered wallpaper for the Beacon Hill bathroom. We’ll see when it arrives….its from the same Etsy shop that sometimes takes forever to ship.

Don’t forget, I have a YouTube channel where I do a weekly Beacon Hill Update. You can hear me talk about my thought process, the things I screw up, the things that work, all of it! Here is the link.

I hope you have a lovely day. It’s definitely beginning to feel like fall here. The light is changing, leaves are falling…I watch the goldfinches cling to the branches of the giant thistle. They love pulling out stuff from the blossoms. They’re quite entertaining!

The Rose of sharon is winding down and I’m sad. But, on the other hand, I’m so grateful for the abundance of blooms this year. Both bushes put on a spectacular show!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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