Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Beacon Hill Dollhouse

Autumn is Gorgeous

October 5, 2026 at 9:24 am by Claudia

It is impossibly beautiful out there. The light, the leaves changing, evidence of migrating bird activity in the birdbath – all of it is wonderful and magical.

A rather impressionistic look at the porch.

I’ve been working on a new puzzle, doing laundry, mowing part of the front lawn, feeling my nesting instincts kick into overdrive, with sneaky little thoughts of Christmas sometimes breaking through. I’m glad my jigsaw puzzle mojo has returned, as I really love working on them, and it is the best meditative process for me. Everything slows down, and my focus is on the puzzle. Everything else is eliminated for the time being. And I love the process, so I’m not at all interested in trying to speed it up.

The bookshelves in the Beacon Hill: I have now painted them 6 times. – three coats of pink, two of red, but I didn’t like that red which had a metallic quality, so yesterday I painted two more coats of another red with a bit of black mixed in.

And this is the final look.

I grabbed some books from Hummingbird Cottage, but the paint had just dried so I didn’t dare put them on the shelves. I’m going to have to make a LOT of books. That will be a good winter activity.

What else would I like besides books? Art on the walls, some pottery on the shelves, a jigsaw puzzle on a coffee table, a turntable, a stack of sheet music on the piano – maybe an ottoman for the chair – reading lamps, a rug,  A plant or two.

In my experience, it’s all the little accessories and details that take the most time and the most money! So I can’t rush this, simply because I have a nonexistent budget. But then again, it’s fun scouting for bargains. So far, a lot of the things in this house I had already, assembled from a kit that I had in my stash, or reworked in some way. That was my vow when I took on the Beacon Hill: to make, reuse, and rehab.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse 17 Comments

Cooler Temperatures & the Beacon Hill

September 23, 2026 at 9:12 am by Claudia

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.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, miniatures 24 Comments

The New Normal

September 14, 2026 at 9:23 am by Claudia

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.

 

 

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, life 24 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 19
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

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.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in