Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Catching Up

August 5, 2026 at 9:01 am by Claudia

There is much to catch up on and I’ll tackle it at the beginning of the post. First, the malware has been removed. It is hard for the security company to access my blog now because my host has enabled two-factor identification and they log on from another location, so they don’t always get the code sent by my host. That was the most frustrating thing and, apparently, it’s frustrating for a lot of customers. Anyway, one of the techs finally got on (I don’t know how he did it) and removed the malware. Hurrah! Hopefully, we’re back to normal.

I do not plan to move on from this space on the internet until my contract runs out. Or, until something else happens that turns out to be the last straw. Hopefully, that won’t happen. This blog will keep running for the time being. And I will be writing on Substack, as well. I’m not sure how I’ll do it. I want to write posts that are particular to each space. Substack will be something a bit different, but I have only written the one post and there is much I have to learn about using Substack. It’s the perfect backup space and, when next June rolls around and the blog is no more, I will use that space to write and post and share with you.

I’m rather exhausted at the moment. The stress of the blog being hacked, working on the Beacon Hill, mowing and weed whacking yesterday and  a stuffed-up head from all that work outside means I’m moving very slowly today.

I keep forgetting to tell you that Joe is home. Such happy news! He’s been home over a week and he’s so happy to be there. Outpatient therapy begins on August 7th. He has to use a walker and the movement of his right leg has been impacted by the hematoma. They can’t do anything about the hematoma. They just have to wait it out.

The back of the big garden bed:

It’s just gorgeous out there.

I laid another floor in the Beacon Hill the day before yesterday. (It takes forever.)

In the den. I still have to “floor” the 3rd floor landing, and the little art studio. And the bathroom.

The modern sofa I showed you the other day is too dark for this space. Since there are pink flowers in the wallpaper, I borrowed this sofa from the Folk Art Dollhouse. You will note that I use the same sofa in Hummingbird Cottage – also in the den.

I love these little loveseats. I have at least three of them. When I first started in this hobby, I got them from a retailer, who also sold easy chairs in the same style. Now? I cannot find them. I think the original manufacturer must have stopped producing them. I haunt the pages of eBay looking for more. And I really concentrate on searching for the easy chairs because they are so much less expensive than others I’ve seen. There is no identification mark on the pieces, unfortunately.

It looks kind of nice in this space, doesn’t it. But that means I would have to find a replacement sofa for the Folk Art Dollhouse.

Yesterday, I put together a cabinet from a House of Miniatures kit.

I have one of these cabinets in Hummingbird Cottage, as well. I’m going to buy a few more. They’re really meant to be the top half of that desk that I made a couple of years ago. But they work so well on their own. This one will hang in the kitchen. It’s filled with plastic ‘jadeite’ that I found at Michael’s several years ago.

Okay. This is a long post. Thank you so much for hanging in there with me, for your support, for being you.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, blog 14 Comments

Lots of Beacon Hill Activity

July 31, 2026 at 11:16 am by Claudia

Sorry for the late post – there were some problems with the blog and malware this morning, so I was on the phone with my host and also sent a message to my security company. This is the stuff that makes me want to yell “That’s it! No more blog!”

Anyway, I have yet to hear from my security company, but my host says that it looks like their new scanner found the initial problem and removed the malicious info. Okay good!  – but I won’t relax until the security company confirms that.

Updates to the Beacon Hill:

I added wallpaper to the 3rd floor den. I love this pattern. It’s from the same woman that sold me the kitchen and bedroom wallpaper. This room is sort of a mess. It was put together incorrectly and doing anything with it always involves some problem. Nevertheless, the dollhouse is only for me, so I can handle the imperfections. And disguise them, if possible.

Yesterday, I installed flooring on the second floor landing. It takes forever and I worked on it for about 5 hours. The area behind the rear railing was a pain in the tush. I had to do it all by feel as I can’t see back there. At one point, I had the iPhone flashlight on so I could try to see something.

Okay…blurry, and I fully realize that you may not like this, but this is current look of the buffet.

I mixed this with a lighter shade of blue and some black.

It’s growing on me. I’m going to leave it as is for the time being. I like this color.

I may add some sort of vase or something – if I have anything on hand.

Lots of work this week on the Beacon Hill. Next up: floor for the 3rd floor landing and for the den.

Guys, with all the crap I had to deal with this morning, and this late posting, I’m going to take tomorrow off. I’ll be back on Monday.

Stay safe.

 

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse 20 Comments

Rainy Days

July 29, 2026 at 8:33 am by Claudia

Rain, rain, rain. Yesterday we had thunderstorms and lots of rain later in the day. Today, we have a steady rain and there are flood watches up all over our area. We live right between two rivers, but our house is on a little hill and floods have never been a worry.

The Lenape – the indigenous people who lived here before us – called the land we live on “the land between the rivers” because we’re surrounded by rivers, just steps away from our property.

The first Rose of Sharon popped up yesterday morning. In fact, right after I got up, I looked out the window of the kitchen door, and there it was! What a lovely greeting. It is getting pummeled, of course, by the rain. And today, another bloom has appeared. Oh, I love these flowers!

I’ve been reading and putzing around the house. I’ve also been working on the Beacon Hill a bit. I’ve painted and repainted that darned buffet and I’m still not sure I like what I’ve done. I do so want it to be a part of the house because it was one of the pieces that the previous owners included with the house. A little homage to the house’s history, if you will. I’ll post something or other about the buffet soon – when I get it the way I want it.  (If that ever happens.) I know it sounds silly, but I’m trying to use only the acrylic paints I have on hand. I don’t want to drive to Michael’s, which is a bit of a haul, and spend more money on paint and gas (so expensive!) for the car. So, I do a lot of mixing and experimenting.

I forgot about this chair, which I was going to put in that upstairs room where I removed the fireplace. It may not work there, but I’m waiting to see what it looks like when it’s wallpapered. I’ve had my eye on a chair for the living room, but it’s too expensive for me right now. So I tried the Morris chair in the living room and it just might work there.

I could make replacement cushions that coordinate with the sofa. Or I could use the “leather” cushions that came with the chair.

Nothing is written in stone, of course. That’s the fun of a dollhouse. And it’s much easier to move furniture around than in real life.

I’ll be back at work on the buffet later this morning. I also have to do a little more spackling around the sealed up fireplace on the third floor. Wish me luck!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, flowers 22 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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