Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Pox on the Time Change

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I love my coneflowers, especially in the fall. They remain upright, they don’t collapse. They happily supply food for birds. What’s not to love?

Okay. I hate the time change and I keep thinking it’s later than it is and it’s driving me crazy. I woke up in the middle of the night, had to go to the bathroom, looked at the clock, and it was only 4 am. I panicked, worried that I would once again wake up too early. I willed myself to go to sleep again, which – surprisingly – worked. I got up at 6 am, which was really 7 am, and realized that when I had panicked it was really 5 am in terms of hours of sleep and I would have been okay.

Does this make any sense? I had no awareness that the time had changed when I woke up in the middle of the night.

This kind of thing drives me crazy. Why oh why can’t we just stick to one time???

I still haven’t changed the clocks. The cable box has the correct time, as does this computer, and my phone. But the microwave, the stereo, and the retro looking two-sided clock that extends out from our wall need to be changed.

Still a bit under the weather but definitely feeling better on the whole.

Katie hanging out in the Beacon Hill.

Yes, I’m thinking about that project. But it will progress slowly, partly because I never work full time on any of my dollhouses, and partly because of $$$$. Dollhouse renovations involve lots of supplies and, of course, furniture and wallpaper and floors and paint – furniture being the biggest expense. So it will transform slowly. But I want a cohesive vision for it and I’m not sure what that will be.

I just have to get motivated and right now I have too many other things on my mind. But the day I paint over that red paint with some primer will be Day One.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Priming & Spoiler

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I spent the afternoon putting primer on the dollhouse.

Where I started.

First coat.

Second coat.

I’m going for a third coat today. I’m using Killz primer and it’s still taking more than one or two coats.

Yikes. Remember the red and brown interior rooms? Imagine how much primer it’s going to take to create a neutral palette! Yikes again.

I haven’t painted the porch floor yet, because I’m not sure if I’ll paint it or cover it in some wood veneer. Heck, I have no idea what color I’ll paint the dollhouse – though, just as happened with Hummingbird Cottage, a neutral color seems more and more appealing to me. Maybe just because I’m so glad to see that garish yellow disappear. Or something tone-on-tone, if that’s correct, like the photo above. A subtle main color with white accents.

As is always the case because I rehab dollhouses that have already been constructed, getting around areas like the porch posts and trim takes some body contortion. But it sure is nice being able to stand up at the work table Don gave me and work on the dollhouse.

For those of you who asked:

Don playing Spoiler. That circular metal disk is part of the resonator. It’s a Gretsch, which is a great brand.

Okay. Have to get a move on.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Saturday Morning

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The view from my chair this morning.

It’s rainy today. There was a chance of some snow as well, but I got up at 5:45 and there wasn’t a flake to be found. We sort of wanted to see a bit of snow this morning. Ah, well.

I worked outside for a few hours yesterday, emptying pots, stacking them near the shed, carting all of the outdoor chairs to the winter shelter of the porch. Then I did my best to stack everything in one of the dry areas of our roof-leaking shed. We have someone coming to look at it right after Christmas.

The Beacon Hill dollhouse is up next. I still have things to finish in the English cottage – the bedroom, specifically – so that is ongoing. Since I got busy with the film, I couldn’t really work on the Beacon Hill, and it smelled really musty. So, over the course of 3 months or so, I tried dishes  of baking soda, lysol, and coffee grounds. Nothing worked until I used activated charcoal, and lo and behold, the smell has greatly decreased – it’s almost gone. While I start to put primer on the exterior of the dollhouse, I’ll keep some charcoal in the interior rooms. Hopefully, by the time the outside is primed, the smell will be gone. I’ve already removed the exterior shutters (in order to paint and reposition them in the correct place next to the window) and I’ve fixed the wonky porch as best I can – it will always be a bit wonky, but so is our real-life porch. I have to add some pieces near the base of the kitchen window and I’ll be good to go. Haven’t come up with an exterior color yet.

By the way, Don named his guitar “Spoiler” after the movie. Perfect, right?

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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