Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for bjd dolls

Tuesday Craziness

June 14, 2023 at 8:26 am by Claudia

This isn’t all that exciting, but I started to do some initial work on the dollhouse – which was interrupted, but more on that later.

This is called tapewire and it one of the methods used to wire a dollhouse for electricity. I was initially excited by this when I first got the Beacon Hill. But it’s been two years since then, and I’m less excited now. I don’t know if it works, I’m not thrilled by the way it was done (based on my total ignorance of the process) and I rarely light up my dollhouses. I use a few battery operated lights, here and there, but that’s about it. The advantage of wiring is that there are more styles of lighting available. You have more options. But they’re all expensive and I don’t see myself investing in them. I am going to try to do this house on a budget. I will most likely buy a few quality pieces, but really, the truth is that right now I only have a germ of an idea as to how I’m going to decorate. But there’s plenty of structural work that needs to be done first.

So I removed all of the tape yesterday afternoon,

Next up, priming the red and brown rooms with white so I can have a clean palate to start with.

I was ready to do that when we had to run outside to stop the guy on a tractor that the county employs to clean up the sides of the road. I don’t know if it’s the same guy, but one of those people chopped down my favorite crabapple last year. He had gone by earlier and much to my dismay, I saw he had cut down a lot of the roadside lilies (aka tiger lilies) that were about to bloom. Yet again, I was angry. Plus, he left all the things he had cut down, so I had to go out and clean it all up via 4 trips with the wheelbarrow. He also came very close to the ash tree, a tree in which we have invested time and money. Most ash trees around here died because of the emerald ash borer, but this one is hanging in there. A few years back when a crew came to cut down some of our trees, the owner of the company commented on the ash that had sprung up down by the road. He suggested treating it once a year – he just did that about a month ago – and we are hopeful it will stay alive.

Back to the guy driving the tractor, his cutter, which is sort of like a huge bucket on a long arm, was moving the branches on the ash and Don was very concerned. As was I. So the minute we heard him coming back for a second cut, we ran outside. I stood on the street near the edge of our property line, Don stood by the ash. As the guy came nearer to our property, he noticed me and shut down the tractor. I asked him not to do any more on our property. I explained that last year someone had cut down my favorite crabapple tree and that he had already cut down our tiger lilies and that we were also concerned about the ash tree. He nodded and said “I can work with that.” We thanked him. And he skipped over our property and moved on.

But what if we hadn’t been home? I can imagine other property owners must not be happy with all the cutting. Plus, a lot of debris falls into the culvert, which can result in a clogged culvert. That was part of my cleanup yesterday.

In the middle of it all, Don was stressed – so he made a pie.

We’re due for thunderstorms today, with ‘gusty winds’ possible.  I foresee a lot of catalpa blossoms on the ground. I’m going to go out there and take some photos before we lose them all. They’re so beautiful, I wish they could stay there all summer long.

Lily snuck into the bedroom because Pip seemed to be sleeping for a long time and she was concerned.

That’s a little planner (it really works) made by a favorite Blythe creator. And I bought the little dog from a toy shop when I was living in Brooklyn.

A reminder that a lot of my replies to comments (if you have a google/gmail account) are not getting through. They want us to add another layer of something-or-other that involves security. Since I refuse to jump through yet another Google hoop, that isn’t going to happen. So check back here for my reply.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, bjd dolls, Blythe dolls, trees 18 Comments

Just What I Needed

February 5, 2023 at 8:58 am by Claudia

What a week it has been. Actually, three  weeks.

Our dear friend Adrian is now on the heart transplant list. For some reason (we had a bad connection so we lost this bit of info) the insertion of the machine to help his heart pump is not considered the best idea for him now. We had a long talk with him the other day from his hospital room. I hope we can speak to him today, as well.

I’m still shocked about the show I was involved with not moving to Broadway. The cast had received notices that contracts were coming and that it was a done deal. There is so much disappointment among cast members – and me. I’m in a conflicted position on this one because I know the reason why it didn’t move forward and it involved someone I know and love, so I understand both sides of the story. But, on a personal level, I lost out on income I was counting on. So I understand, but I feel a little anger, as well.

So yesterday, I attended a zoom meeting hosted by an online Blythe friend. Her guests were the two women, mother and daughter, behind the account Play From Your Heart. They make the most whimsical hats and accessories for Blythes and I’ve long been an admirer. They live in Germany. Hearing their backstory was inspiring. They were speaking to us from their studio, surrounded by their magical creations, and I was so grateful to be there. So grateful. I needed some magic and whimsy. And I got it. I thanked them for that, briefly mentioning it had been a tough couple of weeks, and the opportunity to play, to visit with people who are creative and charming, and also to be with like-minded Blythe lovers – well it was just what the doctor ordered. I almost didn’t go, but I ended up logging on at the last minute.

Wren attended because she is wearing one of their creations. The beret.

I want to buy a couple of their wonderful hats for Blythe dolls but will have to save up for those. The reason Wren (and Lily) get to share this little hat is because it’s smaller and less expensive. I love it.

Anyway, I desperately need an escape these days and the girls and their world provides that for me.

I’ve considered selling Wren and Lily because we could use the money. But every time I look at them, I see those beautiful faces, the worried look on Wren’s face that reminds me so much of me as a little girl, and I can’t. Yesterday, as I was telling Don about the zoom meeting, I was holding Wren. He took her in his hands and said how much he loved her face and eyes. Then he held Lily. And then he whispered, “Don’t tell the other girls, but these two are my favorites.” I told him I had been considering selling them. “You need to put that idea out of your head,” he said.

So that’s that. At least, for now.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: bjd dolls, Blythe dolls, wren 20 Comments

Play

November 20, 2022 at 9:17 am by Claudia

A quick post today. We stayed up too late and then I had trouble sleeping, so I slept in and now the schedule for the day is a bit off. Boy, do I like and need my routines the older I get.

We have a little snow squall happening right now. It’s quite magical. And yet another murmuration of starlings this morning, right outside the kitchen window that is over the sink. I was standing there, having just got out of bed and there they were, hundreds of them, right outside the window. Then swoosh! They flew over to our neighbor’s property. Then another swoosh, and on to the property next to them.

Quite an eventful morning for someone who is barely awake!

Dolls today, because that’s what I did yesterday.

Harper helped me find the edge pieces for the new puzzle.

Wren and Lily in search of reading material.

This thought has been going through my head since yesterday:

You’re never too old to play. You’re never too old to play. You’re never too old to play.

“Play” has been the thread throughout my life; a life of working in the theater which is all about play, and a life of collecting; whimsical children’s egg cups, putz sheep, miniatures of all kinds, dollhouses, vintage dolls, and now Blythe dolls. The Blythes came into my life at a more advanced age, were a complete surprise, and have been a source of delight for the past year.

And why not?

I don’t want to ever lose my delight in play, in whimsy, and the world of my imagination.

Said by yours truly on this eve of a new decade.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

 

Filed Under: bjd dolls, Blythe dolls 12 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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