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 Blythe dolls

Roses, Books, Cleaning & Sorting

October 16, 2023 at 8:33 am by Claudia

Our white roses are sitting on top of the kitchen island. They’re awfully pretty. Don has decided that the entirety of October shall be our anniversary.

So, we’re still celebrating. Next year, in July, we’ll celebrate being together for 30 years. Not bad when you consider the fact that we didn’t meet until we were in our early forties!

Yesterday, I went up to the office/studio to reposition a piece of furniture. That, as you know, inevitably leads to other changes. I contemplated Don’s guitars and amps and cameras (as well as all of my stuff) and I called down to him. Would he come up and weigh in on a few decisions? He did. We moved a few more things around and, though I hadn’t planned it this way, he was inspired to clean up his desk which had become a dumping ground. (Mine gets that way often.) So he grabbed a trash bag and started sorting things while I moved plants around and pruned them and vacuumed and sorted a bit more of my little cubicle. It turned into a few hours work, but it’s much better in there now.

When I’m getting ready to work on something like the Beacon Hill, I like to have everything in some sort of order.

Then I came downstairs and vacuumed everything. Then Don made egg salad sandwiches and we had a piece of apple pie. I flipped on the heating pad, as my back was complaining after all that bending over.

Very satisfying, though!

I’m reading The Running Grave  by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling). I’m a big fan of her Cormoran Strike series. I started reading them when the very first book was published. She’s writes so gracefully that you’re immediately immersed in the story, carried along without a lot of effort, though the plots are highly detailed and complex. The last 3 books have been considerably longer than the earlier books. This one clocks in at 900+ pages. But I’m already at page 200. This one involves a cult and it’s fascinating. If you are interested in this series, read them in order. The characters/relationships grow and change over the course of the series and it won’t make a lot of sense if you read them out of order.

And yes, I know there is a television series. I’ll say it again – I never watch the television/streaming adaptations of favorite books. If I’ve already read the series, the characters are completely realized in my imagination and I don’t want to suddenly have an actor intruding into what I’ve co-created with the novelist. If I haven’t yet read the series, I don’t want to start in already knowing what actors played what roles. It imposes something on my reading that I don’t welcome. So, as good as a series might be, I won’t watch it. I know you like to tell me about those things, but 99% of the time, I’m already aware of it and I won’t watch it. Though I certainly appreciate the fact that you care!

Yesterday’s Blythe photo:

Little miss Pippa, in the middle of an eye roll. Not everyone wants to get hauled off the shelf for a photo op!

I’m going to spend a good chunk of the day reading – I’ve already read quite a bit this morning.  And some laundry needs to be done. But first, it’s my turn to make our second cup of coffee.

It’s cool out there today but it’s sunny and that’s very welcome.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, reading 35 Comments

A Dark and Rainy Saturday

October 7, 2023 at 9:01 am by Claudia

A bit rainy, but not as much as predicted so far…but there are storms on the way. Tomorrow should be dry. There are lots of leaves to rake; it seems like zillions of leaves dropped overnight. The corral and back forty look messy and you’d never know I mowed those areas two days ago.

Don has a gig in the late afternoon, early evening – happily, it’s not too far away. I’ll get a little time to myself, though I have no plans – just reading, doing laundry, running over to the library to pick up a book that just came in. I’m in the midst of reading Jane Casey’s The Close.  She’s a wonderful writer who has a series about Maeve Kerrigan, an Irish/British policewoman. I really love the way she writes. When I requested this book through our library system, there was only one copy. Period. That tells me that not enough Americans know about her. Anyway, I’m grateful that they had a copy and now it’s here with me.

I must admit that I woke up a bit early – not too early, thank goodness – and have been in a funk since I woke up. You know that kind of day? When you are in a bad mood and have no idea why? That’s where I am. Hopefully, I will feel better soon.

So this will be shortish.

The Ferro Sisters. If you could only see their faces close up – the beautiful and detailed painting, the subtlety – FerroDoll is an true artist.

This shelf has become one of my favorite photo locations. The light, the colorful background – you’d think it would be too distracting, but it isn’t – it seems to enhance the beauty of the girls.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls 38 Comments

Friday: Rain, Groundhogs, Vaxx, and a Blythe

October 6, 2023 at 9:00 am by Claudia

Lately, every morning is foggy. Today, we’re due for rain. Tomorrow, we’re due for rain. The hot spell is over and the temps will gradually get cooler over the weekend. It’s 8 am and it’s still very dark and gloomy.

♦ Two groundhog encounters. I was standing in the den yesterday and I happened to look out the picture window. There was a groundhog running across the street with great speed toward our property. He disappeared into the culvert and then reappeared on the lawn, then peeking out from under the maple tree, then running under my car, finally landing on the shed ramp, where he promptly lay down, exhausted. First of all, I got very nervous watching him cross the street and wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t go over there – ever. Traffic is very busy on our road! Second, it’s the groundhog that lives under our shed, which makes it even more personal.

Then, as I waited for him to disappear under the shed – which took a while – I prepared to mow the corral and the back forty. As soon as he disappeared I went to get the lawnmower. As I was pushing it uphill toward the top of the back forty where I was planning to start the mowing, a groundhog trotted out of the area where the other den is (the one the mom took her babies to when we were making too much noise.) I stopped and froze because he wasn’t stopping and I wasn’t sure whether he was aware of my presence. He got pretty close (I was secretly hoping he’d go right by me.) At at distance of about 4 feet, he suddenly saw me, froze for a split second, and threw it into reverse. Kind of adorable! I have no idea if it was one of the now-grown-up babies.

♦ We got our Covid vaccinations on Wednesday. It went very smoothly. We traveled to a Walgreen’s that’s a little further away from us – the one we’ve used for the past 3 years. Let me tell you, it was a much better experience. When we used the Walgreen’s that is closer to us for the flu and RSV, the pharmacist was so busy talking and doing his schtick that the jabs were quite painful! So I think we’re going to stay with our original location.

Anyway, I had my usual reaction which is to suddenly fall into a deep sleep. I think it happened around 12:45, much earlier than my usual nap time. Don is suffering from flu-like aches and a general “I don’t feel good,” which is his usual reaction. That should clear up by the end of today.

♦ I have a new Blythe to share with you. Here is the back story. It involves my dear friend, Susannah. Susannah and I have been blogging about the same amount of time; 15+ years. I used to read her blog quite frequently. She lives in London. In June or July of 2021, I discovered she was on Instagram and started following her. Not long after that, she discovered customized Blythes and wrote a post showing her new girl, a VegaDoll named Suzie. I was so entranced by that doll, so charmed, that I started exploring and researching Blythes. I knew about the original Blythes, but I wasn’t a fan of the shiny faces and sunken eyes. But these customizations! They were a different story. As I was exploring and wondering whether I should consider investing in an inexpensive Blythe, Susannah and I had many a conversation about ‘falling down the Blythe rabbit hole.’ She has remained a very good friend and I adore her. She is planning on moving from London to Devon in the next year – a long wished-for dream that will soon be realized. So she decided to sell some of her dolls to raise some money for the eventual move.

The minute she put out a feeler about this doll, I contacted her, just to say that while I would love her, money was tight, Don was on strike, etc., and I would have to decline. She wrote back immediately, saying she didn’t need the money for almost a year and if I wanted her, she would hold her for me, giving me time to save up. It was hard for her to part with her and she would much rather the doll go to someone she knew and loved. It was such an incredibly generous and kind gesture! So she marked her as ‘reserved.’ After considering all the ways – they’re were only a few – that I might get funds to buy her, I came to the conclusion that I would have to sell one of my dolls. I didn’t want to use our money. Most of my girls were very modestly priced. The FerroDolls and the VegaDolls were the most expensive. And Mei – a VegaDoll – was the  most expensive, purchased when I was working on the movie and had more funds available.

I put out a feeler on her for the price I originally paid. Eventually I had to lower the price. Still no takers. One of my Blythe friends suggested I give her bangs. So I did. It transformed her, making me seriously consider taking her off the market. I loved that change in her look. But then, a woman named Catherine wrote me to say she was interested in her. After some back and forth, she bought her. She’s from Ireland, but she she lives in Singapore, which meant I needed to get her packed up immediately so I could give her an estimate of the shipping costs. It was for the best, because I was crying at the thought of sending her to a new mom.

I had written Natalia of VegaDolls to let her know I was thinking of selling Mei and she was great about it – she collects as well and said that sometimes a doll needs to move on and that’s okay. Susannah provided a lot of support and interestingly, Catherine had just started buying Blythes and she purchased one of Susannah’s dolls right before she bought Mei. Small world.

So, the funds from Mei’s sale paid for this new girl.

She arrived yesterday – only 4 days from leaving London to her arrival at my doorstep! I’ve never had a doll arrive that quickly. She is a FerroDoll and I’ve loved her ever since Susannah first purchased her.

She arrived in the late afternoon, so I only have this one.

She’s so beautiful! She has the intense look of all Ferro girls, as if they might be a bit pissed off, a smattering of freckles across her nose, a beautiful face-up, and that hair! She was named Orla, but I’m calling her Miranda. Her middle name will be Orla. There’s something about these Ferro girls, you stare into their eyes and they seem absolutely human. (Same with VegaDolls.)

I still miss Mei, but her new mom has sent me photos of her and she looks happy in her new home. Susannah and I have talked Catherine into starting a Blythe IG account, so I will get to see Mei fairly regularly.

More photos of her soon, though it’s awfully dark today.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Miranda 21 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • …
  • 103
  • 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