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
    • 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 bunnies

Wednesday Thoughts

April 11, 2018 at 9:09 am by Claudia

Morning light from the east. A still life.

Though I can see frost on the car window and ice in the birdbath, this is the last day (I hope) that we will be dealing with colder than usual temperatures. I feel some hope and a little twinge of excitement.

I was looking through some photos from last year at this time and we were so much further along in terms of green grass, buds on the trees, the signs of spring. I’d say we’re about two weeks behind this year. I’m keeping a long list of things I have to do floating around in my head (in addition to painting the one remaining unpainted wall in the kitchen) and that list needs to be written down today so I can make some sense of it and prioritize my chores.

I’m currently reading a book I bought at that wonderful bookstore in New Orleans, Faulkner House Books. (Oh, if I could only whisk myself there for an afternoon of browsing!) It’s Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life  by Marta McDowell. Beautifully done in every way, with photographs and drawings, many of them Potter’s illustrations and sketches.

Nonfiction seems to be my thing at the moment. I can’t quite lose myself in a fictional story – my guess is that what’s happening on a daily basis in Washington D.C. is far more shocking and twisted than any mystery or spy novel out there. Especially these past few days, right? I’ve been glued to the television and Twitter.

Just wanted to clarify that even though Don is tired at the end of a long week of shows, he is having the time of his life. He really loves it. Right now, every show on Broadway is collecting donations for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids. They pass around a bucket after the show and auction off backstage tours. Don was out in the lobby the other day, meeting the audience and collecting for this charity. If someone wants a photo with a cast member, they contribute ten dollars, I think it is, and the actor poses with them for a picture. It’s a lot of fun. Don had a great time. Last night, there were 3 separate groups who had paid for a backstage tour. Don took one of the groups around the theater.

Can you see the bunny? I took this through the kitchen window yesterday. I saw him hop into the brush (everything is still so brown around here) where he found the perfect place to eat a bit, groom himself, nap and generally hang out. I’m not kidding. Several hours later, he was still there.

He was completely camouflaged, even more so than this picture indicates because I edited it so you could see him. Smart bunny.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: bunnies, Don, houseplants 43 Comments

Egg Cups and Rabbits

March 30, 2018 at 10:20 am by Claudia

I heard the peepers last night. If you’re not from this area, peepers are tiny frogs that sing (called chorus frogs) in the early spring. Our neighbors have a smallish pond near the road, where a bullfrog resides, and as I walked upstairs last night to go to bed, I could hear them through the window. Oh, so lovely! And a true harbinger of spring. If you’re interested, I recorded them and the results are on my Instagram post from last night. Hearing them call to each other is magical. There’s also a little bullfrog in there, as well.

Eggcups, final edition. Let me say that I’m sure I’ve left some out, in fact, I know I have. But most of them have been displayed on the blog this week.

Some of these eggcups live in the china cabinet in the kitchen – the rest live in the cabinet in the den.

Starting from the left, a transferware, flow blue egg cup that I found in a shop – no markings, so I have no idea how old it is. The one in the middle (don’t you love the smile on that duck’s face?) was given to me by a Teresa, a reader of this blog. This was made out of what was called a Holland mold and hand painted by someone with the initials LH in 1958. He or she did a great job. This is one of my largest egg cups. On the right, a Delft egg cup, marked with the number 28. A gift from my mom.

A goose egg cup (one of my favorites) that I found in an antique shop. It’s marked: Sarreguemines, France, with the letter A. It has a lot of crazing, so I’m venturing that it’s fairly old. The next egg cup is one I found in San Diego at the shop, Vignettes. I love the colors. The wooden egg cup is one of a set of four sent to me by Barb, a reader of this blog. The darling chick egg cup was also sent to me by a reader – Judy.

Okay, in looking back through my blog to identify the names of the readers who so generously sent me egg cups, I see a few I’ve left out. Just have to find where I’ve ‘placed’ them. So I’ll be showing a few more tomorrow!

I posted about this next item on IG because my sister doesn’t do Instagram, but I had to hold off on the blog until the package arrived at her door, which it did – yesterday. Two years ago – yes, two – my sister handed me her Maggie Rabbit pattern/kit and asked me to make it for her because she didn’t have the time. I brought it back home with me.

And it sat.

I was eventually consumed with guilt and needed a project – I’m finding it hard to concentrate on anything lately, I blame my need to read about Trump and his crimes – so I pulled it out. I have to say it was incredibly satisfying to make and I felt a calm come over me that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. (Since November 9, 2016, as a matter of fact.)

Here she is, Meredith’s Maggie Rabbit:

I found myself talking to her when I was making her. I was the kid who talked to my stuffed animals and my dolls and I still do.

I even brought my Maggie down from the bedroom to keep her company.

Mere’s Maggie is on the left, mine is on the right. I did a better job with Mere’s; having one already under my belt helped. This is a kit from Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy, and it came with the pattern, felt, fabric, embroidery floss and yarn. She still makes the pattern, but no longer includes the supplies. While I was posting it on IG, a former student of mine named Michael, who, along with his husband, is a new father to a lovely little baby girl named Everly, said “I want one for my girl.” And he does. He also said that ‘”Aunt Claudia has to deliver it in person.” He lives in Los Angeles.

So I’m hanging onto the pattern and I will order the necessary supplies.

The best thing was that I knew Meredith would be completely surprised because she had most likely forgotten about the kit. She had. She was, I’m happy to say, thrilled to receive her Maggie. Just in time for Easter.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: bunnies, collecting, egg cups, Meredith 41 Comments

Out of the Blue

March 25, 2018 at 10:10 am by Claudia

 

We had an out-of-the-blue snow shower this morning, the kind where big, fat snow flakes are swirling around in the air, settling on the ground and on surfaces, only to disappear a short time later. Rather magical.

So I pulled on my coat and boots and took a picture or two.

Now the sun is trying to make an appearance. We’re not quite there yet. Update: It just emerged!

Warmer temperatures are on the docket for the week ahead. Not unseasonably warm, just what they should be at this time of year. Now we enter that in-between time here in the Northeast. It’s no longer winter, but it’s not warm enough to do anything in the garden. I do have some cleanup to do from the fallen tree limb, but I want to be completely done with this cold before I attempt that. I’m looking forward to it, though! Just getting out there and doing something (other than shoveling snow) will be lovely.

I promised you a picture of the bunny pillow and promptly forgot about it until this morning. Here it is. I love this design, which looks like it’s been carved out of a wood block and stamped on the fabric. I haven’t seen any of my bunnies yet, but when they appear, I’ll be a happy camper.

As long as they stay out of my garden.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: bunnies, snow 26 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • …
  • 13
  • 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 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT