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You are here: Home / Archives for Christmas

Reading, Cleaning, Obsessing, er…Dreaming

December 29, 2009 at 2:27 pm by Claudia

Hello, my friends! Yes, I am cleaning today and fighting the urge to take every Christmas decoration down. Does anyone else struggle with that sneaky urge? We keep our decorations up through January 1st; that’s the rule here at MHC. The only thing I have permitted myself to put away are Christmas cards. Some of the greens scattered around the house would be gone today if it wasn’t so darn windy. I’m staying inside – the wind is fierce and the wind chill is in the single digits!


Don gave me the new Dan Brown book for Christmas – I gave him the new George Carlin autobiography. I wanted to read something that is fast paced and engrossing – and it is. The other book, The Paris Apartment, was sent to me by the author, Claudia Strasser, who has a blog with the same name. She generously sent copies to some of her readers. I was lucky enough to be one of the recipients and I am enjoying it a great deal. Thank you, Claudia!


Okay, that takes care of reading and cleaning…the obsessing, ahem, dreaming is about the dollhouse. I am, fortunately or unfortunately, one of those people who, once a project is begun, obsess about it. And often, even before it is started! That has led me to think about the dollhouse all the time, read the blogs of all the incredibly talented miniaturists out there, think and think about what I need to finish, start, research, make….you name it. Goodness, that will take me through the dull days of Winter, won’t it? And beyond, of course. As you can see, the dollhouse has taken over the kitchen table. Luckily, I have a husband who likes seeing a project in progress – he thinks it looks exciting. Thank goodness, because space is at a premium here and I don’t know where else I could put it. Oh, it could go upstairs in the guest bedroom/office/studio, but then I would be in Don’s private lair. Besides, there is better light in the kitchen.

Excuse me while I dream a bit more, will you?

Filed Under: books, Christmas, dollhouse 33 Comments

House Renovations

December 26, 2009 at 5:02 pm by Claudia

No, not to Mockingbird Hill Cottage…to the dollhouse. More on that later.

How was your Christmas? Ours was quite lovely. We had a strict, strict budget this year and had to stick to it. Do you know what I re-discovered? How many presents, how much they cost – all of that doesn’t matter. We were creative with our budget. We played Christmas music, talked about the real meaning of Christmas, had fun with the dogs and realized how blessed we are. Later that day, we went over to Heidi’s for dinner with some wonderful friends. All in all, a perfect day.

Renovations on the dollhouse have begun. I finally decided to stop staring at the house and start doing something with it. I was inspired by this gift from my dear husband.


That cutie pie wanted to give me something for the dollhouse. He researched dollhouse shops online and found one near where we used to live. After visiting the shop and charming the older ladies who run it, he chose this fireplace. I love it. So, today I hauled the dollhouse into the kitchen, put it on the table and decided to go for it. This little dollhouse was extremely inexpensive, so when I complain, remember that I know I got a great deal. Nevertheless, whoever assembled this didn’t do such a great job. Walls are sometimes a bit off, there were slight gaps in the intersection of some walls, the base was too high and wasn’t level, there was some water damage on the floors, the cupola was glued to the roof in the wrong place, etc.

I replaced several shingles.

I took off the side of the house, re-positioned it, glued it back on (hopefully straighter) and I removed the cupola and re-positioned it.

The shutters that were on the house were just pieces of wood with the slats painted on. Took all of them off, and will be using shutters like the one on the right to replace them.


The top two windows (on your left) were put it at an angle. I’m not sure why. They were crooked. I wanted to straighten them and was very nervous about prying them away from the house. But it was actually surprisingly easy and straightening them was a snap. They are straight, even though something about this photo makes them look a bit off.

I also took off the old base and will have a new one cut. All in all, a very satisfying day!

The inside is a blank slate. Nothing was done by the previous owners, so after I take care of the outside, I will start priming and painting the inside. I’m not sure whether I should electrify it or not. Any helpful hints?

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Filed Under: Christmas, dollhouse, presents 25 Comments

Christmas

December 24, 2009 at 11:02 pm by Claudia

Merry Christmas!
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All.

Filed Under: Christmas Leave a Comment

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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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