Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Sunrise, A Wedding & A Scarf

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Oh boy. The morning sunrise was so spectacular that I had to run outside in my socks and flannel pjs to grab some pictures.

This kind of amazing light spotlighting the autumn colors is so fleeting. One minute later, it was gone.

A moody sky, fall colors and a sunrise makes for some pretty pictures, no?

We went to a wedding this weekend. Heidi’s daughter Whitney got married to her longtime beau, Cory. I have to say this might be the loveliest wedding I’ve ever attended (not counting our own, which was pretty perfect.) They chose to be married at one of our local farms. The barn was decorated with hanging lights, hay bales and simple decorations. The rustic theme was beautifully realized with perfect touches everywhere I looked.

The ceremony itself was free of all extraneous hoopla and whittled right down to the essence of the vows. At the end, the minister said (I’m paraphrasing) Now the bride may kiss the groom. Right on, Whitney!

There were 2 white tents right outside the back of the barn – one for hors d’oeuvres and one for dinner. We drank out of mason jars. Heidi and Whitney collected all sorts of vintage china for 9 months so that every place setting was different. There was beautifully mismatched silverware. The napkins were tied with twine that held a place card. My neighbor, Elissa, did the flowers and they were pitch perfect.

There was such a relaxed vibe throughout the whole event. Whitney and Cory were completely at ease, as were their parents and wedding party. I’ve known Whitney for 7 years and have watched her grow into a lovely young woman. I am frankly amazed that she, at the young age of 22, handled all of this with such ease and grace. It was truly lovely.

Yes. I shed a tear or two.

There was dancing in the barn later, but we left before it started. Does that make us old fogies?

Probably.

Here’s a shadowy photo of Don and me at the reception.

Thank you, Whitney and Cory, for including us in your special day.

I just added this scarf to the shop:

The changes in color and shade are subtle and beautiful. (I can’t take credit for that – just the crochet!)

Update: Gosh, that went quickly! Penny bought it!

Happy Monday.

Topping it Off & Etsy

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This is the top of the white hutch in my kitchen. (Gosh, it’s hard to take good photos of the tops of cabinets and hutches! It seems to be so dark up there – at least in my house.) I used to have a rather large Fiesta collection and on the left are 3 of the pieces that I saved when I sold it. The heart is from Monica. The sheep are salt and pepper shakers that my sister gave me. I have a vintage pitcher under that wire cloche. The little guy is a fishmonger from the days when we collected the Dickens Village pieces from Department 56. Don added him to the display because he thinks the fishmonger looks like him. And on the right is an old ice cream bucket filled with dried hydrangeas.

Once I had taken that photo, I started looking at the tops of my other cabinets.

This is my hutch in the den. The birdcage on the left is vintage Hendryx. I bought it at Vignettes in San Diego. And you can see some of my pieces of Roseville pottery. I love Roseville. Hidden behind the pottery are some vintage books, including my dad’s schoolbooks.

Then I traveled on to the top of my big old white cabinet in the living room:

The ceiling in the living room is low. More pottery, mostly McCoy – the piece on the left doesn’t have a maker’s mark.

What about the kitchen cabinets?

Fortunately, our kitchen ceiling is high and I can display my pottery. On the left are two Fiesta coffee pots. The other four pieces are McCoy. That chartreuse vase is one of my favorites – very clean lines and  sort of Art Deco/Moderne handles. On the other side of the kitchen you can see these:

More McCoy.

I like using the tops of hutches and cupboards and cabinets for display space. And, frankly, I need it. I have so much pottery around here that if I limited my displays to shelves and the inside of hutches, I’d be in a sorry state. Do you use that space to display things in your home?

Shop Update:

There are 2 more Obsession Scarves in the Etsy Shop – I just added them.

 Update: Sold out. Thank you!

Another former student of mine won an Emmy last night – Abraham Higginbotham (Writer and Executive Producer on Modern Family.) Yay, Abe!

Happy Monday.

Etsy & Getting to Know Mabel

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I had planned to write about the newest addition to the Etsy shop,

but almost as soon as it was listed, it was sold. No complaints here! I’m crocheting more of these scarves, of course. I’ve just started one in autumnal colors.

Sorry, this is a little dark – it’s raining today. It will be much prettier than this photo indicates. I think we’re in for a dark and dreary day here at the cottage.

I dreamed I heard a dog barking this morning. This has happened to me a few times since Riley died. I hear a single bark and I struggle to wake up. For a moment I can’t figure out if it is real or not. Riley used to bark in the early morning hours if he needed to go outside and I would jump out of bed and run downstairs to let him out. These dreams I have are unsettling and leave me feeling sad and empty. The dream, coupled with the rain, has made for a bittersweet morning.

Thank you for all the wonderful names you suggested for my new Featherweight. I love them all, but I have to say that the one that really makes me smile is Debby Messner’s suggestion: Mabel. There’s something old-fashioned and sassy about it. Mabel it is!

So, I took Mabel for a spin yesterday. I have a wonderful book that I bought when I was using my friend’s Featherweight, Featherweight 221 – The Perfect Portable. Besides being full of information, it also has a reprint of the original manual. I needed a refresher on how to wind the bobbin and thread the machine. Then I found a piece of fabric and started Mabel up.

She purrs like a kitten.

Beautiful, even stitches. Perfect tension.

But, a funny thing happened. I plugged in the footpedal and it didn’t reach the ground. I thought: How strange! I don’t remember this being a problem with my friend’s machine. I examined the plug, I moved the machine closer to the edge of the table. Still a problem. This is what I had to do to work the pedal:

Yes, that’s a piece of McCoy Pottery I’m using. And that, of course, is Scout on the right.

One of the comments yesterday was from Pam and she sent me a link to a wonderful site, Nova Montgomery. Nova knows about all there is to know about Featherweights. I wrote her and asked her what the length of the cord should be from the machine to the foot pedal. She said about 47 – 50 inches. I measured mine: 28 inches. Yikes. Nova thinks that the cord most likely got damaged and was shortened and repaired. How anyone used it, I’ll never know. So I’m going to send the foot pedal and cords to Nova and she’s going to replace the cord.

Other than that, Mabel is perfect. She’s probably been yearning for a longer cord. Now she’ll get one.

By the way, here’s a post I wrote back in San Diego when I was using my friend’s Featherweight – sort of an ode to the Featherweight.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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