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Corners of the Cottage

August 15, 2026 at 9:18 am by Claudia

Around the cottage on a Saturday morning.

I think I might do this kind of post on Saturdays. After having written a long post on Friday, I often don’t have much to say the next day. But photos taken from bits and pieces of the cottage might be fun. And it injects fresh energy into a Saturday morning.

Did you know I have a YouTube Channel? I share a bit about my collections and the cottage and the dollhouses. But lately, I’ve been doing weekly posts on the process of renovating the Beacon Hill. You can hear my voice and get a sense of my successes and struggles. There is more there than there would be in a standard post here.  “Claudia the Chronic Collector” and here is the link.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, cottage, dollhouse, Dove Cottage 24 Comments

Flowers and Floors

August 14, 2026 at 8:45 am by Claudia

The beautiful Rose of Sharons in bloom. They only bloom for a short while, so I’m enjoying them while I can. I’m also determined to take in the gardens as much as possible, as we are now in mid-August and September is around the corner. Even though I’m kind of ready for Autumn, I don’t want to wish away this time – it has been a spectacular year for the gardens.

After cleaning up my workspace, I started in on this: the third floor landing. This took me 4 – 5 hours yesterday. It always takes much longer than I expect it to. I went with a lighter stain up on floor number 3. I suppose if I had wanted to be consistent, I would have gone with the darker stain. I don’t know, I just thought ‘lighter and brighter’ so I went with it.

I stain each popsicle stick individually, cut off the curved ends, and start laying them – one by one. I have to cut many of them to fit small areas like the very top of the stairs. Often, as in this case, I have to add oddly shaped additions. The wall on the right was – as are many things in this house – crooked. It slants to the right. I didn’t know that until I started in on this area and then it quickly became obvious.

Next: the much smaller expanse of floor in the artist’s alcove. I don’t know why, but I have a yen to paint the floorboards red. Maybe to signal that this is where the homeowner lets go and has fun? I think so.

I have to be careful. I scan my IG dollhouse and miniatures feed and it’s very easy to feel cowed by the talent and skill I see everywhere. That’s how I feel this morning. It can be overwhelming. And I also get overwhelmed by the amount of accessories and furniture I need to get in order to furnish this house. So I stop and take a deep breath and remind myself that it is a process. And generally, I really enjoy the process.

Back to tax stuff this morning. Now, that’s a process I do not enjoy.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, dollhouse, flowers, garden, miniatures 16 Comments

Rain, Dollhouse Stuff, and a Pending Faceup

May 23, 2025 at 9:38 am by Claudia

Rain, rain go away. Honestly, it’s so dark and rainy around here that we’re getting depressed! It’s also very cold for this time of year and we’ve had to turn the heat on. Next week will be better. The rain should stop after today and it will warm up starting on Monday. I feel water-logged even though I’m not out in the rain, if you know what I mean.

It’s hard to take any pictures when the house is dark as well. I did my best.

I spent a couple of hours going through the box that holds the unfinished version of the Beacon Hill. I was looking for replacement parts – window trims that are missing, the base for the kitchen window extension and the bay windows, and a few other things. Greenleaf dollhouses have a lot of detail, but they’re made with cheap plywood. The parts are on big sheets of plywood and there’s a schematic diagram that shows where things are. When you find the part, you have to punch it oh-so-carefully out of the plywood sheet or you’ll break it. Supposedly, all the plywood sheets are labeled by number, but my experience tells me that not every sheet is numbered. So I had to spend a lot of time looking at the schematics and then searching for the corresponding plywood sheet.

This is something I’ve had on my mental list of things to do for years. I think I have everything, but we’ll see. I can tell you this, putting this monster together would be a giant pain-in-the-tush and I’m so glad I changed my mind and purchased one that was already assembled.

Inside the modern dollhouse. That chair was made by Arlette of Arlette’s Minitures in England. I have several of her pieces. Alas, she retired last year. This particular Art Deco-ish chair was a gift from a reader of the blog. She purchased it and then realized she wasn’t going to use it and graciously passed it on to me.

The sofa is identical to the gray sofa in Don’s mini music studio. Made by an Australian miniaturist.

I got the coffee table at a miniature show. And the vase, as well.

Don has a gig this evening at one of his favorite venues.

And this will be Jessie’s sister. Eventually. I don’t have a body yet and it’s far too rainy to work on the faceup as I have to spray it several times during that work and let it dry outside. But soon.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, bjd dolls, dollhouse, mipad 14 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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