Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Thursday Thoughts

November 17, 2022 at 8:45 am by Claudia

Good morning.

• The snow has melted away. The porch impatiens died, but the calibrachoa, the big hanging plant, the pansies, and the lavender are still hanging in there, but with nighttime temps continuously in the twenties, who knows how long that will last? It will be interesting to watch.

• I shot a quick little video of my first dollhouse rehab, Hummingbird Cottage, for my doll account on Instagram. It’s my latest post there if you’re interested. I added some music, though I’m not very good at video/music yet. That account name is: sophieandherpals. If I could manage to embed it on this post, I would, but I’m not sure how to do it in this newer version of WordPress. Shooting the video served as a reminder of that experience and the fact that I started out knowing absolutely nothing about it. I had to figure it out as I went along. There are things I would do differently if I was doing it today, but that’s to be expected. Doing this sort of thing – filming the interior – starts to get my dollhouse mojo going, which I desperately need as we head into winter. All good.

• When I played a nurse (billed as Nurse Claudia, according to Jim) in the film, lots of forms had to be filled out because I’m not a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG.) The producers had to explain why they weren’t using a union member – it was an emergency. I had to sign lots of forms. But, as a result I’m eligible to join the union. But, if I wanted to do that, I would have to pay a $3000.00 initiation fee. Gulp. No can do. Money is tight and I’m sure not going to spend that amount of money to join the union when I’m sure I’ll never act on film again. The problem as I saw it was that if there are residuals involved in the future – and there will be – I won’t receive them because I’m not in the union. Don had to call SAG yesterday about something else, so he asked them about that. Turns out, if I’m officially SAG eligible – and I am – I’ll receive the residuals anyway. So that was a nice bit of news!

(I had already plugged my name into the “Are you eligible?” part of SAG’s site and found that I was listed there as officially eligible.)

• Current puzzle. Piccadilly Circus in London.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, jigsaw puzzles 22 Comments

Monday

November 7, 2022 at 8:22 am by Claudia

This morning. It’s still unseasonably warm out there – lovely, of course – but tomorrow will bring colder temperatures, so we’ll do our best to enjoy today. It was actually a little too  warm yesterday – 76 degrees. Both of us mentioned that we were ready for colder temperatures.

Remind me of that in a month or so.

Today will be a self-imposed ‘No news’ day. I’m nervous enough about the election, but there’s nothing I can do now but VOTE. We are voting tomorrow, though we could have voted early. But Don likes the ‘event’ of voting on Election Day itself and since we don’t have any conflicts, that’s what we’re going to do.

There’s so much I could say, but you know how I feel and what I believe. The GOP lacks a moral compass of any kind at the moment. Voting for one issue – like inflation, which is happening globally – when the party you think will rescue you from that doesn’t have a plan and voted against the Inflation Reduction Act is the proverbial “not seeing the forest for the trees.”

Our democracy is at stake.

Anyway, my plan is to stay away from Twitter today. (We’ll see how that goes.) I’m sure some news will find me, no matter how hard I try to avoid it. But I’m going to retreat into puzzle land and start a new book. And play with some dolls.

I’ve found that whenever I’m feeling blue or worried, grabbing one of the girls, dressing her in something fresh, then taking a photo of her lifts my mood. So that will probably happen today.

Speaking of which, I found two of the girls upstairs in the studio:

They look confused. They’re probably wondering why they don’t fit inside, because shouldn’t my world be all about them? They’ve told me they’re going to supervise when I start to work on the Beacon Hill.

Looks like it might get crowded in my little space.

Hang in there, everyone. Vote.

#Roevember.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, dollhouse, miniatures 19 Comments

Dove Cottage – Details and Sources

June 14, 2022 at 9:48 am by Claudia

Okay, here we go with the final Dove Cottage wrap-up. I’m providing as many views of the rooms as I can, given that the house is small and taking photos of the details can be a challenge. Where possible, I will list sources. There are a lot of photos, so enjoy.

The exterior. If you’ve forgotten what it looked like to begin with, see yesterday’s post. I’m quite chuffed about this transformation. The Arthur dollhouse, which this is, was designed to be a cute little cottage with a porch. When I got the house, the porch roof and railings were missing. Barbara sent me her Arthur kit for replacement parts, but I stuck with the entrance level as it is, since I’d decided to create an English cottage and didn’t want an American porch. I made the stones from egg cartons, made acrylic inserts for the windows (a giant pain in the tush,) painted and aged the roof. I had the piece of wood that I made into a step in my stash. I also replaced several window frames and the door frame.

The front door was also missing. Thankfully, I found it in Barbara’s kit. I found the diamond window film at miniatures(dot)com. The door knob is from WestonMiniature on Etsy.

The bistro chair is from Cosediunaltromondo on Etsy.

I made the dolly tub from two Nyquil caps and the flowers are from miniatures(dot)com.

I had the ballast (pebbles) on hand as I used it in the roof garden of Hummingbird Cottage. Easily obtained from a railroad/hobby shop.

The pot of flowers is from miniatures(dot)com. I aged the pot with some paints that I had on hand.

The ground floor of the interior. I can’t remember where I got the wallpaper but I think it was from Itsy Bitsy Mini. I stained and installed the beams, painted the ceiling, and stained and installed the wooden floor. That gorgeous pink toile chair is one of my prized possessions – made by the very famous June Clinkscales and purchased through TinyDollHouseNYC on Etsy. It’s very heavy and beautifully made.

This bookshelf unit was made by Cinen on Etsy. I love, love, love it.

The vast majority of the books are from LandauHouse on Etsy. A few of them are gifts from Ben. He got them at TinyDollHouseNYC. I had the ‘ceramic’ planter in my stash. The clock was a gift from Ben (the guy I coached in the movie.) I had the candlestick in my stash and the shell was found on a beach in Florida.

The beautiful blue pot on the floor is made by Maddie Gerig Shelly. I got it at a miniatures show. Maddie is the niece of the famous miniature pottery maker, Jane Graber.

The table is from Etsy, but I can’t remember the name of the seller. I copied the link and sent it to Don and he gave it to me for my birthday a couple of years ago. The cup and saucer are from LavandeHouse on Etsy. The book was a gift from Ben. The rug is from TinyHomeGoods on Etsy.

The potted palm is from TinyDollHouseNYC. The sofa (another prized possession) is from ArlettesMiniatures on Etsy. The floor lamp is from Victoriaminiland on Etsy. And the beautiful art (a framed stamp) is from MiniMyEye on Etsy.

The crock, which you can see more clearly in other photos, is made by Jane Graber. I got it at miniatures show several years ago. The island is from ViliaMiniatureDesign on Etsy. I painted and aged it, stained the counter, and made that little cupboard into a refrigerator. I recently found that faucet to replace the one that came with the island. I really love it. It’s from TeaseMiniatures on Etsy. The hanging lamps are from Victoriaminiland on Etsy.

Another framed stamp from MiniMyEye on Etsy. The umbrella stand is from TinyDollHouseNYC and was a gift from Don. It came with the walking canes. The umbrella is also from TinyDollHouseNYC. I got the boots from miniatures(dot)com. The boot tray is from LavandeHouse on Etsy.

I got the Aga on eBay. I stole the copper pot from Hummingbird Cottage. I found the kettle in a miniature shop in Paris. And the beautiful platter hanging on the wall is from LavandeHouse on Etsy.

The hutch is also one of my prized possessions. It was made by Barbara Vajnar who sold her creations as Bubbas Country Cupboards. I bought it at a miniatures show. The hinges are handmade by another artisan who Barbara worked with. The interiors of the drawers and the cupboards are impeccably made. Barbara retired over a year ago and I’m so sad! I managed to snag a corner cupboard that she made when she sold off the remainder of her inventory on eBay – that will go in the Beacon Hill.

The plates are from TwelveTimesMoreTeeny on Etsy. The butter crock is made by Jane Graber. I found it on eBay. Some of the mugs and plates I had in my stash. The egg cups are from VictoriaFasken on Etsy. And the covered cake plate is made by Veronique Cornish. I found it in the booth of Little Dollhouse Company (Canada) at a miniatures show. I believe the tin and the blue pitcher were gifts from Barbara. And the wooden bowl was a purchase from WestonMiniatures on Etsy.

The bedroom:

I’m pretty sure the wallpaper is from Earth and Tree Miniatures, based in New Hampshire. I made the floor.

I found the wicker table at a miniatures show – I believe it’s from Uncle Ciggie’s Miniatures – she makes beautiful miniature wicker pieces. The Agatha Christie book is from LandauHouse on Etsy. The lamp is a very old non-working lamp from the Petite Princess line (memories of my childhood!) I’m thinking the cup/saucer was a gift from Barbara.

The bed is from TinyIronMiniatures on Etsy. The dust ruffle is a handkerchief given to me by longtime reader Martha. It was her late mother’s. You can imagine how precious it is to me.

The pillowcases and pillows are from TonisCraftRoom on Etsy.

The quilt was a gift from Barbara, but I’m using the backing as the coverlet. I found the two prints at a minatures show in the booth of the great Patrizia Santi. I’ve been hanging on to them until I found the perfect spot. This is it. The rug was also found at a miniatures show and I had it in the modern dollhouse. I can’t remember the maker.

The wardrobe was found on Etsy – I won’t give you the name of the seller because what was sent to me was very different than I had expected. There was a large gap between the doors. But returning it would have been more costly than the unfinished piece, so I cut a piece of wood to fit the gap, which seemed to work. Then I painted and aged it. Of course, I can’t open the doors, but who cares?

The framed painting was purchased at a miniature shop in Paris. The chair is from ArlettesMiniatures on Etsy – she made the sofa, as well. (It may move to the Beacon Hill in the future…we’ll see.) The room looks fine without it. But it’s here for the foreseeable future.

The art studio:

This space was originally intended to be the bathroom, but I just wasn’t enthused about one of only three rooms in this tiny house being devoted to a bathroom. Boring. So it became the art studio. I think the wallpaper is from Earth and Tree Miniatures. If not, it’s from Itsy Bitsy Mini. I made the floors and painted them. The wood trim on the eave was the solution for a mistake I made with the dimensions of the wallpaper. Sometimes a mistake leads to something really cool!

The painting on the wall on the left is from WestonMiniature. The red piece of art propped against the wall is an old brooch that I used to wear. The chair was in the modern dollhouse and now lives here. It’s from AliceMiniatures on Etsy. The beautiful handmade easel is from AtelierHannasMinis on Etsy. It is amazing, every part of it works and it can be adjusted. The little painting is by yours truly. The stool was a gift from Barbara.

I had the shelf unit in my stash. The bust of Queen Victoria is from TinyDollHouseNYC. The paint tubes and palette and paint box were made by me from a kit I got at miniatures (dot) com. The kit is from Dragonfly International. I also made paintbrushes, but I can’t find them!

And there you go!

Dove Cottage (save for a few little things) is finished.

It’s my favorite creation so far and if I hadn’t gone to recycle when Don was working out of town, it wouldn’t be here. It was a battered little house set aside by the guy who runs the transfer station because maybe a little kid would like it. Probably a kid would like it, but I got to it first! I never planned on it becoming what it is now but, boy oh boy, I’m sure proud of it. The shell is the same, but the exterior is completely transformed. Reuse, recycle. That’s what I love to do.

Thanks so much, everyone.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Dove Cottage, miniatures 37 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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