Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Blogs, Coffee, IKEA, Dollhouse Shabbifying

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Oh, how true! I framed the poster I received from Ruth at The Beautiful Life. The frame is white, although it is a bit hard to see since the wall is off-white – plus, you can see my reflection! My husband wants to hang this on the stair landing in place of the Guardian Angel. So, we’ll give it a try. I think he wants to strike a balance between all the vintage things we have and some more modern graphics. He has good taste, so I will follow his lead.

I did what I call the ‘loop’ yesterday. I drove down to IKEA and then on the way back hit Trader Joe’s. This is a day long endeavor since both stores are south of us in New Jersey. Oh, I love IKEA – I bought a few things we needed but I got out of there much faster than normal. I had places to go. I had to buy both of us new Day Planners, look for replacement ear buds for my iPod, and buy some necessaries at Trader Joe’s. All in all, a good and productive day.

I thought I would give you a ‘shabbifying’ update. The coffee table that Marsha sent me started out like this:


And now it looks like this:


Still a work-in-progress, but I’m having fun. I also received a new tool in the mail, recommended by my friend and miniaturist-extraordinaire, Linda Carswell.

The Easy Cutter is great for cutting wood and mitering corners and a whole lot of other things that I have yet to discover. Linda was very gracious when I asked her what to use in this new hobby of mine and gave me her favorite tool recommendations. If you haven’t been to her blog, Une Petite Folie, you must visit. She built her gorgeous, amazing dollhouse from scratch and her work is simply exquisite.

I’m off to clean the bathrooms – my least favorite job in the world. Actually, I’m only doing a bit of a clean-up, since bathrooms are officially my husband’s job. Oh, Don…where are you?

Is it Spring Yet?

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What is the date? January 5th? Christmas is over and the New Year has come, right? Then I am ready for Spring. It is very cold here and the charm of snow and freezing temperatures has worn thin. The heat in the house is making my skin dry and Riley’s hair is full of static electricity. You understand, don’t you? It feels as if I live in a bunker.

Ah well. The reality is I live in the northeast and it is only January. But it has not escaped my notice that I was in sunny San Diego last year at this time. I believe I was walking on the beach on this date a year ago. Hmmm – what’s wrong with this picture?

Work continues on the dollhouse. I am in the midst of putting a couple coats of primer on the outside. I’m also ‘shabbifying’ a coffee table that Marsha sent me. I’ll post photos when I’m done. I’ve decided the interior is going to be Shabby Country Chic. Everything I would like to do in MHC will be on display in the dollhouse. By the way, many months ago I asked for dollhouse name suggestions. I love this one – Hummingbird Cottage – and I think I’m going with it. Unfortunately, it was suggested by an anonymous commenter, so I can’t give credit. Nevertheless, thank you!

Thanks for all your caring comments about Don. He is fine – the ankle was painful for a few days, but all is well now. Happy Tuesday.

Reading, Cleaning, Obsessing, er…Dreaming

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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?

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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