dollhouse — Page 123

A Cold, but Sunny, Sunday

January 16, 2011 at 12:30 pm by Claudia

What’s that? Sun flooding the living room with light? Yes, the sun is shining. It’s still very, very cold…but the sun is shining. Is it only January 16th? That means at least 2 more months of winter, doesn’t it? I keep reminding myself that harsh winters are what make spring all the more beautiful and appreciated.

I used to live in Southern California. Where it was in the 70’s yesterday. What am I, nuts?

Did I ever share this find with you? I don’t think I did.

I won this vintage doorstop at auction a couple of months ago. I bid on it thinking I might offer it in an Etsy shop someday. Of course, I also fell in love it.

And it’s really heavy. I mean, heavy. The shipping costs would be prohibitive, don’t you think?

I’d better keep it here. It’s the smart thing to do.

I’m going to resume work on the dollhouse today. It has remained in the same state it was in last February when I had to stop work on it to start my prep work for the Shakespeare Festival in San Diego. It needs another coat of primer and then, gosh darn it, I’m going to paint the rooms and start furnishing this baby. I will have to remove the crochet that is currently on the roof. I put it there each evening so that a certain furry boy who loves yarn cannot get to it.

When we adopted Riley we were living in rented cottage in Westchester County. At some point during the first night he spent with us, he wandered into the office/studio and ate some of my yarn. Luckily, there were no side effects. Whenever I have yarn out, he immediately comes over, sniffs around and tries to lick it. That boy.

I’m off to get some work accomplished. Tuesday, I will post a book review. It’s a new mystery that I think you will like.

Wonderful Gifts from Bloggers, Pt. 1

December 21, 2010 at 2:53 pm by Claudia

I am so grateful for the friends I have met through blogging. You are all so dear to me. I hope you know that. Lately, wonderful surprises have been showing up in my mailbox and on my doorstep. I’d like to share some of them with you over the next few posts.

Look up at my header. Do you see the McCoy bird planter on the left? I have two of them in turquoise, and a smaller one in white. I love them dearly. They may be my favorite pieces in my collection.

Yesterday I received a package from my friend Kim of Flowers and Art. Kim is enormously talented and among her talents are miniatures and dollhouses. Imagine my surprised delight when I saw this:

Oh. my. goodness.

This chair is sitting on the dollhouse porch. Let me show you the scale:

Sorry, President Lincoln. I didn’t mean to turn you upside down! I’m delighted, amazed and so grateful that Kim took the time to make this priceless miniature. She also sent me this ornament that she created:

She used a Santa light cover, then created the giant snowball and the little snowballs in his lap and then painted his coat and cap in the perfect shade of turquoise! My favorite color. Thank you, Kim. I am blown away by your creations.

Remember my post about my love for the scent of pine? My friend Suzanne of Privet and Holly said she wanted to send me something that she thought I would like. It arrived yesterday.

Let me tell you, the scent coming from this votive is incredible. My husband said it smells better than the Frazier Fir sitting in our den! Suzanne has a friend who’s sister designed this scent for Thymes. I feel my shoulders drop just from the unlit scent of the votive. Imagine what it will be like when it’s lit! Thank you, Suzanne.

A blessing beyond measure – the warmth of friendship. More in the next post.

I’m Stuck Here, So I’m Rambling

October 26, 2010 at 9:57 am by Claudia

A different view this morning. (Note painting by door that gets crooked every time we go in and out. Annoying.) Normally I’m ensconced in my chair in the den. However, that chair is not good for my back in its current condition. So the laptop, camera and heating pad have moved to a new location in the living room. I’m sorry to say that my aching back is still aching. Thanks for all your advice. In case you’re thinking that I clean the siding on my house on a regular basis, let me assure you, I don’t. The side of the house where I was merrily cleaning away gets that green, mildewy stuff occasionally, especially after lots of rain. I ignored it for a long time (2 years) and that is why I was wielding a brush the other day. And the cleaning didn’t injure me…not looking where I was going was the culprit.

Okay, since I’m stuck here, I submit some rambling thoughts for your reading pleasure:

:: If my beloved Red Sox couldn’t do it, the two teams I wanted to see in the World Series are in. Love the Rangers and the Giants. Mostly, I love that two scrappy teams beat the big guys. They play with such heart! Can’t wait for the series to begin on Wednesday. I might be watching it from the floor, but I’ll be there.

:: In the “Drives Me Crazy” category: the misuse everywhere of the word literal or literally. I hear it all the time: “I literally died laughing.” “We were literally sweating bullets.” No…you weren’t. Otherwise, we would be mourning your death or watching bullets pop out of your body.

I hate it when a word gets twisted into a casual, less-than form of what it was (i.e., ‘awesome’ – that’s another post entirely.) The latest example? A commercial for Dodge Minivans that has the tag line (I paraphrase): “…this minivan literally gave birth to all other minivans.” Really? That would have been a sight to see. And this misuse was okayed by an ad agency. Someone actually signed off on the copy. Yes, I know that language changes, but it shouldn’t be cheapened for a lazy writer’s ad copy. Each of the sentences I referred to would be just as effective without the insertion of ‘literally.’

:: The kids have new clothes:

Scout obviously didn’t want this picture taken. Note slightly pissed off facial expression.

The ever-elusive Riley. Any photo of him requires some sort of sneak attack.

:: When I said there were no orange pumpkins here at MHC, I was sadly mistaken. What was I thinking?

After the dogs reminded me about the dollhouse porch, I was shamed into taking a photo of the pretty display of lovely pumpkins – orange pumpkins.

:: I forgot how much I like crocheting. I’ve started a throw for the den and now that I’ve memorized the pattern, it flows and an almost-meditative feeling comes over me.

:: My Mom is scheduled to go home this Thursday. We don’t know how that is going to work out, as she is not really any better. There will be someone to help out a few hours a day. My Dad desperately wants it to work, but he’s 87 and this is enormously stressful for both of them. I’ll write more when I know more.

:: Last but certainly not least, I had to share this photo with you. It’s my husband as young boy playing the steel guitar in his godfather’s Polynesian band.

He was 11. I can’t even begin to tell you how cute I think this is: the Hawaiian shirt, his sweet face, the look of concentration, the retro starburst clock. Oh, and his haircut. I just want to squeeze him.

Have a lovely day, my friends.

A Cold, but Sunny, Sunday

Wonderful Gifts from Bloggers, Pt. 1

I’m Stuck Here, So I’m Rambling

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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