Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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The Unveiling of the TSP

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Before we get into yesterday’s big event, may I take a moment to share this?

6-25 hollyhock!

The hollyhock is blooming! Since it’s so much bigger this year, there are going to be a lot of blooms.

Okay. Back to the birthday. It was a fantastic day. We went out to lunch at our favorite vegetarian restaurant, which involves a beautiful trip on charming country roads. We had a piece of Mocha Java cake with a candle (I sang Happy Birthday) and a lovely trip back home. Don wanted to delay the big present until we got back from lunch.

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In its temporary new home on Don’s desk.

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(In the spirit of full disclosure, you can see where I accidentally broke the cross beam when I was putting this together, which caused me to freak out until I realized I could repair it. So my first words to Don – before he even saw this – were “Don’t lean on the frame. Ever.”)

His reaction was a dream come true. He still can’t stop talking about it. Not everyone would ‘get it’, but he does. In fact, he loves it even more than I had hoped. He immediately took photos of the TSP and posted them on Facebook. That makes me so happy.

More on that in a moment.

We had a lovely dinner, I gave him two more presents and a card, we called Little Z to wish him a Happy Birthday, and then we watched a good movie. A perfect day.

So, I shot a video. I set up the tripod, started it and let it go on until Don sends a thank you to all of you at the end. So it’s a bit long, but you can get a sense of the two of us together, especially when we’re excited. (If I had known my butt would be on display a great deal of the time, I might have rethought the whole thing. But, what the hell. It’s me at the age of 63.)

Tomorrow, I’ll share photos of the TSP, which is now The Studio, and information about sources. It’s the TSP Weekend! And thank you for all the birthday wishes. Don is saving them to read today or tomorrow, so he can have a birthday weekend!

Without further ado (and there’s my butt right in the freeze frame):

The Top Secret Project is Unveiled from Claudia Hill on Vimeo.

Happy Saturday.

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Final Touch (I Think) on the Top Secret Project

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Windy. Oh good! More pollen in my eyes.

The catalpa tree has just full-out bloomed and the flowers are already falling to the ground because of the darned wind. Grrrr!

After I wrote the post about Shanna’s gift, Debra suggested I miniaturize that sketch of Scout for the TSP. (Apologies to Debra, who I misidentified on Instagram! Sometimes I think I’ve got a name right…and it turns out I don’t.)

Since it was sort of a rainy day yesterday, I did a little work in the office.

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Reduced and backed by some mat board.

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Framed. I didn’t have any smallish, narrow pieces of wood on hand, so I made the frame from matchsticks, which I painted black.

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I moved the Beatles poster over to the other side of the shelf unit. Scout should be above the desk, don’t you think? That way, mini Don can see her when he’s working.

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A little closer.

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Closest. I have to use my iPhone to get these close-ups. The big girl camera is too big to get inside the TSP.

I made two copies of this reduction. One is going to go in Hummingbird Cottage. I love seeing our girl in this mini space. Don will, too.

Thanks so much, Debra, for the idea.

While I was digging through storage bins looking for some wood, I came across the original box for one of my Petite Princess chests. I thought you’d get a kick out of seeing it.

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Oh, excuse me. It was for the palace  chest.

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57¢. At S.S. Kresge, which used to be my favorite store when I was a kid. A true five and dime. There was one near our house and I loved to roam the aisles.

Really, Mom? You couldn’t fork out 57¢ to buy this for me? Here I was, thinking in the vast recesses of my memory, that Mom wouldn’t buy this stuff for me because it was too expensive.

Ahem. I think not. We’ll be discussing this someday, Mom, along with the question: What the heck did you do with my Barbie doll, Barbie case, Barbie car and my Tiny Tears doll? I need some answers.

Happy Sunday.

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Peonies, Bees & Mini Adirondacks

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You asked. And I promised to post them.

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I wish you could smell them! Heavenly.

We have two peony bushes, but the other – which has beautiful pale pink flowers – hasn’t budded this year. Both of the bushes have been here for years, long before we moved in. But the young shag hickory came up right in the middle of the pale pink peony and for a while, that was okay. It still bloomed. But now that it’s bigger, things have changed. Last year we had just a few flowers. This year, none. Does the tree demand too much of the soil’s energy? I used to think it was because of the bush not getting enough sun, but it was getting plenty of sun when it would normally be developing buds. The bush grows and leafs out – just no buds.

I think I’m going to have to try to transplant the bulbs, but peonies do not like to be transplanted. However, I’d really like to save it – the flowers are so beautiful. Any advice?

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The catmint is in full flower and there are bees everywhere. Lots and lots of activity in the big garden bed.

Don. Stop. (Although he has orders not to read the blog and I made him unfollow me on Instagram until his birthday.)

Yesterday, I spent several hours painting the mini Adirondack chairs for the TSP. Today, I’ll add a clear coat to protect them.

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I love this shade of green called Fresh Foliage. It looks good against the red of the studio. It pops. Do I need to say again that I would like a life-sized pair of these chairs?

Who left the guitar on the floor?

Happy Thursday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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