Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for egg cups

A Quick Visit and a Gift

April 29, 2013 at 8:44 am by Claudia

How can everything be overgrown here in the one week that I’ve been gone?

It’s as if the grass and the weeds shouted, “Hey, she’s gone, let’s go crazy!” Yesterday, Don mowed most of the lawn that is right in front of the house and it was so long that the lawnmower kept stalling. That leaves a whole heck of a lot of grass yet to mow and it’s looking like rain today. Don considers the front lawn the only area that needs to be mowed. That leaves out the grassy area behind the kitchen and the whole back forty. We have this argument every year. Like clockwork. I insist it needs to be kept under control because it’s prettier that way, plus, there are less ticks if the grass is mowed. If you remember, I’ve had too many experiences in the past where I had to clean up overgrown areas that Don ignored while I was away. Sigh. I have to get some mowing in before I leave for Hartford.

I let Scout out this morning, walked outside and immediately came in and started to charge the battery for the weed whacker. I’ll be decimating some weeds later today. The garden, though, is filling in nicely – that makes me happy. Still only blooms on the daffodils, but the tulips are about to open. I imagine that as soon as I leave, blooms will burst forth everywhere.

There was a box waiting for me. It arrived in the mail when I was gone. I knew it was from Judy, who just might be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world. It was from One Kings Lane. You can bet I opened it immediately. Well, not quite immediately, I showered sleepy Scout with hugs and kisses first.

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Oh my goodness. Could these be any more adorable? Four egg cups that come with the eternal question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? They are designed by Keith Brymer Jones, who is a British ceramic designer.

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I’m thrilled. What a marvelous addition these make to my collection!

Judy, you are the best! Thank you. I love getting surprises in the mail. These made my day. Week. Month.

Don has been taking Scout for rides in the car every day. And walks. She’s been on several adventures. What a good daddy he is! I can see where this is going: Don will be the fun, exciting parent, while I will be the medicine giver, food deliverer, bath giver, toenail clipper, sort of boring but necessary parent. Ah well.

Happy Monday.

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Filed Under: Don, egg cups, Fellow bloggers, garden, Scout 33 Comments

Presents from Prague & Work in the Studio

April 10, 2013 at 8:53 am by Claudia

When I was showing all of you my egg cup collection in the days leading up to Easter, I mentioned that I was thinking of expanding it – collecting souvenir egg cups, for example, and pretty china pattern egg cups. I don’t remember whether I mentioned this bit of information to Don; even if I did, he usually doesn’t retain the random comments I make during the course of a day, much to my frustration. I mean, isn’t everything I say worth its weight in gold?

Look what he found for me in Prague:

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This sweet egg cup in the traditional shape.

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And this square-shaped egg cup. Both of them have scenes from Prague. Praha=Prague. These aren’t vintage, they’re new. That sweet Don has given me the first two egg cups in my souvenir egg cup collection! I really love them.

Then I opened these:

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Beautiful Czech hand-painted eggs! Aren’t they lovely? Don imagined I might want to place them in some of my egg cups. Smart Don!

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Clearly these were made to be ornaments but right after I took this picture I removed the ribbons and now they are displayed in various egg cups throughout the house. Like this one:

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Humpty has a head!

Sweet husband also got me a t-shirt, which shall remain in it’s wrapping until I go to Hartford. It’s black. One does not wear black in this house full of flying white Scout hair, which is a pity, since I love to wear black.

Don kept telling me that he was working on finding something for me in Prague and he spent a lot of his spare time searching it out. He had the hotel staff working on it as well and hoped he could pull it off. I must admit I was intrigued. Well, he’s still working on it – even spent his last morning in Prague trying to find it. Here is his idea. Since he knows how much I love my favorite book ever, To Kill a Mockingbird, he was trying to find me a copy in Czech. They do exist. His idea is to start me on a collection of foreign language editions of the book. Isn’t that the coolest idea? I have several English editions and one that was signed by Harper Lee. Adding foreign language editions is a brilliant idea. So cross your fingers that Don can pull this one off. The hotel staff translated the title for him, so his search continues.

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Yesterday, I spent some time in my crowded studio. Yes, it’s cute, but trying to multi-task there is frustrating.

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The iron gets plugged into the bathroom outlet, the ironing board blocks the entrance to the bathroom, I have to squeeze by the board to get into the bedroom – you get the picture. And I was working on two floors: a cutting mat was on the kitchen table, along with my rulers and rotary cutter; the quilt was on the living room floor so I could measure it, and then I was upstairs at the machine stitching together strips for binding.

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All done. Now I have to sew it onto the quilt.

I had a thought yesterday. Mabel doesn’t have a ¼ inch foot. Ella (the Elna) does. Which machine do I take to Hartford?

Don’t forget to visit my post on the Poise Feminine Wellness line of products for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card. Just click here.

Happy Wednesday.

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Filed Under: Don, egg cups, On The Road, presents, quilting, studio 62 Comments

What Is It About Whatnots?

April 9, 2013 at 9:30 am by Claudia

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I’ve come to the conclusion that I have a soft spot for whatnots: sets of light, open shelves for displaying knick knacks. As I am a collector and have lots of knick knacks, it was inevitable that I would seek them out. And isn’t ‘whatnot’ a lovely, old-fashioned name? That alone would draw me to them. Plus, I think they are quite cottagey (yes, I made that word up) and fit in with my Christmas in Connecticut type decorating style.

The first whatnot shelf that came into our house was this one. As my egg cup collection grew, I realized that I had to find some way to display them. We found this whatnot in a local antique store – I fell in love with the fan shape at the top and this carving on the sides:

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Even though I tend to paint things around here, I can’t touch this beauty. The finish is in great shape and I love it just the way it is.

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Then there’s this sweet, sweet whatnot, found in another local shop several years ago. I’ve never seen another one like this. The shelves are curved and the carving on the sides is so charming. It reminds me of something that would be in Hansel and Gretel’s little cottage.

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It lives in the den, where I discovered that it perfectly matches the framed print over the sofa. A nice little bit of serendipity.

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Also in the den: this little whatnot. It came to me from Heidi’s shop, where it had been in our friend Reyna’s space. After Reyna died, Heidi gave it to me. Originally it had a dark, dark finish and the back was mirrored. I painted it and used scrapbook paper to cover up the mirror. Perfect for holding my mini pottery collection. And a lovely memory of Reyna.

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Then there’s this whatnot, which hangs in the studio. I got it for a song years ago. It had a dark finish with a lot of damage, so I painted it and hung it over my sewing machine. The scrollwork on the sides is gorgeous.

My smallest little whatnot is this one:

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A vintage spice shelf I fell in love with at first sight. I swooned over the paint colors, the little dowels designed to keep the spices from falling off the shelf, and that art deco like design at the top. I had to have it.

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It lives in the studio, right under the mantel turned shelf.

As I am an unrepentant collector, I’m sure I will find more of these whatnots and bring them home to the cottage. After all, Don just gave me two more egg cups from Prague! (Photos tomorrow.) I simply have to find some space for them, right?

Don’s home. He didn’t get here until about 10:30 last night. I have only seen a few photos, though I’m sure I’ll see lots more today. Scout is currently driving me crazy here in the den. She starts at every little sound, thinking it must be her dad getting up. She is even making noises: grunts, sighs, moans. It’s her way of saying “When is he going to get up???” That little girl adores her dad.

Happy Tuesday.

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Filed Under: china and pottery, collecting, decorating, Don, egg cups, Scout 46 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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