Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for embroidery

In Which I Talk about Various Things

September 9, 2010 at 8:42 am by Claudia

This is what I call a “potpourri post.” Do you like that alliteration? Me, too. I have little snippets to share with you, none of them weighty enough to merit their own post. So, I’m tossing them all together. Here we go:

We live in the country but on a very busy – annoyingly busy – road. That’s a whole other post. We are unable to walk the dogs on our road because there is no shoulder and it is too dangerous. So we load them in the car and drive a few hundred feet to a quiet little lane. I walk by this sign frequently but it took my husband to point out the…umm…rather frightening implications here.


Yes, the road is a dead end. It ends at the edge of a local river. But…those are bullet holes, my friends. Need I say more?


After a hot, dry summer, we were graced with lots of rain and I noticed the grass in the back forty was alarmingly overgrown. So I spent the afternoon recently plowing through it with our lawnmower. You can see the edge of the woods that is on our property. A few years back, husband made a couple of paths that cut through the trees. We would often walk through the woods and be transported to a quiet, magical world. I still do sometimes. But we have found out the hard way that ticks live there. Husband has battled Lyme disease, and last spring when I was searching for rocks and clearing out the paths, I had a few encounters with them. So, we tend to avoid the woods…and the paths get overgrown. However, I’m sure I’ll bundle up, plaster myself with bug spray and try to clear them out once again next year.


Why is this here? I just like the photo. My impatiens are still blooming in various pots on the porch, I love the sign that lives on the bench and you can see pieces of the old army cot we found at a yard sale – remember? – and have yet to put together. If I had to hazard a guess I would say that it will not be put together this year. One more thing to pack away in the shed this winter.


I took this photo because the dappled light was so lovely. I was positioned in the dog corral. Don made that sort of temporary patio last year and we added the birdbath and flower barrels. The parking area is just to the left of the barrels. Love, love the sugar maple and the willow. And the porch, of course.

I found this doily roll in an antique shop last year.


The embroidery was so beautiful that I couldn’t resist, although I had no idea what I was going to do with it. The other day, I hit upon an idea.


A perfectly lovely cover for the sewing machine – the roll acts as a weight and the cover stays in place. And the colors fit right in the studio.

That’s the news from around my world on a Thursday morning.

Filed Under: embroidery, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, studio 30 Comments

Flora and Fauna Around MHC

September 6, 2010 at 10:26 am by Claudia


Do you see the dark brown clump of leaves in the center of this photo? This morning, I let Scout outside and she took off like a bat out of hell because she thought these leaves were a bunny rabbit. Granted, they were outside the ‘corral’ where bunnies often can be found munching. She did the same thing 2 more times. The irony is that on the other side of the fence on the far side of the corral there was a real bunny, cottontail and all, munching on the grass. Scout was oblivious.

Let’s take a little tour of the grounds:


These are the honey bees that live in our Catalpa tree. They appear every year and never bother us. This year, there are more than ever – I’ve never seen so many. No colony collapse here and that’s good news.


Goldenrod is appearing all over on the edge of our property. Beautiful…but ah-choo!


The bees sure like it.


I think this might be purple loosestrife. It’s pretty and is not invasive in our yard, thank goodness. Do you see the heart shape?


Poke Weed – its growing everywhere. The birds love it.


Stitching update: I’m finding this very relaxing and goodness knows I need some of that right now. I took a cue from Rebecca Ringquist, who uses a piece of fabric to back the sampler. So I added a piece of the fabric shown and then added to strips to the sides. I might add more or I might add some lace or crochet on the top and bottom. We’ll see.

Autumn is almost here. I’m more than a bit sad to see summer leave, probably because I missed spring and part of summer here at the cottage. The crisp, cool air the last few mornings and the spiders appearing with regularity inside the cottage tell me it’s time to say goodbye to Summer 2010. I hope you’re enjoying summer’s last hurrah!

NOTE: Garden of Daisies just left a comment that enlightened me. Goldenrod is often confused with Ragweed as a cause of allergies. But it is Ragweed, not Goldenrod that is the culprit. I can breathe easier – thanks!

Filed Under: embroidery, garden, nature 26 Comments

From my Mind on a Wednesday Morning

September 1, 2010 at 8:57 am by Claudia


:: A thought: As I was looking out our front door, I saw this large spiderweb stretching from a porch post to the underside of the gutter. I moved at hyper-speed to grab the camera because I know from past experience these moments are fleeting. The spiderweb had been there all along but until the sunlight was shining through it in just the right way, it remained hidden.

It struck me that so much in life is just like that. Happiness, abundance, love, blessings, guidance, peace – are always there but often remain hidden because we can’t see them. We let darkness in and it obscures the truth. And we assume that what we see in that darkness is the truth. But it isn’t. I hope I can remind myself of that on a daily basis.


:: I’ve just started working on this. Designed by Rebecca Ringquist, it is a summer stitch sampler. I discovered Rebecca while blog hopping. A few bloggers were working on this sampler and I was immediately obsessed with obtaining one. Her design is hand drawn and screen printed on cotton. She just designed a new sampler – the Cake Sampler – which I’ve also ordered. Rebecca sells on Etsy and she also has a blog, Drop Cloth. You can link to her Etsy shop via her blog.


:: Last night, Don was featured on a radio show that originates out of Vassar College. The host was fabulous and he interviewed Don for about 90 minutes. Don played some of his music live and also shared some pieces by other musicians that have influenced him. I listened to him on my computer and had the best time! Don is really good in that kind of setting – he’s funny and articulate. He was so good that they want him to come back.

:: Mom is in a rehab facility. She is not doing well, however. I’m not sure where we are in the healing of her UTI, but she has been very confused and a bit delusional and I know those can be side effects of the infection. She’s getting physical therapy twice a day. She is making no effort to talk to other patients or take part in any activities. She just wants to go home. However, she’s not strong enough yet and there is no way my almost 87 year old father can take care of her until she is stronger. She needs to fight, but she doesn’t seem to want to. And there lies the problem and our biggest worry. My Dad has called me in tears because he’s scared. My sister is trying to juggle their needs with the needs of her family, all the while battling a cold.

We think I should wait to go back down there until we see what transpires in the next week or two. Meanwhile, we hope for the best, for a turnaround, for a little miracle.

:: Today is the last day to be considered for either of my giveaways. The CSN Giveaway ends tonight as well as the book giveaway from yesterday’s book review. Frankly, I’m surprised there are not more comments on the Book Review – gosh, you could win a free copy of the book and it is a wonderful novel! Come on, just do it!

Filed Under: Don, embroidery, giveaway, mom 30 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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