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You are here: Home / Archives for flowers

Scout, Flowers & The Dollhouse

April 5, 2014 at 9:29 am by Claudia

I see the sun peeking out this morning – very welcome after a rainy day yesterday. I look outside and think of the massive clean-up that awaits me, but since the ground is still soggy after all the rain and snow we’ve had, I think I’ll hold off until next week when Don is home. Then I can work outside for long periods without having to check on Dame Scout.

This is where she is right now. The sound of snoring provides the background ‘music’ as I write this post.

sleepy

Three weeks ago I went to IKEA and Trader Joe’s. Remember? And yesterday, exactly three weeks after I bought them, the pink alstromeria in the den kicked the bucket. But the white alstromeria flowers in the living room are still hanging in there.

stillhanginginthere

The leaves are yellowing but the blooms are still fresh. I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know, but if you want to get some bang for your buck, buy alstromeria. I don’t have the funds to buy flowers that last only a few days. If I’m going to treat myself to some flowers, I sure as heck want them to last for a while. If you can buy a bouquet where the flowers haven’t opened yet, even better.

And besides, they’re lovely. I’ve been buying alstromeria for years. The tulips I bought at the same time? I loved them, but they lasted about 5 days. If that was the only bouquet I bought that day, I would have been disappointed.

On to the dollhouse. I go through periods where I’m not interested in doing any work on it and then, suddenly, something will jump start my creative process and I’m back in the dollhouse game. That’s what happened this week. A blogging friend of mine who is a miniaturist is sending me something for the dollhouse. She made it for a specific room and I am still gobsmacked that she offered to do it. It’s coming all the way from the other side of the world. I know what it is, but I haven’t seen it yet. Needless to say, I’m excited, which is putting it mildly! That will be a post in itself. I’m still amazed and awed by the generosity and kindness of bloggers. Oh heck, by the generosity of all of my readers, bloggers or not.

pottingshedsaturday

That knowledge is what got me thinking about the dollhouse and about the rooftop potting shed once again. I’ve got all sorts of plans for that space and I’ve been pouring over catalogues and websites. I’ve literally spent hours scrolling through all the dollhouse miniatures on Etsy. I bookmark every item that I think I’d love to have in my dollhouse. Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of bookmarks. Gosh, there’s so much I want to add to Hummingbird Cottage. It’s all in the tiny details and I haven’t spent a lot of time on those details yet because I’ve been working on the bigger picture. (You’ll notice the red paint has been removed from the Cherub. Much better. Still have to re-paint the ceiling.)

While digging through one of my dollhouse bins, I found something I bought about 4 years ago. I’ve been looking for it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Of course, it was right there all along, but you know how that goes.

mirror2

It’s that mirror over the chest. I found it in the jewelry-making section of Michael’s. It had a loop at the top which I removed with wire snips. I was originally thinking of it for the bathroom but I now realize it is too small for that space. Much better here in the bedroom where the owner can stop and do some last minute adjustments when she’s getting ready for her day. I thought of painting the frame, but I like the pewter-y looking metal.

As for details, imagine some make up brushes and perfume bottles on top of that dresser. That’s the kind of detail I can’t wait to add to the dollhouse. But I’m on a budget, so it will take some time. That’s okay. I love the creative process, don’t you?

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Fellow bloggers, flowers, Scout 22 Comments

Cleaning, Reorganizing & Gifts for the Dollhouse

March 17, 2014 at 8:36 am by Claudia

alstro

Alstromeria = best bang for your buck. They last a good two weeks or more; I’ve had them last as long as three weeks. That’s why I buy them. (And they are very pretty.)

In my continuing quest not to go insane this winter, I’m trying to motivate myself to do things around here. You’ve all heard more than enough about the crazy weather I’ve been coping with. Add in Don being gone and an extended period without coaching work, which is not helping things at all, and you get a Claudia who is a wee bit depressed and stir crazy. Not to mention a wee bit worried about my income and my seemingly waning career.

Anyway, those two cooking pots I bought at IKEA needed to be stored somewhere, which sparked a rather massive clean-out and reorganization of my lower kitchen cupboards, as well as the two cupboards in the kitchen island.  You’ve been there, right? Tupperware containers without lids, lids without containers, pot lids that don’t fit any pot; it’s really mind boggling how those things pile up and magically reproduce in the dark corners of kitchen cabinets. I wiped down surfaces, vacuumed out crumbs, reorganized and dumped.

Much better.

I also cleaned out and wiped down the inside of the dishwasher, which we don’t use because it has never worked right, and now it is the new home for some pots and pans. I told Don yesterday that I’d like a dishwasher that works. I don’t think that’s asking too much, do you?

A week or so ago, I also cleaned out a junk drawer or two in the kitchen.

Don won’t know what hit him when he gets back home.

Now I’d like to tackle the guest bedroom/office/studio but a lot of the stuff in there is Don’s. Hmmm.

I have another rapper-like nickname for a medical condition to add to yesterday’s list: AFib. Because, apparently, atrial fibrillation isn’t hip enough for pharmaceutical commercials.

A dear reader, Sharon, sent me two sweet additions for my dollhouse and I’ve been meaning to share them with you.

sewingmachine

A lovely sewing machine, not unlike my Featherweight, Mabel. Isn’t it perfect?

And a furry addition:

doggiebeggingface

doggiebegging

This doggie knows where the treats are, just like someone else I know.

Thank you so much, Sharon!

Okay, beloved readers: suggestions for this doggie’s name are now being taken. The owner of the dollhouse needs your help!

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, flowers, gifts, kitchen 70 Comments

On Sunday

March 16, 2014 at 9:04 am by Claudia

tulipstudy1

You had to know I’d be taking pictures of the flowers I bought the other day. I’ve been deprived of that pleasure for several months.

Ice Station Zebra, meet some wonderful things called ‘flowers.’

Yes, they do exist. I’m not kidding.

tulipstudy2

They look especially pretty against the white of the snow that has become a seemingly permanent part of the landscape here at Ice Station Zebra.

But wait. The snow has actually been melting. That’s a wonderful thing.

But wait again. Hugs amounts of melting snow = Mud. Lots of it. The kind of mud you slip and slide in. The kind of mud that gets all over Scout’s feet. And that has to wiped off her feet every time she comes in the house resulting in a struggle as she tries to elude my grasp. Yesterday she tried a move to the side and I barely managed to catch her.

There is mud everywhere, along with the snow still on the ground. Yesterday I grabbed some straw and covered some of the paths with it. I still have more to go.

scoutonstraw

It helps a little.

As someone who tries to steer away from 24 hour cable news, I have to admit I have been mesmerized by the disappearance of Flight 370. The mystery seems to deepen every day, with some clues that seemed promising fizzling out and new clues taking their place. I cannot begin to imagine the agony the families of the missing are going through as more and more time elapses since the plane’s disappearance. It’s a real-life mystery that I can’t put down. Have you been following this story? It seems impossible that they are still alive, but there is always the faint chance that the plane landed somewhere. I hope that is the case.

And since I have been watching so much cable news, I have to once again say how much I dislike pharmaceutical commercials, which push a drug while including an endless list of possible or probable reactions from taking that drug – including death. Every time we hear one of these lists, Don and I roll our eyes: Really? This is supposed to make me want to take this drug?

And now they’re trying to be hip. Low testosterone is called “LowT.” Hepatitis C is called “HepC.” Medical conditions have become the equivalent of a rapper’s nickname.

What?? 

Another head shaker from yours truly.

The winner of a copy of The Accident is Kathy. Congratulations!

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, life, media 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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