Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for garden

Wildflowers and Frustration

May 15, 2026 at 8:31 am by Claudia

Wildflowers are popping up everywhere on the property.

Fleabane with its pale pink buds that turn into delicate little flowers.

Wild phlox or Dame’s Rocket is just starting to bloom.

I have to do some major garden clean up starting today. With all the rain, things have become out of control. Today, I’m going to dig out a bunch of what I think is comfrey that has popped up just outside the big garden bed. I used google lens to identify the leaves. There’s quite a lot of it and it has to go.

Bushes need to be pruned, weeds need to be pulled, and poison ivy has to be yanked, as well.

I’ll work on all of this throughout the weekend. It’s actually not going to rain for several days, so we can do some chores outside, including mowing the front lawn.

The Beacon Hill. I had a very frustrating two days trying to wallpaper the bedroom. I just couldn’t get it right and I had to rip it out – twice. I finally figured out why. Usually when you wallpaper a dollhouse room, there is either a basic window in place with no trim as yet, or no windows at all. Hummingbird Cottage had the windows, but I eventually added the trim after I wallpapered. Dove Cottage was in such bad shape that I removed whatever trim was there before I wallpapered. In the case of the Beacon Hill, all the windows have the trim attached and it is rather ornate. So wallpapering is a challenge. I usually build a paper template with marks where the window and trim are and eventually transfer that to the wallpaper. I did that yesterday but I could never get it right. One wallpaper design was on paper that was way too thick and hard to manipulate. The other design on thinner paper was also a fail. I was so damn frustrated that I ended up painting the wall a pale yellow. There’s nothing wrong with just painting a wall instead of wallpapering. But I find I miss the wallpaper because it gives the room such personality.

If I’d removed all of the windows first this wouldn’t be an issue but trying to do that with an already built house is tricky. I’m not going to paint all of the rooms. I think the bedroom windows were a specific challenge. The others I think (hope) I can handle.

But, what is telling is the fact that I immediately thought, “Am I too old for this???”

I’m not, of course, and after reasoning out why I was having problems, I was let that idea go.

Anyway, this ‘buttermilk’ yellow is nice, but not necessarily what I would have chosen. I simply had more of it on hand than any other paint color and it took several coats to cover up the original brown walls. Let’s see if I can eventually make it work.

Sigh.

Okay. I’m off to make a second cup of coffee and head outside.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, garden 11 Comments

Buds

April 10, 2026 at 8:35 am by Claudia

Glory Hallelujah! Tiny little buds on the crabapple by the catalpa. I see light at the end of the tunnel.

Also:

Our little grape hyacinth is blooming right by the porch.

The daffodils that were in bloom are sagging because of two nights of freezing temperatures.

Today: 70 degrees. I can finally get out and start cleaning up the yard and the garden beds. There’s a lot to do out there, so I’ll take it slow, but boy oh boy, I am READY!

I feel that quickening that I get when I realize that we’ve made it through the winter and spring is finally here. My neighbor called the other night about some mail of ours that she received and at the end of the call we commiserated about just how hard a winter it was. Really hard. Their son, who was in the terrible motorcycle accident, is doing well. He only has one more surgery to go – in his shoulder – and he will be fully healed.

But other friends of ours are struggling. One just had a stroke. And our dear friend who was hit by the car is greatly improved but will never fully recover from her injuries. She is in her late 70s.

Work on the dollhouse is on pause while I attend to the outdoors. I also need to buy some more stain for the floors and I haven’t done that yet. And choose some more wallpaper. But, that will have to wait until we have some more funds.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: garden 12 Comments

Flowers, the Roombox, Butterflies & Wild Turkeys

July 23, 2025 at 9:52 am by Claudia

The David phlox is blooming all over the big garden bed, with more yet to open. Yesterday, I was outside and the breeze activated the intoxicating scent of those flowers.

It is the prettiest time in the gardens.

I worked outside for a while yesterday, pruning the brambles and the elm seedlings that pop up in the garden. I’m allergic to elms – if I touch a leaf, I get a welt on my skin – so I donned a long-sleeved flannel shirt and pruned a lot of it. I also got rid of several other seedlings that have staked a claim in the garden beds. After working there for a bit, Papa and Mama Catbird had had their fill of my proximity to the nest. One of them repeatedly gave the warning call, the other gave a warning cheep, not unlike what I hear from robins.

They were not happy with me. I finally gave up; there was one elm on the other side of the porch railing from the hydrangea where the nest is, and I figured that would be too stressful for the birds.

I checked on Mama this morning. She’s patiently sitting on the nest.

A monarch was dining on the coneflowers and then landed on the burning bush.

We saw the most amazing thing yesterday morning. I happened to be in the kitchen. I looked out the window over the sink and there was a wild turkey (I hadn’t seen one on the property for a long time.) I could see 4 babies with her. I told Don to “get over here quickly!” As we watched her walk through the wild grass in the direction of the Dude in the secret garden, we were amazed as we counted 12 babies! 12 little darlings wending their way through the tall grass and following mom as she walked on the stepping stones that go up to the back forty. It was such a gift to see them! She was rather majestic and the babies were adorable. (They’re called poults.)

I tell you, it’s all in the timing. I just happened to be there at the right time.

Lily, Holly, and Pru in the roombox.

I found the perfect place to get light-filled pictures of the interior of the box. See the green showing through the windows? That’s a wall in our upstairs half bath. I carried an old 50s-era step stool from the studio into the bathroom, then carefully placed the room box on the seat. The morning light was perfect. That half bath is so tiny that I had to sit on the toilet seat to get the photo. But it’s perfect. We have so many things in our house and it’s small, so it’s almost impossible to get a picture of this roombox without something that has nothing to do with the ‘scene’ showing through the windows.

This was the roombox when I first got it. There were stairs going up to a loft, but I never really got into doing anything with it. After starting to collect Blythes, I got the idea to repurpose the box for them, so I removed the stairs and loft. It was marketed as the Lori Loft and I got it for about $40 from Target. It’s basically made of foam board. (In the past, I’ve also been known to  use it as a stash for some of my handbags.)

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: birds, Blythe dolls, flowers, garden 20 Comments

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 258
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in