Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Ikea

First and Last

August 15, 2016 at 9:52 am by Claudia

The first zinnia:

8-15 firstzinnia

They’ve been a long time coming. Next year, I am amending the soil in the chicken wire fence garden. It clearly needs some nutrients.

The last of the daylilies:

8-15 last of the daylilies

I had two surprise blooms this week. That nicely extended the day lily season, but I’m pretty sure this is it.

It’s a soggy, humid mess out there. The hollyhock looks like it was struck down by some disease, it hasn’t been, but it is definitely done. The rain has been hard on all the flowers in the garden. There are weeds everywhere. It was cloudy yesterday morning, and it seemed  cooler outside, so I grabbed the weed chomper and worked on the area surrounding the Funky Patio. At the end of five minutes or so, which also included some quick stabs at weeding, I was dripping.

Maybe this is nature’s way to slowly bring me around to the fact that September is a couple of weeks away. The garden looks bedraggled. I only have some much energy/desire to tackle it at this point in the summer. The humidity is stifling.

I’m not kidding. I think Mother Nature has a way of bringing us around to the realization that it’s almost over until next year. She breaks the news gently, but the facts stare us in the face and we have to admit defeat.

Though I’m still waiting on my morning glories and moonflowers and the rest of my zinnias.

Yesterday, I tackled the Helmer drawer unit from IKEA.

Can I just say that it was a pain in the tush? In the interest of total honesty, it was a pain in the tush because I had the drawer glides installed incorrectly and I didn’t realize it until I had cursed for over an hour as I tried to get the damn thing together. I finally realized my mistake and took the whole thing apart.

8-15 cabinetikea

It’s fine now. It’s very inexpensive and, therefore, the quality is fairly flimsy, but it will do until I can afford something else. Or even want something else. By the way, the screws that attach the casters to the base won’t go into the base correctly. They, my friends, were also a pain in the tush.

Little Z’s dollhouse should be a breeze compared to this.

We’re going to try to mow a bit this morning before it gets real hot. The grass is so long – everywhere – and there is still rain in the forecast for this week, so we have to grab any non-rainy time we can get.

Don’s getting a new iPhone today and he’s very excited. He’s been using an older model, much smaller than the one I have, and he needs something bigger and faster. He’s a big guy and he’s got big hands. Since he was eligible for an upgrade, his shiny new phone will be delivered to our door today.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, Ikea, studio 32 Comments

Creative Messes & A Quick Trip to IKEA

August 13, 2016 at 9:36 am by Claudia

Lest you think everything is in order around here – or that every photo I take is styled.

8-13 studio1

8-13 studio2

8-13 studio3

Yes, this is what it looks like up here in the office/studio. It’s a mess. A creative mess, but a mess nonetheless.

We went to IKEA yesterday. It takes an hour and a half to get there – it’s in New Jersey – so we rewarded ourselves with lunch while we were there. The new catalogue is out and I grabbed a copy as soon as we entered the building.

There were a couple of things I wanted to get. For Little Z:

flisat-doll-house-wall-shelf__0415370_PE577914_S4

This dollhouse, which can stand alone or hang on a wall. It’s the Flisat Doll House. I saw it on my friend Kat’s Instagram feed and since every time we Face Time with Little Z, he wants to see my dollhouse, I thought this might be fun for him. I’m not quite sure what to do with it yet. Do I decorate it à la Paw Patrol? Or is that too limiting? Do I gather up some basic furniture that is appropriate for a five year old boy, so he can play with it? Not sure yet, but I don’t mind saying I wouldn’t mind hanging this on my  wall! But, as you well know, the available wall space around here has already been taken.

Besides some new fry pans (which we desperately needed) and some new drinking glasses, I also spotted this little piece and decided it would be perfect for storing minis:

helmer-drawer-unit-on-casters-white__0175264_PE328644_S4

That’s what is in the box that’s leaning against the wall in the second photo. Now, unfortunately, I have to put it together, which will result, I’m absolutely sure, in lots of cursing.

The dollhouse is in the big blue IKEA bag. I have about 8 of these bags now, because I always forget to take the bags I already own with me when I visit IKEA and end up having to buy new ones. Since they are handy for so many things, among them, moving my crap into temporary housing when I’m in Hartford, I don’t mind having more.

There is an Excessive Heat Warning today with the heat index headed to well over 100°. I will water. I will walk down to the mailbox to get the mail. That’s it. I’m hiding indoors for the rest of the day, putting together fiddly pieces from IKEA, and…maybe…straightening things up around here.

I framed the watercolor of Scout:

8-13 scoutieframed

It’s so beautiful. Now, we just have to figure out the best place to hang it. There has been much discussion, but we haven’t come up with a decision yet. To be continued.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: dollhouse, Ikea, Little Z, office, studio 50 Comments

Presenting: the Office

December 30, 2015 at 9:06 am by Claudia

Goodness, I’m so happy with my little corner of our shared office space! Yesterday, I put it all together and except for a piece of that plastic stuff to put under the chair (it doesn’t roll around easily on the carpet) and a bulletin/pin board, I’m open for business.

The days have been dreary and cloudy, so I did the best I could with my picture-taking.

Let’s take a little tour:

12-30 facingthedesk

It’s the classic work triangle. I pictured this in my mind for several months and it’s all come to life beautifully. The desk is the Malm from IKEA. You can place the drawers on the left or the right. I chose the left because I knew I would be moving back and forth between the desk and the work table. The desk has a very large work surface, which was number one on my list of requirements. I do a lot of research when I’m coaching which involves a lot of books and paper and I need space for it all. Part of the impetus for this space was the fact that I was so sick of trying to do that work within the confines of the kitchen table. It was incredibly frustrating.

The chair is also from IKEA – the Lillhöjden in a gray check. How could I resist those ties on the back?

12-30 pinkcabinet

The pink cabinet moved from the hallway into the new space. The girls maintained their perch on the top of the cabinet.

12-30 wallpockets

My birdie wall pockets are hanging on the side of the cabinet.

12-30 cornerminipottery

Framed program from the Broadway production of “Claudia” circa the Forties. Shelf unit full of miniature pottery. Lots of supplies stashed against the wall.

12-30 wickerbasketstorage

The wicker flower basket holds wood trims for mini making.

12-30 glovebox from don

The vintage pink glove box was a birthday gift from Don. He thought it would be a neat bit of storage. It is.

12-30 containers

The pottery holding pens and pencils was a gift from my friend Tina. The framed Friends motto was a gift from Lori, my friend who owns Vignettes in San Diego. And you recognize the Roseville piece, right? It’s the one that arrived in pieces and has been glued back together.

12-30 chair

The other side of the chair.

The desk lamp is Ranarp from IKEA. I have the white version on the table by my chair in the den. It’s a great utility lamp and provides a lot of light.

12-30 slopingceiling

Yes, we have sloping ceilings upstairs – in both rooms. So we have to work around them and every piece of furniture has to be measured within an inch of its life.

12-30 miniaturemaking

The other side of the triangle. This is the sewing machine table that was formerly in the niche in the hallway. When we decided to open up this space by getting rid of the bed, I immediately envisioned it as an extension of the desk. I can move it in to the wall when I don’t want it taking up as much space and I can move it even further out than it is in this picture, as well. The cart is the Råskog Utility Cart from IKEA. It somehow manages to corral almost everything I need when I’m working on the TSP.

I should add that normally the TSP is covered with a remnant of barkcloth so it remains hidden from my husband. I took advantage of his absence and unveiled it for the photos.

The plant is one of my overwintering impatiens.

Don’s guitars in the distance.

12-30 viewfromtheTSP

The view from the other side of the TSP.

12-30 eggcups

The mantel and eggcups have also moved from the hallway niche to this new space. They make me smile. The card with the word Heaven on it was the birthday card from my parents that Don gave to me.

The calendar you see hanging above the desk was a $3 find from Target.

And let’s see who joined me in the office:

12-30 lamb

The lamb with the party hat. Now the space is complete!

If we ever get a sunny day again, I’ll take more photos for you. I promise.

This was done on a budget, of course. Is there any other way? Not for yours truly!

The Malm desk: $159.00
The Lillhöjden chair: $79.99
The Ranarp desk lamp: $39.99
The Råskog Utility Cart: $29.99

Total cost: $308.97

I assembled the chair, lamp, and cart. Don and I assembled the desk – it was definitely a two person job, as was moving the big pieces into the room from the hallway.

To say I’m thrilled is an understatement. I’ve wanted this sort of arrangement for the ten years we’ve lived here. The rest of the room? Still under construction. We moved out my grandmother’s trunk and some other pieces. They are now in our storage space (huzzah!) so we have much more room to play with. Don has to rethink his part of the space. He wants to clear some clutter.

And we’re thinking a vintage loveseat would be really cool in this space. We have all sorts of plans!

I hope you like the new space! Something tells me you’ll be seeing it fairly frequently.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: decorating, DIY, Don, Ikea, office 86 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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