Imogen — Page 2

Flowers, Imogen & Dove Cottage

May 31, 2022 at 9:34 am by Claudia

More clematis this morning. They sure do add a jolt of color to the green of the boxwood.

Hot, hot, hot here today. Tomorrow should be much cooler.

Yesterday morning found me pulling most of the forget-me-nots out of the ground. They were going to seed. I also wanted to clean the edges of the garden beds, so I fetched the lawn mower and mowed in front of the beds so that I could see the rocks that define the beds. Then I pulled anything that interfered with that border. And then, in true Claudia fashion, I also mowed the lilac side of the front lawn.

And then…I was tired. But it felt good to be out there after feeling under the weather for a few days.

Meanwhile, Imogen was on the porch enjoying the flowers.

(I love the cleft in her chin.)

Slowly finishing the front of the dollhouse. There are one or two elements to add, but here is where we are as of today:

I want to age that big pot on the left. The chair arrived in the mail the other day, all the way from Milan. I love the look of these bistro chairs; they remind me very much of the chairs in the Luxembourg gardens. I searched high and low until I found one.

I may make some stepping stones leading to the door. This area was to be a porch on the original house. Most of the porch elements were missing when I found it at the dump and I wasn’t inclined to replace them as I had a different idea of what I wanted it to be. So I’m left with this raised area. I’m going with terraced levels. I’ll probably add some of the ballast that I’ve used on the area just outside the front door on the lower terrace as well. Though, it’s messy and a bit of a pain in the tush.

And then we’ll move on to the Beacon Hill.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Egg Cups & Imogen

February 3, 2022 at 7:45 am by Claudia

I’ve been taking photos of my figural egg cups because Country Living magazine contacted me yesterday wanting to know if I would be willing to ship some of my egg cups to them for a photo shoot. They have a monthly feature on collecting. This will be for the May issue. I sent the photos in and the editor sounded excited about what I have, chose some favorites, and I’m going to wrap them in bubble wrap, box them up, and send them to CL via UPS. I should have them back by the end of February.

They found me through Instagram. I’m thrilled to have them featured, but it’s a little bit like sending your kids off to camp. Will they be safe? Some of them would be very hard to replace. They were looking for chicks and ducks and Easter season egg cups, which is just as well, because I told the editor the Snow White set was off the table – it’s too rare and too many years were spent hunting for the entire set.

I actually got out of the house yesterday as we had to drive over to Rick and Doug’s to water their plants. They’re off on a trip. To be frank, there’s no way we would be traveling during this time! I don’t want to be on a plane for several hours with others when Omicron is so contagious. Also, because we travel so rarely, I don’t want to spend money for a trip when I have to wear a mask all the time. But I do understand the urge to escape the winter for a bit, so more power to them.

I set off their alarm again, which is exactly the same as ours, so really, what is my problem???

Anyway, we went to the grocery store first – and by we, I mean Don, Imogen, and me. I had just dressed her in a coat and Don said, “Let’s take her with us!” So, we did.

I sat in the car while Don ran in to grab a few things. Imogen and I played a bit.

The first car journey for Imogen – at least, on this side of the Atlantic. How do you like that coat? I would like a human-sized version. Same for the boots and the leggings.

The entire outfit, thank you very much.

Lordy, she’s cute! It was quite fun to have her in the car with me.

It’s very rainy here today. It will continue all day and then take us into snow and ice tomorrow. I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of it, but any sleet/ice is dangerous. It won’t be helped by plunging temperatures – we won’t be able to rely on the sun to melt everything.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Will It Ever Warm Up?

January 22, 2022 at 9:35 am by Claudia

It is so cold here this morning! It’s now 9 am and I’ve been up for 3 hours – Don has been up even longer – and the house is still cold. Trying to stay positive, but cripes!

It’s sunny in that way it is on very cold days. This particular weather pattern is going to be here for at least 5 days. If we start going crazy here, I’ll be sure to let you know.

I finished the puzzle yesterday afternoon. I LOVE this illustration, which is straight out of my favorite era. The title of the illustration is “Swan Cottage.”

Can I live there, please?

Had to pause to warm up my hands.

Okay. What else? I played with dolls.

This outfit arrived in the mail a few days ago, all the way from China. This incredible seamstress goes by Quilizio on Instagram. Over the course of the past few months, I’ve studied her hip and contemporary designs. I really love them. But as sometimes happens, I couldn’t find a place to purchase them. So I contacted her through a Direct Message. She couldn’t be nicer. I ordered the outfit below.

The jacket has a hood. I cannot tell you how exquisite her stitching is! There are tiny white buttons that actually work, strings coming from the hood, and the white blouse has a beautiful button closure on the back. She made the leggings as well. Also: the boots. You can’t see them well here, but here’s a better picture:

She even scuffs them up!

She’s pretty darned amazing. I can’t conceive of doing this tiny work and doing it so beautifully.

And, just because she’s so pretty, here’s a closeup of Imogen.

Still cold. I’m going to go make some hot oatmeal in a minute.

Happy Saturday from Ice Station Zebra.

Stay safe.

Flowers, Imogen & Dove Cottage

Egg Cups & Imogen

Will It Ever Warm Up?

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