Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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McCoy Monday

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In my second installment of McCoy Monday, I am highlighting one of my very first pieces of McCoy Pottery.


This is from McCoy’s Arcature line – it was made in or around 1951. The columns on either side of the bird are hollow and can be filled with water and used as a vase. Personally, I don’t think it needs any other adornment, the fabulous bird in the center is pretty enough for me. I’ve written before about my love for anything with birds. Fortunately for me, McCoy used a lot of birds in their designs. This 3 dimensional bird is especially pretty.


Isn’t it sweet? I’ve fallen in love with this piece all over again. And an added benefit: as I pull these out to photograph, they get dusted and cleaned!

Have a great Monday! I’m cleaning out the closet in the office/music studio/spare bedroom that has all my stuff in it (fabric, crafts, dialect tapes, yarn – you name it.)

The Long Drive Home

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I’m back from Long Island, where I worked at this charming old Summer Stock theater. Yes, it is in a remodeled barn, just like in a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie. This theater has been around since the 40’s. Columbia Pictures used to send their young actors out here for the summer to sharpen their skills and a young Robert Duvall (who was a friend of the owner’s children) used to perform on its stage. The playhouse is situated in the little town of Bellport.
Bellport’s main street is full of charming homes like these:




All the houses have picket fences. Sigh. I imagine the town is even more charming in the spring and summer.

However, this town isn’t that far from the exclusive and wealthy Hamptons. There was an antique shop just down the road from the theater and I stopped there on my way out of town. Most of the things were very expensive and too formal for my taste. I wandered to the back of the store and saw some McCoy. There was a sign on the display that said ‘50% off.’ Now, I don’t know if you remember this particular piece, but I have a shallow dish with a bird on it – 2 actually. One of my pieces was a gift, but the other I bought on Ebay for maybe $20.00. The shop’s display had the same dish, but in yellow/green. Imagine my shock when I looked at the original price – $150.00. Huh? I thought the sale tag said $22.00 but was informed by the owner that it was $72.00. Oh my gosh – talk about inflated prices. I wonder if anyone would actually pay that much money for a piece of McCoy? You know I love my McCoy, but not that much!

My journey home coincided with rush hour. I had to cross 2 bridges, the Throg’s Neck and the George Washington. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles leading up to each bridge with a delay of about an hour to cross the George Washington. Then backups for miles in New Jersey, and more backups on the thruway. My foot ached from hitting the brake pedal and I thought I just might lose my mind. A 3 hour trip turned into about 4 1/2 hours. I was so happy to get home. Dear husband had dinner waiting, the dogs were happy to see me and we settled down to watch Medium. I think today will be a stick-around-the-house kind of day. Have a wonderful weekend!

McCoy Monday (and our $5 Chair)

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I’ve decided to start of series of McCoy Monday posts. As many of you know, I collect McCoy Pottery, and I thought it would be fun to share some favorite pieces over the course of several weeks. I’m a little bit late getting this post up today, but I promise I’ll do better next Monday. This flower pot is in my favorite of the McCoy colors. As with a true aqua, sometimes it looks a little greener, sometimes it looks a little bluer. This particular color of McCoy is entirely responsible for my growing love of aqua, robin’s egg blue, and turquoise. As I began to buy more pieces in this color, I found myself using aqua in my decorating. And so it began. This pattern is called Sand Dollar and I have two of them.


The $5 chair? Are you interested? Husband and I were out and about yesterday. I was looking for little presents for a swap I am taking part in. Don was along for the ride. We went into one shop and before I knew it, Don was calling out for me to ‘come look at this chair!’ It was marked, $5 today only. It wasn’t something I would normally be drawn to, but darned if I didn’t start to like it. Don was thinking he could use it when he sings and performs in public, which he can, of course, but I thought it might look good with the spinet desk, too. The chair we had there was too big, if you remember, and I thought this one might be better in that regard. It is made by Thonet (the original label is on the underside of the chair.) Thonet was famous for making wonderful bentwood chairs. Don paid the $5 and while he was standing there waiting for me, someone offered him $25 for it. Hmmm. We could have made a profit. But instead, we brought it home with us.


It is battered and scuffed, especially on the lower legs, but you know I like my furniture a bit loved and distressed. I also love mixing styles because I like an eclectic look. Oh, and look at the nailhead trim:


I’m liking this little bargain. So far, Don is winning the battle of the bargains. He found the dollhouse table which is a beautiful cream-colored coffee table for $10.50 and now this chair for $5.00.

I intend to give him a run for his money.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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