miniatures — Page 40

Dove Cottage & The New Year

December 31, 2019 at 10:05 am by Claudia

It rained (and even sleeted) all day yesterday, so I went upstairs to the office and worked on the dollhouse. I’d had an idea that painting the roof – even a preliminary coat – would help to define the stone exterior and that by doing so, I might like it more.

I have lots of photos of English stone cottages and they seem to have roofs that are dark in color – they may be some kind of slate for all I know. I hoped that I had some sort of dark color on hand, gray or black, that I could use without spending any money. Thankfully, I did.

I spent about 4 hours painting the shingles and I have to say, it’s the best thing to quell anxiety. I was in my happy place. This photo shows you a solid dark gray, but there are traces of the brown of the shingles showing through, which is what I wanted. I may age them more, but for now, here it is.

Painting it accomplished just what I wanted. The contrast shows off the stonework and I’m happy with the look.

We’re watching Unbelievable on Netflix. I sought it out because Barack Obama put it on his personal best of 2019 list. It’s based on a true story involving a serial rapist. I can’t say enough about the quality of the production. There are 8 episodes and we’re halfway through. Excellent.

What do we have planned today? I’m cleaning a bit, working on Dove Cottage. Don will no doubt practice his guitar. And Don is making the dinner we were going to have on Christmas but were too tired and full to make. I think we’ll appreciate it more tonight; it’s a calmer day all around. We’ll watch more of Unbelievable and then, I can guarantee it, we’ll go to bed early.

Happy New Year, my friends. I hope the coming year brings peace and joy and an end to the ongoing attack on human rights and civility and a new beginning on the path to healing and tolerance and good.

Happy Tuesday.

Stone Work

December 30, 2019 at 10:47 am by Claudia

The tree is still up. Do Christmas trees have a more intense scent as they begin to dry out? Because for the past few days, the scent has been much stronger. Anyway, we came downstairs this morning, turned on the tree lights and decided we would wait until New Year’s Day to take the tree down. We can’t quite say goodbye yet. I’ll miss seeing the tree from my chair in the den.

But we’ve had it up since December 1st, so January 1st seems like a good long run.

I spent about three hours up in the office working on the rescued dollhouse, Dove Cottage. The ‘stonework’ is slow going. Here is its current status:

I’ll try for a clearer picture today but it’s awfully dark out there as we’re into our second day of rain. I’m heartened by the fact that I was able to cut the stones to fit the curve of the doorway. I’m still not sure whether I like the whole thing, but I think when I paint the shingles, which might be sooner rather than later, and put the shutters up, the look of all that stone will be softened.

Dollhouses on the brain. That seems to be all I’m thinking about lately. That, and the high cost of living, which we have vowed to do something about this coming year. Budget. Budget. Budget. We’ve had a good couple of years, but it’s time to cut way back. We lost a lot of money this year with the changes to the tax laws. As you know, actors and performers and freelancers were royally screwed. We paid far more than either of us has ever paid in all our years of earning a living. Until the law is changed, that will be our reality and it’s a grim one. Cross your fingers for us; we both need to work more in 2020. And we’re ready, willing, and able!

I just might paint that roof today.

Happy Monday.

Imagining

December 29, 2019 at 10:55 am by Claudia

Part of our view when we sip our second cup of coffee together in the morning.

I was entranced by it this morning. One of my greatest pleasures when I lived in cities was walking by apartments and houses in the early evening. I would get a glimpse of the interior life and style of that particular dwelling. A flash of a red wall, or gorgeous drapes, or a glimpse of bookshelves – I wanted to know more about the people who lived there. I still have that curiosity about the way people live, which is why I like Instagram and design magazines and books like Hotel Chelsea and The Maverick Soul and Bibliostyle.

Back to the mini studio: I imagine myself walking by this dwelling, seeing the guitar on the sofa, the Beatles print on the wall, getting a glimpse of a fireplace, of records (what does he listen to?), a dog dish (!) and a comfy sofa and Eames chair. Who lives there? Who uses that space?

That is the lure of dollhouses. You get a glimpse of a life, a style, of the taste of the imaginary owner of that house. It’s also the reason I would never have dolls residing in my houses. I want to imagine the owner. I don’t want some doll that frankly never looks all that real lounging on the sofa. This is not to say that those who make and design 1:12 scale dolls aren’t enormously talented – they are. But, for me, they never look quite right. And also for me, I have a vivid imagination and seeing a doll limits my vision. For example, I have an idea of Caroline. I could tell you things about her. But, I don’t have too many ideas because I like to keep her ‘free-flowing.’

Since the mini studio was made for Don specifically, I don’t need a doll. I just imagine a mini-Don.

I’m not sure who the owner is of the vintage white dollhouse. That’s still to be determined. Same for the modern dollhouse and the ‘newest’ vintage dollhouse. Or my rescued-from-the-dump dollhouse. That makes a sort of sense as I’m still working on all of those dwellings.

Speaking of which, this afternoon I am going to go upstairs and start painting more stone for the exterior of the rescued-from-the-dump dollhouse. I’m thinking of naming it Dove Cottage, not be be confused with the famous Dove Cottage inhabited by William Wordsworth. “Dove” because I love doves – as simple as that.

To make the painting less tedious I’m going to listen to some podcasts. I’m very into podcasts about books and reading.

Happy Sunday.

Dove Cottage & The New Year

Stone Work

Imagining

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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