Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for miniatures

An Extraordinary Find

December 21, 2018 at 10:51 am by Claudia

If you follow me on Instagram, you’re already familiar with this story. But heck, it’s so great that I have to share it with you here!

I had a list of errands yesterday and I planned on starting the ‘loop’ with a visit to one of my favorite antique emporiums to see if they had any vintage ornaments left; not that I really need any, it was just an excuse to visit. Then I’d tackle the bookstore and Michael’s and return home.

One of the first things I saw was an amazing tramp art house. Handmade, of course, and simply fascinating. It wasn’t practical for me and it was expensive – though, as a one-of-a kind piece of folk art, it was worth the price. You can see a photo of it on my IG feed. As I headed in and out of booths on the first aisle, I looked up – something I often forget to do – and saw this:

What???

Half off? Half off of an already ridiculously inexpensive price?

I continued on my perusal of the booths, my thoughts going back to the dollhouse, posting a photo on IG asking if I should buy it, heading back, looking at it again, walking around some more – you get the picture.

It was perched very high up on a ladder that had been placed horizontally to form a shelf. In the meantime, messages kept coming in from my initial post on IG basically in the form of “Get it!”  “Are you nuts? Get it NOW!”

Finally, I asked one of the ladies at the counter if it was possible to get it down because I was very interested and wanted to see inside. She had to haul out a tall ladder and, as I expressed worry that it might fall on her, a man who happened to be walking by volunteered to help. We finally managed to set it on a counter.

Frankly, I expected it to be one big room, an empty space. This is what I saw:

Are you kidding me? This is exactly what we had in the Craftsman house we rented when we were living in San Diego.

There are two small rooms as well. Doors that open and shut beautifully. Shutters that work.

Arched doorways that frame the entrance into the two rooms from the living room.

A front porch.

It’s solid as a rock. Whoever made this knew what he/she was doing and it’s beautifully made. It’s very old – I’d guess it was made in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Needless to say, I bought it. It’s big – bigger than it looked when it was perched way up high – about 22 inches wide and about 15 inches deep.

It wouldn’t fit in the trunk. I couldn’t maneuver it into the back seat.  (Dad, I’m so grateful that I have the use of your car, but this is about the millionth time I’ve wished you had gone for four doors instead of two.) After a wee bit of panic, I managed to get it on the passenger seat, with the seat back reclining at a sharp angle. I had to turn it on its side. As I drove home, I kept holding onto it so it wouldn’t bump against the gear shift.

 

I brought it home and immediately created this little scene on the porch. The ‘snow’ is flannel from my stash. The trees and wreaths are from my stash.

I’m in love.

Someone made this for a loved one: a daughter, a grandchild, a niece or nephew. It killed me to think of it sitting there, marked down, when at one point someone played with it and loved it. So much love was put into this dollhouse. It needed to be rescued.

Do I have the room for it? No. But I’ve already thought about putting it on top of the china cabinet in the den or on a table in the living room next to the big white armoire. Right now, I have it on the blue bench that sits there, but I’d like it on something that’s offers more support. It’s big and heavy and solid as a rock and I don’t want it crashing to the floor.

Everyone keeps saying, “I can’t wait to see what you do to it.” But the truth is, I’m not going to do much. This is someone’s creation – hours of work were put into making it. It’s a piece of folk art. I’ll give it a gentle cleaning, of course. But Don and I have already decided it’s going to be a summer home or cabin – rustic in nature. I don’t want to transform it in any way other than with furniture and accessories. The basic structure will remain the same. It seems a sacrilege to change its natural beauty. I have such admiration for the person who built this. I want to be its caretaker and honor it.

Since Don found out yesterday that one of the presents he ordered for me is in China, of all places, and hasn’t even left the country (he thought it was shipping from Arizona.) He was very upset. I suggested that this could be a present from him. I texted a photo of it and he immediately said yes! I know he was relieved.

It’s currently perched right here by the entrance to the den.

I had to add some lights, of course! It’s the holiday season.

To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement. When things get put away after Christmas and I have more space, I’ll take better photos. Right now, every available surface is in use.

As I am constantly reminded, timing is everything.

Interesting side note: the dealer that I love (the one I got the egg cup cubby from) has a booth in this shop. She commented on my IG post, saying that she had had her eye on it! Looks like I got there just in time!

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: antiques, Christmas, dollhouse, miniatures, vintage 61 Comments

Samson is Shorn

December 18, 2018 at 9:34 am by Claudia

The big news: Someone got a haircut.

He looks gorgeous. I’m biased, of course, but I’m so happy he did it. He’s been hanging on to the long-haired look for a while, for a variety of reasons. I finally persuaded him to have it trimmed about a month ago and it looked a lot better but it was still long. Last week, I was gently urging him to get his goatee trimmed. But he was still holding out.

I knew that it had to happen when he was ready for it, not before.

Then he saw a photo from a few years back and liked the way he looked and the next thing I knew, he was making an appointment (same day) and ta dah! SO much better! As I had predicted to him, he looks younger. The guy has really great hair that I will admit I’m jealous of, so why not show it off?

He really likes it. Says he feels “lighter.”

Yay!

I played around with the modern dollhouse yesterday. I made a copy of two photographs from the NYTimes that I loved. Resized them, printed them out, and hung them on the wall in the living room. I framed the back so they are 3 dimensional, like a canvas.

I’m not entirely happy with them and may reprint them and back them with foam board. I also think I can get away with something larger in this open space.

I printed them out on the back of photo paper, which gave me a nice thick print, but no glossy surface.

I’ll update you when I have time to print them out in a larger size. The print itself is a keeper. It works well in the room. It just needs to be larger.

I have some errands to run today, despite a lack of sleep. I’m not sure what day I’ll be called into rehearsal this week and I still have stuff to buy. And bake – but that will be on the weekend.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, miniatures 40 Comments

A Visit to the Dollhouse

December 17, 2018 at 11:38 am by Claudia

Because the interior of Hummingbird Cottage is facing me on a daily basis of late, I took some photos this morning. A bit moody, but I like them. This dollhouse has been photographed and photographed again. It’s been published in two magazines. So I think some moody, sometimes slightly blurred photos are just fine, if only for a change of pace.

Besides, I’m proud of this 6 year long renovation.

I also look at all of this as prep for the found-at-the-dump dollhouse renovation which I’ll be heading into after the first of the year.

Some of you are new to the blog, so I’ll talk a bit about the furniture and accessories, but you can get it all in detail under Hummingbird Cottage on my navigation bar.

The living room. There’s not enough room for the Christmas tree in this space, which is why it’s in the den.

The sofa came from Italy, the chair from a dollhouse vendor online. The table was in a bag of dollhouse furniture and I painted it. The dresser is a vintage Petite Princess piece. The mirror was a gift from a reader. I had the shutter in my stash. The stair runner was from an Etsy dealer as was the rug. So was the sign on the wall. The pink pillow was also from an Etsy dealer.

The fireplace was a gift from my husband and it’s made of plastic. I painted it and now it no longer looks like plastic! The andirons were from my stash and I painted them black. I got the logs from an online dealer and the Roseville pottery was gathered from various sources. I love, love, love it. The window frame is from a bashed cabinet. I can’t remember where I got the painting over the fireplace (I think I bought it in a miniature shop) and the little painting was from my friend, Barbara.

The kitchen. The cabinetry in the kitchen was obtained from New England Miniatures, which is sadly no longer in business. The tray, cutting boards, cookie trays, plates and rug were from online sources. I made the backsplash from brick I had left over from the bedroom. I made the curtain under the sink. I made the refrigerator from a wooden box. The other bits – tea towels, canisters, bowls, graniteware, and pitchers were gifts from blog readers. The microwave came from a dealer in England. Chairs, table and hanging pendant lamp were found online. The corner shelf, which you can barely make out, was made from a kit.

The AGA stove was found online and was a gift from my husband. It’s made by Reutter. I made the shelves above the stove from various bits I had in my stash. I made the pot hanger from a mini curtain rod. The copper pots were found online. The copper kettle was a gift from Barbara, as were the Fiesta pitchers on the shelves. I found the plates from wonderful Etsy dealers, as well as the mixer. I made the roman blind. And the floor, of course.

The den. I made the Christmas tree. The plates on the wall have a bird theme and I gathered them from various Etsy dealers. I found the Shiny Brites, mug, sofa, and platter online. The vase, books, wine bottles, afghan, and McCoy pottery were gifts from readers. The little ottoman was made by a blogging friend – it goes with a wicker chair that I had to move to the bedroom while the tree is up. The singing bird (McCoy) that is in the cabinet was made by a blogging friend in honor of my very own singing birds that are on my piano.

The sofa is from an online dealer. The coffee table was a gift from a fellow miniaturist. I painted it white. The barely seen print on the stair wall is a mini Maxfield Parrish that I framed.

The office/studio. I made the desk and the wing chair. I found the desk chair in an antique shop. I made the crate under the desk. The rug was a gift. I made the wall cabinet from a kit and I also made the hooks on the wall. The dress form was plastic when I got it in a bag full of minis from a reader of the blog. I painted the base and covered it in linen.

I made the pinboard from my stash, the shutter was also in my stash. I think I got the map from Michael’s. The tin and book were gifts. And I got the laptop from an Etsy seller.

The table and stool were found online. Wrapping paper, basket,  ribbon, ironing board, yarn, and sewing machine were gifts. I bought the copy of To Kill a Mockingbird  from an Etsy seller.

The bedroom. The wicker chair was a gift from reader. She made  it. I won it in a giveaway, lucky me! The bed (including linens) was also made by another blogging friend and came to me all the way from Australia. I had the bedside table in my stash. The lamp is vintage Petite Princess. Some of the paintings were gifts, others were my own finds. I bought the chair online (one of my earliest purchases) and I painted it and recovered the cushions. I got the gorgeous rug from an Etsy dealer. The books were found online, the box of macarons was a gift from the same lady who made the bed, and I scored the shoes from a miniaturist at last year’s IGMA show. I found the ottoman on Etsy.

The painting on the wall over the stairs was a gift. Another vintage Petite Princess dresser sits against the wall (I have three of them!) The mirror and vase were gifts. I bought the frame in a miniature shop. I still have to insert some photos.

The bathroom. I found the sink unit online and painted it red. The mirror came from a compact. The rug was found online. The hand towel, soap dish and flip flops were gifts. I made the little white chair. The tub and toilet were in a bag of miniatures my friend Heidi gave me. I repainted them.

I made the shower curtain from linen. The pie safe/cabinet came from a miniature show. It’s filled with towels that I made from wash cloths. The jar filled with sea shells and the wooden jar were gifts.

I didn’t take photos of the rooftop garden and potting shed because that area needs to be cleaned up.

Again, if you want details and links, they can be found in a series of “Who. What, Where” posts that are listed under the Dollhouses/Minis tab on my navigation bar.

Gosh, I love miniatures!

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, miniatures 39 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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