miniatures — Page 73

Caroline Wants Equal Time

April 13, 2016 at 9:01 am by Claudia

Yesterday, as I was wandering around the downstairs, I thought I heard someone talking.

But Don wasn’t home and it wasn’t me, so how could that be?

Curious, I tried to find the source. As I moved nearer to the den, the voice grew louder.

I might have guessed. It was Caroline and she wasn’t happy. Once I got her to calm down and speak clearly, I understood. Apparently all these posts of mine about Roseville Pottery and my growing collection have ticked her off.

“Where are the photos of my Roseville? And why do I only have four pieces?”

“Well, Caroline,” I said, “The answer to your second question is simply that it’s very, very hard to find miniature Roseville Pottery. There is only one source and I think I’ve found all I can find.”

She wasn’t happy.

I quickly interjected, “But I can take a few photos of your Roseville and some of your other pottery. I’ll post them tomorrow, okay?”

This seemed to do the trick. At least, for now.

4-13 miniroseville

There you go, Caroline. She does have some pretty pieces, doesn’t she? Like me, she prefers to display them, rather than actually use them to hold flowers. “They’re works of art,” she says. “They don’t need flowers.”

Left to right: Bleeding Heart vase, White Rose vase, Columbine vase and Fuchsia vase. (These are exact replicas of life-sized Roseville vases, by the way. I looked them up in my reference books.)

She urged me to take more pictures.

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She loves this vase in the den. Barbara gave it to her.

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And she loves the pottery in her cabinet. Although I should urge her to straighten that cream colored vase on the right. It’s going to tip over.

Am I stating the obvious here when I say that Caroline seems to be modeling her collection after mine? Right down to the Singing Bird? They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I guess I should be flattered.

4-13 minipotteryinkitchen

I used to have a couple of these Fiesta pitchers. I regret selling them.

Hmmm. I wonder if I should collect them again?

Then it would be me copying Caroline who originally copied me. If you know what I mean.

I wrote a post about beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary’s 100th birthday, which was yesterday. I’d love you to come by and share some of your favorite Beverly Cleary books with us.

Happy Wednesday.

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On My Mind This Morning: Words and a Gift

March 5, 2016 at 10:12 am by Claudia

Thank you for the fascinating discussion yesterday! I loved reading your comments.

You know by now that my life largely centers around words. It’s what I do for a living; I teach and coach speech, dialects, text and voice. All of that is about words and their use and how that changes according to the context in which the words are written. That includes regionalisms and dialects and how they change the texture and rhythm of speech.

I write this blog daily. Words. I write another blog that is all about books and literature. I read and review books. Words. I minored in English Language and Literature. I majored in Drama and Speech. Words and the use of them and, yes, misuse of them, and topics like ‘trendy’ word usage are always on my mind. Occasionally I will write about those things because they fascinate me. And I will have opinions about those things, just as you have opinions about them. No one, including me, uses words ‘correctly’ all of the time. If I tried to do that, I would be so self-conscious and self-aware in the moment that the emotion that fuels my words would be stifled. Who could live that way?

So, I hope you understand that I can comment on current trends in word usage and the ways in which words have been changed, for example, from a noun to a verb, and still respect and honor the incredible variety of sounds, speech, regionalisms, and dialects that are out there. Try as I might, and as careful as I am about the posts I write, I write a blog post every day and chances are I will offend someone at sometime. That is never my intention. Nor is it my intention to make anyone feel self-conscious. Everyone’s voice is welcome here.

Okay. On to something else.

My friend Barbara sent me a package. I picked it up at the post office yesterday and had to wait while I got an oil change and my tires rotated and then stopped at Target before I finally got home and could open it! Do you want to see what was inside?

3-5 jewelry stands

These are acrylic jewelry stands which are being repurposed as tables and desks by miniaturists. Since I have a couple of modern projects going, these will be perfect!

3-5 cupandsaucer

Love this cup and saucer! Barbara ordered it from the Etsy shop Twelvetimesmoreteeny. I’ve several plates from that same shop in Hummingbird Cottage.

3-5 moderntable

This modern table is from The Little Dollhouse Company. Perfect! The question is: will it go in the Top Secret Project or in the Loft that I got from Target?

3-5 minidollhouse

And this miniature dollhouse is also from The Little Dollhouse Company. It’s for Caroline to work on. Somehow, Barbara knew that Caroline had been bugging me about getting her own dollhouse.

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Cool!

Also in the package was a piece of pottery belonging to Barbara which she decided should be in Mockingbird Hill Cottage. I am very grateful.

3-5 clematisbasket1

A gorgeous basket in the Clematis pattern. Isn’t it lovely?

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The other side.

Thank you so much, Barbara! Goodness, you should have seen the smile on my face as I was unpacking everything!

And speaking of words, Rest in Peace, Pat Conroy. I loved your writing and the passion you had for words and literature. Thank you.

Happy Saturday.

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Monday Thoughts

February 29, 2016 at 8:42 am by Claudia

scoutonpillow

• It’s been three weeks today since we lost our girl.

We still can’t believe that this magical being is no longer here with us on Earth.

We cry most days. We are still, and always will be, in mourning. It’s been an incredibly hard time for us. We work hard to stay positive and to find laughter as often as possible. (Thank goodness for Frasier on Netflix.) I even made a funny face yesterday that made Don laugh.

And my back, though slowly getting better, is still quite painful and I’m babying it all day long. Muscle spasms aren’t fun.

• It’s also exactly four months since my father passed away. And it’s raining today. Appropriate. Too much loss.

• I only made it through about half of the Oscars. I was tired and I was pretty sure the predicted Best Actor and Actress winners would be who they ultimately were. I haven’t seen any of the films yet. Lady Gaga’s performance was incredibly moving. I’m not sure why that song didn’t win…but I’ve given up trying to predict these things.

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• I’ve been reacquainting myself with Hummingbird Cottage. I see it from my blogging chair, but the inside is usually facing toward the wall. It’s awfully nice and Caroline is a lucky woman. I took the opportunity to take some pictures when she was ‘away’ from the house.

2-29 dh porch

Flowers are blooming in the world of Hummingbird Cottage. If only they were blooming here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage!

• Speaking of miniatures, you must visit Marian Russek’s blog and also watch her YouTube Video on her completed Shipping Container House. She builds and designs her houses and her work is incredible. While you’re at the blog, take a look at her other creations. They are so lifelike, so detailed, you’ll forget they are miniatures.

Happy Monday.

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Caroline Wants Equal Time

On My Mind This Morning: Words and a Gift

Monday Thoughts

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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