miniatures — Page 77

Re-Emerging (and the TSP)

September 24, 2015 at 9:07 am by Claudia

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Excuse me while I shake off the world of Three Pines and do my best to re-emerge into the world of blogging.

I just finished The Nature of the Beast and I am stunned by how good it is. Louise Penny is brilliant. I’ll write a review tomorrow for Just Let Me Finish This Page, but I need to let it percolate a bit in my brain before I put my feelings into words.

Oh my goodness.

I finished it this morning in the lamplit den. The sun had yet to make its presence known. A shawl around my shoulders, coffee mug in hand, I couldn’t do anything but read straight through to the end.

And now, I have to wait a year for another Three Pines mystery. I feel Penny is at her best when the action takes place in and around Three Pines. Last year’s book, The Long Way Home, took place elsewhere and, though good, I thought it lost its way.

This has been a week for excellent reads: Jan Karon’s Come Rain or Come Shine, and Penny’s The Nature of the Beast. How can I keep from smiling at the sheer pleasure of being allowed to read their words?

Don: Do Not Read Any Further!!

I did a little work on the Top Secret Project yesterday. Excuse the darkish photo, but I took it late yesterday afternoon.

9-24 flooring

I finished painting the walls. No wallpaper this time. I envision this as a bright, sunny space. So I used Wicker White by Folk Art. After trying a brush for a couple of coats, I bought a foam roller. Much better! I have to do some patching and spackling, but I’ll get to that later.

That flooring is Random Plank Flooring made of wood veneer. No popsicle stick flooring this time. Now I’m trying to decide whether I should use it ‘as is’ in this lighter color, or whether I should stain it a darker color. I have some stain left over from the bookshelves in the den.

Hmmm.

Then I’ll add the baseboard. Wish me luck, I’m going to be making some mitered cuts.

This project is going to take longer than I had planned. Budget is a big issue. I can only do so much at a time. Yesterday, I made a list of the items I would like to see in the room. Some of them will have to be handmade. Some of them I will buy.

In either case, it will take time.

Happy Thursday.

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She’s Strangely Competitive

September 15, 2015 at 9:05 am by Claudia

It was bound to happen.

Upon reading yesterday’s post, Caroline had a request. She wanted some ‘As Is’ photos of her house. Pronto.

No matter that I wasn’t feeling well, that I was constantly blowing my nose and sucking on lozenges. She would not be deterred. Finally, simply to put an end to constant chatter coming from Hummingbird Cottage, I got out the camera.

Here you go. Caroline’s house. As Is.

9-15 dh livingroom

9-15 dh ottoman

9-15 dh porch

9-15 dh bedroom

9-15 dh fireplace

9-15 dh studio

9-15 dh coffeetable

9-15 dh kitchen

9-15 dh parrish

Actually, Caroline and I had a couple of spats yesterday. I was under the weather, tired, and not very patient. She was in a strangely argumentative mood.

The first was over Maxfield Parrish. She said, and rightly, that she had her very own Maxfield Parrish print before I did. I agreed. However, I had to remind her that without my long-held love of Parrish’s work, she wouldn’t have known about him. I was the one who suggested Parrish to her. I told her all about his work as a painter and illustrator. Consequently, she grew to love his work. Since Caroline had more money in the bank than I did at the time, she bought the print and I hung it for her.

The second was over the watermark on my photos. She thought that it should read: Hummingbird Cottage. I explained that the watermark has less to do with the subject matter of the photos, i.e., her cottage, than with the blog itself. She pressed further. No, I said, the watermark has to do with the name of the blog (and the photographer), not the name of your house. And yes, the name of the blog is the same as the name of my house.

As you can imagine, this got Caroline thinking about creating her own blog. Have at it, I said. But when she realized how much work was involved in maintaining a blog, she backed off. She’s far too busy for that, she said.

Crisis averted.

• On another note, if you followed the wildly popular blog, Young House Love (they stopped blogging just about a year ago,) you might be interested in this podcast interview with them. I listened to it yesterday. It’s about an hour long, but if you have the time, I think you’ll enjoy it. Much is said about the quality of life, where blogging leaves off and real life begins, and the sometimes frustrating exercise of trying to please a demanding blog readership. They are admirable people.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Tuesday.

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Midweek Check-in

September 9, 2015 at 8:57 am by Claudia

Two new tires on old car. Check.

Inspection on newer car to be done today. Almost check.

Dollhouse photos submitted to British magazine. Check.

Two nights in a row of too little sleep. Check.

9-9 funkypatio

But it’s sunny and beautiful outside and the flowers are still blooming. I miss seeing birds in the birdbath. Every year about mid-August, I notice the lack of activity out there and it makes me sad. I get such pleasure from watching them frolic in the water. I feel like a mom whose kids have left the nest. Come back, little birds! (It should be the title of a play.)

9-9 roses

The Lady Elsie May roses are doing well. I cut them back severely this spring. There were so many dead canes that the whole bush needed a haircut. Now, I have to decide what to do about its neighbor – the Julia Child rose. It had leaves this year, but no rosebuds. Do I get rid of it? Or do I give it one last chance with a haircut?

9-9 journalfromtammy

I’ve been the lucky recipient of a couple of gifts lately. Tammy, one of my longtime blogging friends who lives in Kuwait, sent me this beautiful journal that she made, along with a crocheted heart. Isn’t it lovely?

Thank you, Tammy!

And Barbara sent some goodies for the Top Secret Project. DON: Stop here!

9-9 minibaseballcards

Some teeny-tiny baseball cards from L. Delaney.

9-9 miniabbeyroad

And a mini record album, complete with record – Abbey Road, of course. Barbara must have read my mind. I’m going to have a turntable in the studio, along with a record album collection. This Beatles album is the perfect start. As you know, Don is a huge Beatles fan.

The album is also by L. Delaney. I’ve ordered from her before and she has a wonderful Etsy shop.

Thank you, Barbara!

By the way, the article about the dollhouse will most likely be in the January issue. I’ll let you know more about it in a few months.

Happy Wednesday.

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Re-Emerging (and the TSP)

She’s Strangely Competitive

Midweek Check-in

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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