Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for miniatures

Dollhouse: More Recent Additions

November 9, 2014 at 9:17 am by Claudia

During the drive home on Friday, the sky treated us to an always changing, amazingly dramatic array of colors and clouds and vivid blue skies. It was late afternoon, that time before sunset, when nature sometimes puts on a dramatic show. Honestly, we kept gasping as we drove west in the Interstate – it was better than any movie, always surprising, always shifting.

I was driving and Don kept taking pictures with his iPhone.

Here’s how it looked when we got home (from my camera):

SUNDAY Sunset

I admit it. I am now fully into dollhouse mania. The only somewhat major thing I have to do is figure out the rooftop garden. Beyond that, it will be all about adding little touches throughout the rooms. I like adding accessories, but I don’t think I will be the kind of dollhouse decorator where every room is chock full of little things, as tempting as that may be. Maybe I’ll rotate things in and out of the rooms. I like creative clutter, as you know, but not clutter-clutter. And detail is wonderful, but the eye does need someplace to rest. But who knows? I may keep adding and adding.

Anyway, my friends, here are a few more photos of recent additions to the dollhouse; Hummingbird Cottage, if you, like me, sometimes forget that it has a name.

SUNDAY dh fabric bolts

These are the fabric bolts that I bought in Chautauqua at Chautauqua Miniatures.

SUNDAY plate 2

One of the plates from Barbara (it’s normally in the kitchen, but I propped it up here so you could see the pattern.)

SUNDAY flower pot

I purchased the pot of flowers from Chautauqua Miniatures.

SUNDAY trug

I’m calling this a trug. It’s from Barbara.

SUNDAY dh biscuits

The box of biscuits was made by Norma. The owner likes to sip her coffee and snack on some chocolate biscuits. Her name is Caroline. Why? It’s my middle name, in honor of my grandmother, Caroline. And it’s also the name of my great-niece.

SUNDAY dh painting

This pansy painting was one of the items I got in the mini swap. It’s very sweet.

SUNDAY kitchen tin

There’s the other tin from Barbara, right next to the mixer.

SUNDAY silver cup & Jug

At the top of the shelf unit is a lovely pottery jug from Barbara. And on the shelf is a little silver tea cup, another item I received in the swap – it was handmade by one of the participants. Amazing. (I have to straighten that tea towel!)

I added some links to the Dollhouse section up there on the navigation bar. They link to some dollhouse posts that give some helpful information to those of you who are interested in decorating and finding your very own dollhouse. Sue, your request is what got me thinking about adding the links, so thank you!

And I also started to write down – room by room – where I got each piece in the dollhouse. Some pieces have been purchased, some I’ve found and rehabbed, and many have been gifts. I want to do a post soon with pictures of each room and all the information as to each piece listed below. Then I’ll list sources and links.

Am I soon going to be done with the dollhouse? Doesn’t seem possible, but it just might happen.

Nah.

Tomorrow, a book review for a great new mystery. I really loved it. (I’ll be giving away a copy of the book.)

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: dollhouse, miniatures 29 Comments

Late Autumn: Back to the Dollhouse

November 7, 2014 at 9:06 am by Claudia

Yes, sure as shootin’, when the skies begin to darken earlier, and lamplight warms the cottage, and when I can no longer do anything in the garden – I start thinking about the dollhouse. That has been helped along this year by some lovely gifts from readers.

Ready for some miniature updates? (All photos taken early this morning.)

Fall dollhouse 1

The pink rug that Barbara sent turns out to be absolutely perfect for the office/studio. I mean, isn’t that rug meant for this space?

Fall dollhouse 2

That pink canister on the top shelf, the cake cutter, and the two plates at the top of the stack are also from Barbara. I’ll get a better shot of the canister someday soon.

Fall dollhouse 3

Coffee canister from Barbara, tin of tea from Lee.

Fall dollhouse 4

Don’t you love these? They’re from Barbara. One is in the studio/office and one is on the counter in the kitchen next to the mixer.

Fall dollhouse 5

There it is. I’ll get a picture of the one in the kitchen when the light is better.

Fall dollhouse 6

Liquor bottles from Barbara.

Fall dollhouse 8

I bought this little painting of a cottage when I was in Chautauqua this summer.

Fall dollhouse 9

The tray with books, writing paper and a cup of tea is from Lee.

There will be more.

Gosh, I love my dollhouse.

I’m driving to get Don this afternoon! Yay! And, he got to see Hamlet last night. That makes me so happy. I am enormously proud of Hamlet. Most of the time, Don and I do not get to see each other’s work because of distance or dog responsibilities. I can’t tell you how long it has been since Don was able to see a play I’ve worked on. This time we’ve had in Connecticut, working 40 miles apart, has been lovely. I got to see his work in Our Town. He got to see mine in Hamlet. He went backstage after the show to talk to the cast, many of whom he got to meet when he visited me in Hartford. My worlds came together and I actually cried this morning when Don told me how much he loved it. I love knowing he chatted with the cast and that they know me and know him now, as well. And last week, many of the Hamlet cast went to see Our Town and saw Don’s excellent work onstage. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

Enormously happy about that. It meant so much to me.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, miniatures 42 Comments

Field Trip: Chautauqua Miniatures

June 25, 2014 at 8:32 am by Claudia

Before I get in to my visit to Chautauqua Miniatures, I want to take a moment to thank you for the outpouring of messages on Don’s birthday. It just confirms what I already know: you are the best! Don thanks you from the bottom of his heart. He loved reading them. As for his day, he played the guitar and drove to a new Mexican restaurant he had discovered to treat himself to a birthday dinner. Don, a San Diego native who grew up on Mexican food, is always in search of a good Mexican restaurant and this one is the first he has found in our area that meets his standards.

In honor of his birthday, I treated myself to a delicious veggie burger and fries on the grounds of Chautauqua.

Hey, why not?

Now, onto Chautauqua Miniatures. Let me say right off the bat that the interior photos are not at all good. I’ve done the best I can with them. But the iPhone, while quite wonderful outdoors, is not so good indoors, especially when the room is relatively dark. So the photos are slightly blurry. Normally, I would have trashed these but I know you want to see the shop. (Wishing I had my big girl camera yet again!)

chautauqua-miniatures1

The shop is just down the road from the Chautauqua Institution. I could have walked there had I wanted to. It’s in an old barn and is surrounded by pretty gardens and (this is for you, Meredith) two yarn shops. The owners of Chautauqua Miniatures also carry decorative items for the home and toys in their space.

Let’s go inside.

chautauqua-miniatures2

There are display cases everywhere in the shop that are full of miniatures. Some of them are designed by artisans and are truly spectacular. (I asked the owner for permission to photograph the shop and we agreed not to show closeups of the artisan pieces, as the artists don’t want their ideas copied.)

chautauqua-miniatures3

Everywhere you turn, there are miniatures. That’s one of the owners in the back, putting something in a display case.

chautauqua-miniatures4

This kitchen was on display in a room box. Loved it.

chautauqua-miniatures5

There are dollhouse kits, as well as finished dollhouses, on display. This has always been one of my favorites – The Vermont from Real Good Toys.

chautauqua-miniatures8

chautauqua-miniatures7

My dollhouse is in 1-inch scale, but there are many miniaturists who work in ½-inch scale. That smaller dollhouse you see up there is built to that scale. It can be hard to find furniture and accessories in ½-inch but Chautauqua Miniatures has a lot of inventory on hand. And they have a website, so you can order directly from them.

After much consideration, I came home with some treasures.

chautauqua-miniatures-planters

Two planters for the rooftop garden.

chautauqua-miniatures-fabricbolts

Fabric bolts for the studio.

chautauqua-miniatures-books

Two books – Alice in Wonderland and a World Atlas. And a darling little painting of a cottage.

chautauqua-miniatures-gardentools

Garden tools for the potting room/rooftop garden. I think I’ll have to rough them up a bit.

chautauqua-miniatures-pottedplants

Two potted plants for the roof.

chautauqua-miniatures-kit

A kit for a Victorian corner shelf.

chautauqua-miniatures-wickerchair1

And this ‘wicker’ chair and ottoman made out of resin. I couldn’t resist. There were only two of them left. A fellow shopper liked my choice so much, she grabbed the other one. The owner of the shop was pretty sure they weren’t being made anymore, so I’m glad I went for it. I think I’ll have to make some cushions, don’t you think?

What an amazing shop! I spent a fair amount of time there and could have stayed even longer, but it was very humid outside and the shop didn’t have any air conditioning. I emerged a sweaty mess and headed back to Chautauqua.

We are in tech rehearsals now. I’ll be in and out of rehearsal today, depending on how slow the process is. I attended the Tom Brokaw interview the other day and it was terrific. The amphitheater was packed and I decided to stand in the back against a wall. There are a fair amount of Chautauqua residents who use motorized scooters and let me tell you, some of them need a remedial driving course! Several scooter-ites drove past me and almost ran over my feet. They were completely oblivious to anyone around them. Since I was against a wall, I couldn’t move out of the way. Yikes! It would make a good Saturday Night Live sketch if it wasn’t so scary!

Don’t forget to visit my post entitled A New Path (In More Ways than One.) Oxytrol for Women and More Magazine are launching an Open A New Door contest for women over 50. Go on over and read the details and enter!

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: Chautauqua, dollhouse, miniatures 46 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • …
  • 100
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in