Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Vignettes

Moody Monday Morning Sheep

February 20, 2023 at 8:58 am by Claudia

Moody Monday Morning Sheep for you today.

One of these sheep is a gift from Lori, the owner of Vignettes in Ocean Beach/San Diego. The last time we were out there, during Don’s run of Margaritaville, I stopped by the shop but Lori wasn’t there that day. She collected  putz sheep and she was selling some of her collection in the shop. I purchased a couple. A couple of months after I was back home, this arrived in the mail for me. She’d had it decorated. That’s an Eiffel Tower hanging from the neck.

It’s priceless.

And of course, The Lamb with the Party Hat, the symbol of this blog. I found him in an antique shop (Country Roads) in Orange, California – most likely in 2009. By the way, if I could think of one shop I’d choose to visit again, it’s that one. Simply extraordinary.

It’s darkish in the studio right now, hence the moody look of the photos.

No two of these sheep are alike. (I might need more…) I have 20 of them at the moment.

Oh, and remember the big box of putz sheep that Helga sent me from Germany? One of the biggest surprises ever! I think there were seven of them, but I could be off on the count. Helga has a very large collection of these sheep, beautifully displayed. And she has a Beacon Hill dollhouse that she has decorated beautifully. Note to self: visit Helga’s Instagram feed today.

There they are! Yes, seven.

Once again, I am captivated by the whimsical.  I can’t help it. The more whimsical, the better.

It’s a gray day here today. We’re back to the 30s and 40s for daytime highs, though today it will hit 50.

Now, after last night’s delightful and moving finale for this season of All Creatures Great and Small, we have to wait another year for more. It was beautifully done by one and all.

By the way, in rereading the blog, I am reminded that the surprise package from Helga came on the day that we received our very first Covid vaccination. What a day that was – the vaccination appointment had been so hard to get and we were so ebullient after we got our shots. Then the sheep arrived later that day!

I often do a search on this blog so that I can verify when something happened. I love writing in a journal/planner/calendar as well, but this blog has a search box and I don’t have to rifle through page after page to find the information I want. It comes up immediately. Quite handy.

Okay. I don’t know what I’m doing today. Right now, I’m going to finish my coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

Filed Under: collecting, putz sheep, Vignettes 31 Comments

Scenes From The Cottage: The Studio

January 23, 2015 at 8:54 am by Claudia

For those of you who are new to the blog, this is a little space I carved out of the upstairs hallway. I use it for my sewing machine and a cupboard that holds supplies and favorite things. I used to call it my studio. In fact there was an article published about this space that used that very word.

However, ‘Studio’ is another term I’m trying to phase out – purely in terms of my personal space. Because I don’t feel entirely comfortable with that word. Don insists that I’m an artist. And I am. But do I earn my living from the things I create in this space? No. So, studio? I’m not so sure.

So….what word to use?

Craft room? It’s not really a room, is it? Craft space? No. I’m also tired of ‘craft’ and ‘crafting.’ Creative space? That might be a possibility, although my creative space is not limited to this hallway. If I could get away with it, I’d use the word ‘atelier’ because it conjures up spaces with skylights tucked in the attics or garrets of a French building. And I have a skylight and this space is located in the former attic of this cottage.

Atelier, though bordering on pretentious, might be sort of fun. What do you think?

I’ve chronicled this space a lot on this blog and it has gone through various incarnations. To tell you the truth, I haven’t been using it much lately and I’ve felt sort of ‘meh’ about it. I think it has nothing to do with the space, but more to do with where my head is at lately.

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Letitia, my vintage dress form, and the cabinet I got on Craig’s List for $75. I repainted it at the same time I was going crazy painting the bedroom furniture.

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The girls: my mom’s Shirley Temple doll on the left, Tressa (who has two left feet, so of course I had to rescue her) is in the center, and Emma (also a rescue) is on the right. Party hat made by my friend Tina, who also gave me the tiara.

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Egg cups on a vintage mantel that’s been hung on the wall. I found the flower print in San Diego, the shadowbox holds a program from the Broadway play, Claudia, along with a little tiny bride and groom cake topper. The program was given to my by my friend Suzanne. That burlap and lace ribbon says Mockingbird Hill Cottage. The fireplace screen on the floor was found in my friend Heidi’s now defunct shop. I love it. The pink sewing box was found in Wisconsin when I was coaching there. It holds all the letters Don sent to me when we were courting. (Lamb Chop has recently moved to the top of the sewing machine. She gets around.) The sewing basket (which has recently moved to a closet in my effort to clean up this space) was found in a local shop – embellishments added by me. It holds all my embroidery supplies.

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Inside the cabinet: threads, ribbons, buttons, some McCoy, fabric covered boxes, a piece of Roseville Pottery, a koala bear bank from my friend Becky, and my bride and groom cake toppers.

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The putz sheep that my friend Lori (who is the owner of Vignettes in San Diego) had a friend embellish and decorate for me is on the right. I treasure it so much! I miss Vignettes, which is my favorite shop ever. The putz sheep on the left was given to me by my dear friend Judy. The Claudia covered matchbook was made by another dear blogging friend, Elyse.

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If you look at the frame on the right at the top, you can see the original colors of the cabinet.

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My Ranarp lamp from IKEA. And more overwintering impatiens. The pin cushion was made by Debbie of Happy Little Cottage. I found the little blue pitcher with the letters CH on it in a little antique shop. My initials, of course, so I had to have it.

There was a lovely old shelf on the wall behind the sewing machine but it fell off the wall one day. I’m still trying to figure out if I want to repair it or just put something else there.

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A favorite chair. If you look closely, you can see where I stepped through the cane on the chair back. Yes, my friends, I did. I was standing on the chair in the bedroom trying to get to a leak in the ceiling and the chair fell over, causing my foot to go through the cane. I was extremely ticked off at my foolishness. Much cursing and swearing ensued.

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Lamb Chop and Baby Lamb Chop sit on top of the sewing machine, which is covered by a vintage embroidered doily roll that I found in an antique shop a few years back.

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The baby mug with the C was made by Emma Bridgewater. I got it many years ago while I was in London at her shop in Marylebone, which I think is no longer there. I found the wall pocket in a local vintage shop.

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A vintage kitchen spice shelf hangs on the wall. That’s the original Lamb with the Party Hat. Yes, indeed! And a doggie toothpick holder, some vintage miniature clothespins and a Paris/Eiffel Tower medal I got at Vignettes in San Diego.

There are other tours of the studio, ahem, atelier, on the blog. It’s had many looks, and lots more ‘stuff’ along the way; I cleaned a lot of that up about a year ago because I was in the mood for a less cluttered look.

That’s it, my friends. No bathroom tours and definitely no tour of the guest bedroom/office/studio which is currently a mishmash of furniture and guitars and amps. Maybe someday.

Happy Friday.

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Tagged With: studio, VignettesFiled Under: decorating, DIY, studio, Vignettes 37 Comments

Hello, Little Lamb: A Gift From Judy

August 14, 2013 at 8:31 am by Claudia

A few years back, I was working temporarily in California. One day on a visit to an antique shop, I spotted some tiny putz sheep. They were inside a dimly lit display cabinet. I wrote about them and my sister, also a sheep and lamb lover, promptly told me to go back and buy them. I did. Mer got three, I got one.

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I fell in love with my little lamb. Lori, a fellow blogger who unfortunately doesn’t blog anymore, left a comment that all sheep should have party hats and directed me to some photos of her little sheep collection – all wearing their festive hats. So I made a hat for mine.

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That sweetheart wormed her way into my heart and she eventually became part of my header.

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She turned up on my business cards. And on my watermark. The party hat is on my signature.

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On one of my visits to Florida, Meredith’s sheep got their very own party hats.

My friend Lori (another Lori!) of Vignettes in San Diego, my favorite antique shop ever, knew I had been eyeing a larger putz sheep that was in the shop and she sneakily and wonderfully had one of her artists decorate it to remind me of my many visits there. She’s wearing a party hat, too.

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You get the picture. I love sheep. I love lambs. I especially love putz sheep.

The other day, my friend Judy told me she was sending me a little something that she’d found. The package arrived here in Hartford yesterday.

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Oh my! Judy found this little sheep and, as only Judy can, added the wooden spool and the lace and the buttons to create a suitable perch. I’m in love.

I called her to thank her for her delightful gift. She told me she had the sheep in a box, ready to mail, when she had a thought: “I have to add a party hat.” Out it came and Judy worked her magic.

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I’m delighted and grateful. Judy has become a great friend and her thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me. Thank you, dear friend, for adding a touch of sweetness and whimsy to my temporary lodgings.

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I added a little something to the top of the hat. (It’s the head of one of my sewing pins.)

My growing collection of putz sheep makes me smile. And each one is unique; decorated by me or by beloved friends. Sigh. I’m smiling.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: collecting, sheep, Vignettes, vintage 52 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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