Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Perfect Present

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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the wonderful birthday greetings! Between the warm greetings on this blog and on Facebook, my cup of good cheer runneth over.

My birthday was lovely and quiet. Well, not quite so quiet when Don put on some music in the evening and we all danced (and I mean the dogs, as well!) Don and I went to our favorite local tearoom in the afternoon and had some hot chocolate with big old homemade marshmallows. Ummm good! In fact, here was my menu for the afternoon and evening: cheese and crackers, hot chocolate, pancakes and eggs for dinner with apple pie for dessert. A day of comfort food favorites.

Now for my present from Don. I saw this in Heidi’s shop when I was helping her out during her Holiday Open House. In fact, I went by it a few times before the light bulb clicked on in my decorating brain. I was tired of the rolling desk chair I had in the studio. It was from IKEA, wasn’t very sturdy and I was getting tired of the cover which was lovely, but was now seeming a bit too flowery. And since my sewing table is at the top of the stairs, rolling of any kind could result in a quick trip down the stairs, if you know what I mean. I told Heidi I loved the chair, she told Don and now it’s mine!

Isn’t it beautiful? Heidi got it at an auction. It’s as if it was made for this space. The puff is artfully covering up a bit of nail polish spilled by a previous owner. It doesn’t matter to me because the chair will be tucked in most of the time. Some details:

I’m in love. 

There it is in its new home. Dare I say this? I think the studio is finished. I do. In the past 2 months, I’ve added the cabinet, the vintage feedsack shoe bag, my vintage dress form, Letitia, the newly trimmed chalkboard, the rediscovered and newly painted shelf (which you can see in the photo) and now….the chair. And all of it was very inexpensive and in some cases, free. This space was definitely done on a minuscule budget.

It really is a room in itself now. It’s pretty. It inspires me. Don loves it. I love it. C’est fini!

Oh, here’s my pie from the local bakery:

They decorated the pie! That’s a first – what a smile that brought to my face. I always have a birthday pie. It was yummy.

Elyse sent me a little something for my birthday which I will share with you in the next post.

Hope your Monday is a terrific one.

Forgot to add that Margaret B. of The French Bear is the winner of a copy of Outside the Ordinary World. Congratulations, Margaret!

I’d Like to Introduce You to Someone

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Hello, everyone! Have you met the newest member of the MHC family? No? Well, allow me the pleasure of introducing you to Letitia. That middle syllable has a long e sound, by the way. Letitia, meet my friends.

Letitia is named after my favorite Aunt Lettie, my Dad’s sister, who died a few years ago.

She has a tiny waist, doesn’t she? Scarlett O’Hara would be jealous.

She’s missing her label, but I’m pretty sure she was made by Acme. I found her on eBay and the price was incredibly reasonable. She traveled north to MHC from New Jersey.

She has just the right amount of rust…

And her feet are ornate cast iron.

How should I dress her?

I love it, of course. However, she seemed a little unhappy. She’s not into baseball.

What about an autumnal Pendleton look?

Very attractive. Perhaps on another day?

Wait a minute! I have an idea.  I have part of a costume I once wore. It was given to me at the end of the play’s run. My character was an oversexed older woman. (No comments from the peanut gallery.) She was chasing a younger man around a poof and as she fell backward in a sort of swoon, her hoop skirt flew up and these were revealed.

Hot pink, I might add. I think these will be perfect on my girl. I’ll add a touch of beauty at the neckline.

Et voila!

Sort of a Gigi-Colette-courtesan look.

Seriously, I am over-the-moon about my new girl. I spotted her on eBay, outbid a few other interested buyers and I got her! The shipping was very inexpensive, partly because she only lived one state away. That was deliberate on my part. She’s in great shape, has no musty smell (something you have to think about when you haven’t actually seen her in person) and she fits perfectly in the studio.

I didn’t tell husband about her until the day she was due to arrive.  Then I thought I’d better confess. You see, my birthday is this Sunday. And I thought that perhaps the purchase might be a wee bit justified if I bought her for myself. As a present to me. From me. And she truly was a great deal.

Bless him, he didn’t blink an eye. He’s known about my obsessive need wish for a dress form for quite a while. He somehow expected her to be new, possibly because I had mentioned that I might buy a new one if I couldn’t find an old one in some long ago conversation. (I guess he actually does listen to my babbling once in a while.) When he saw her cast iron feet and the rest of her vintageness…well, he fell a little bit in love. He said she’s like a Barbie doll for an adult. And she is.

I’ve already dressed her up several times. She’s even worn my blue eyeglasses on a chain around her neck. And several scarves. And an old kimono.

My Aunt Lettie couldn’t care less about clothes when I knew her, though she was quite stylish in her younger days. I adored her. My sister Meredith’s middle name is Letitia. I like having a Letitia in my home. It feels right.

What do you think?

P.S. Don’t forget my book review, if you’re interested. I’m giving away a copy of the book. It’s the post just before this one.

Cleaning & Rediscovering

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While in the midst of cleaning off the porch, putting things in the shed for the winter as well as rearranging said shed, look what I found:

I forgot about this shelf! It is a little fragile, but I think I can use it. The scrollwork is so pretty.

I want to paint it a creamy color. Maybe it can go in my studio?

Then I found this:

This little glass lamp was my grandmother’s. I’ve never been enamored of the brass finish, but the hand-painted glass? Love it.

Pink roses – perfect!  I’m going have it re-wired. You are all so crafty and savvy – any ideas on what to do with the brass? Suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I’m not even sure it is real brass, it may be ‘faux brass.’

This came in the mail yesterday. It is a little 3 x 5  oil painting by Lara Harris. She painted several of these to help raise money for her cousin, Holly, who needs to travel to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to be treated for a debilitating disease involving the inner ear. Her cousin’s husband will have to take unpaid leave in order to be with her and care for their 4 children. I checked Lara’s Etsy shop and there are at least 3 still available.

Isn’t this beautiful? Lara is a very talented artist who lives in my home state of Michigan. Someday I hope to have her paint my doggies – Lara specializes in pet portraits. Stop by and visit her and if you’re inclined to donate to a good cause, her dress paintings are very reasonably priced.

My back is getting much, much better. Thanks so much for your concern. I am being careful, I promise.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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