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You are here: Home / Archives for winter

Comforting & Decluttering

March 1, 2014 at 8:24 am by Claudia

In a seemingly endless series of very cold days with mountains of snow the only thing to be seen outside my windows, I find this to be my favorite thing to wear:

favoriteoutfit

A Boston University sweatshirt that has to be 25 years old and a pair of pajama pants that were passed on to me by my husband. Certainly not high fashion, but tremendously comforting on some level. Old sweatshirts are the best, aren’t they? I have many of them. Some are covered with paint. Some are, ahem, slightly stained. Some, like this one, are in a cheery red that makes me smile and reminds me of my days in Boston. Don gave up these PJ pants because they didn’t fit and were much too small. Lucky me! Perfect for days around the house – a drawstring waist, flannel-y type fabric, and a plaid I would never choose on my own but seems to suit me just fine. Now imagine the sight of me when I go out to get the mail: plaid pants, red sweatshirt, pink down jacket, red & white hat and blue boots. My eyes hurt just thinking about it.

I won’t be featured on a hip fashion blog, that’s for sure. But winter, especially this winter, is about wrapping myself in something comfortable and comforting, whether it is an old blanket, a cozy afghan, a slouchy sweater or sweatshirt, thick socks or, of course, my beloved flannel pajamas. I don’t much care about fashion in the depths of this, I have to say it, depressing winter.

More snow is coming tomorrow into Monday. The jury is still out as to how much. I find I’m sort of numbed to the whole thing, though surely I won’t feel that way when I have to shovel it all. Again.

Winter…you win. You’ve done it. You’ve won this little battle and I quite freely admit it. Now get out of here.

pansies

Like many of you, I have strong political leanings (that I refrain from discussing on this blog) which have led to my being on the receiving end of countless emails from like-minded groups. For a long while I have, depending on my mood and the day, either read those emails and signed petitions, etc., or hit the delete key. This happens many, many, many times during the course of a day.

Yesterday, I didn’t immediately hit delete, instead, I clicked on Unsubscribe. Yes, I did. For each one. I know what’s going on in the world or at least, as much as I want to know. I stay away from the 24 hour cable news networks. I don’t need to be inundated with a constant stream of money raising pleas, petitions to be signed, and dire predictions. I want some peace.

Oh, that felt good.

Then I hit Unsubscribe on a few other non-political emails that tend to hit my inbox on a regular basis and that I never read.

Begone! And they are. It is curiously satisfying. I suppose it’s the equivalent of cleaning out a closet full of clutter, of taking control.

By the way, speaking of eliminating clutter, i.e., in the studio, the pansy print (one of my favorites) has moved from the studio to the bedroom, where I think it goes rather nicely with the D necklace hanger/hook. I have two of these, one a C and one a D (for, you guessed it, Claudia and Don) but I couldn’t find the C when it was time to find a solution for my necklaces, so the D got the job.

And to end this post with a smile, here are my cute-as-pie egg cups in the newly decluttered studio:

eggcupsallinarow

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: favorite things, snow, studio, winter 52 Comments

Little Pleasures

February 27, 2014 at 8:10 am by Claudia

redimpatiens

I don’t mind telling you, it’s awfully nice to see impatiens blooming in the bedroom. This pot is right in front of the window and seeing that pop of color makes me smile.

As does this:

lightinstudio

For the first time in what seems like ages there is no snow covering the skylight, thanks to last week’s warmer temperatures.

Small things, but I’ll take my little pleasures where I can get them nowadays.

Lovely little pleasures arrived in the mail the other day:

magazines

Nora, a dear friend of this blog, sent some reading material my way. Three issues of Mini-ologie and an issue of the newish (to us) magazine, Flow. Mini-ologie is a fairly new quarterly magazine that has been put together by three talented miniaturists. It’s lovely and chock full of wonderful photos and ideas for all of us who love dollhouses and miniatures. And Flow – wow! It’s subtitled, “A Magazine for Paper Lovers” and it’s from Holland. Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t even begin to tell you all that is in its pages. It’s a gorgeous treasure trove of articles, interviews, paper treats and creative stimulation.

I cannot tell you the last time I’ve seen a magazine that is this full of amazing content. It’s much more like a book than a magazine, so it’s pricier, but entirely worth it.

Thank you, Nora! I’m so enjoying this visual stimulation; a very nice contrast to the snow covered world outside my windows.

Let’s see. What else is going on? I have a book review coming up tomorrow for a book that I truly loved – a different genre for me that took me on an amazing  journey. I can’t wait to share it with you. I started Dan Brown’s latest, Inferno. I paid a lot of bills. I recycled at our town’s recycling center (which used to be called The Dump.) I bought more of Scoutie’s prescription dog food. I talked to Don, but briefly. His rehearsal days are long and by the end of the day he’s pretty tired. Just a few more days in the rehearsal room and then Technical/Dress Rehearsals begin. He’s lonely. I’m lonely. We miss each other.

My dear Jim Parsons is hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. He’ll be a great host. I will have to watch it On Demand as I know I can’t stay awake that late! You know, it’s only been 13 years since Jim was my student. His class was the last class I brought into the acting program and they all graduated right before Don and I moved out East. We even traveled to London together, Jim and I, on a class trip to study Shakespeare at the Globe. It is simply extraordinary what has happened in his life and career in that relatively short time. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I’m proud to call him my friend.

I’ll be staying in as much as possible today. It is very, very, very cold out there. More snow may come next week.

There are no words.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: Don, friends, gifts, Jim Parsons, reading, winter 51 Comments

Tiaras and Tails

February 26, 2014 at 8:41 am by Claudia

scouttiara

Oh yes.

She has a tiara now.

Tina and Noble, of course. They thought it only proper. After all, she is a Dame.

And she’s had to put up with a lot lately. Slippery ice, snow, terrible weather, her beloved daddy far away.

A little glitter is good for the soul, don’t you think?

scouttiara2

After all, she is my pretty girl and pretty girls love tiaras.

It’s very cold again. Yesterday, I spent an hour shoveling snow onto the paths in Scout’s dog corral. They had become so icy that both of us were slipping and sliding on them. She seems to be navigating them a bit more securely now.

All this happened after I had a meltdown on the phone with Don the night before and he was treated to the sound of me screaming about how much I hate this ice and snow and how treacherous it is and how I am sick to death of it and I want to move and I hate it here.

Unlike my girl, it wasn’t pretty. And I’m not exaggerating when I say I was screaming.

Bless Don for listening and not thinking I am a nutcase. Or, at least, not believing it for more than a moment.

The next morning, sanity prevailed and I went out there with a shovel and a “I’ll show you!” attitude. Which led to a hot shower and aspirin for my aching back, shoulder and arm.

seltzermoxie

The aqua seltzer bottle ended up here. I thought seltzer and a guy in tails made perfect sense together. I added the pale aqua Moxie bottle and a piece of McCoy for a splash of contrasting color.

I like it.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: decorating, Don, McCoy pottery, Scout, winter 58 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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