Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Cool!

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It’s raining today and the temperature is almost 20 degrees lower than yesterday. Huzzah!

We were so over the heat and humidity of the past 4 or 5 days. Don couldn’t do much photography work, I had to stay in due to allergies – although I obviously went out to water all the plants – so I’m blessing the rain this morning.

I haven’t done anything more on the dollhouse, but I did buy a couple of pieces of mini furniture. I am very picky about chairs and sofas because so many of the ones I see out there are awkward and wrong. The cushions are too big, the pleats at the bottom are way too wide, the pattern on the fabric is too large. They don’t look real. What I find lacking in some dollhouses I see is attention to scale. It’s impossible to get everything exactly to scale, but I really do my best to make everything look real and to have nothing that’s ‘off.’

I’ve had a couple of modern sofas handmade by artisans and I really love them. One of them is in Don’s Studio. The other is in the modern dollhouse that I purchased last year (and have yet to decorate.)

I found one manufacturer that I liked when I was redoing Hummingbird Cottage.

They made this sofa that’s in the den. Perfectly to scale.

Side note: I’ve always been unhappy with that copy of To Kill a Mockingbird  that’s on the table. It’s too big. It looks like a coffee table book instead of a hard cover novel. Note to self: must find one that is in scale. This is an older photo and I’m not even sure if the book is on the table anymore. It may be on the shelf.

And they made this chair in the living room.

Also one of my favorites.

Then I didn’t see their handiwork for a long time and assumed I wouldn’t be able to use them again. Recently, I was on a website and there they were! I ordered this sofa.

Since I’m thinking of an English Cottage look for this little house, I thought this might work. It looks English to me. I also ordered a duplicate of the one in the Hummingbird Cottage den, simply because I love it so much and what if they stop making it, horrors! I need to have another one on hand.

From another source on eBay, I ordered this chair:

Maybe for the bedroom?

I’m not sure. I just liked it and wanted it in my stash.

Realistically, I probably won’t do much of anything on the house until we return from our trip. As the days get chillier, working on the dollhouse will seem more and more appealing.

Change of subject: Have you seen the documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG? It was playing in theaters and is now being aired by CNN (they might be airing it this Sunday, check your listings) and it’s available On Demand/CNN. It’s simply wonderful. I learned so much more about her and, if possible, I’m even more of a fan than I already was. Extraordinary. I recommend it highly.

Okay. It’s Friday. I have to accomplish something around here and it will be in the form of laundry and cleaning.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Comments

  1. rbg is a national treasure … we need to celebrate her and appreciate her while she is with us-

    seeing the miniatures is such a pleasure- all that lovely detail done to scale-

    have a cool and happy weekend-
    barb in texas

  2. glad for cooler weather for you there and us here. means i will likely get more stuff done and be less crabby (i don’t do well in high heat or humidity) … ha!

    the details on those miniatures are incredible! perhaps that company could make a smaller “tkam” book for you … ?

    will try to locate the “rbg” documentary. thanks for the recommendation.

    hope you have a nice day!

    kathy in iowa

    • No, it’s not that kind of company. They work with retailers and they just make furniture. I’ll find one, don’t worry!

  3. It was so great having the windows open yesterday…breathing in all that cooler fresh air. So glad that air has finally reached you. For some reason, I feel laundry and other household chores are more pleasurable with the windows fully open. So I got a lot done yesterday.

    I especially like the pattern on that last chair you ordered. I wouldn’t mind that one in my size.

    I’ve been such a fan of RBG….I’ll have to find that documentary. Thanks for the heads up! ;)

  4. I will look at that documentary. I love RBG! Cute furniture for the doll house. I agree buy them while you can. I figure it’s a winter project for you. It has cooled off here just a little bit. I’m making lists and getting ready to go see my girl in Cali next week. Annie has to be groomed and nails clipped before I can leave her with my Mom. Sara and my friend Carter will watch out for my Mom if she needs anything. I’m not to worry but have fun they say. My cell phone bit the dust and I got a new one and I like it. Smaller and faster then my 4 yr old phone. I don’t change unless things really stop working. Not much other news just laundry and chores to catch up on. Hugs!

  5. I will have to check out the documentary of RBG. I am a big fan! I am also having problems finding sofas and chairs for my dollhouse. Who is your source? I might need to have them make me a couple!
    Glad your weather is behaving. Unfortunately, it is still muggy here but that’s the price I pay for mild winters.

    • The modern sofas were made by a woman on Etsy, who is currently on hiatus. The others were found at Dollhouses and More.

  6. This wonderful cool weather is so welcome! All windows open here for Day #2 and the cat is so very happy. I don’t think it is supposed to be above 77* until later next week. The best news is no rain!!! There are still a few schools in our area which haven’t opened yet due to the flooding. Right now we have no rain in the forecast through next weekend and that is an amazing relief for everyone.

    I am always amazed by the dollhouse furniture you have. If I was just looking at those pictures, not knowing they were dollhouses, I would think they were lovely sofas set in a room. It puts me in awe of what people can make in such small versions. Caroline’s cottage is always one that is jaw dropping when you share her lovely home with us.

    Hope you have a good Friday and enjoy these wonderful temps!

    • It’s cooler here today, but it’s still humid in the house and it’s been raining. I think we need tomorrow’s temps in the sixties before I can air the house out!

      I am amazed at the work that miniaturists do!

  7. Lovely pieces! My forever dollhouse is a cottage as well, so the room proportions are not particularly big. I sometimes feel as though I’m shopping for mini condo-size furniture! I hope you have time to peruse some of the toy/hobby shops in England – wouldn’t it be fun to have mini souvenirs of your trip?

  8. Thanks for the info about Ginsberg…extraordinary person.

    I agree about proportions. I used to sew clothes for my daughters’ dolls, and finding fabric with the correct scale of prints can be difficult, but not impossible, thankfully.

    My cat is getting stronger! He’s finished two of the meds, and thankfully, will take the last med in his food! Out of frustration with wrestling with him, I squirted his med into his dinner, and he ate it all up! I was shocked, since everything I’ve read or been told is that cats will snub their food if there is medication in it. Taking his meds with his food eliminates the stress on him, and on me!

    • Wendy..I used to have the same problem with my kitty that has asthma…getting her pill down her throat was pure torture!…One day when I could not take the misery any more I called the vet and asked if I could crush the pill and mix it in a bit of her wet food and she said to give it a try…Wow…I mixed it up and gave it to her and down it went!!!..What a blessing…no more fights….Anyone who has this problem I urge you to call your vet and see if you can try it!!!

      • Hi Nancy Blue Moon, I’m glad your cat will take the crushed pill in food. So much better for both of you! Now,, I have to find a solution for trimming his claws! One cat is very good, another doesn’t like her claws cut but my daughter can hold her tightly and I cut, but Bagheera is very strong. We can only cut one or two at a time so it seems like a fight every couple of days!

        • I don’t have an answer for that one Wendy…I just have the vet do it when they go in…I never was good at wrestling…lol

  9. I like your style, Claudia. You’d rather not have something, than have a half-baked version of it. This world needs a whole lot more of that attitude. I salute you, my friend. Love that you’re considering English country style for your next dollhouse too. That would be really fun to do. Oh, and I can’t wait to find out WHO lives there too. Do I sense a new MHC character coming on – ??? Haven’t yet seen “RBG” but am definitely planning on it. She’s one of my she-roes. CNN has great documentaries on most weekend nights so I’m hoping they’ll run it again this weekend. Enjoy the newly-appropriate September weather! Peace.

    #Resist
    #ProtectMueller

    • Thanks for your kind words, Janet! I’m not sure yet who lives there. Hmmm. It will come to me eventually.

  10. Never fails to amaze me of how, when I look in to Hummingbird Cottage thru your photos, I feel as if I’m indeed in an actual (human) home. Equally amazing to think of constructing/creating such tiny things like this furniture…the painstaking effort of crafting something so small (you need such dexterity and flexibility with the hands/fingers and I imagine a lot of patience [and good vision!]); just authentic, individual works of art, these awesome miniatures.

    • I don’t know how they do it. I’ve made a few things for Don’s studio and for Hummingbird Cottage, but it’s very fiddly!

  11. I am in awe with the rest of you ladies when it comes the talented people who make miniatures…and you have done some very nice ones yourself Claudia!…I would love to see RBG as she is a lady I admire very much!

  12. I SO AGREE about dollhouse scale! I’ve purchased a few pieces that have been such a disappointment because they are much too large. Most I’ve been able to “make work”, but it’s ALWAYS irritating because of the price (usually a bit spendy). I have a bed and kitchen step-stool that feel completely unusable … now in my stash … around $50 that feels totally wasted! **sigh**

    Do you mind sharing the link for where you found the little sofas? I’ve always especially loved the one in your little den.

  14. Agree about the Ginsberg documentary. I learned so much about her and how much we women owe her! Your upholstered dollhouse furniture is amazing. I have always loved miniature houses but never took it up as a hobby. I’m stretched thin craft-wise as it is. Made sure my kids had one, I think the manufacturer was Little Tykes. Anyway I have two boys but they loved that dollhouse and the family of 4 that came with it. My oldest, who is an animator, used it when he was around 10 to make his first stop-action animation film with our video camera, “A Day in the Life of the Little House Family.”

    When you’re in England, if you get a chance to get to Windsor they have “Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House” on display at the castle. It’s beautiful.

    Enjoy the cooler weather – I sure am! :-)

    • I don’t think I’ll get a chance to get to Windsor, but I was just reading about that dollhouse yesterday!

  15. I love your interior design work! Planning to watch, RBG…she is my superhero. Last night, I watched Bill Maher and Jack Bryan, the filmmaker who created Active Measures. I will be downloading it on itunes. He discovered what we all know to be true. If you get a chance, watch the Maher/Bryan clip. Wow! And so not surprised.

  16. Love that couch! I struggle with furniture scale. I love my old dollhouse and am trying to remodel but never know what to buy. 1:12, 1:24? My house looks very similar to yours. What size do you look for? Can some off sizes still work depending on the room? Some furniture on line shows no size at all. I love your style and would move to hummingbird cottage tomorrow. 😀

    • When you buy a piece of furniture it should indicate the scale. If it doesn’t, don’t buy it. My house is 1:12 in scale but 1:24 is also popular. Is it a small house? Remember that 1:12 means that 12 inches in real life is actually 1 inch in miniature. Measure the walls in your house and apply that rule and you should be able to get an idea of the scale. If they’re 8 inches in height, for example, then that means they are the equivalent of 96 inches in real life, or 8 feet, which is a normal ceiling height in a life-sized house. If they measure half that, then you’re talking about half-scale, which is 1:24.

      Some off sizes can work, but you have to be very careful with them!

  17. I keep managing to miss RGB! and I may have one more chance if it’s on tomorrow!
    thanks for the heads up!
    and so glad you got some cool weather!

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