Windy. Oh good! More pollen in my eyes.
The catalpa tree has just full-out bloomed and the flowers are already falling to the ground because of the darned wind. Grrrr!
After I wrote the post about Shanna’s gift, Debra suggested I miniaturize that sketch of Scout for the TSP. (Apologies to Debra, who I misidentified on Instagram! Sometimes I think I’ve got a name right…and it turns out I don’t.)
Since it was sort of a rainy day yesterday, I did a little work in the office.
Reduced and backed by some mat board.
Framed. I didn’t have any smallish, narrow pieces of wood on hand, so I made the frame from matchsticks, which I painted black.
I moved the Beatles poster over to the other side of the shelf unit. Scout should be above the desk, don’t you think? That way, mini Don can see her when he’s working.
A little closer.
Closest. I have to use my iPhone to get these close-ups. The big girl camera is too big to get inside the TSP.
I made two copies of this reduction. One is going to go in Hummingbird Cottage. I love seeing our girl in this mini space. Don will, too.
Thanks so much, Debra, for the idea.
While I was digging through storage bins looking for some wood, I came across the original box for one of my Petite Princess chests. I thought you’d get a kick out of seeing it.
Oh, excuse me. It was for the palace chest.
57¢. At S.S. Kresge, which used to be my favorite store when I was a kid. A true five and dime. There was one near our house and I loved to roam the aisles.
Really, Mom? You couldn’t fork out 57¢ to buy this for me? Here I was, thinking in the vast recesses of my memory, that Mom wouldn’t buy this stuff for me because it was too expensive.
Ahem. I think not. We’ll be discussing this someday, Mom, along with the question: What the heck did you do with my Barbie doll, Barbie case, Barbie car and my Tiny Tears doll? I need some answers.
Happy Sunday.
Doris says
Claudia, the framed picture of Scout is wonderful. What a great finish to the project! Have a great Sunday together.
Claudia says
Thank you, Doris! I really am happy with that framed sketch!
Kathy says
The miniature framed picture of Scout is perfect.
Claudia says
Thanks, Kathy!
Linda @ A La Carte says
Sweet Scout in the TSP…PERFECT! I know what happened to my Barbie’s and the house and the other toys…but I still wish I had them! Worked hard at Mom’s yesterday and now my back is sore…whoops! Taking a good break today.
hugs,
Linda
Claudia says
Yes, definitely take a break, Linda! Rest your back.
Barbara W. says
What a wonderful idea. A perfect finishing touch indeed.
Claudia says
Thanks, Barbara!
Shanna says
I am honored to have been hung in the TSP! And, replacing the Beatles, no less!
Claudia says
That’s a BIG honor, Shanna!
Wendy T says
Perfect, Claudia, just perfect…Scout is one very special memory.
I never even had a Barbie doll! My girls insisted on saving their Barbies, so they are all wrapped and stored in the garage. One day, someone will unearth a couple of dozen skinny dolls dressed as princesses, many, many Disney princesses….. And nary a Ken to be seen….he was donated right away when I told them to clean out their rooms.
Claudia says
They sure gave up on Ken quickly! Very funny!
Donnamae says
Miniaturizing that sketch was a great idea…and it looks perfect over the desk! But, your last finishing touch? Are our projects ever finished? Enjoy your day! ;)
Claudia says
No, it probably won’t ever be finished. But it’s pretty much finished.
Frog Hollow Farm Girl says
Hi, I absolutely love the little Scout drawing project…this TSP is just fantastic. Don will be enchanted! I know I am. xxoo
Claudia says
He keeps saying “I’m not worthy!”
Nancy in PA says
That is so clever. How did you make it so tiny? I would have had to consult with a techie.
Claudia, as long as your miniaturizing, how about one, or all, of these wonderful artworks?
https://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/2012/04/playing-with-markers/
I loved seeing the Kresge’s price tag. Going there with my mother was such a treat. They had dozens of parakeets, which you could hear all over the store. And those tiny live turtles, remember? Kresge’s evolved into what is now K-Mart, by the way.
Claudia says
I thought of those but if I miniaturize anything else, it might be a favorite lithograph. We’ll see.
I remember the turtles – I was always bugging my parents for one!
Oh, I know that K-Mart absorbed Kresge’s. And now K-Mart isn’t doing so well, either. I miss Woolworth’s and Kresge’s and Ben Franklin (though there are a few of them still around.)
Vicki says
What a fun memory! I’d completely forgotten about turtles and parakeets! The turtles were so tiny, yes! What I always seem to remember is the goldfish and how upset I’d be if I saw a dead one floating at the top. They had all that at the rear of the store. For us, it was a store called Grant’s. We had a similar one on the other side of town called Cornet. Woolworth’s was on Main Street but I can scarcely remember it. They must have left town when I was still quite young. I do SO much miss puttering in those stores. I think we’ve talked about it here on the blog before. I never liked big box stores even when I was young…the early shopping malls (in SoCalif, they were open-air malls; I don’t think any are left now but JC Penney was on one end of the mall; Joseph Magnin and The Broadway in the 1960s; I did like The Broadway, but that was about the only one, for me)…and the 5 & Dime stores were just the right size. Enjoyable shopping without getting too weary! I recently decided to explore if I can pick up embroidery again…I’m missing a craft/hobby and my vision isn’t what it was (and my hands are arthritic) but I pushed ahead and got my hoops, needles, threads and a pattern…and finding things to buy on Amazon (no stores near me for this kind of product) wasn’t nearly as fun as going to Grant’s and sifting through the white cloths which were already pre-printed; was so fun as a young girl (I was maybe 11 or 12) to pick out my next pattern to embroider. I’m lucky I have many pillowslips and dishtowels lovingly embroidered by grandmas, aunties and my mother; just love having them. Mother also embroidered many of my infant/newborn clothes which thankfully she did keep. She’d said she whiled away many an evening waiting for my dad to come home from the war in the 40s by embroidering things to put in her hope chest, knowing they’d soon be married when the war was over. Poignant…
Claudia says
I remember those pre-printed pillow cases! My grandmother embroidered them, and I think I took a stab at one or two, as well.
Connie says
I love the miniature picture of Scout. Don is going to cry when he sees the tsp. And don’t forget, 57 cents was a lot more money back then!
Claudia says
It was, I know, but it wasn’t that much more! I think my mom didn’t want to fall into the trap of having to buy lots of dollhouse furniture!
Betsy says
I agree with everyone else. The picture of Scout is THE perfect finishing touch, I still have my Barbies, cases and clothes. I plan to give them to my granddaughter.
Blessings,
Betsy
Claudia says
I wish I still had mine, Betsy! Gosh darn it!
Chris K in Wisconsin says
Perfect finishing touch!! But,,,,, we are never really finished. We know that… :-)
Horrific news again this morning. Praying people take a breath and NOT simply jump to assumptions. In this climate it is surely asking too much to do so.
Hope you have a great day. It was in the 90’s the past 2 days, but only the 70’s today. Sweet relief!!
Claudia says
I’m sickened by what happened in Orlando. Praying for sanity to return and for gun control. I’ve lost a dear one to gun violence and I won’t ever back off on the need for gun control.
Have a good day in spite of all the sadness, Chris.
Nancy Blue Moon says
Dear Claudia..I believe that out of all of the wonderful things you have put into the TSP for Don..this will mean the most to him…
Claudia says
I hope so, Nancy!
Vicki says
Oh, whoa, do I hear you on our childhood stuff. First, I think we have to consider that fifty cents probably bought a couple (or five) cans of soup and our moms were Depression-era moms, practicality over frivolity. It makes sense, since they made clothes for themselves and us (instead of procuring store-bought clothes), why my mom painstakingly made clothes for my DOLL rather than buying Barbie fashions but, you know, ungrateful little girl that I was, the homemade stuff was second rate for me; I wanted the real thing. My fold-up Barbie Dream House from 1964, my Barbie closet, my Barbie/Midge/Skipper and all the clothes, homemade and not, all got sold and I could never get a good answer out of her although I think it was a sort of naivete about their worth, as Barbies were common…I’d outgrown them, Mom liked to score money from the newfangled concept of a ‘garage’ sale, and I’m also sure she shared the money with me…but, who can remember. I was a teenager by then.
Love what you did with Scout’s image. Perfect. So creative. Matchsticks!
I know nothing about this Petite Princess line by Ideal. Share more! I’m sure it’s like the Barbie clothes of the day; amazing quality.
Don’t feel too badly about your Tiny Tears doll. I played with my doll SO HARD. I have her, but she’s battered. Over the many years, Mother kept her in the cedar chest but there must have been lingering dampness in her ‘body’ because the plastic/vinyl of her face is irreversibly marred and she looks like FrankenTears. I don’t think it’s fixable and I will probably make the hard decision to pitch her one of these days. (I do have some precious outfits for her made for me by my grandmother, who I can barely remember as she died when I was only age 8; these clothes are exquisite.) This is what happened to a lot of the old Barbies, Claudia. That plastic composition did weird things over time; kind of a shiny/smeary appearance and, if they had earrings, there’s often a permanent greenish bleed from them on a vintage doll. In retrospect, we might still have our Barbies but they also might be looking pretty ugly by now. And what I’ve learned is that outfits are usually incomplete…we loved and played with our Barbies; there would be missing shoes and accessories, no doubt. But I’ve found photos of my old Dream House online and, wow, how fun, to remember what they looked like; how content I was with cardboard furniture. Wouldn’t mean a whole lot to the kids of today. They expect more sophistication.
Well, your post soothed me after reading headlines and learning first thing at the start of the day of yet again another mass shooting (Florida) which frankly left me nauseous. We all ask, ‘How can this continue”…but it always does. You shouldn’t have to think about dangers of gathering in a large group for fear of a shooter.
Claudia says
I had two Tiny Tears dolls. The last one was a gift right at the end of my childhood years. I wanted to keep her into adulthood. My grandmother made beautiful clothes for her. I vividly remember a pink corduroy coat and hat. And she was given away or something. And she was in pristine shape.
Vicki says
Oh, the loss of that unmarred Tiny Tears! You’ve checked with your sis in Florida, of course…
I’m puzzled about something. After a reader leaves a reply here on your blog, there’s a box you can check that says “Notify me of follow-up comments by email”. I’ve always had this box checked. And it’s checked right now. However, I’m getting nothing in my email inbox from you as per the usual. I’d thought, “That’s funny; Claudia always dutifully and politely responds; her answer is always here in my email box!” I then go back to your blog, and you’ve provided your usual nice answer on the blog, so? Again, I’m puzzled. Has anyone else said anything? Or is it some problem with my email all of a sudden, I’m wondering. I checked spam/junk and you’re not mysteriously going there. Thoughts? Very out of the norm. You and I have been ‘talking’ back and forth for a long time now. I’ve never had to go back to the blog to see if you answered, so this is WEIRD.
Claudia says
Well, I don’t know. As it happens, I haven’t been getting all the comments you guys make in my email, either. That’s been going on for about two weeks. So something’s up. I’ve spoken to my host about it, and they show the comments being sent to my email and accepted, but I only see a few. If the same thing is happening to you – well, I just don’t know. And to tell you the truth, I’m really tired of trying to figure it out. It’s always worked and now it doesn’t. Interestingly, I DID get this comment of yours in my email.
I may try another response plugin to see if that helps.
Janet in Rochester says
That “Scout” now has a permanent place in the TSP is just perfect. So fitting – what a great idea. Made me think – maybe Caroline needs a pet too. Perhaps an affectionate rescue kitty who’ll follow her from room to room as she goes about her day. As my Mom said after she had her new cat for a few weeks, “It’s so nice to have another heartbeat around the house…” Cats are such great pets for working people like Caroline too. No worries about getting home by a certain time to let them out, etc. All they need is a clean litter box, food, water and a cozy sleeping spot. Oh and a few fun toys too, to keep them from shredding the toilet paper to bits, of course. 🐱
Claudia says
But Caroline already has a dog, Janet! He’s up on the roof in the pounce position, remember?
Janet in Rochester says
Oh gee – I must’ve missed that! Well good then, I’m very glad that Caroline has some company in her big gorgeous house – maybe he’d like a little kitty pal?? 😉
brae says
The perfect finishing touch! :D
Claudia says
Thank you, Brae!
Joan says
This miniature of Scout is priceless! And you were so clever to make a frame from match sticks.
The whole project has turned out to be charming. When will it be presented to Don?
Claudia says
On June 24th – which is his birthday!
Sharon Carstens says
Claudia,
What a labor of love. Just when I think it can’t get any better, you pull something else out of your hat. The picture of Scout is the icing on the cake.
Claudia says
Thanks so much, Sharon!
meredith says
The picture of Scout is perfect. By the way she got rid of my Barbie stuff too and that includes my airplane and camper!
M
Claudia says
She was ruthless about that stuff, Mere. Gosh darn it!
Dana says
The Little Scout is the perfect finishing touch to the TSP and really personalizes the space as mini-Don’s. He’ll love it. And the Petite Princess furniture? I had never heard of it until reading about it here but now I have something new to find in the flea markets. I have never seen a piece “in person.” Thank you for sharing the dollhouses with us, and I’m already getting excited about your new project.
Claudia says
You are very welcome, Dana. Have fun hunting for Petite Princess furniture!
Susi says
This little frame of Scout is such a great addition to the TSP. Perfect.
Claudia says
Thank you, Susi!