Our Icescape.
I haven’t even left the house. Don ventured out yesterday, but he had to plot how he was going to reach our cars. You have to walk through the snow (which is coated in ice) and stay away from the areas of the driveway that were “cleared” because all of that quickly turned to ice. Don wanted to see if he could move his car and he did, but I could barely watch. My car is still sitting there, though Don started it and let it run for a while.
Along with all the ice, we had very high winds for 3 days. So many people around here are iced in. And there’s a shortage of salt. It’s sort of a nightmare. We won’d see any difference until Saturday when the temperatures will finally be above freezing. Next week will be better.
I have officially had it with winter. No more, thank you very much.
Thank you for all of the lovely comments on MHC’s 17th anniversary. In the midst of all of the ice and wind, it was so heartening to read them all. I don’t mind saying that I teared up more than once. You are all so dear to me. Thank you.
I took this the other day because it’s one of my favorite views:
I love the fireplace and the paintings and the mini-Roseville pottery. There’s another miniaturist out there who makes his own version of Roseville pottery, but his have a glossy glaze, which is not found on real Roseville. So I stick to these. I ordered another one for the Beacon Hill and I’ll order some more when I can afford them.
The Beacon Hill. I’m still not sure about things. It’s so large, it takes up so much space, and I am reminded that renovating a dollhouse is expensive. Wallpaper, wood, flooring, paint, furniture. Even when I buy inexpensive furniture, the cost quickly adds up. Should I sell it and go with something smaller? If I tried to do that, would anyone buy it? Times are hard economically. Would I regret selling it?
This is the ongoing monologue in my head these days.
Meanwhile, I filmed a little tour of Dove Cottage for my YouTube channel. I film it first, then I add music and my voiceover. But the challenge is trying to get everything I want to say into the time allotted. Adding the music helps mask the street noise, as well. Hope you like it. (You’ll see my aging hands a couple of times.)
Just visit YouTube and search for: claudiathechroniccollector
Dove Cottage
This little channel is just a way to share my collections and creations and have them safely stored someplace other than the blog.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
I can see why you love your fireplace beautiful. It is bright and light and peaceful and all those things that are special.
You got nailed much worse than we did. We had ice (and it’s still here in some spots because it’s so cold, all the slushy or melted stuff refreezes pretty quickly. Probably pointless to say “be careful out there” because I know you are!
I can see why the dollhouse is a dilemma. Big in a small space, especially when you’re not actively engaged in it, can be problematic. Here’s a question about wallpaper because I know ZERO about putting one of these together. What kind of paper/wallpaper do you use? Could you use “real” wallpaper from a sample book (those things are huge if you can get your hands one one.) I suppose it has to be the right book — very small images if you are going for an image. Or just regular paper, like for scrapbooks? Those 12×12 sheets? I’m probably sounding very ignorant but I truly have no idea! Dove Cottage is exquisite, a miniature masterpiece. I can see why it is your favorite! Loved the video.
I usually use wallpaper made for 1:12 scale. Other things – like scrapbook paper or real wallpaper samples are out of scale – usually way too big. Some miniaturists don’t care about that, but I do. Lots of dollhouse wallpaper is a bit too ‘old-fashioned country’ for me. But you can find sophisticated designs, too.
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
It’s cold here, too, but we don’t have the ice that you do. It is supposed to get into the 40s next week so I am looking forward to that.
Lovely dollhouse.
Stay safe and cozy.
I am too. Should be in the forties as of Sunday.
Stay safe, Ellen.
Thank you for the video and various doll house views – such as great way to escape the big awful world for a while. We too are sick of winter; the first snow was fun, hadn’t had any for several years. The second one reminded me of why snow can be an annoyance. The third time was just a dusting, no ice. Now there is the potential for more snow over the weekend and I’ve pretty much had it, despite being lucky to have a nice warm well stocked house, amusing indoor projects to work on and enjoyable in person company from husband and dog.
cheers, Ceci
Same here. Love my husband and love his company. He feels the same way about me. But, we sometimes need a break and we’re basically stuck here!
Stay safe, Ceci.
That ice must be terrible out there, I can’t imagine!! My walking sticks work pretty good on the ice here. There are picks on the bottoms that you can expose. Have you tried them at all?
I just love your English cottage – gorgeous! I’m going to watch it a few more times..
Mike isn’t in favor of all of our stuff in our small house, but I think it’s homey and reministic of Dutch homes. I even have a few of my paintings on the walls. My more ‘Dutch’ friends’ houses are similar to mine. I want to live in Dove Cottage. Your hands are not old looking, your nails are nice.
Take care and please don’t take a fall, stay warm. It’ll be spring in a couple months. I’m going back to sleep.
Love to you, thank you for you. (I don’t know how to spell reministic)
It’s really bad. And our driveway is uphill. Even a walking stick wouldn’t help!
Thank you, Irene.
Stay safe.
Oh yay Claudia! Happy anniversary. I can’t remember when I first saw your posts, but I went as far back as I could and read 3 posts a day until I caught up. I love your video today. My husband and I sat down with coffee and tuned in. He was quite impressed. Me too. It’s funny how I can picture myself in that lovely art room. One can dream! Have a safe and wonderful day.
Oh, it’s so sweet that both you and your husband watched it! Thank you, Vern.
Stay safe.
That ice can be so dangerous… I’m glad you’ll be getting warmer weather, hopefully very soon. I love the fireplace shot from the Beacon Hill. The pottery is so detailed and real-looking. Dove Cottage is amazing…I really enjoyed the tour! Love the bookcase with all the books. I actually liked seeing your hand…the rooms all look so life-sized that seeing your hand snaps the viewer back into reality! Perspective! Stay warm!
Thank you so much, Barrie. That’s a good point about my hands.
It’s the fireplace in Hummingbird Cottage, my first dollhouse.
Stay safe.
I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Dove Cottage!
I would love to see you do something with the Beacon Hill but I imagine it would take alot of time and money.
Take care
Yes, it would. I think that’s why I’ve been putting it off. But I need to make a decision soon.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
Thank you for the enjoyable tour of Dove Cottage. I agree with you that dollhouse bathrooms can be boring to decorate and furnish, and the artist studio was a wonderful choice. Stay safe amidst the winter storms.
We plan to, Wendy. I’m really tired of winter. We were lucky for the past two years, the winters were relatively mild. But not this one.
Stay safe.
Dear Claudia, I love your fireplace too! Your mini Roseville pottery is gorgeous, and yours led me to buy a few pieces too quite a few years back by now! I don’t collect it in RL, but the minis are perfection. Thank you for sharing them again… it is such a soothing picture!
I feel so lucky after that storm…. we were in the “forecasted ice area” but it stayed just sleet… hours and hours of sleet with maybe a hint of rain mixing in. We got lots… and the wind was ferocious… I was really unnerved there! But we are fine up here…. in the valley… (it iced all over the Berkshires) one of the strange blessings of the valley where it stayed colder longer than the higher elevations did. I am glad you are managing with the ice and didn’t lose any big tree limbs!
As for the Beacon Hill…. I understand the dilemma. My house is small too… and I have let the dollhouses “run away” with me… I have a lot of unfinished projects… but I look at it for the long term… it is my retirement hobby and while expensive in some ways… it can be a “frugal” thing too. (The DIYer in me argues this all the time… make it myself if I can!) But I know you are more into the precise scale of things than I am and that can be frustrating as really good stuff is really not cheap! (I do indulge in some treasures!) If it were my decision to make, I would ask myself what was it that called to me about that particular dollhouse…. and try to rediscover that thread of creative inspiration. You worked hard to get that building… it could be magnificent if slow to unfold. I am technically near enough to “collect it” from you…. but technically have no more room in my house and an unfinished Willowcrest to complete some day! And I hope to someday see what You make of it!
Sorry to leave such a long comment… I am glad you are doing okay!
Thank goodness it was just sleet, Betsy. I’ve never seen anything like this storm. Hope never to see anything like it again.
I’ve used my share of inexpensive pieces over the years, usually investing in one or two higher and pieces. I’m dithering, but on the other hand, you’re right. It’s a great retirement project, even though I don’t want to be retired yet. But I’ve had a year without work, so maybe it’s happening in spite of my wishes. Still pondering the whole thing. Your thoughts are valuable and much appreciated, Betsy.
Stay safe.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, I made a really lovely herringbone floor using coffee stirrer sticks…! It was fiddly work but turned out beautifully. :)
xoxo
I can see why this little cottage is your favorite. It’s charming. All the fabrics on the upholstered furniture is beautiful. The colors you used on the wooden pieces so perfect. And, yes, bathrooms in dollhouses are boring, LOL.
When you mentioned the planter made of bottle caps it brought back memories of making miniatures with my after-school kids in my daycare. It was very late nineties when the girls I’d had since they were toddlers were old enough and, boy, did we have a blast. We made things like tiny cherry pies with metal soda bottle caps and scraps of felt for the crust and clear glue drizzled over tiny red beads for the cherries.
My favorite though was the wedding cakes we made with different size white aspirin caps stacked, tiny paper doilies, and white sewing trim – teeny lace, ribbons of faux pearls, etc. I still have one. When I stopped doing daycare, I gave the how-to book to the girls in a family of 3 I’d taken care of since the eldest was 2 so they could continue making miniatures. And they did.
Sounds pretty treacherous around your homestead. Don’t blame you for not wanting to go outside. And, Don, tread very carefully the rest of the week.
Take care,
Kay
Oh, what wonderful memories, Kay. Those now grown up children were very lucky, indeed. Love this story.
Thank you.
Stay safe, Kay.
Thank you for the tour. For a moment I thought you were touring your charming cottage. You pointed out all the detail and I can imagine it was a labor of love. Do you ever imagine who would live in your creations? Do you have lighting in any of the rooms?
I was wondering if you continued doing your sketches… hopefully you will share
Stay warm….it is brutally cold. I do not do well in this weather….Everything aches .
Happy Blog Anniversary.
I do imagine the person or persons I imagine is living there. This cottage is a weekend cottage for a couple who live in London.
I have lighting – you can see the chandelier over the kitchen island and there is a floor lamp in the living area. I’ve yet to aadd lights to the upstairs rooms.
I have opened up my easel but so far that’s as far as I’ve got. But I am going to start painting again. This winter has been overwhelming, along with the terrible things happening in our government. It’s been hard to get motivated, Maria.
Stay safe.
Your snow just looks crunchy….love the footprints.
Dove Cottage is lovely….and it’s just how I would expect an English cottage to look. I’m loving the pattern on the couch….gorgeous. The Beacon Hill dollhouse fireplace is a great background for the Roseville, so pretty . I understand your dilemma as to whether to keep the dollhouse or not. I find myself wondering about a few things that we have…whether to keep or let them go. It’s a hard decision. So, I hid these items from myself to see if I’d miss them. If I don’t…off they go. This has been working for me.
Stay warm…and inside. Enjoy your day! ;)
That Roseville is in Hummingbird Cottage, my first dollhouse.
Great way to decide what to keep. (Unfortunately, there’s no way to hide the Beacon Hill!)
Stay safe, Donnamae.
I love Dove Cottage! All your pieces are so beautiful. I like how every piece is quality. So sorry to hear how cold and icy it is there. I missed your anniversary page, so Happy Anniversary. Yours is the only blog I follow.
I will try to send some warm weather your way. Stay warm!
Thank you so much, Deb!
Stay safe.
I will have to watch the doll house video. So much snow and ice, stay warm and safe, I can’t decide what of my ‘collections’ to keep and those to find new homes for. My children have made it clear they don’t want much. I just don’t want things tossed when someone would love and enjoy them. Still I want to keep some things that bring me joy also. Decisions!
It’s a tricky decision. I know my nieces and nephews don’t want anything. Some things will go to my sister, of course. But what to do with the rest of it?
Stay safe, Linda.
Loved the sweet tour of Dove Cottage. I could move right in but no bathroom, lol. That little quilt is beautiful. I’d like it in people size. You have lots of snow and now ice. We don’t have the ice but the snowbanks are 5 feet tall and there is no longer any room to put the snow when we shovel. Oy vey! Stay safe, stay warm. Hugs, Elaine
Let’s just assume the bathroom is somewhere else in the house.
Stay safe, Elaine.
Thanks for the video. Really like the mini Roseville pottery. Be safe with the ice!
Thank you, Cheryl.
Stay safe.