Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Top Secret Project: Oh, That Orange!

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Don: Do not read any further!! Stop here. xo

Don was out and about yesterday morning, so I took the opportunity to work on the TSP, along with cleaning out the big garden bed. Spray painting was on the docket, which has to be done outside, so I painted, then started raking out the big garden bed in between coats of paint. I managed to get it done and hide all traces of my activity before Don came home. (I even finished raking out the garden bed.)

When I went to Lowe’s the other day, I was also looking for just the right color of spray paint for this:

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Do you remember this little project that I made last year? It’s from a tutorial by Kris at 1 Inch Minis.

As I was ready to dip my toes into the TSP once again, I thought this would be a good start.

I taped off the interior of the fireplace, went outside with spray paint in hand, and sprayed two coats of orange paint. After it was all dry, I hand painted the interior.

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To my surprise, it worked! I love, love the way this looks!

The paint is by Valspar. It’s Premium Finish Interior/Exterior High Gloss (paint and primer all in one.) The interior paint is from FolkArt – Black Metallic. I already had that on hand.

When I look at this fireplace, I see an A-Frame house built in the sixties – perhaps a ski getaway, or a house on a lake. It brings back memories, that’s for sure.

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Now, doesn’t that just make you smile. I love the way the orange shows up in the Beatles canvas. On Paul, of course – my young girl crush.

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The pipe will look straighter when I can attach it to the roof, which has yet to be painted. To be honest, I love the way the light pours in the TSP without the roof. I’m not sure yet if I want to put it on! I’m pondering that one.

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In the TSP: a mini guitar. Outside the sliding doors: Don’s real-life guitar stand. Real Life meets Miniature Life.

I told Don I was real excited about ‘a secret thing I worked on while you were away.’ He is eager to see the finished product so we have now set a deadline. I will have it done by June 24, his birthday. I mentioned that it would look finished but that I reserved the right to tweak it as necessary.

So now I’m making lists of Must Haves.

It felt good to do something, to accomplish something. Ever since my dad died, my creative spark has been missing. It’s slowly reemerging. Slowly. That makes me happy.

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A late afternoon shot of Caroline’s living room with Roseville pottery.

I have a book review up on Just Let Me Finish This Page: I Let You Go  by Claire Macintosh. I won’t give away anything except to say the this is an incredible read. Stop by.

Happy Monday.

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Reading on Sunday

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I’m getting to the blog a little late today. Sometimes it’s a treat to allow myself to read for an hour or two in the morning – which is what I did today. The book I’m reading isn’t even all that great – it’s what I’d call “mystery-lite”, but it’s interesting enough to provide a nice respite on this Sunday morning. A cup or two of coffee and a book to read spells perfection to me.

I’m going to be doing a  lot of work outside today. As of today, I think we’re past the very cold nights that have been the norm. The temps are hitting the 70s today, with abundant sun, so it’s time to rake the leaf mulch out of the garden beds. Huzzah! Yesterday, I went to Lowe’s to buy a child’s rake because our regular leaf rakes are too wide to maneuver around delicate new growth. It’s something I should have done long ago. It’s a cute rake, by the way, bright yellow.

I read the most interesting article in the New York Times today. It’s about Mary Beard, who is a professor at the University of Cambridge, a prolific author and an authority on ancient Roman culture. She has become an outspoken critic of internet trolling. In her case, as she is seen on British television frequently, the trolling started out as mean barbs about her appearance, written through the vehicle of social media. She was nearing sixty with naturally gray hair and this, apparently, was all trolls needed to generate negative comments about her appearance.

“When you look at me on the telly, and say she should be on ‘The Undateables,’ you are looking at a 59 year old woman. This is what 59 year old women who have not had work done look like. Get it?” -quoted from the New York Times article. (The Undateables is a British reality show. Oy.)

Bravo. I love this woman. She also responds to this sort of thing with dry humor, which is always more effective than anger. There’s nothing wrong with getting work done or coloring one’s hair, of course, but for those of us who choose to look the way we are at this point in time, it’s unbelievably refreshing and affirming.

That brings to mind a lot of things, many of which I have written about in past posts, so I don’t really need to go into it again. All I know is I want to know more about Mary Beard and I applaud her wholeheartedly.

Have a lovely day – I hope the weather is spring-like in your neck of the woods.

Happy Sunday.

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Mini Gifts for Caroline (I’m Not Jealous. I’m Not.)

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I guess it’s no secret that Caroline has a boyfriend. This is rather a big deal because she likes to stay unattached. She has a busy schedule. She’s fiercely independent. She earns a good salary and bought her house a few years ago. She travels. She likes her own company.

She’s kept the whole thing fairly quiet (she’s very private.) I respect that, having been through much the same thing when I first met Don.

However, yesterday she called out to me and asked me to drop by Hummingbird Cottage. She wanted to show me something. She was clearly excited. I’d venture to say she was almost giddy.

He had given her a present, seemingly out of the blue. “Look!” she said. “He gets me!”

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Oh my goodness! Bravo! He definitely gets her.

I can see why she was so excited. Two beautiful pieces of Roseville in the White Rose pattern. I have one piece in White Rose. Caroline now has three!

They’re beautiful.

I watched as she walked around the living room, searching for the best place to display each piece. The shelf that holds four pieces of Roseville is rather crowded, so she needed to branch out.

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She moved some things off that little blue table and replaced them with the salmon colored jardiniere. She thought, and rightly so, that it worked with the rug and the Aubusson pillow on the sofa. Beautiful, Caroline. (She does have good taste, doesn’t she?)

Now for the vase.

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Ah. The mantel. It looks lovely there. (We won’t go into my jealousy over Caroline’s mantel. It doesn’t speak well of me.)

A closer look:

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I love it. In fact, (yes, the green-eyed monster is rearing its ugly head again) I’m rather coveting that vase. Note to self: must check out White Rose patterns on eBay. STAT.

I tried to get a good photo of the living room this morning so I could show you how the Roseville is placed throughout the living room, but the light is lacking. I’ll get one this afternoon. I have to say that the Roseville adds a lovely, warm, vintage touch to the room.

This guy sounds like a keeper.

Happy Saturday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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