Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Some Favorite Things, Upstairs Edition

March 12, 2015 at 9:18 am by Claudia

When you’re somewhat housebound in the midst of winter, a day where the sun is streaming in your windows makes all the difference, don’t you think? We’ve had more than a few of those sunny days lately (not to mention warmer temps and melting snow, huzzah!) Our bedroom is awfully pretty when the sun pours in the two tiny windows so I grabbed my camera the other day to take some pictures.

3-12 my pals

My pals. Maggie Rabbit, Wayfrum Holmes and Little Lamb. You’re probably familiar with them, but if you’re a newish reader, I’ll introduce them to you. Maggie Rabbit was made by me from a kit designed by the lovely Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy. By the way, Alicia has just added more Maggie Rabbit patterns to her shop. They go very quickly, so if you’re interested hop on over. I made Maggie when I was working out of town in Hartford and I love her.

Wayfrum Holmes was given to me by Don when I was about to leave for a six month stint in San Diego. Wayfrum kept me company while I was away from my loved ones. Little Lamb was a lovely gift from Sheila. Maggie, Wayfrum and Little Lamb are my traveling companions when I’m going to be away from home for a longish time.

They are perched upon a vintage hatbox I found many years ago in the Berkshires.

3-12 dogs I love

Right next to them are framed photos of our dogs: Winston, Scout and Riley. (Have to straighten that photo.) The mirror was a gift from my mom. The McCoy pottery piece is filled with pennies. And you can just see my other parakeet lamp, which is sitting on the bookcase because it needs to be rewired, along with at least two other lamps we own.

3-12 roseville

I own several pieces of Roseville pottery but this one just might be my favorite. It’s a cornucopia in the Bushberry pattern. It sits in a place of honor on my dresser.

Uh oh. Now I’m fixating on Roseville and this particular pattern. It might be time to add to my collection. Roseville can be very pricey, but it’s all in the timing. I’ve found some pieces at auction for very little money. If you go to a higher-end antique shop, you’re going to pay a lot more. The very first piece I ever purchased was a little bowl in the brown version of Bushberry. I got it in a little shop in San Diego when we were still living there.

The photo in the background is of yours truly in her office when I was teaching at Boston University. The other piece of pottery on the right is McCoy. It’s full of fabric hearts. The dresser scarf is really a tea towel. (I like it much better as a dresser scarf.)

It’s sunny again today. Snow is melting. I know that March is a big tease and that the temperature will eventually get colder, but boy, do we appreciate this little warm spell. The driveway is mud, of course. We had to put down some straw in Scout’s mini-corral because it’s also a sea of mud. But we’ll take it.

An interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times: The State of Alabama is now investigating a complaint of elder abuse re: Harper Lee and the decision to publish her ‘new’ novel.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: antiques, bedroom, china and pottery, dogs, favorite things, Riley, Roseville pottery, Scout, Winston 25 Comments

Little Pleasures: Lamb, Vintage Books, Movies & A Quirky Clothes Brush

March 11, 2015 at 9:31 am by Claudia

3-11 lamb 2

Hats are tricky. Especially tall ones. Lamb is sometimes subjected to the indignity of a hat gone awry. Whether it’s unbalanced and cocked way too much to the side or, horror or horrors, has fallen completely off Lamb’s head, an adjustment needs to be made.

This very thing occurred the other day as I swept through the upstairs hallway with my camera in hand. A quick glance to the left revealed a missing hat and a missing flower. Everything came to a halt as I apologized to Lamb and quickly rectified the situation.

Lamb is once more The Lamb with the Party Hat. As penance, I promised to take a picture to show you that dignity has been restored.

Whew.

3-10 ukelele girl

A big thank you to reader Margaret who informed me that our Ukelele Girl is a clothes brush. They were made in the days when women had vanities and/or a place for all their perfumes and and rings and things of a toilette nature. Mystery solved! I, of course, went immediately to eBay and saw some similar items – but not Ukelele Girl herself. The body is made of porcelain, by the way. Things of this nature were so much more stylish then, don’t you think? Now I’m reduced to using one of those lint brushes – plastic, of course.

I had an edition of Heidi  on my bookshelf as a young girl, part of a group of books my mom had as a child. Somehow all of those books ended up with my middle sister, and so I find myself drawn to titles I used to see and no longer have: Daddy Long Legs, Heidi, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables (the whole series) and more. If I could find them in the same editions, I’d be over the moon. But for now, I buy them when I see them, as long as they are vintage and in good condition. I don’t want new editions. I want vintage. I love vintage books, of course, but in this case I want vintage because they remind me of my mom. The mom who instilled a love of reading in me, for which I am forever grateful.

Do you remember the post where I asked you what your Five Favorite Movies were? I edited the text later that day and added Cinema Paradiso  to my list. You know what? I would have to say that Cinema Paradiso  and To Kill a Mockingbird  are locked in a happy tie for My Favorite Movie. We watched it on Monday night (it’s on Netflix). Then we watched it again last night. I’ve seen it many times, as has Don. We are both reduced to tears at the end. Every time. It’s simply beautiful. A gem through and through. It was released in 1990 and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film – deservedly so.

Have you ever seen it? If you haven’t, I think you’d love it.

I’m off to write a little post for Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, collecting, movies, vintage 32 Comments

A Day Trip

March 10, 2015 at 10:07 am by Claudia

Yesterday morning, Don said it was time to get out of Dodge. He suggested brunch at the Millbrook Diner in the charming town of Millbrook, NY. It’s across the Hudson River from our little abode and, since it was warmer out and we had a wee bit of spring fever, we decided the drive would be the perfect antidote to the winter blahs.

3-10 hudson river

The Hudson River is completely iced over except for this channel carved out by an icebreaker. Amazing.

3-10 millbrookstreet

3-10 diner

I have to say I like the diner’s home fries the best. Ummm-mmmm! But I was so full I had to leave some on my plate.

After our meal, we walked down the street to a couple of our favorite antique shops. These are shops that we used to frequent fairly often when we lived on the same side of the Hudson. I’m glad we’ve rediscovered this little town. The area surrounding it, much like our neck of the woods, has a lot of horse farms, with rolling hills and beautiful older homes.

We found a few treasures yesterday.

3-10 worldsfairpitcher

I found this souvenir pitcher from the 1939 New York World’s Fair. I think it qualifies as miniature pottery, don’t you? That’s 24 karat gold, by the way. Have to admit, I was thrilled to add something from the World’s Fair to my collection.

3-10 Heidi

I found this 1945 edition of Heidi  for $1.00. It’s in great condition, no musty smell at all.

3-10 Heidi bookplate

This book plate is just scrumptious. I don’t know if you can read the small print – it says: This bookplate is distributed only to members of the YOUNG FOLKS BOOK CLUB. Sigh. Thank you for this well loved edition of Heidi, Philip Lord Flint.

It has beautiful illustrations by William Sharp throughout:

3-10 Heidi illustration

I love it.

Don was the one who spotted this treasure. It was the ukelele that drew him. Since it was in a glass case, we figured it would be too pricey for us. But, it wasn’t. And it was on sale. It’s from the 1930s.

3-10 ukelele girl

That grass skirt is made out of broomcorn, the material that is used in whisk brooms. I’ve never seen anything like her before. She simply had to come home with us.

3-10 ukelele girl 2

She’s in excellent condition. We just love our Ukelele Girl.

3-10 ukelele girl 3

The satin ribbon around her hips is gorgeous. Kudos to Don!

It was a nice getaway day. It’s warmer, sunnier, and the ice in the gutters is melting, along with some of the snow.

By the way, there is another round of spammy emails being sent out under my name. These are, I think, coming from the same people who hacked into my email in December. I’ve read before that they store the list and use it a few times. If you look closely, you’ll see it isn’t coming from my email address. As with any email, you should never click on a link without knowing it’s safe. And, of course, I would never send out that kind of email. I don’t think I was hacked again, as I’ve put safeguards on those email accounts, but nevertheless, I’ve changed my passwords. Again.

There you are.

Happy Tuesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: antiques, Don, vintage 49 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.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

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