Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Auctions and Crafting

at by

I was at an auction on Monday night, hoping to get some little treasures I’d seen in the preview. I did get a couple of the things I wanted, but the others? Well, the auction was packed and therefore the bids multiplied and soon they were out of my price range. I’ve learned a lot about auctions from observing my friend Heidi in action. So I went in with a list of things I was interested in, set a price limit for each one, and then stuck to it. Oh, it was hard to lose out – so hard – but I’m proud that I stuck to my guns. (I’m slowly accumulating some treasures because I’m thinking very seriously of starting my own little Etsy shop. Maybe. In the future.)

I’ve been fortunate to get some great deals at auction in the past. One of them was this framed print:

which hangs above the sofa in the den.

I fell in love with this print for two reasons. As you already know, I love flower paintings.  But the frame – oh, the frame. When I saw that scalloped edge with a hint of green, the obsession to own this took hold. We sat through a long night (this auctioneer was very slow) and it almost didn’t come up for auction. I think it was around midnight and the auctioneer was starting to wind up the evening when I realized he might not get to it. So I shouted out that I wanted to bid on it. I was the only bidder and got it for $15.00. Take a look at the frame:

Isn’t it beautiful? It’s quite heavy, by the way. Do you see the touch of green on the edge of the frame? I love it. And I have the perfect view of it from my blogging chair. As happens so many times in my life, I realized it went perfectly with another piece I already had.

We found this little vintage shelf several years ago. I’ve never seen another like it. The finish on the wood is the exact same shade as the finish on the frame. Meant to be.

I’ve been crafting a bit. Here’s a little work in progress:

I found a paper cone at Michael’s and thought I’d play a bit. So I covered it with some sheet music and then added some vintage crochet. Then some vintage seam binding at the top and a millinery flower (yet to be attached.) I’m not done yet, but what do you think of it so far?

I’m off to Heidi’s shop today to help with Christmas decorating. I missed her decorating party on Monday night, so I’m going to do whatever a girl with an achy back can to help out. Have a great day.

Monday Morning Musings

at by

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments on Don’s singing. (If you haven’t yet seen the video, scroll down to the previous post.) He’s read them all and is very touched. In answer to your questions, yes, he does sing around the house and he has indeed written songs for me. Love songs. They make my heart go pitter-patter. Allow me to brag a bit: Don writes and sings his own songs and is currently working on 2 different CDs of his music. He is a wonderful entertainer and a songwriter who writes from his heart. He’s also one of the best actors I have ever known. Maybe you’ll get to hear him sing someday!

The movie was filmed 2 years ago in New Orleans. We haven’t seen it yet. It has been shown at some film festivals, but truth be told, I don’t think it got very good reviews. It has been released in France (the director is Olivier Dahan who directed La Vie en Rose.) It may go straight to DVD here. Bob Dylan did the music for the movie. Bob Dylan heard my husband sing his song! So far, there isn’t a recording of the soundtrack….but you can bet Dylan fans are clamoring for one. Oh, and the beard was fake, by the way. They built it around Don’s goatee. The goatee whose absence I didn’t notice when Don shaved it off a few weeks ago.

Okay. On to other things. I want to share a photo of this vintage shoe bag made from a feed sack that I bought on Etsy. (The usual problem with shooting in this corner of my studio applies. It’s narrow and dark.)

It’s hanging between my cabinet and the mini-design wall. It will eventually be filled with treasured notes from blogging friends and fun things for creating. Here’s a close-up of the fabric design:

Love, love this cheery fabric. I had some creative time in the studio on the weekend.  I’m working on a couple of gifts and thinking up some new projects. And doing things like hanging my Mockingbird Hill Cottage badge on the cabinet door.

I really have grown to love the cabinet as is.  Since so much of my little space is pink, aqua and white, I’ve decided a little less matchy-matchy is in order.

I know many of you have been published several times, but me? Just once. It’s still new to me. So I went ahead and did what I’ve wanted to do all along. I framed the cover of Romantic Homes with my mention in “Setting the Sites.” The frame is vintage. I kind of like seeing it on display in my little work area. Ignore the ugly duster – I always seem to miss something when I take a photo. Don is an enabler, by the way. Now he’s urging me to hang things on the doors. He truly doesn’t mind me taking over this space. As far as he’s concerned, the more creativity on display at MHC, the better.

My friend, Beth Leintz of Gathering Dust, wrote me after seeing photos of my afghan-in-progress and offered to send me some yarn she found at an estate sale. She thought it would fit perfectly with the color palette I’m using.

It does! She also sent along one of her beautiful tags with a sweet note on the back. Thank you, Beth!

It’s a very cold and windy day here in the Hudson Valley. My potted plants on the porch bit the dust last week when we had two hard frosts in a row. Winter is on the way. Not sure how I feel about that, but then again, winter doesn’t care.

Don Singing Dylan in a Movie

at by

Hello everyone. Just wanted to share this video from a movie Don did with  Renee Zellwegger. It’s called My Own Love Song and in it he plays a homeless man. You can catch a glimpse of him in the background with his long beard! He got to cover a Bob Dylan song – I Believe in You.  I’m so proud of him!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives