Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Reindeer and an Angel

December 20, 2010 at 10:50 am by Claudia

Do you like my vintage reindeer? I would say they were manufactured in the 50’s – 60’s. They remind me of my childhood. The awful truth: I bought these last Christmas to give to someone who was having a holiday party. I didn’t end up attending said party; I think I was under the weather. I discovered them in my craft closet this year. Now they’re mine.

It’s very cold here in our neck of the woods. But no snow. I watch the weather and see snow falling everywhere else. My goodness, Europe was really getting hit over the weekend. Airports were closed, train travel stopped. Here? Nothing. We may have ‘snow showers’ on Christmas. Translated: no accumulation. I know I will be up to my neck in snow later this winter, so I shouldn’t complain. However, it would be nice to have some white stuff on the ground for Christmas.

We moved out to the East Coast 9 years ago. Don is a Southern California boy and I had lived in San Diego for 8 years. We were ready for a white Christmas. Boy, did we get one. There was a blizzard that day. Snow, snow and more snow. It went on all day. I remember trying to walk through waist-high drifts to our vacationing neighbors’ house to feed their dogs and let them outside. It was a magical adventure. We were living in a tiny rented cottage and we felt warm and cozy while all that snow whirled and twirled through the air. I still love that feeling.

 

That was the Christmas I realized that because of a moving day glitch, all our boxes of Christmas ornaments had been put in an not-very-accessible storage facility and not in the cottage where they belonged. We had nothing. We had to run out and buy some very inexpensive ornaments from the local drug store. And that’s where this tree topper comes in. We had a beautiful glass tree topper that was, regrettably, in those darn boxes. I found this tin angel in a local shop. Her folk-art look was charming and I thought she would do nicely until we were reunited with our “in storage” ornaments. Well, we weren’t reunited with them until four years later when we moved to MHC. As we unpacked them all that first year here, we admired our glass tree topper once again.  We placed it on top of the tree. Pretty…but not our angel. The angel won out. And she has every Christmas since.

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating 24 Comments

What Is It With Me & Glue Guns?

December 17, 2010 at 4:45 pm by Claudia

Before I launch into my glue gun adventure, let me say that I do not plan on receiving a new camera for Christmas as some of you have suggested. Oh no. We are on a tight budget here and our gift exchange will be meaningful but far from opulent. I am going to have to save my pennies for a new camera and that might take quite a while. Meanwhile, I’ll keep researching and dreaming. And visualizing.

Now, on to the glue gun problem. I bought a glue gun earlier this year at Michael’s. I brought it home and plugged it in. Nothing. No heat, no anything. It was very inexpensive, so though I was frustrated, I wasn’t out much money. The other day I got the idea in my head to make something, inspired by this post. I didn’t want to decorate the stairway the way I had in the past, with faux pine garlands, etc. It just seemed to be too much for this particular Christmas. I thought maybe a wreath would look nice. The ever-popular coffee filter wreath.

Off I went to Michael’s to buy a wreath form and a glue gun. This time I went with a more expensive model, thinking that my cheapness with the previous purchase might have given me what I deserved. I could hear “You get what you pay for” ringing in my ears. I set up the craft table, armed with a stack of coffee filters, glue gun, and wreath form. For a bit, all was well. Glue was melting, filters were being made into a wreath. Then… a problem. The trigger would no longer push the glue stick further into the gun. I had to manually push it, and then it would pop back out. No hot glue. I found myself trying to hold the filter in one hand while trying to manually push the glue into the nozzle with my finger, and when that didn’t work – a stick. Since I don’t have 3 hands, this quickly became hopeless.

Sick of the whole thing, I turned to my trusty Quick Grip glue and proceeded to glue many, many, many filters to the wreath form. Then I spent the next 3 hours peeling glue from my fingers.

I think the universe is telling me I am not supposed to work with a glue gun. Ever. Between the glue on my fingers with this project and kneading biscuit dough later in the evening, the theme for the day was Messy Fingers.

Here’s the finished project:

 
I like it. I know this project has been everywhere in blogland and I’m rather late to the party. However, better late than never.

So, here’s my question. Am I the only one who has a problem with glue guns? Please tell me it’s not just me. Have any of you glue gun stories to tell?

Filed Under: camera, crafts, DIY 45 Comments

Thursday Snapshots

December 16, 2010 at 10:33 am by Claudia

On the hook:

In the mail:

Hanging in the windows:

In my in box:

1. Scarf #4. I’ll show you photos of #3 and #4 later this week.

2. My Moo minicards. They are smaller than the usual business cards and are popular with artists and bloggers. I love mine. I picked a favorite photo for the front. On the back is my blog URL and email address.

3. The infamous Big Lots Bottle Brush Wreaths are hanging in the living room and kitchen windows. I wrote at least 2 posts last year about scouring the entire Big Lots store and scoring 4 of them. I love them. However, one of the wreaths in the kitchen keeps turning slightly to the right. After 3 days of trying to get it to hang straight, I have officially given up.

4. I’m being taunted. Right after I wrote about wanting a new camera, this showed up in my inbox. Both my cameras have come from B & H (simply the most fabulous camera-and-everything-else store in the world.) It’s as if they can read my thoughts. They also send me a coffee-table-sized catalog every year which is on my bedside table. I look at the pictures every night. Visualization. Oh, and this morning I was reading the NY Times online and there was an ad for a rebate on Canon cameras staring me in the face as I tried to read an article. I’m being taunted, I tell you.

How is your day today?

Filed Under: camera, Christmas, crochet 22 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.

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