Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Our Sign, Thanks to Tina and Paula

November 25, 2009 at 1:05 am by Claudia


A few weeks ago, Tina of Cherry Hill Cottage, one of my favorite blogs, posted about a sign that a fellow blogger had made for her. The blogger was Paula of Castle and Cottage. I fell in love with the sign, immediately clicked on the link to Paula’s site and wrote an email asking her if she could make one for me. She did. I freely admit going with what Tina chose because it was also perfect for my kitchen.

It arrived on my birthday.



I took photos of the sign during the day and at night – I was trying to capture how beautiful it is. Don had been saying that we needed something to hang over the sink/kitchen window that was large and graphic. The sign we previously had there was too dark and hard to read. Almost immediately after that conversation, I read Tina’s post…and here it is. We love it.

Paula has an Etsy shop and she has all sorts of signs available in many shapes and sizes. She will also do a custom order. And her prices are extremely reasonable. Working with Paula is thoroughly enjoyable. Stop by and tell her I sent you! You will love her work. We sure do.

Have a wonderful day before Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: decorating, Mockingbird Hill Cottage 28 Comments

Vintage Birthday

November 24, 2009 at 10:11 am by Claudia

I promised some photos of my birthday presents, so here goes, in the order I received them. My husband is pretty darn special and he did such a great job of finding things I love. This was my first present:


Oooh! Tole! I love tole, I do. I believe this is a crumber and I am crazy about it.



Do you see all that chippy, faded loveliness? It makes my heart skip a beat…so perfect. Don is pretty wily – when we were exploring earlier in the day on my birthday, before I opened presents, we went into an antique shop. Turns out it was the shop where he bought this. He pointed out some tole trays and said…what is that? I told him and he asked if I liked that kind of thing, and of course I went on and on about how much I loved tole and proceeded to tell him about all the tole already in the cottage. I’m sure he was mightily amused by all this.

Next: tipped off by Heidi, Don (and the dogs) gave me this:

Swoon! I am over the moon! (Ignore the lampshade which will soon be replaced.) Gaze upon this unbelievably gorgeous, chippy vintage lamp.

I think this is my favorite lamp, ever. The parakeets are so beautiful, the design is so sweet and the base is chippy perfection.



Heidi got this at auction and when I saw it recently, I went nuts. Knowing my birthday was coming up, Heidi did a little secret work behind the scenes with Don and much to my surprise and delight, this little beauty is mine. I. am. in. love. My friend Donna will be swooning when she sees these photos!

Heidi surprised me with this treasure:


A vintage child’s toy piano. She said that it screamed my name when she first saw it. She’s right! It plays a perfect scale on those 8 wooden keys. Look at the lovely painted design.


Isn’t it wonderful? Oh my goodness, I am blessed. Don’t you love it when friends and family ‘get’ you? I couldn’t have asked for more perfect presents and I treasure them. All that and sugar-free apple pie from The Julian Pie Company and a wonderful dinner? How could I ask for more?

I have other wonderful things to show you tomorrow and later in the week….things I’ve won or bought for the cottage.

Have a wonderful day, my friends.

Filed Under: birthday, vintage 26 Comments

More Photos on the Line & a Chalkboard

November 23, 2009 at 8:08 am by Claudia


Thank you, thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes! You are such wonderful, generous friends! I read them all with a full heart. I had a lovely day – actually, a perfect day. My husband and I spent the afternoon exploring part of a nearby town. We had some lunch and walked on our local rail trail. Later, my husband surprised me with a wonderful dinner at a local tearoom/restaurant. It was scrumptious! I don’t often go on and on about a meal while I’m in the midst of eating…but the food was wonderfully good. Don did a great job of surprising me (he is very good at that.) I came home to presents and pie – sent by FedEx overnight from Julian, California. Yum! Tomorrow I will post about my presents – all vintage.


Last week I added another ‘necklace’ of photos to my design board. I won’t bore you with details on every photo, but the young handsome guy in the middle is my Dad as a teenager. You’ll notice he is hanging directly below the photo of my Mom as a teen.

Do you remember the chalkboard tutorial? My first attempt at the actual chalkboard was on plywood that was less than smooth and I ended up using another piece of wood. I didn’t want to toss the first attempt, so I drilled two holes at the top of the chalkboard, knotted some twine and fashioned a hanger. I think it looks perfect hanging in my little studio area and if I use a wet towel, it erases just fine. What do you think?


I’ve written a favorite quote on it for the time being, but I’m sure I will be writing lists of things to do soon enough.

Have a wonderful Monday.

Filed Under: decorating, DIY 21 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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The Dogs

The Dogs

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.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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