Mockingbird Hill Cottage

First and foremost: We didn’t get any snow. Other areas around here did, but somehow, we escaped!

Okay. The studio/office or office/studio tour. There are a lot of photos, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in.

I’ll start with my little cubicle. I measured it the other day – 8′ x 6½’ – but that includes all of the furniture; cabinet, desk, and work tables. So, the actual amount of space I have to move around in is much, much less.

If I turn to the left as I enter the room,

The pink cabinet is on the left. That’s a cabinet that we found on Craig’s List. It used to be in the hall, but once I moved my creative space from the niche under the skylight to this room, the cabinet moved, too. In front of it is a vintage fire screen that I purchased from Heidi’s shop right before she closed it down. Sorry, I can’t get the floor in the picture! Too cramped.

Dolls, a puppet from Paris, cake toppers, the opening night poster from Anastasia, and a framed program from the play, Claudia, which was on Broadway in the 40s.

Interior: Roseville, McCoy, Vintage by Crystal – minus a few that were downstairs for Easter, a Smurf  (a gift from Michael Ausiello who wrote Spoiler Alert, the book the movie is based on. Smurfs figure in the story) vintage glove boxes, magazines and books in which I’ve been featured, my dad’s name from his old office, Laduree boxes.

On the side of the cabinet, lanyards. Almost all of them are from theater productions I’ve coached, but there is one from a Paul McCartney concert – we had VIP seats because we know one of the guys in his band – and there is one from the movie, Spoiler Alert, which hangs from the bulletin board.

In front of me is the desk.

At any given time, it’s a mishmash of craft supplies, favorite things, books on Shakespeare, mail, you name it. You can see my precious putz sheep on the mantel shelf. More details…

Some of my paintings, my brother and I, a wooden box that says California on top, a piece of Roseville, little shells.

A photo of me in Paris, taken by Don with his Holga camera. And more putz sheep.

My vintage Necco candy jar, filled with candy. To the left, a brooch that my late brother gave me. I had it framed in a shadow box.

The desk chair. Cords are a way of life around here, so I don’t try to hide them. You can see that the sewing table that I use to work on Dove Cottage is to the right of the desk. And the Lamb with the Party Hat canvas is hanging on the wall.

I keep lots of supplies in those drawers under the table. And lovely Dove Cottage sits on top.

Perpendicular to Dove Cottage is the long work table which holds the Beacon Hill. Don gave me this restaurant counter/island for my birthday a couple of years ago. It takes up a lot of space, but it enables me to work standing up, if necessary, which gives my back a break. I suppose I would never have purchased this Beacon Hill if I didn’t have this counter space. I’m currently stashing tax stuff in one of the rooms.

On the outer perimeter of my cubicle, you see:

The exterior of Dove Cottage and a Z plant.

And the exterior of the Beacon Hill, with lots of supplies on the bottom shelf.

Okay. If, instead of veering to the left as you enter the room, you head straight into the interior, you see this:

To the left would be my cubicle with the exterior of Dove Cottage. This little area includes many guitars, a mandolin, a ukelele, a screen for filming auditions, and the antique French cabinet that holds my miniatures. It sits on a vintage bench, which contains Don’s Crown Graphic camera and accessories. To the right – a bass guitar and a vintage plant stand full of plants, a table with a lamp, books, a framed Wallace Nutting, and a plant.

Next to the table, a very old and comfy chair covered in a tablecloth, Don’s bag, Wallace Nuttings on the wall, a photograph, my chair back from the movie set, and a map of Paris.

To the right of the chair is Don’s desk.

That desk is actually half of a Renaissance Revival dining room table. I bought it during the first year I lived in San Diego to use as a desk. I really love it. Yes, we also have two amps in this room. The vintage telephone works, but not really. The last time we used it, it dialed 911 instead of the number we were calling and the police came to our door. So now it’s just decorative.

A sombrero Don bought on our trip cross country hangs on the wall along with a photo of me and some horses. A photo of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. The signed poster for Escape to Margaritaville. The bolo ties that belonged to his dad. On the far left, a photo of a dear friend of Don’s who recently passed away.

The chair is a vintage Thonet that we bought for $5.00!

Our printer is to the left of the desk and it sits on a file cabinet.

The infamous Big Boys and the hat that Don wore in Escape to Margaritaville.

On the desk, candles from his birthday cake, a shark (a gift from a fellow cast member) and a truck with some cows in it. Don came home from the grocery store one day with the truck which he saw in a seasonal display. “You’re not the only one who buys toys!” he said. I love him so much! Love that he bought this little toy for his desk.

We just bought this lamp a month or so ago. Heidi texted me a photo of it and said it made her think of Don. (It was for sale where she works.) She was right. Definitely one of a kind and we snapped it up.

Desk detail.

By the way, there are also guitars hidden behind the big chair.

A photo I took of Don as he took his final curtain call in Escape to Margaritaville.

Every night during the curtain call, beach balls would fall from the ceiling of the theater. I grabbed these two on closing night. Almost 3 years later, they’re still hanging in there.

And finally, as you walk past the craft closet to the doorway,

My IKEA cart full of paints and dollhouse/miniature tools and supplies.

There you go. We’ve managed to pack a lot into this room. Don is up there right now playing his guitar – just above the den where I’m sitting as I write this.

This room used to be our spare bedroom but we rarely have guests. One day it hit me that we were wasting that space and Don agreed with me. We sold the bed to a friend, cleared out the space, bought my desk from IKEA, moved the sewing table and pink cabinet into the room, and suddenly, we had a creative space that we could share.

Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.