Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy

Relocating Books and a Flower Child

December 28, 2021 at 10:17 am by Claudia

The modern dollhouse is dismantled and, for the time being, it’s wrapped in a sheet and tucked under my dresser. But it sticks out, as it did when I tried to place it under the work table. It will be moved to a spot under the bed later today.

The top surface of the both bookshelves was cleaned and then, several trips up and down the stairs later, we have this:

This looks crooked and wonky because the only way I can get a photo is to sit on the bed. Even though our house is very old and does have slightly uneven floors, it’s not quite this bad! All of these books are To Be Read. Except for the Mary Stewarts and (not in the photo) the PD James. They are to be reread. I actually like the books here more than the dollhouse as the covers are colorful and bright and they cheer up this corner of the bedroom.

Our library is accepting donations again, so I am going to sort through books and amass piles of them to donate. Normally, I do this once a year, but the last couple of years have been…well, you know.

I made progress with the puzzle, too.

Today it’s sunny, so we’re going to take a walk this morning.

A new dress arrived in the mail from a seller on Etsy – WoollyRockers. I’ve purchased from her before. She made a series of dresses in the Strawberry Thief pattern by William Morris, which, as you can see, I also have on the sofa in the English cottage.

I’ve always thought of Sophie as a bit of a flower child, and this long dress, coupled with her long hair, confirms it. Zoe was dressed in that hat when she arrived in the mail and it is the perfect color to complement the dress. Next on the agenda for Sophie and Maeve; a neck joint that will make their heads move a bit more, so that they aren’t always looking down. (That’s a thing with Blythe dolls in their original state – heads looking downward.) That lack of flexibility results in Sophie often looking sullen. It will involve some ‘surgery’ but now that I’m home, I’m going to get going on that project.

I have some major sorting and cleaning to do in the office/studio and that will be on the agenda for the next couple of days. It’s rather a mess in my cubicle and since Don recently cleaned and reorganized his section of the office, I must avoid embarrassment and do the same!

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, Sophie 21 Comments

Puzzle and Book Storage

December 27, 2021 at 9:55 am by Claudia

If you stopped by yesterday, this is what you would have seen me doing.

All day long.

This is a difficult one, with lots of detail, but it’s such fun! So many Shakespearean characters pop up throughout the puzzle. The Globe, the Tower of London, Queen Elizabeth I, bear baiting (can’t believe that was ever considered sport!) the Thames. It is the perfect puzzle for yours truly.

But 1000 tiny pieces with all sorts of bits of building facades and people’s faces, so there’s that.

I figured I’d start with the Thames and go from there.

Don is out running a few errands as we might get some light snow this afternoon that will turn icy overnight. He figured he’d get things done this morning and then we can stay safely inside.

I have decided I am going to temporarily dismantle the modern dollhouse. I haven’t done anything with it and it takes up a lot of space on the bedroom bookshelves. It’s easily taken apart and put together again – it was designed that way. Then I’m going to move the stacks of books that live on the den floor up to the top of the bookcase. These are all books that are To Be Read and I can stack them on their sides where the titles will be visible. Rather than have them take up floor space downstairs, they can live in the bedroom, where I will see them every evening. And the den will look less crowded. So that’s on the docket for today.

I’ll store the modern dollhouse under the work table in the office. I think (fingers crossed) that will work.

Okay. Have to get going.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: books, jigsaw puzzles 12 Comments

Post Celebration

December 26, 2021 at 8:09 am by Claudia

We had a lovely Christmas and I hope you did, too. Even with our usual low-key celebration, we still feel tired on the ‘day after.’

So does Monty.

The year of jewelry: Don bought me a watch and some earrings, both of which I had on my list. He gets nervous about things like that, but he nailed it. Also, a jigsaw puzzle, and these:

He said he saw an ad featuring the socks a month ago and immediately bought them. According to Don, he’s never purchased any present a month ahead of time. I love them.

We plan on taking it easy today. I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle of Shakespeare’s London and it’s very detailed and will take a long time to complete. Perfect! By the way, it was suggested to me on Amazon. They’ve got me pegged.

And then we’ll take a walk, because we are determined to keep walking this winter. I’m in better shape than I’ve been for a long time and I don’t want to be a slug.

We have leftovers (hurrah!) and sugar-free apple pie (Don’s specialty) that we didn’t even touch yesterday because we were so full after finishing our dinner.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

 

 

Filed Under: Christmas 28 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 307
  • 308
  • 309
  • 310
  • 311
  • …
  • 1768
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

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

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

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT