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
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy

The Vintage Dollhouse and Sheet Music

January 3, 2019 at 11:01 am by Claudia

I took the Christmas decorations down yesterday – since we don’t do a whole lot of decorating, it isn’t all that time consuming – and then I moved the egg cup cubby cabinet away from the wall, which is always scary, opened the door under the stairs, and stored everything for another year. Then I moved the cabinet back, which was a bit tricky this time around, but I finally got it in place.

Then I vacuumed like crazy.

(By the way, Don broke a glass yesterday and then I proceeded to break a glass and a bowl. What’s with us? We’re down to three glasses.)

I sorted through the sheet music in our music cabinet. That cabinet was one of the very first things we bought for this house. We got it at an auction. I have a lot more music than I had remembered, some of it from my childhood, some of it from my grandmother (a hymnal, and three songs from Oklahoma, which means the sheet music is from the 40s,) and my first Beatles Songbook, which I got when I was 11 years old. I wrote the names of each of the guys under their photos – in pencil. And look what I found:

Neither of us can remember how this got here and we were shocked and thrilled to discover it! Was it in my grandmother’s music? Doubtful. Was it from my parents? Also doubtful. Was it a gift from someone after we moved to the house? Or did we find it when out antiquing and forgot about it? Either is possible.

It’s getting framed, that’s for sure.

After all the chores were done, I moved the vintage dollhouse onto the coffee table in the den to give it a cleaning. Eventually, the exterior will need an even deeper cleaning but for now, this will do.

I took some pictures.

By the way, the chimney on the roof actually connects to the fireplace. I dropped something down there by mistake and the object ended up in the fireplace.

I put this in the living room to see if the scale worked and it does.

There are arched doorways into the adjoining rooms.

The other two rooms, which are small. And I can only get into the front room from the doorways, so that will be a little awkward!

This is the opening at the back of the house and it’s the only way to get into these rooms. There’s a high, vaulted ceiling. I briefly debated painting the walls, but it would be very difficult. I can’t lay the house on it’s front because the porch is there. I think I’ll put battery operated hanging lights on the ceiling just so I can see more of the room. But that’s down the road.

A corner of the house. Aside from a deeper cleaning of the exterior, I plan to leave it alone. These shutters, by the way, are adorable. They work. They completely cover the window space.

Just playing around. I don’t really have a large stash of miniatures – a few things, but nothing like other miniaturists have. The painting is a mini Wallace Nutting given to me by Barbara. The books were in my stash.

Since I’m currently working (or not working, which is more the case at the moment) on three different houses, and since we are back on a strict budget, I’ll have to take my time. That’s what I did with my first dollhouse. I did what I could, when I could afford it.

My thoughts are still the same with this treasure. Keep it rustic – maybe a little removable wallpaper, maybe not – and honor the work of the creator. Living room, bedroom, kitchen…and we’ll assume there’s an outhouse somewhere nearby.

I really love it.

We have a wee bit of snow on the ground this morning, but once again, it’s not covering all the grass. Still, it was neat to see some snow-covered tree branches this morning.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, miniatures, music, vintage, Wallace Nutting 45 Comments

Happy New Year

January 2, 2019 at 9:17 am by Claudia

Happy 2019!

Tomorrow, the Democrats take over the House. I can’t wait!

We had a quiet New Year’s Eve, no surprise there. We went out for a late breakfast, walked to a vintage record shop, bought some cheese from our local cheese shop, shopped a bit at the antiques barn, had a veggie hot dog, and headed home. Late in the afternoon, we poured a glass of sparkling cider, had some cheese and crackers, and had an early toast to the New Year.

Those are my grandmother’s wine glasses. I was fond of them as a child because they had flowers etched into the glass.

Then we organized our records and watched four episodes of the Twilight Zone Marathon. We were in bed by 11:00.

From the antique barn:

A sheep and an egg cup. Is the egg cup Pyrex, Westmoreland, something else? I’m not sure. Glass egg cups have not been a part of the collection until now. But I loved the white and orange combination. Cheery. It’s tall and it won’t fit in the cubby cabinet, so it’s on the little shelves in the den.

I spent an hour or so yesterday making a backdrop for my mantel sheep. During a trip to Michael’s a couple of weeks ago, I found some interesting scrapbook paper that I thought might work. So I measured the width of the shelf and cut pieces of cardboard (which I found easily because I had just reorganized my pink cabinet!), taped them together, then I cut corresponding pieces of scrapbook paper and taped them on the cardboard with painter’s tape. That way I can change them out when I want to.

The paper has clouds and little airplanes. Keep in mind that the background is only 3½ inches high because the wall begins its slant at that point.

The ornament that is hanging on the right is made from a real egg and has two doves inside. Don gave it to me for Christmas because they’re turtle doves and because I love doves. It’s really beautiful. I’ll share a closeup sometime soon.

A closeup of the paper.

I finished the Louise Penny book this morning. I really liked it – Penny can’t write a bad book. The storylines were compelling. But, it’s not my favorite. Normally – and I’m not kidding about this – I am in tears at the end of one of her novels because she has woven everything together in a way that is life-affirming and transcendent. I didn’t cry this time and I knew I wouldn’t cry when I was reading in bed last night. Now, I realize that is no way to judge a novel. It’s just an indicator that, though I was engaged in the writing, it didn’t take me where it has taken me in the past. Something was missing for me.

All that being said, she is a wonderful writer and I love the characters and the setting of Three Pines and everything about that community and the people who live in it. And I can’t wait for next year’s book to come out.

Today? Christmas comes down. I’m ready for a change. I asked Don if he wanted me to keep the tree up for New Year’s Day and he said yes. So today it is. I’m also going to drop my book donations off at the library.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: books, collecting, Don, egg cups, Louise Penny, sheep 46 Comments

Moving Forward

December 31, 2018 at 9:44 am by Claudia

Well, here we are. The last day of the year. I’m not one to do a lot of “It’s the end of the year!” celebrating. I’ve never been into the whole New Year’s Eve thing – most likely because there was always a party or two where the celebrating seemed forced and, really, just an excuse to drink. I’m all for quiet and reflective. In the end, time is a mortal constraint.

That being said, we will be celebrating quietly here at the cottage. No doubt we’ll be tucked in bed long before midnight. Some sparkling cider, some sweets, a good movie and a kiss or two. That will be perfect.

As with everyone on earth, we’ve had good years and not-at-all-good years. This year had incredible highs and a devastating low. The thing is, throughout it all, Don and I grew closer than ever. And that, for me, is priceless.

Don got to spend time in an apartment in NYC, he opened on Broadway, he had the wonderful experience of being in a show that audiences adored. He got to meet fans and, most importantly, send a little joy their way. I’m so, so proud of him.

I kept working on Broadway with Anastasia  and off-Broadway, as well.

We weathered the heartbreak of Escape to Margaritaville  closing too soon. Obviously, this was especially tough on Don. But we made it through that because we knew how blessed we were to have that opportunity to begin with; to run the show in La Jolla, New Orleans, Houston, Chicago and New York. To get to know Jimmy Buffett and the incredible cast and crew. It was all good. And it was all a blessing.

And we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Paris. We got to visit London and Edinburgh. It was our dream trip and it was perfect in every way. We are blessed.

And that’s as reflective as I want to be. I don’t make resolutions. My goal is ongoing: Be the best person I can be, be kind, think less about myself and more about others, do all I can to make this world a better place for humans and animals.

It’s been a major challenge during this godawful administration. But the resistance will win.

And we have vowed to dance in the streets when that happens. Literally.

I wish for you a beautiful New Year’s Eve, whether you’re at a party, at home, or quietly celebrating with loved ones. Much love.

Happy New Year.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: life 63 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 745
  • 746
  • 747
  • 748
  • 749
  • …
  • 1869
  • 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 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in