A sleepy Thursday morning. I stayed up late watching the World Series but woke up at my usual time. So far so good with the World Series, but make no mistake, it’s going to be a tough competition. Don and I wish the baseball season lasted all year long. What are we going to do in the winter?? I used to love basketball, but try as I might, I just can’t get into it anymore. It’s baseball for me. That always surprises my dad because I thought baseball was the second most boring thing to watch in the world when I was younger. The first was golf. Golf has retained that title, by the way.
The photos are snippets of life in the cottage: what my eyes light on during the course of a day, the little things that make this cottage a home.
Yesterday was a day of phone conversations. I had a wonderful conversation with a dear friend who is an actor and a neighbor and is currently in the Rep at Hartford Stage. He and his lovely wife have become good friends of mine. Then I had a long conversation with a former student who is a talented actress and is just starting to do what I do: coaching speech and dialects. She had some questions about a production she is currently coaching and it gave us the excuse to catch up with each other.
Then I discovered a message on our voice mail from the monitoring system my dad uses. It’s a life alert kind of thing. They had received an alarm from his alert device and they couldn’t reach him by phone so they dispatched an EMS vehicle to Dad’s address. By the time I got the message it was twenty minutes after the fact, so I called my dad. No answer. The I called the monitoring company, but they didn’t have any updates. Then I called my sister, who was working, so her phone was turned off. Then I tried my dad again. No answer. I looked at the clock and realized that it was about the time my dad visits my mom every day, so I called the Nursing Home and mentioned who I was and that I was looking for my dad and the receptionist cheerily responded “Oh, I just saw him! Do you want me to get him?” Just as I had suspected, Dad triggered the wrist alarm he wears by bumping into something. This has happened before. So all is well, but for a few minutes I was in a bit of a panic.
I want to share a link with you. It is a post by artist Lisa Congdon which tells an all-too-common tale of her art being stolen by a major company and sold for profit. This company is Cody Foster, maker of lots of Christmas decor, among other things. You might have some Cody Foster items in your own home. I might. Allegedly, they have been copying the original work of independent artists for years. They do not compensate the artists or attempt to get a licensing agreement. They just steal. Correct me if I’m off base here, but isn’t stealing wrong?
I cannot begin to imagine how painful it must be for an artist to see her work copied and sold for profit by a company – to realize that companies can steal and seemingly get away with it.
If you Google Cody Foster, you will find a long list of links to articles and posts that concern this very thing. They’ve been called design pirates and ripoff artists. Shameful, don’t you think? Here’s a very informative article about the whole thing.
I will not be buying anything from Cody Foster.
Happy Thursday.
I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM AGAIN. AS WELL I WILL ALERT EVERYONE I KNOW OR SEE DOING SO! Once again where are the values? We once held so dear? Love Love Love the snippets of your cottage! Especially the cow against the old white brick backdrop,and the light fixture you made from various pieces of crochet! Your blog cheers me up in the morning. GOOOOO SOX!!!!!!!!!
Independent artists struggle to survive just like the rest of us. Their original designs should be applauded and companies who want to use them should offer compensation.
Go Sox!
Love that first picture…is that your skylight? Fortunately I don’t believe I have anything from that company…but now I’ll be on the lookout! How DARE they! What ever happened to ETHICS??? I have to go look at more of your pictures to calm down! ;)
I suppose ideas have been stolen for as long as art has been created, but it doesn’t make it right. I often wonder where ethics are nowadays.
Yes, that is the skylight in my sewing niche.
Love your little snippets of everyday life. I had read on Facebook about the theft of artwork. That is just plain stealing. I can’t believe some of those artists haven’t gone after them.
Glad Dad was all right. Scary time.
Have a good day. Will call you one day next week.
Judy
There’s an article I linked to (in a later edit of this post) that details why it is so hard for independent artists to go after these guys. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and that’s what those companies are counting on.
Artistic theft is disgraceful. The only way is to vote with your wallet. I wish Lisa all the success in the world.
On a more cheerful note…I love your cottage. I just want to curl up there with you. It looks so very peaceful.
Oh, thank you so much!
Enjoy your daily blogs when I can get over. With comany and projects I do my best to comment . Also do my blogs.
I do like how you did the window take. Hope you had a good sleep in.
Didn’t sleep in, Carol Ann. Woke up at my usual time and that was too early!
I hate when people steal other artists work and make a profit from it. Have they no shame. Well, apparently not, but hopefully the word gets around so people stop buying from them. Happy your dad is okay. Such a worry. xo Laura
The more we talk about this sort of thing, the better. The internet can be a powerful tool for good.
I’ve been following the cody foster situation and wendy addison was instrumental in getting the word out esp about west elm. I am so proud that West Elm removed all of Fosters products from their stores and catalog and made a public announcement as to why they were doing it. More companies need a moral compass like that…
I think Fab, an online site has removed Cody Foster inventory as well, Z. Good to know about both West Elm and Fab.
xo
Claudia
How disgraceful..to make money from someone else’s talent..why are there no laws against this? So glad to hear that your Dad is OK..
There are, but they involve copyrights and it’s hard to prove this sort of thing. Plus, fighting it legally is apparently very expensive.
Thank you Claudia, for the alert about Cody Foster products. I will be on the lookout myself and spread the word as well. Along those same lines, Katie Couric did a segment this week on COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS and how people that think this is a victimless crime are unwittingly advocating child labor in many countries, not to mention funding human trafficking, drugs, even terrorism. The general public would be absolutely stunned about this. I know it opened MY eyes. An expert in this field showed how to spot a fake – her sample as a Louis Vuitton handbag – but first she started off by saying one of the most common sense things I’ve ever heard on TV. IF THE PRICE IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS. AND IT”S A FAKE… AND WALK AWAY. Even if you see this in an otherwise reputable and high-end store. Hope this is helpful.
Yes, Janet, I’ve read much the same thing and it’s appalling! Thanks for sharing this with us.
PS – so glad your Dad is OK. Technology these days. It both provides peace of mind AND scares us to bits. :>)
Well I can only imagine how many times there are false alarms, especially with the elderly. It’s so easy to hit the alarm by mistake or lose your balance…
A sleepy Thursday morning. I stayed up late watching the World Series but woke up at my usual time.
I should of read it all. Somehow I seem to never read your blogs right.
I think I am better not commenting as I never get it right. Ha-ha.
I guess I read the top I copied back. A sleepy morning.
Not to worry, Carol Ann. It WAS a sleepy morning because I was so sleepy!!
Thank you for the information regarding Cody Foster products. How brazen some companies are.
I saw the blue book in your blog today with the title The Mockingbird Hill Cottage the first…. Would you
mind giving me the full title please? Is it about your home? Curiosity is my middle name!
I had the first year of my blog posts made into a book entitled Mockingbird Hill Cottage: The First Year. I was going to have every year made into a book, but I fell behind. Then I realized that once I moved to WordPress, I could no longer do that. So I haven’t had any more books made, unfortunately.
Claudia, I wonder if I can have a book made of my short-lived and inconsistent blog journey? Did you use a software tool or a specific program to do this?
I used Blurb.com, Sandy. You can download their software. Their work is excellent.
I like the turquoise blue bowl at the bottom.
Looks like something you would see on the Road Show. American artist 1920s worth $2,000
I love the design.
Christy
Well, it’s lovely but it isn’t worth $2000.00! If only! It’s a pattern called Orange Tree by Homer Laughlin china. I have two of the bowls that I got at auction. Probably worth about $50.00?
Hi Claudia, it’s so nice to meet you! I followed you over from a comment over at Muddy Boot Dreams (I also sent you a PM regarding the validation topic over at MBD. Sorry you had that scare with your Dad but happy it all turned out well… deep breath and slowly exhale :D I loved all of your photos but the one that struck me the most was the juxtaposition of the book sitting next to the cell phone! The book title also gave me a new list of books to read… I’d forgotten how much I liked Wodehouse!
I’m following your blog by email so I won’t miss posts… looking forward to reading more!
Hugs
Beth, it’s so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for your kind comment. Wodehouse and a cell phone – perfect, don’t you think? My husband loves Wodehouse. He’s an actor and he did a one man show entitled Jeeves Takes Charge several years ago. He fell in love with Wodehouse and we are always looking for vintage editions to collect.
I sent you a response to your email, by the way.
Lucy at Attic24 saw her own crochet work used on greeting cards! Her work was stolen and used for gain by the card company.. awful. Loved all your photos and I’m in love with the blue bowl with trees on the side.. who is the maker?((hugs)), Teresa :-)
How terrible for Lucy! It’s a vintage bowl, Teresa, by Homer Laughlin – the pattern is Orange Tree. xo
Claudia,
So glad your dad is okay and sorry you had a scare! From your tiny treasures you collected on your walks in Hartford, to those moments of uncertainty and worry about your father, each one, as you say, is a slice of life. I’m sure your last ‘bite’ was sweet.
Thank you, Poppy. Yes, all of it is a slice of life. xo
You can bet I won’t be buying anything from them either! I think that type of business practice is just disgraceful!
On a lighter note- you will appreciate this. Our little SweetCheeks-6 years old and in her first community theater play (the baby of the group-next one is 8 years old) started out with ONE line. The director then wrote in another line for her. (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever). Yesterday she told the director. I really think I should say this (some line) when the person ahead of me says her line. Director says, Good idea…and GAVE HER THE NEW LINE SHE HAD COME UP WITH. On the way home SweetCheeks says- I think I might need to add another line in there somewhere.!!! WHAT a riot! Just thought you would get a kick out of that! xo Diana
Oh, that Sweet Cheeks! As always, she cracks me up. She’s got moxie, that one!
Love your photos. So glad your dad is OK. Not a baseball fan at all, sorry. Only sport I can even semi-tolerate on TV is hockey or soccer because of the fast pace. Any other sport, especially on TV, puts me to sleep. Interesting and enlightening story about Cody Foster and how they steal from artists. Shameful!
I used to feel the same way about baseball. Go figure. Now I love it!
I never heard of Cody Foster so I took a look at their website and read their story. Then I found an article titled “Is Giant Folk Art Company Stealing From Small Artists?” There were photos of Cody Foster’s christmas ornaments with a photo of Lisa Congdon’s illustrations side-by-side. Blatant theft! I believe in Karma and every dog has it’s day. That company has NO ethics. Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention. It sounds like many of your readers have purchased from them. If no one buys their fraudulent wares, that will send a huge message to them and hopefully put them out of business. On another note, glad to hear your dad’s okay. It’s a sunny day here in Michigan but cold. We had our first frost a couple days ago. I just might get out and snap some random photos. Your slice of life photos are lovely.
It’s cold here, too, Sandy. Not sure I’m ready for it. We gave in and turned on the heat a few days ago.
I’m never ready for cold weather! We turned our heat on last night :)
Claudia, Here is another link that shows how Cody Foster blatantly copies artists: http://www.flickr.com/photos/105498342@N02/
I’m appalled at this! After reading their folksy little story of how they got started it really got me steamed! I need to go for a walk and shake this anger off! I want to see artists compensated for all their work!
Yes, I’ve seen that link. Appalling, isn’t it? The folksy story behind the company turns out to be a sham.
Your photos are starting my day off on the right foot! Also glad your Dad is OK and that was a false alarm. As for this company stealing artists works, I will never buy from them and if I find something I have from them I will destroy it! Artists have been fighting this kind of thing forever but it is not right and never will be! Thank you for the info! Oh and I love the little bird planters, are they McCoy???
hugs,
Linda
Yes, they are McCoy, Linda. xo
Hi Claudia! Love the photos of your house, everything looks very cozy. I especially like the blue bowl. Very pretty.
I am watching the World Series too, and am looking forward to each and every game. I will be sad when it’s over. My son played baseball right through high school and it was such a big part of our lives (my husband coached). Now that he’s in college, we miss the baseball action! Our Sacramento Kings basketball team has a new coach, players and owner, so looking forward to a better season this year. Take care and enjoy the lovely fall weather while it lasts.
Lynne