Someday I'll Have Real Chickens!

Someday, I will have a chicken coop complete with real chickens and fresh eggs every day!

But for now, I'll have to be content with my pretend chickens! I'm very picky about the chickens I let in my house! Not just any chicken will make me happy, they must look like real ones!

Above is the very first one in my collection. She is a beauty! Straight from Portugal!

Another version of my first chicken, this one is also my pride and joy.

I found this little one on Ebay. She is the "mini me" of my first chicken.

This one does double duty as a soup tureen.

Another chicken tureen. All the chickens above are from the Bordallo Pinheiro factory in Portugal.

Chickens even have a way of finding their way into my tablescapes, like this vintage pair.

This pair managed to find a place on my Easter table!

I have collected quite a few of these little chick egg cups.

Another little vintage pair, probably from the 40's.

This pair is a reproduction made in China. I like them for their coloring.

They remind me of this real chicken. Isn't she adorable?

I even have a rooster lamp in the guest bedroom. I made this from a vintage rooster!

I've also collected botanicals of chickens like the one above of Light Brahmas.

White Leghorns

Buff Plymouth Rocks

Buff Minorcas

We bought this Gail Packer print years ago for the roosters parading at the bottom.

It also depicts a farmhouse in the wine country!

Here is our chicken coop, turned tool shed in the wine country.

Our neighbors, Ron and Ed have 37 chickens and want to give us a few. Oh, I'm tempted! Ron even said he would take care of them while were in the City.

All I have to do is convert the tool shed back to a chicken coop!

I just want a couple of hens, maybe three altogether. No rooster, thank you...

The problem is, I want the chicken coop to look like this one. This chicken coop belongs to Bunny Williams and was modeled after a pagoda. It is a work of art!

Heather Bullard has the most darling coop also. Thanks Christie at Three Pixie Lane for bringing this one to my attention! Isn't it just fabulous!?

Maybe a chicken run like this one would work. We could just build it off the side of the coop. It has to be very secure because there are a lot of predators in Asti. Ron and Ed have twice lost their chickens to either a fox or coyotes.

Of course, I would want to decorate the inside! It would look something like this--in my dreams!

Someday.....

All the real chickens above belong to Cathleen from Vintage Home Lifestyle

I'm joining Barb at Bella Vista for her special Rooster Party!

If you love roosters and chickens like I do, then you need visit Barb!

I'm also joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

And Laurie at Bargain Hunting With Laurie for Favorite Things Saturday.

Thank you Barb, Cindy and Laurie for hosting these fun blog parties.

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My Cloche Collection

I started collecting glass cloches over five years ago. I found my first one on Ebay and it was my favorite thing. It was huge like the one above, with an etched fleur de lis on the side. I set it on the round porcelain butter dish on my center island.

One day I heard it shatter and found it in a million pieces. My son's friend had tapped it to see if it would make a sound! No problem, I'll just find another.

I found this little one with etching, but finding a glass dome with a fleur de lis seemed impossible. Not even on Ebay.

I accumulated many glass domes over the years like the little one above.

But also expanded my collection to other materials, like this wicker one.

And this rustic pottery one. How cute is this? My friend Maureen gave it to me for my birthday!

I love this chicken wire cloche and can't wait to incorporate it into an outside tablescape.

One of my favorite vignettes with a glass cloche.

Eventually, my friend Maureen found this medium size cloche with an etched fleur de lis!

I was so happy! I put it on my kitchen island over a cake. 24 hours later is was cracked!

My son set it down on the cake knife and cracked it. I give up! At least it didn't shatter! It sits here with some of my many cloches. I keep my found bird's nests under them.

Because these cloches are some of my favorite things, I'm linking up to my friend Laurie at Bargain Hunting With Laurie for Favorite Things Saturday. Be sure to visit!

On July 16th, Marty is having another cloche party at A Stroll Thru Life! I can't wait to join her! Thanks Mary for hosting!

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Love is a Rose

Love is a rose but you better not pick it.

It only grows when it's on the vine.

A handful of thorns and you'll know you've missed it,

You lose your love when you say the word "mine."

NEIL YOUNG

I have always loved roses; they are a central theme in our home and garden. Inside our house, roses are represented in our art, fabrics, wallpaper, rugs, chandeliers and decorative objects. Outside, white roses are growing in the garden and on arbors and fences.

I have collected these paintings over time, none of them by a famous artist, but by hobbyists who obviously loved roses like I do.

This painting is one of my favorites. I even made it my header! I cannot pass up any painting depicting a basket of flowers or fruit!

This amateur painting is so sweet. I love the bouquet of both white and red roses tied with a bow. It hangs in the stairwell.

Believe it or not, I found this painting on Ebay! I wouldn't recommend shopping for vintage oil paintings on Ebay though. You really have to be sure of what you are getting.

Case in point: this is another Ebay find. Turns out, it is a new painting, not an old one. I didn't read the description correctly because I was all excited that it was a basket of roses! Still, it's beautiful and it hangs separately from the vintage paintings.

But of course, this painting which hangs over the fireplace is my favorite!

It was a Valentine's Day gift from Mr. A and the first major piece of art we ever purchased.

Still, it is by an amateur artist.

This painting hangs in the living room. I love how it compliments the screen below.

The rose theme continues with fabrics, like these Irish Linen drapes in my living room. They were destined to be discarded by a homeowner, and I rescued them.

Moving outside to the garden....How sweet is this little Cecile Brunner rose? I captured this image in the late afternoon. Soon it will be joined by thousands more roses as they open in a few days. Known as the boutonniere rose, it is tiny and delicate.

My mom brought me this rose a few days ago. She is partial to red roses and is probably the reason I love roses so much. She had over 65 different varieties of roses in her backyard when I was growing up. I learned their names, which ones were prone to mildew, black spot and aphids! I remember her favorites were "Mr. Lincoln" and "Tropicana."

My favorite rose is "Iceburg." It really is the only rose I have growing besides the climbing Cecile Brunner on the arbors. It's not really white as it has tinges of pink. It smells divine!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

-Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for "Show and Tell Friday." Be sure to visit her beautiful blog!

I'm also joining Claudia at Dipity Road for "Friday--Finding Beauty!'

On Saturday, I'm linking up with Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for My Favorite Things.

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