Happy Valentine's Day.  Love life.

“Life” magazine, February 15, 1906; Raymond Moreau Crosby 

Once my teens were old enough to drive I automatically assumed

that they were dead in a ditch if I didn't hear from them every hour.

It took several years to unravel the umbilical tether and not panic if

I hadn't heard from the kids every day.

It's always irked me when bloggers suddenly stop posting with no

explanation.  My absence from fleaChic is due to a health issue

that I've battled for several years - Ulcerative Colitis.  Surgery

was required in my case and I'm recovering at home under the

supervision of Bob, Archie and Boswell.

I don't know when I'll feel up to returning to writing and I apologize

for the uncertainty of the future of fleaChic.  Thanks for your support.

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How about a Before and After Thursday?

Let's take a look at Garage Conversions.

With a record number of people working from home, options
for home offices and more living space are getting very creative.

Today's post features some inspiring before and after photos of garages
that homeowners turned into family-friendly and work-friendly spaces.

Before:

 After:

 Interior view:

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Before:

 After:

 Interior view:

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After:

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Before:

After:

 
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Before:

 After:

I like the idea of not removing the garage door so that, from

the outside, you can't tell it's been converted.  The curtains are

a great way to camouflage the doors.

 Before:

 After:

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The beamed ceiling is gorgeous.

 
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Before:

 After:

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Before:

 After:

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 When the owners of this home decided to turn their garage
into a studio, the first thing they did was built a detached garage:

After:

Interior view:

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Unfortunately, there are no before photos of these last
three projects but you can still appreciate the after:

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Deciding to convert a garage into living space is a huge
decision but one that can have satisfying results.

File this under ABSURD!

The Sunday Times of London recently revealed that a print of

an Irish potato, taken by photographer Kevin Abosch, sold for

£750,000 - that's almost $1,100,000!

Celebrity photographer Abosch has snapped portraits of Johnny
Depp, Yoko Ono, Steven Spielberg, and numerous other notables.
Abosch would not identify the purchaser of the spud print, just
confirming that it was a European businessman.

Sotheby's will soon conduct an auction of Master Paintings and
19th Century European Art.  Below are just a few of the offerings.

This original painting from an unknown artist has
been dated to 1800.  The expected bid:  $30,000

John James Chalon's painting, View of The Market,
below, is expected to sell for $50,000:

Daniel Ridgway Knight's On The River's Edge
is expected to bring $60,000:

I understand that photography is the  'Old Master' medium of the 20th and 21st Century.  But original photographs by the late Ansel Adams, one of the most accomplished and famous of photographers, can be purchased between $8,000 and $50,000.  We're talking an original photograph that Adams printed from negatives he shot and developed.

Ansel's Church, Taos Pueblo (1942)


Ansel's The Tetons and the Snake River (1942)

A 'businessman' pays over $1,000,000 for a print of a potato
taken with a digital camera?  Wrong.  So wrong.

Click here to view other Sotheby antique oil paintings by
European artists with prices ranging from $8,000 to $50,000.

Art is on my mind, especially unusual

collections that are displayed as art.

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My tiny mind has been blown by this
organized display of quilting fabric:

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Did you know that 60's Paint By Number
pieces are uber collectible now?

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Oh, it's a thing.


Who says we have to outgrow our toys?

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Books, books, books, books. . . you can never have enough books!

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Create a reading nook out of a closet and
decorate the walls with shelves of books.


We all have a box or drawer of odds-and-ends.
Let's display 'em:

A framed collection of old plane and train tickets
is a visual memory of great vacations:

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Fill in the chalk map with the states you've visited:

A vintage frame makes the perfect pin board
for shabby chic memorabilia: 

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A beautifully framed collection of heirloom hankies:

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Potholders have been overlooked in linen collecting.

Vintage jewelry doesn't belong in a
jewelry box, it belongs on the wall:

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Don't keep your treasures stored away in a drawer.  The owner
of this collection of antique sterling silver spoons proudly
displays them in their dining room.


Mirrors aren't just beautiful, they enlarge
and lighten the space around them.

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That's one 'L of a collection!

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Again, who gets to define art?  You!