What does a city girl know about raising chickens?  Not much.

But I know I want one of these darling coops in my backyard!

 Nordic Reach

Suzie Beezie

Ancient Industries

 Love & Laundry

High Prairie Farm Girl

Which of these next three adorable coops

from Backyard Chickens is your favorite?

Backyard Chickens

Heather Bullard

So elegant.  Love the cupola.

Home Century

houzz

Source

 Source

Source 

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High Prairie Farm Girl

Forget the chickens, I want this for my

own personal space.  No boys allowed!

The Selby

A coop and a corral for the miniature pony I wanted as a little girl.
(Got a Schwinn instead.)

Blessed Wild Apple Girl

Don't these chickens look peaceful and content?

We all know that happy hens produce the best eggs.

And we think we have it rough picking

out something to wear on Mondays. . . . . .

 18th Century Stays

Don't these 19th Century corsets look like torture devices?!

Outlandish Observations

Mankind made many advancements during the Industrial Revolution.

Unfortunately, comfortable undergarments weren't one of them.

Couture Courtesan

Couture Courtesan is one of the most interesting blogs I've visited
in quite a while.  Hosted by Samantha, an incredibly talented young
costume reconstructionist, the site features her adventures in reproducing
historic clothing.  Please take a moment to stop by her site and enjoy the
beautiful and incredibly detailed costumes she's created. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Whenever I'm on vacation or away

from the laptop for a few days and not posting, I worry that my

dear followers might forget about fleaChic.  

"Where have you been?" you ask.  Without seeing the pictures,

you wouldn't believe me if I told you . . . . . . . .

To protect the privacy of the current owners I won't reveal the address

but, in one of my past lives (1983-1989), this was my home.  The
unusual tower over the front door originally featured a 'widow's walk'
on top but it was removed many years ago when the roof was replaced.  

This is a view of the back entrance.  The peaked roof portion on the

right is the original part of the house which was built in 1816.  The

front door faced this side street but during the Civil War the entrance was

moved to the other side of the house and the 'widow's walk' was added. 

About the only thing that's different from when I owned the house is
that the little door leading down into the basement (on the right) was
white wrought-iron.  You can't see it but to the left is a detached carriage
house/garage.

Thomas Wolfe wrote, "You can't go home, again."    

Physically, he's right.  But spiritually, I visit it every day.

As sad as it was to sell this home, it was heartening

to know that the new owners would appreciate it.

They still live there.  That's a happy thing, isn't it?

"Where else did you go?"  Well, as weird as this sounds,

I visited some of my ancestors.

This past year I've devoted a lot of time studying my family's genealogy.

One of the main purposes of my trek to north Alabama was to visit the

graves of my great-grandparents.  My investigation led me to a nearly

abandoned cemetery on Guntersville Lake.  It was sad to see the condition

of the cemetery and, especially, the graves of my relatives.

After walking around, reading all of the tombstones, and looking at

the beautiful lake, it began to feel peaceful and uplifting.  And, still

a little sad, too.  My brother has promised to return with me this Fall

and help clean up the cemetery.  My great grandparents will like that.

Greetings from north Alabama!  Sorry I've been away from the laptop this week
but it's been so much fun visiting with family and friends.  Just taking a break from
all the hilarity to post a . . . . . . .

Before & After Thursday!

 

Interestosity

By simply painting, replacing the hardware, and removing the top drawers, this
run-of-the-mill dresser was transformed into a striking entertainment center.


What do you think about the desk re-do below? At first it struck me as a little too shiny but it's glowing growing on me.
   Before:                                                      After:

 
  Renew, Redo

   How darling is this telephone table/chair combo now?!
   Before:                                                         After:

 
Better After


Recovering a pair of ordinary leather ottomans with bright fabric and replacing
the console completely transformed this foyer presentation.
   Before:                                        After:

 

Emily A. Clark

What a dramatic difference a little black paint makes:

  Before:                                                               After:

 

The Painted Hive

There's absolutely no excuse for us to not tackle a project like the one below.

Thrift stores are teeming with these 1960s occasional chairs and they're usually ridiculously cheap (often as little as $10.)  The secret: the fabric

is painted, too!

   Before:                                                                  After:

 

The French Cupboard

Check out these two amazing chest-of-drawers after their beauty treatments:

 
Classy Clutter

The Junction

Isn't it fun to start with a bare room and create

your own decorating scheme 'from scratch'?

Before:

After:

Life & Home

Beautiful!  Have a great Thursday.

We need to talk . . . . .

. . . . . about Statement Pieces (S.P.)

Much like a professional athlete with a striking beauty
on his arm, many decorators insist on having a 'Shock Value'
piece in their decorating schemes:

elle decor

There are so many Statement Pieces vying for attention
in this room that I'm a little overwhelmed.
(Sometimes I like being overwhelmed.)

Architectural Digest

The 'apple art' sets the tone of this play area - fun!  
Love the checkered table top and the stenciled
baskets.  And, who says organization can't be fun?

The Brick House
The owners began with a neutral background palate on which
to display their prized modern art collection.  Sophisticated and clean.

The Marion House Book
Clothing, especially ethnic or antique articles,
make stunning visual and textural displays.

Emma's Blog
Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words and this homeowner  knows all
about The Silent Cool Effect. (I made that up.)
Seriously, the statement here is, "Cool is timeless."




And, now, it's time for the Statement Piece Awards of the Day:

the pursuit aesthetic

The 'Steve McQueen Cool' Statement Piece Award, hands down.
For me, the S.P. is the black wall beneath the black crow print.
And that MidCentury credenza - ooh, mama.

recyclart.org
The 'Ultimate Repurposing' S.P. Award

Phoebe Howard
The 'Nautical Sophistication' S.P. Award

media 24
The 'World of Light Fixtures' S.P. Award

frankly esoteric
The 'I-Will-Run-With-Scissors' S.P. Award

 eclectic revisited
The 'Is It Lightning or it is Anatomy?' S.P. Award

eclectic revisited
The 'Less-may-be-More but More-Is-Just-Getting-Started' S.P. Award

frankly esoteric
The 'My Life is Bright and a Little Off Balance' S.P. Award




I hope you've enjoyed today's posting on Statement Pieces.  They're a lot of fun
to work with and create.  What does your statement piece say about you?

We're flying to north Alabama today to spend time with family.  So in case
I'm not able to post on a regular basis, see you next week!