“Do you think we have enough rooster and chicken
stuff in this kitchen?” my husband asked when my new placemats arrived in the
mail.
 |
| Perfect for my country-style kitchen (even hubby agrees!) |
He made me think. When we first bought our little
farm, the country-style kitchen had a very cute border tile of farmyard poultry
that we loved. It seemed to be a good starting point for decorating the room.
 |
| The kitchen tiles that started it all |
Our friends certainly thought so. Our first rooster-themed things were
gifts—ornaments and dishtowels.
 |
| Italian, but purchased in San Francisco when the Romance Writers of America conference was there |
I enthusiastically picked up on the theme. I’m a
lover of gadgets and knick-knacks anyway, and love to bring back souvenirs of my
travels. So over the last few years the collection has grown.
 |
| The gorgeous girl in the middle was bought in Reno, Nevada when the RWA conference was held there, and came home in my hand luggage on the plane |
Two years ago, a house fire destroyed most of our
kitchen and severely smoke-damaged everything else in the cottage. Most of
those border tiles went, only a row around the chimney breast (we have an
old-fashioned wood stove in the kitchen) remained. Try as we could to find
those tiles to use in the rest of the kitchen, they couldn’t be replaced.
 |
| I use this cute timer often, I found her in Mendocino, California when I was doing location research |
Thankfully the other chicken-themed stuff remained. I like them even more
knowing they survived the fire.
 |
| Bowl from a flea market, eggs courtesy of our chickens |
The latest purchase is some beautiful placemats and
coasters, exactly what I want for my wooden table. They’re easy to clean and
look smart. I love them!
 |
| I didn't need it, I just thought it looked cute by the fireplace! |
I’m sharing some of my treasures here today, but
there are others. Too many? I don’t think so. My eye is too easily caught by a
rooster or two. (And yes, I am writing a story with a rooster in it!)
We have real chickens, too. Thirteen Isa Browns at
the moment who look wonderful in the yard and give us beautiful brown
eggs—perhaps my favorite chicken-themed items of all!
 |
| Meet Ginger, we rescued her from the jaws of a fox and my daughter nursed her back to health |
I have friends who collect owls, dolphins and cats.
My daughter loves anything with Audrey Hepburn on it. It makes gift-giving so
easy! What about you? Do you have a favorite theme for collecting? Anything
unusual? A theme you’ve grown tired of? Please leave a comment—I’d love to hear
about it!
Kandy Shepherd
writes fun, feel-good fiction.
Her new
contemporary women's fiction e-book, Reinventing Rose, is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, and
other e-book retailers.
Kandy’s romances
include the Amazon bestseller The Castaway Bride, Something About Joe, and the award-winners Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is.
Watch out for her
first release from Harlequin Romance in 2014.
Visit Kandy at
her website
www.kandyshepherd.com
21 comments:
I'm not one for collecting, but I do love your chicken knick knacks.
So glad you like them, Mary!
I love chickens and had one for a pet. She was raised with a duck and rabbits and didn't like other chickens. In fact, she was most happy when she lived with the rabbits because she could boss them around easily. Meanwhile I have quite a chicken theme going on in my farmhouse. I also like owls though and anything with rabbits, ducks and doves.
I love the tale of your chicken who lived with the rabbits, Cathleen, how eccentric and sweet. There are some gorgeous things with rabbits on to collect, aren't there. I was tempted by a really nice rabbit doorstop in a shop recently. You would love it!
Kandy, I love your photos of life on the farm! Some magazine should offer you a column - these posts are always so entertaining. Love the chicken ornaments. I must say I have a soft spot for cat ornaments. I suppose it's making up for the fact that I haven't got one! I think my fave is a gorgeous polished Welsh slate one of a black cat sleeping that fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. So tactile. My oldest friend gave me a polished ebony wood one which is almost exactly the same a couple of years ago - again, perfect for stroking!
Among my favorite collection themes are
Carousel Horses, Turtles, Eagles, and
Houston Oilers/Houston Texans items.
My favorite collectible: a replica of
the Houston Astrodome, where the Oilers
played their games. Also a favorite is
my Holiday Carousel and its gorgeous
horses, wreaths, and Christmas Carols.
Pat C.
Hi, Kandy! I do love your collection because it reminds me of my daughter’s house. She has her place decorated this way and it’s adorable and so inviting and homey looking.
I don’t have enough room for much in the way of collections. However, I am a huge reader and my collection is my books. I love each and every one of them! My husband is a rockhound and has a great collection of minerals and gemstones.
Everyone should surround themselves with what they love and makes them happy. I’m glad yours is roosters and chickens.
I love them, but you'll need to rethink them if you ever have to sell your house... But you are better off than a friend of mine who made the off-the-cuff sarcasitic comment about another cutsie collectible... she ended up with a ton and most of them from close family members...
Well, I'm a collector of roosters and chickens myself!! Love them.
Kandy, what a gorgeous collection! No wonder you enjoy finding new pieces to add. I particularly enjoy the dish for your fresh eggs. I'm imagining lots of tasty treats baked from fresh ingredients in your kitchen.
I try not to collect as I'm a bit of a bowerbird, but I have a definite weakness for lovely hand painted ceramic plated. I'm just looking at three on the wall here and would you believe, one of them has a very decorative pair of roosters, courtesy of a trip to Crete a lifetime ago.
Just about everyone I knows collects at least one thing or theme. I collect horse decor items, Coca Cola stuff and waterglobes and my Mom collects teapots, tea cups and anything with butterflies.
Why, thank you Anna for the compliment! I'm so glad you enjoy my posts.
Your cat ornaments sound very special. And the ones that are given to you by dear friends are always the most cherished, aren't they?
Pat, you sound like you have some wonderful collectables. Your carousel horses sound divine, and I bet those turtles are cute. The Astrodome must be impressive and I bet it's admired by men, too!
Connie, how wonderful to know your collection is books. That is music to an author's ears!
Thank you for your kind words about my collection. I so agree with your philosophy that we should surround ourselves with what makes us happy.
Your reply made me smile, girlygirl. I love your story about your friend!
How nice to know you like roosters and chickens, too, Martha. I wonder do we have any the same!
Hi Annie, how nice to see you here.
Yes, you are right, I do bake a lot in my lovely country kitchen. Having fresh eggs freely available is such an inspiration. My current favorite is creme anglaise, (egg custard), with cream, lots of eggs and infused with vanilla bean. My family can't get enough of it. Especially when served with rhubarb (from my garden) and apple pie!
Your hand painted ceramic plates sound wonderful, something so special to collect--and especially when they come attached to memories of trips to Europe!
It is so beautiful, it always makes me smile.
www.eurotherm2012.com
Hi Lisa, horse items can be particularly nice, can't they? My daughter is a horse lover and has collected horsey things since she was little. She has some beautiful horse and pony ornaments as well as pictures, cushions and, of course, books. I just bought a gorgeous horse door-stopper that I will give her for Christmas.
Your mother's collection sounds lovely too. I must admit, I could be tempted to collect butterflies, too!
I'm so glad they made you smile, Ilu!
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