The Tale of Four Chickies

Once upon a time there were four chickies ~

Flora Diora

Violet

Tippy

and

Buffy

They were the daughters of Miss Charlotte.  Now Miss Charlotte was close

friends with Thelma the chicken who was the next door neighbor of that

notorious and tenacious chicken chaser known to the brood as 

MR. BENTLEY.

"Now girls," began Miss Charlotte, "I want you to begin to think about

where you will roost when it's time to fly the coop.  Try to find nice homes

for yourselves in a good neighborhood of course.  But whatever you do,

stay out of Mr. Bentley's garden!"

So the chickies went out in search of real estate.  Violet settled on a two story

bungalow birdhouse.  Tippy was happy with a single level bungalow.  Buffy,

for whatever reason decided that a basket would make a cozy roost.

Flora Diora, being quite uppity, decided on a high rise cloche condo.  

Tres chic!

Unfortunately none of the chickies took their mom's advice since all four

abodes were in the confines of a metal tub in Mr. Bentley's garden.

The moral of this story is ~

find a good real estate agent who knows the in's and out's of your area.

Okay big chicks ~ let's fly over to 

Marty's Cloche Party

Honest Bentley, this is just a silly story I made up.  There are no little

chicks planning to roost in your garden.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

I Am A Copy Cat

Inspired by Pottery Barn (March 2012 Catalog, pages 60 and 61)

But with an Ash Tree Cottage Twist ...

Organizing dishes.  Thank you Pottery Barn for inspiring me to

make use of all the many baskets around the cottage!

Although I love wicker baskets, I like the wire ones too.

Flowers can be organized too lol ...

Let's not forget about the wine bar ...

Baskets for glasses and bottles ...

Love this vintage wine font.

Let's not forget to organize those corks.  

Thank you Pottery Barn for so much inspiration!

Okay let's get this party rolling ~

Debbie's Copy Cat Challenge
Blue Monday
Mod Mix Monday
and
Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Bentley will be having a regular feature coming up soon.
Stay tuned for more info!

Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Springing Forward With a Thrift Shop Clock

I was in a local thrift shop recently and I saw this little clock for one dollar.  I didn't 

need another clock because I have them in every room.  You might say I am

clock obsessed.  Schoolhouse, carriage, moonbeam, grandfather.  You name it,

I have it.  So why this cheap little one?

Because I could turn it into this.  I painted it blue and added some naive little flowers.

Somehow the soul of that little clock just needed to shine.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour tonight so that we all

can enjoy one additional hour of daylight tomorrow evening!

Saturday Nite Special

and

Seasonal Sundays

Take a long nap today Bentley because we will be losing an hour

of sleep tonight.

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Tutu Pink

I have always loved ballet.  The music.  The lithe graceful bodies of the dancers

The soft pinks of the shoes, tights and tutus.  It is all so ethereal.

When I put on my leotard, tights and those petal pink shoes to exercise with

the New York City Ballet dancers several times per week ~ I am transformed.

As I practice my plies, tendu and grand battement my mind is consumed by

the beauty and grace of the ballet.  For about 50 minutes I am living the life

of a ballerina.  

It's a wonderful workout too!

Often while on a street corner waiting for the light to change, I catch

myself practicing my turnout.  A ballerina lives in my soul and always will.

Pink Saturday

Bentley does not understand my dedication to the NYC Ballet Workout.

He tries his best to distract me by tossing his toys in the air and

standing on my tummy when I do the abdominal workout.  It's actually

quite funny!

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Leaving Stress Outside Your Door

After yesterday's vibrant reds I decided to calm things down a bit with some

calm, cool and collected blues.  Our world is so full of stress and tension.  We all

need to find ways to bring serenity into our homes and leave the stress outside the door.

The soft shades of blue and white make me feel peaceful.  It's just one of the ways

I bring serenity into our home.

I love to add vintage pieces into the mix as well.  I love their charm and 

innocence.  

It's what we bloggers do.  We nurture our families by feathering our nests

and sharing our ideas with one another.

Have a wonderful day and when you have a chance, stop by and visit 

these blog parties for lots of inspiration ~

What's It Wednesday

Tablescape Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday

Open House Thursday

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Time Travel Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Home Sweet Home

Potpourri Friday

Farmhouse Friday

Vintage Inspiration

Of course one of the very best ways to lower the stress in our

lives is to include a furry friend.  Bentley brings us so much

happiness everyday and lowers our blood pressure too!

Hugs,

Susan and Bentley