Home to Roost
In a previous post showing the view from my kitchen sink, I mentioned my kitschy rooster kitchen decor. It all began innocently enough, with this beautiful embroidered panel my in-laws brought back from China several years ago. (On the Chinese calendar, my birth year was Year of the Rooster.) Below, a close up of the really stunning embroidery on this piece:
Suddenly, I had a Theme, and from that point, it seemed that everywhere I went I saw plenty of rooster nonsense just begging to be added to the collection. Â (OK, a few token hens here and there too. Remember, The Roosters May Crow, But The Hens Deliver The Goods.)
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| This one’s actually a timer, dial is on the back. |
Below, one of a pair of chicken soup bowls that belonged to le monsieur’s Grandmother. (Chicken soup is sometimes referred to as “Jewish Penicillin” for its healing properties.)
Below, a closeup of a chicken “under the weather.”
In the last couple of years, I haven’t added to the collection, as I haven’t seen anything really special enough to warrant rearranging the current pieces.
Do you collect anything? Â Let’s see! Post to show your collections and let me know, and I’ll put up links to all next Thursday.
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The only thing I collect are the swarovski limited edition Christmas tree ornaments that are introduces every year. I am up to 17 or 18 ornaments but I am o.k. with it because they stay on the tree for a month and then get packed away.
What a wonderful and varied collection; it makes me happy to look at it. The chicken under the weather may be my favorite, as I cheer for the underdog (under-hen) : >
I really enjoy other’s collections and look forward to seeing what’s posted.
Don’t collect anything myself but once had a maybe 300 metal cookie-cutters- now down to 25 or so.
I collect hankies from the 1940s. They take up very little room and they’re such a connection with the women who owned them (not to mention the fabulous colors and design.)
Love the chicken soup plate!
No I don’t collect anything, I always had minimalist tendencies, my parents were ashamed of my bedroom when I was growing up because I wanted it as plain as possible.
Love the chicken soup plate!
No I don’t collect anything, I always had minimalist tendencies, my parents were ashamed of my bedroom when I was growing up because I wanted it as plain as possible.
Beautiful and fun collection! Do I collect anything??? Too many categories to mention and I am in the process of organizing them as we speak. And downsizing. Too Chaotic to photo at this time, but perhaps in the future.
I don’t collect much anymore…but I do have a collection of matte white pottery. I also collect diamond heart charms for my gold bracelet.
I collect statues of people reading. I have lovely one of a young girl reading a book with a cat by her side. Another of a buddhist monk reading a book sits under a Japanese maple tree in my front yard.
I have a real live rooster I would mind offloading if you’d like to add him to your collection 🙂 He looks like the one in the “Poulet” sign.
I will gather my Eiffel Tower collection together in time for next weeks post….sounds fun. xo
Cutest post title ever. All I collect is photos of my children:). I love your penicillin plates too.
You need a chicken necklace….
I love this!! Simply, because I have had my collection moments in my life and right now I have several roosters in my kitchen. I held myself back from having too many, but I think you have inspired me to continue on. I always see great ones in furniture thrift shops. I love your collection!!
I’m a rooster too. It’s so nice to see where the inspiration for the collection came from.
The panel is stunning.
My collections are of a more practical nature, besides clothing accessories and jewellery I collect tin cans and notebooks.
Hello:
What fun this all looks to be and certainly they all enliven the kitchen walls.
We really smiled at the ‘Jewish Penicillin’ plate since the same thought processes seem to hold sway here in Hungary. ‘Csirkeleves’ or chicken soup is always held up to be the cure all for any number of illnesses. It is delicious, but as for its curative properties we are less sure.
Your ceramic chicken timer is our favourite!
Love the way these suggest a very homey kitchen — makes me think about the word kitsch which these verge just on the right side of. Chickens are so elemental and reassuring — I’ve got a few clucking around various corners of my kitchen as well.
I collect blue and white china — have pieces from all over the world — and of every sort imaginable. (Spode cheese dome, anyone?) Some of my pieces were cheapies from the flea market, and others brought carefully back from trips overseas, but everything has a story.
Alas, everything is in storage, so I can’t show off.
I have paintings and sculptures of horses around the house, probably no surprise 😉 I never thought of them as a collection, I have them, because they are unique, beautiful and perfectly to my taste.
I might easily start to collect something, but I try to ” hold my horses “.
What a nice collection. I love the chicken under the weather the best.
It seems we have the very same tea kettle.
I wound up collecting fish…don’t know how…people just seem to bring them to me. Maybe they’re my ‘Chicken of the Sea’ or ‘Rooster of the Sea’
Oh my, I collect far too many things. Now mostly costume jewelry, but also anything Native American or Cowboy related. After all, I do live in a former Cowtown.
I will have to work on doing some collection photograpy this week.
My Mom collects chickens. She finally had to stop since she had so many. She loved them because my Grandmother raised them when she was young.
I collect toy cooking things – not nasty plastic guff but earthenware, metal, etc. I have lots from growing up in South East Asia, and I’ve collected more from South America … Unfortunately my current kitchen is too tiny to display them, but one day I plan to have them all up on some simple white shelves.
And I have a very modest ‘collection’ (four) of vintage tortoiseshell lucite handbags.
I had to laugh at this! For several years, I have lobbied to have a real live rooster in our side yard–because they are so pretty. DH assures me that there is a city ordinance against them.
I collect elephants!
Oh i love it – i used to collect so much as a child and as and adult not so much – makes me wish i still did – have a good weekend x
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@Pam @ over50feeling40 Roosters just seem a natural for kitchens, I think.
@coffeeaddict I’m curious as to how you use the tin cans. 🙂
@Gracie’s Mom Those ornaments must be lovely!
@Jane and Lance Hattatt Thank you! Chicken soup seems to have a cross-cultural reputation as a cure-all.
@Patti @ NotDeadYet Style Thank you. I do enjoy my silly chickens too. Under-hen indeed!
@Duchesse Do you use your cookie cutters, or have them displayed?
@Susan Gillie How wonderful! Do you display them somehow? I have a bunch of plain white hankies (and white cotton gloves) that belonged to my grandmother, but I think they’re probably from the early 1960’s.
@Bourbon&Pearls Thank you! My tendencies are also minimalist, but I keep inheriting stuff (aside from the chickens).
@The Style Crone Would love to see your collections once you’ve finished “curating!”
@metscan That’s one of the best kind of collections, I think, the kind that happen just because you love the individual pieces.
@hostess of the humble bungalow You’ve shown us some of your white pottery and it’s lovely! Would love to see your bracelet too.
@laurieann What an interesting theme! How did you get started with it?
@Susan Tiner Thank you! I thought those soup bowls were so clever. Great teakettle isn’t it? I use mine daily.
@Adrienne Hah! Thanks, but no thanks. Have had enough live rooster experience, though they can be gorgeous creatures. Ooh, an Eiffel Tower collection?? You *know* I’m going to love it.
@WendyB I do need to add to my Wendy B collection, whether it’s a chicken or something else.
@LPC Aww, thanks. Pictures of children are among the very best things to collect.
@materfamilias You’re very kind, but I do think sometimes they veer a bit over that line. They do have a very homey feel though.
@Rubi Wonderful! I have some antique Canton “blue willow” china inherited from my Grandmother. Pieces with a story are the very best kind.
@Coastalharp Isn’t it funny how that works? I did start receiving roosters and chickens as gifts too.
@Debbi@SheAccessorizesWell Would love to see your cowboy items!
@Terri Your husband was probably right. Roosters are a lot of fun until they decide that “sunrise” is 3am and start crowing!
@fashion and frank You have a good weekend too, thanks!
I love your collection! I don’t have one myself, but roosters and kitchens seem to go perfectly together.