CasaSugar

How-To: House Backyard Chickens in Style

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:00:24 -0700

My friend Beth, who I've known since high school, recently started a blog to update her friends and family on her latest domestic adventure - raising backyard chickens. Since Beth never does anything halfway, she and her husband Craig built a chicken coop that is super cute and matches their 1922 Craftsman home.

She writes, "I paid my way through college 10 years ago raising and killing chickens and also had laying hens. I wanted to get another batch of layers, but was resigned because a) we have a teeny tiny backyard; and b) my husband isn't much of a farmer."

However, all was not lost. Beth notes, "This spring, I convinced the man who drank a case of Diet Mountain Dew each week when we met (he has thankfully kicked the habit since) to build raised beds and start an organic garden. I gave up on the idea of having chickens, but he took up the cause and was convinced we could fit a small coop next to the garden."

To find out more about Beth and Craig's chicken-raising adventure, and to see how well their chicken coop matches their home, read more.

"We bought our chicks on July 9th and went on Seattle Tilth's coop tour the following weekend," reports Beth. "Craig took lots of photos and took all the best ideas from the coops we saw for his own design. Some materials were recycled: he salvaged the window and built the window box out of scraps we had from this and other projects. The coop is painted to match our house, white trim and all. Craig thinks the finished product took about 100 hours to build. It's a little over the top, but that's my husband. (By the way, not only has he stopped drinking Mountain Dew, but he's off all high fructose corn syrup and is quite the label reader. Weird. Now he's all about organic veggies and can't wait for the hens to start laying.)"

I have total chicken coop envy now, and I'm also envious of Beth's hubby's building skills. What a great coop! You can keep up with Beth and Craig's chicken adventures on Beth's blog. In the meantime, check out the gallery to see images of the decoupaged interior of the coop, as well as the coop's perfect match to their Craftsman.

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Garden Therapy: Little Farm in the Big City

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:00:06 -0700

Imagine the possibility of creating a low-maintenance, beautiful, and productive farm in the middle of a city. Such is the reality for homeowner Jennifer Carlson, a Seattle resident who turned her backyard into something extraordinary. For photos of her smart landscaping and gardening ideas, as well as some adorable animals, check out the slideshow. For even more information, head over to This Old House to see blueprints and more photos. Any city dwellers who wonder how they can turn their small patch of yard into something productive will delight in Carlson's home. Source

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Casa Quickie: Chicken Wire For Open Shelving

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:15:00 -0700

Vintage china cabinets may be beautiful, but their glass doors are too precious for some homes. So if you have an all-wooden armoire or glass china cabinet, you can replace the wooden or glass door façades with chicken coop wire to bring an inherited piece of furniture into the 21st century. Chicken wire offers the visual lightness of glass, but it's less formal - ideal for those of you with eclectic or shabby chic homes. And yes, you could just remove the doors, but this effect is more unique. I love how the collection of beautiful dishes looks stacked in this cabinet. Why hide them?
Source

Word du Jour: Femivore

TresSugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:30:55 -0700

A woman who considers herself feminist, but also devotes a serious amount of time to the old-time woman's work of feeding her family the cleanest, freshest food - even if she has to grow it herself - is a femivore.

Yesterday New York Times Magazine presented the femivore's dilemma: it's hard to be a feminist while you're gathering eggs from the backyard chicken coop and practicing great-great grandma's canning technique. It sounds like a throwback to the preindustrial age, but femivores argue the same ideals that sent women to the workforce - self-sufficiency, autonomy, and personal fulfillment - sent them to the garden. That may be true, but how much help they're getting from spouses still surely makes all the difference.

Chicken Flies The Coop

GiggleSugar — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:02:00 -0800

Pay no attention to the old geezer in the foreground. Keep your eyes peeled on the punk chick trying to peck his way into the motha-flipping mule's business. Big mistake- but it makes for some good barnyard fun.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:30:50 -0700

Take in some Scandinavian Summer interiors. - The Style Files
Whip up some cocktails in this tiki room! - AT:LA
Check out three readers' great gardens. - Sunset
Get ready for an auction of style. - PointClickHome
This chicken coop was made from Ikea parts. - Homegrown Evolution
Learn how to choose and care for succulents. - This Old House

'Wich of the Week: Poached Egg and Prosciutto Muffinwich

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:00:31 -0700

A friend of mine recently gave me some fresh eggs from her backyard chicken coop, complete with the hugest, yellowest yolks I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Since I love a sweet and savory breakfast sandwich, I got out the strawberry and meyer lemon marmalade that had done me so right before and combined it with crisped prosciutto and my favorite English muffins.

Though this is technically a breakfast sandwich, I had it for dinner. The salty, fruity flavor combined with the kick of green onion was sufficiently complex for supper. Don't worry: any old citrus marmalade will substitute just fine. Find out how to make your own version.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:00:10 -0700

This exotic home is full of stunning details.- Desire to Inspire
Learn to vacuum pack the DIY way.- AT:NY
Here's how to hang planters upside down.- Craftzine
Hear how the Marshmallow sofa was born.- UnBeige
Moving? Check out these 6 tips for home staging.- Simply Stated
I heart these modern chicken coops.- Poppytalk
Get some tips on clearing your yard of mosquitoes.- Charles & Hudson
I'm loving these gorgeous eBay finds.- More Ways to Waste Time

Reese Likes Her Holiday Spirit With a Dash of Country

PopSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0800

Reese Witherspoon went casual to take Deacon to the market in LA on Saturday. She's starting to make the rounds promoting Four Christmases, while figuring out how to juggle the holidays with Ryan and their kids. In two recent interviews, Reese's inner country girl shines through as she talks about an odd Christmas gift and how she gets her Walk the Line Oscar into the holiday spirit. Here are some highlights:

On her strangest Christmas present ever: "My dad's a doctor, and his patients used to always send him weird things because we grew up in Tennessee - so it's country. One year they sent a dead squirrel . . . as dinner. So we had it in the freezer for like three years . . . my brother and I were daring each other to touch it for like $10."
On the location of her Oscar: "I keep it in my front den. We like to dress it up for Christmas. We put a little Santa hat on it and scarf because it gets cold."
On going to her Ojai farm post-Christmas: "We feed the chickens and the pigs - I have two pigs, and boy are they really pigs. They just get down in that mud and roll around. I like getting down in there and working in the garden. Oh, I want someone to build me a good chicken coop . . . like a man who can just get down there and build it . . . ooh."

Leave it to Reese to make sure her Oscar stays warm, and as for a helping hand on her farm, we think we know just the muscle man for the job.

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Ramey

Coveted Crib: Country Comfort in the City

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:00:26 -0800

While this sprawling, comfy home seems like a mellow country abode, it's actually located in South London. That doesn't mean that it's without rural amenities such as chicken coop and garden, though. While the exterior is certainly fun and funky, the interior continues the country vibe with a lived-in arts and crafts style and fun vintage furniture finds. Take the complete tour when you check out the slideshow.
Source

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