Combined Efforts?

   As I was browsing through kijiji this afternoon and was seeing all the fabulous deals on antique furniture near Mr. Pretties new job (somewhere we really wouldn't have driven to to do a pick, which is saying a lot, because we'd drive almost anywhere in the name of shabbiness!) I started thinking about how badly I wanted my own shop a couple years ago.  Like bad, bad, imperative to continue living BAD. Then Mr. Pretties company closed down and things were tight, no extra monies for fab finds (sad, sad times), then I went back to work full time, then Mr. Pretties went back to work and I stayed home part time but we'd had to move because our landlords wanted our house back to live in themselves (that's a story for another time.  I think I need therapy for the emotional breakdown my separation from that house caused) and we moved into a nice little town, but with a house that is much smaller (and a lot more spendy) I hadn't even given it a thought.  But then a lightbulb went off and I realized that we have a garage attached to our house, a garage that is very '1920s' like this house and that it looks exactly like an old barn inside complete with barn beam rafters, old 12 pane windows and dutch doors and the only use I had for it was... dun dun dun dun... housing the chickens.  Yes.  We have chickens. In our garage.  Two years ago I would have already had it set up to house all our shabby chic sale items and been able to decorate it in perfect shabby shop style for pick ups...  now I'm wondering can I house my chickens and shabby goodness at the same time?  Our chickens do not smell, they have no odour what-so-ever, are fairly quiet, are fluffy and adorable, and their coop is actually quite shabby chic... it even has an over the bed netting, old bank bag pillows, and they eat/drink out of old black and white enamel containers,  they really kind of fit in...  We have no garage-type stuff in there, it's actually just storing all our furniture that wont fit in the house (which is a lot, there are no less than four vanities, 5 dressers, 2 dining tables, an uncountable amount of random wooden chairs, and boxes of enamelware)... 

It's something to think about...  my only worry is that our current landlords are talking about wanting to move into the house themselves (they live with their parents.... I don't know...) so I don't want to get to 'into it' and get crushed when we have to move the day after I set it all up the way I want.  Maybe I'll stick with sewing my chickens some white ruffly curtains.  Or maybe I'll take some 'me time' out in the garage this afternoon while the little pretties nap. Or quietly pretend to nap.  Or just scream and yell while throwing stuff around their respective rooms and I pretend their napping.  Whatever.  Did I mention the last time I took 'me time' in the garage during naptime the chickens ended up with a paris inspired pink distressed coop?  And for some reason don't want to use it? Yet, my new white silkie chickens, who are absolutely shabby chic in all their white foofiness absolutely adore it.  Maybe they just have better taste than my four brown/black/buff silkies...  I like pretending that the chickens actually A) notice and B) appreciate when I foof up their coop. In reality I know they only care when I bring them treats and water.

What have you all been up to???