In Your Easter Bonnet With All The Brightly Colored Plastic Upon It

It's a well established fact that my taste in Easter/spring decor is a bit unrefined. Garish even. When you love plastic as much as I do you have to get used to that. Embrace the bright. Center yourself in the screamingly colored flocked goodness.

I feel like I've hit a new low when I can't throw away the Peeps box. It's jadeite colored with polka dots for cripes sake! And it has an adorable drawing of a Peep on it! Are you convinced that it's cool yet? All the cool kids are saving theirs. I also love imagining the people who thought up an Easter craft centering around ping-pong balls and disturbingly colored ladies hosiery.

The very famous cake plate. I bought that little bunny on the right from a local crafter. She also does ninjas and cupcakes and all manner of adorable handmade whatsits.

On the lower right you will see Duster D. Duckling. He's an Avon product. I know you get sick of hearing it but, is there anything better than vintage Avon or Hallmark? I mean, really?

Those cards at the top are flocked. Fuzzy Easter birthday cards. I was clearly born in the wrong era. This year I stuck some vintage paper flowers in the candy holders. I love those tiny paper flowers. I have quite a few bundles of them. Hoard? No, silly! Save.

Bits and baubles.

It's hard to imagine that it ever felt like spring around here before this year. Before the giant pink yarn chick.

Some day I'm going to find out what these little flower cups are all about.


It's a lot to process all at once.


Easter Peep lights, I love you.


More than last year. Much more.


Easter Mantel.




Zoot is in the mood for an spring fiesta!

As I look over this year's spread I don't feel quite as satisfied as in years past. I need tall sticks in the mantel vases. I need hankies instead of platters on the cabinet and more careful placement on it's shelves. Note to self for next year.

Also, I found this shop on Etsy. Clearly this person has a lot of things that belong to me. And, ok, ok, possession is 9/10ths of the law, but...! All the plastic-y goodness!! It's ridiculous, amazing and just about the most gorgeous sight I've yet seen.

So, in summary:

Really Bright
Move Over Maru, I Need Boxhab Too
Will I Ever Shut Up About Avon?
Flocked, Felt, Yarn, Glittered and Plastic
Note To Self
Gimmee All Your Stuff

An Impasse

Of course, you all know that I start decorating for Christmas on November 1st. Down come the fall decorations and up go the Christmas. Or rather, down come the fall decorations, out of the fall bins come the regular decorations, in go the fall decorations, out come the Christmas decorations and in go the regular decorations. This is a long process. This takes many hours. The house is a wreck for days. (weeks?) It's like a precisely choreographed dance number. I'm the prima ballerina, spinning in a pink tulle tutu, full of magic and glitter. Making it all work. Bringing the pizazz.

Usually I keep my cool and pump the whole thing out in a weekend. Sure, my legs are tired afterward and I need new toe shoes, but this is what I've been practicing the whole year through for! This is the big show! However, this year things kind of got...out of hand. I had a lot going on and didn't have the time to put my nose to the grindstone. I did have time to make a huge mess and leave it for days on end. I did have the time to sit listlessly staring at aforementioned mess and wondering, "what?"..."how?"... Suddenly the ballerina is stumbling blindly down an alleyway in a drunken stupor, one pink shoe dragging behind her, a sparkling tiara askance on her curls, pink tutu covered in debris as she tearily insists, "Hey, you're the best, you know? I mean, you're really the guy." to a bum in a cardboard box.


When you are sitting in rooms strewn with paper amid rubber tubs half full of holiday decor, half of broken dreams, unable to move forward, unable to move back, you've come to a certain spot in your life. This my friends, is called an impasse. It happens when you lose control. When your collections start to dictate your every move and you can't quite recall who you really are or what you are doing. When you just keep thinking, "My god there is a lot of stuff here. I'm not even sure I could make my way to the bathroom though all of this mess, should I have need. How did this happen? Where am I, anyway?" You look in the mirror at your dirty pink tutu and fear you've gone 'round the bend.


When this happens you can no longer help yourself. Outside forces must act upon you to snap you back to the reality at hand. This, I am thankful to say, happened for me. It came in the form of my saintly husband stubbing his toe on the third plastic tote that I had crammed into the limited walking space in the dining room.

As he howled, trying not to curse my name, Christmas, the Grinch and Charlie Brown, jumping up and down on one foot, I snapped to. Back to reality. "You're a ballerina, damn it, now dance!!"

Cuts had to be made. I only have x amount of space in this small house and y amount of decor is not going to fit into it. You do the math. (Because math and I split up in 9th grade and I don't like talking to him.)

Culling the collection is never an easy job for me. I like my stuff. Especially my holiday stuff. Every tiny little bauble. Even though it wracked me with guilt, cull I did. Six things. Six. Holy crap. I think that bum stole my tiara!

Falling 2011

Fall decorating post, 2011. Loved by many, loathed by some, feared by all.

As you'll see, I have hardly any fall decorations. Last year I felt overwhelmed by their numbers. This year I'm all, "Where are all the fall decorations!? I hardly have enough to do the bathroom with!!" I'm scheduled to go to the Craft Antique Co-Op (Which is now called something ridiculous like, "The Shops On Ridge Road" or something. I refuse to acknowledge the new name. It's horrible for branding and most of the time doesn't even end up working. Plus it's trying to trick people into thinking that it's just another strip mall or something, which it isn't. They are trying to skirt around the issue of there being nothing but crafts and antiques and more often than not people dressed in garb. One year a very old woman who had to be on the far side of 90 if she was a day, was working one of the check out lines. It was Halloween time and all the employees were dressed up. This woman was wearing some god awful home made, white fuzzy cat? mask that would have shot fear into the heart of anyone who gazed upon it. My sister-in-law had nightmares for a month afterward. I didn't look it directly in the eye for fear of being turned to stone. That is not something that someone who just wants to go to a strip mall is going to stomach with any amount of goodwill. Good luck to you, sir.) soon and hope to pick up a trillion more. I still need to decorate the bedroom, bathroom and garage. Come on now.

The kitchen.


I'm pretty sure the white glittered ghost is new to you.

Most of this stuff you will have seen before. It might be in a slightly different spot. So, I'll make you look at it all again. Lucky you.


Look! The little purple house made it another year. I wasn't at all sure it would. I also wasn't sure about the candy corn, but I haven't forgotten that my cousin has dibs on it if I ever want to oust it. I feel like I can't afford to oust stuff this year. Not enough to cover the holes! (Yes, in case you are wondering those are beany baby bats up there. Don't you judge me.)


This is the first year that I put decorations in the cabinet. I like it a lot. Will continue this trend in the future, provided I have enough things to go around.

And the Martha shelf. Framed in those awesome plastic Avon lights coated in glitter.

On to...the Living Room.

The graveyard is growing. This vignette reminds me so much of the Haunted Mansion. Don't let me get started on that, though. You'll be here all day. I can blather on for an eternity about Disney World. I love it more than I love Avon. And you know how much I love Avon. Let's just say that our haunted graveyard has 999 ghosts and we're always looking for one more....(cue evil laugh here)


Remember these dudes from last year? They are keeping the husband's dvd collection company and spreading fall cheer while we sleep. (Because as you can clearly see, these are of the variety that come to life when we go to sleep.)


This is Boo Baby and Boo Baby's Baby Boo Baby. I don't think you've been introduced before. You might think I made up that ridiculous litany of names, but I didn't. The husband did. No, really, he did. I swear. The gorgeous box was given to me by a dear friend last year. Behind that you can see my wand. Maple with a phoenix feather core. Accio nerds!

2011 Fall Mantel.

New large black owl coated in black glitter from The Christmas Tree Shop. That shop is like crack. Don't go in there. You'll get hooked and no amount of hospitalization or rehab with help. They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no-no-no.

This glittery dude came from the same place last year. See what I mean? Can't. Stop.

This is a real robin's nest culled from above an outdoor light fixture at my place of work. (Don't worry, the birds had already moved out. I think it was because of the crazy amount of blue jays in that neighborhood. They really bring the nest property value down. Always throwing huge, loud parties and trying to peck cat's eyes out...) It's really a huge lump of mud with some sticks wrapped around it. I'm not sure how long it will last before it crumbles and makes a gigantic mess all over my living room. As you can see, I live on the edge.

I just remembered that I forgot to take a picture of the shadow box. That will have to wait until next time, I guess. Until then!

Easter Decorating 2011

Last year, I felt like I maybe had too many Easter decorations. This year I don't have enough. Let me tell you how I worked that magic. One word: expansion. New areas, new frontiers. An no, I'm not talking about the bathroom or garage. Yet.

This year I put decorations in the cabinet. I did it with Christmas, why not Easter? The real beauty part of this is that I don't even have enough to fill said cupboard. Room to grow baby, room to grow! So let's jump right in, shall we? Vintage candy containers. Vintage Strawberry Shortcake minis, a little chick sitting on a bunny (the chick is covered in....glitter!) and a felt crafted egg.


Middle cupboard: What is it with plastic? God, I love plastic. Plastic chicks in plastic baskets with plastic flowers. Oh mama. I made the chick and the bunny in the metal wire basket out of eggs. Real eggs. Then there's the box of mini chicks.


Last cupboard: More plastic. Chick head easter basket. For an actual easter basket it's a bit...much. But as a decoration, pretty cute!


Look at how skimpy the green cabinet looks! Oh so much room to fill!


This is the top of the cabinet. Would anyone care for a darling amuse bouche?

Cake plate and sundry trinkets.

I just love the things in this pre-made Easter basket. I bought this from a thrift store. What we have here is a card, a hat on a stick, a plastic rabbit, two plastic chicks in plastic eggs and a knit easter egg. Then there is a bracelet like thing covered in yarn. I have no idea what that is. I can imagine some kid in the 60's getting this on Easter morning and being like...., "What the shit is this? No chocolate?"

Red shelf. Middle top bunny made by me!

This garland always reminds me of a picture from the Little Golden Book, "Baby Dear". The baby has a chew toy that looks a lot like this garland. Which I'm sure you all find very fascinating.


I have a string of Peep lights. They are covered in the sugar-like glitter that I love so well.


Turns out I had a ton of tiny little things that fit nicely into my shadow box. The rule is, if it's tiny and plastic, I'm probably going to love it.

The Easter Mantle.

Happy Spring, everyone!

Finale

Well, that's it. Christmas has come and gone. Time to get excited for Christmas next year. Don't think I won't do it, either. I love me some Christmas.

Here you will find all the lose ends that I have been meaning to tie up, with regards to Christmas.

The bedroom decorations:

A small shelf with tiny pastel hued trees.

My mom made this ceramic light up tree for me. It's white and pink with iridescent sparkles on it. It's blindingly beautiful. It's holding court on top of a vintage lucite purse that the husband bought for me one birthday.

This shelf sits high on the wall, near the ceiling. I bought a mini string of led battery powered lights for it this year. I'm not unhappy with the final outcome. The angel is a vintage tree topper. I don't use a tree topper on my tree. I always like the leave the slightly Seussian natural top. One long finger extending up.

Details of the bedroom tree village.

This tree was given to me by my grandmother. I think it may have been painted by my great grandmother back in the late 60's when this type of ceramic craft was all the rage. It's pretty large and sits atop the husband's dresser at Christmas time. He loves it.

I'm a great one for databasing and enumerating and listing. I have an ornament book. A book that I keep track of all the Christmas tree ornaments I get each year and who gave them to me. This is the kind of thing I do. The kind of thing I have to keep in check or it will become a real problem.

So, my first instinct is to, of course, list out all of my Christmas presents, the time and date I opened them, the type of wrapping paper that kept them secret, the gift giver, their date of birth and address, along with their blood type and social security number. I'm not going to do that. Know why? Because I'm strong. Oh, yes. I have will power.

I'm only going to show you a few. A very few. Because I'm strong. Even if it gives me the shakes and the sweats, I can do it.


These are my new pillow covers. I asked for some for my stocking. The husband and I exchange stockings as well as a gift. These are gorgeous and most definitely the nicest I have ever owned. They are organic as well! If you know anything about me, you know that organic is big. Green is good. I washed them up today and plan to pop those suckers on the pillows any minute now.

Muppet ornament! Of which I received two to add to my collection, this year! I have long coveted this particular ornament. The husband got him for me. He tried to win him on Ebay last year and was not successful. This year he was determined. It payed off. Gonzo is gorgeous. He was made the same year I was born! Not a scratch on him.


This little mouse sits on a match box. I think I have another accidental collection. If I'm counting correctly I have six Christmas matchboxes. Dear, oh dear. But, give this little guy a once over and you'll know why. You'll understand and won't judge. Right? I mean, because, if you were in my situation, you'd do the same thing for sure.

What's this? A busy Christmas elf! What is that he's making?

A beautiful pouch with fabric you might remember from here. You might wonder what was in the pouch.

Peek-A-Boo! There you are, you silly Kindle! What a lovely felt-lined protective pouch you came in!

And that genius boy even incorporated a holder on the back for comfortable reading. How thoughtful! He's the best!

I was a busy Christmas elf, too. The latest creation is the octopus with the beret. For my nephew Walter.

There is still one more gift to make and I'll be working on it all week!