Well, technically they’re hats – not bonnets, but “Easter bonnets” sounds so much cuter!

Yep, my bunnies have Easter hats.  We won’t be taking them to any egg hunts this weekend, but they’d look super cute if we did!  You probably think I’ve gone completely round the bend, and I suppose it’s possible.  But perhaps you’ll change your mind about having me committed when I tell you that these hats were gifts from my dear friend, Debbie.

She’s an artsy-craftsy gal, and is a bit mischievous, so when the idea of bonnets for bunnies came up in one of our emails exchanges I guess she just couldn’t resist.  Within a week a package arrived at my home, and I had no idea what she was sending me.  This is what I found in the box:

Not only did she send the cute little hats for Cypress & Pinto, she included a darling card and a vintage bunny cookie cutter.  So sweet!  I laughed and laughed when I opened up this box – it made my day.  I couldn’t stop laughing, and every time I look at these pictures of the bunnies in their hats I laugh, too!

So, with much laughter and gratitude, I dedicate this post to Debbie.  Thank you for the darling bonnet and hat, and for the FAB Easter package!

FIRST UP: PINTO!

“This hat is delicious!”

“You want me to wear this on my head?!  Pppfftt!”

“The camera loves me!  Bask in my bunny glory.”

AND NOW, MISS CYPRESS…

“You’ll pay for this, Mother.  You’d better sleep with one eye open.”

“Tie ribbons are better to chew on and to cut with my teeth than to tie anything on with.”

“Hey, whatever works.  I look cute no matter what!”

I hope you’ve enjoyed these silly pictures of our bun buns.  And whether you celebrate Easter or not, I hope you have a wonderful and beautiful weekend!

Warm regards,
Melody (and Cypress & Pinto!)

Hi, y’all!

Remember when I shared that Vintage Crocheted Wreath back in December?  The one I hung for Christmas?  Well, in that post I mentioned that it would be easy for me to modify the wreath for different holidays or themes throughout the year.  By pinning my doilies and potholders on instead of gluing, it was super easy to take some of the pieces off and add new pieces to create a Valentine’s Day wreath.  This version is all red, white, and cream, and I think it’s darling.

I’ll likely make a new version of the wreath for the spring, and will share that new wreath with you in a month or two.  In the meantime, do you have questions, comments, feedback?  I’d love to hear from you…

Warm regards,
Melody

FYI: I cut this recipe in half, since it’s just me and hubby, so the photos below include the half-size portions of ingredients and a single serving of salad.  :]  However, the ingredients list includes the amounts for a full-size batch.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad (aka Wilcox Salad)

Ingredients
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4 cans white shoe peg corn, drained (or use a mixture of white and yellow corn, like I did)
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained
3 avocados, diced
1-2 bunches small green onions, diced
leaves from one bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (I used white)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.  Chill overnight.  If you prefer, you can omit the avocado when making the salad, and can add it to the bowl when you give the salad a final stir before serving. That’s what I opted to do when making the batch I photographed…

Do you eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day?  Or do you eat other goodies to celebrate?  Please post a comment and share.

I’m wishing you all the best in 2013, dear readers!

Warm regards,
Melody

To all who celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas!  And if Christmas isn’t your thing I hope you’re still having a wonderful day. :]

I also hope you all enjoy these pictures of our bunnies, Cypress & Pinto, dear readers.  Happy Holidays from our home to yours!

Warm regards,
Melody

p.s. See you on Thursday for a New Year’s-related recipe!

I really enjoy decorating for the holidays, and was excited to change things up a bit this year.  We usually decorate with the same items and theme, and I decided this year would be different.  Why?  I guess it feels like I missed out on celebrating some things this year since I didn’t dress up for Halloween and was sick on Thanksgiving Day with a nasty headache.  So, when it came to Christmas I decided to go big.  I’m feeling particularly festive since I’ve been cleared by the doctor for full use of both my hands.  Hurray!  It was a real pleasure to decorate our home for the holidays, and I hope you enjoy what I came up with.

Doilies Everywhere!
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As I mentioned in my Doily-Inspired Mandalas post, I’ve collected a number of doilies over the past few months.  One of the lots of doilies included several identical white doilies, and I decided to make a garland with them – to hang over a doorway.  I also decided to use some of the larger doilies for wall decor.  But first I had to stiffen them. Armed with a mixture I made by cooking cornstarch and water, I did just that.

The eight white doilies are linked together with old-school brass brads.  I added some ribbon bows and vintage silver candy molds to add some “pop”.

These three large doilies look nice alongside the window, and the silver floral trim that I glued in the center really added some sparkle to otherwise flat pieces.

This view is from the bedroom, showing the backside of the garland – looking towards the tree.

Our tree has to be elevated up off the ground because of our pet rabbits, and I decided to use a table cloth that my mother-in-law cross-stitched years ago for our “tree skirt”.  I love the look of it, and it has a lot of sentimental value.

Our main tree, lit.  I left our typical hand-painted tin Mexican ornaments off the tree this year, and used lights, glass bulbs and snowflakes instead.  I already had all those things though – the only things I purchased were the doilies used elsewhere in the room.

I found this vintage tinsel star at a thrift store in Kansas in 2009.  Cost?  A mere 75 cents!

This smaller green tree sits atop our bookshelf.  If those star ornaments look familiar, it’s because I shared how to make them in a DIY post last year: Aluminum Star Ornaments!  The star atop the tree is – yep, you guessed it – another stiffened doily.  I glued an old rhinestone earring into the center of the star to add some oomph.  The tree’s base and the the top of the bookshelf were “doilied”, too. :]

Here are the little tree and wreath that I put out in the studio, in the corner next to (and above) my desk.  Tinsel rules in the studio this year, but I still have doilies under the tree and under the tiny baby Jesus.

And of course, here’s the Vintage Crocheted Wreath I shared on Tuesday – which is hanging on the inside of our front door.

I wasn’t kidding when I said there are doilies every where!  The look I was going for is Modern Vintage, which is how I often describe my artwork – particularly my collages.  I love vintage, but want to keep it “clean” and interesting – and I don’t want it to look too saccharine.  Pretty, unique, and a bit unexpected – those are words I’d like used to describe this year’s decor.  Do you think I succeeded in keeping a bit of an edge?

Do you have a theme that you work with when it comes to your holiday decor, dear readers?  I hope you’ll comment and share.  Oh, and if you’re interested in the recipe/process for stiffening the doilies with cornstarch, just let me know.  I’d be happy to post a link in the comments to the page I referenced when I worked on the doilies.

Warm regards,
Melody

There are certain things that I enjoying doing each year when December rolls around.  They’re things that I must do or experience in order for the Christmas season to be its best – at least for me.  I know everyone celebrates different things and/or in different ways, and I really love that celebrating is unique to each individual or family.  Tradition, culture and personalities play such a big part, don’t you think?

Here are some of My Holiday Favorites – things that I love to partake in each year, if I can:

• Watching the movie “Elf” starring Will Ferrell.  Buddy the Elf is so innocent, gleeful, and funny.  I love it!
• Decorating for the holidays
• Making – and eating – Magic Cookie Bars!  I could literally eat a whole pan myself, they’re SO good. :]
• Listening to the Soundtrack from The Nutcracker
• Eating Dryer’s Peppermint Ice Cream.  Yum!
• Doing something to help those in need, like donating food to a food bank
• Listening to the song “Feliz Navidad”, performed by José Feliciano.  I listen to it several times during the month – it fills me with joy!
• Baking sugar cookies.  When I was little my family used to make the kind of sugar cookies that you have to roll out and cut with cookie cutters, which was fun, but these days I go with a sugar cookie recipe that’s easier to make and is simply scrumptious.

What’s on your holiday “Must Do” list?  Please comment and share…

Warm regards,
Melody

p.s. Yep, that little girl in the blue dress in the photo up top was me – over 35 year ago. It was my one and only picture with Santa as a child. :]

Seven Suggestions for a Happier Holiday Season
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DIY: Aluminum Star Ornaments – Frugal & Festive!
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Magic Cookie Bar Recipe
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My Festive Cubicle!
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Fudge Recipe
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My Visit with Santa Claus
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Sugar Cookie Recipe
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My Christmas-y Cubicle
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Letting My Inner Child Out to Play: Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows
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Vintage Snapshot Ornaments
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I hope you have the happiest of holiday seasons!

Warm regards,
Melody

Last year, as I was trying to figure out what I should go as, my warped little mind stumbled upon the idea of being The Rotten Tooth Fairy.  Far from the lovely, white-winged Tooth Fairy that gathers the baby teeth of children, my Rotten Tooth Fairy would collect rotten teeth from dentist’s offices.  You know – the teeth adults neglected and had to have pulled!  This Tooth Fairy would be a bit rough around the edges, I decided.  Tougher, mangier, and “darker”.  With the basic concept in mind I was off and running.  Here’s the costume – head to toe:

Hair: Ratted hair and a black headband with a black tulle “poof” on it

Makeup: Black and gray eyeshadow around the eyes, and lots of eyeliner and mascara.  Dark red lipstick. Teeth made grungy by smearing black tooth wax on them. (I purchased the tooth wax in the costume section at a party store – Party City)

Clothes: Basic dark gray cotton t-shirt with the collar cut off.  The Rotten Tooth Fairy iron-on was created by my talented hubby in Photoshop, and was ironed on to my t-shirt after I printed it onto inkjet iron-on paper.  Long black skirt, black tights with snags and runs in them, and black motorcycle boots.

Jewelry: Sparkly black earrings and rubber “barbed wire” bracelets.  I would’ve loved to have some teeth earrings, but didn’t get that done in time!

Other “accessories” and details: Long “gloves” cut from dark stockings and then snagged.  Black, chipped nail polish. A basked (sprayed matte black) filled with a Milk Duds, a wooden box of “teeth”, a hammer, pliers, and other rusty metal tools.  A tooth “wand” that I made by wrapping a paintbrush’s handle with black masking tape and attaching the tooth-shaped backing paper from the iron-on logo from my shirt.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the costume, dear readers.  Oh, and don’t forget to brush those teeth!  :]

Warm regards,
Melody

Popcorn Ball Recipe
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A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch
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Pumpkin Bars Recipe!
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Apple-Cranberry Cake Recipe
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I hope you’re enjoying Autumn thus far, dear readers.  Will any of you be dressing up for Halloween this year?

Warm regards,
Melody