Beatrix Potter's Easter: A Garden Entry

Then he squeezed into the larder. 

Miss Butterfly was tasting the sugar; but she flew away out of the window. 

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse; you seem to have plenty of visitors!" 

 "And without any invitation!" said Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse.

-THE TALE OF MRS. TITTLEMOUSE, Beatrix Potter

I am good at a lot of stuff. Diaper changing, check. "Fake cleaning" a house in a matter of 10 minutes when you hear someone is headed over, check. Eating more than my hubby (who looks like a linebacker,) check. So you may be thinking to yourself "Gee, Miriam. You seem like a human being who is nigh unto perfect. What could you possibly improve?" Well, I will tell you: I never decorate for holidays, (Except Christmas, of course.) And it makes my hubby and kids sad. So I am working on it. 

Here is our newly outfitted Spring Entry, inspired by Beatrix Potter and her Peter Rabbit:

My favorite addition was this little bunny. 

I printed a silhouette, traced it onto scrapbook paper, and cut it out.

And placed it in a frame that held a print of Trafalgar Square, because that just didn't seem very "Spring-like"

I covered some balls in moss, because I have taken to putting moss on everything that doesn't move. 

And I added a little friend to the picnic basket.

(Also, in a super-stalker-ish move, I still have the tag on that basket which was a wedding gift from a friend like a decade ago. But she just has the coolest handwriting ever. Thanks, Alisa!)

 

I also spray painted some plastic eggs, and mod-podged book pages onto one of them.

(My mod podged egg did not turn out so lovely. After the fact, I read a tutorial on Dear Lillie and realized that I am a moron and if I had soaked my paper, it would have turned out much better. Oh well, next Easter...)

My second favorite additions were the floating flowers and butterflies.

I used clear thread to hang them from the ceiling and attached them to the string with hot glue.

And of course, there had to be a print of Peter Rabbit in there somewhere.

Happy Reading, and Happy Easter!

Linking Up:

The 36th Avenue - Shabby Creek Cottage - House of Hepworths -Thrifty Decor Chick - 

The Shabby Nest- Chic on a Shoestring Decorating - Family Ever After - Tatertots and Jello - Lolly Jane Boutique - Funky Junk Interiors - Be Different Act Normal - Blue Cricket Design -

Stuff and Nonsense - At The Picket Fence - The French Country Cottage - The DIY Dreamer - Whipperberry -

Beatrix Potter's Easter: A Spring Vignette and an Ode to Carrots

I have had several devastating food realizations in my life, including finding out at 8 years-old that "veal" is code for baby cow, that Caesar dressing is laced with anchovy paste, that the carrots-improve-your-eyesight-myth is just that:  a myth.  Apparently the British used the virtues of carrots as a cover-up for their state-of-the-art WWII airplane technology known as Airborne Interception Radar.  Because of the technology, British fighter planes were having wild success pinpointing enemy bombers.  When pressed to account for their improved accuracy, the Royal Air Force claimed that they had been feeding their pilots large of amounts of carrots which had a beneficial effect on their eyesight.  Well, the rumor stuck.  

It's not that carrots come to the dinner table empty-handed.  They are easy to hold, they are a cinch to peel, they make the perfect snowman nose, and they taste good, too.  And if you really can't let the eyesight thing go, you can rest assured that beta carotene in carrots has been linked to preventing cataracts.  It's not quite the same as improving eyesight, but at least it is in the vicinity.

Since I have carrots on the brain and Beatrix Potter in my heart this week, I decided to combine the two in a little Spring Vignette for the kitchen.

In a twist of literary irony, my poor little Peter lost his shoe today---not in Mr. McGregor's garden, but on my slate floor after he slipped from my butterfingers.  After repairing my long-eared friend with some superglue, I made him feel at home with an abundance of crunchy garden fare, and a miniature copy of the story that made him famous.

I realize that making carrots a focal point in my diet won't improve my eyesight.  However, I'm happy to find that carrots can still be a "sight for sore eyes" when it comes to spring decor. 

Many happy spring vignettes with carrots to you all!  Do it for Beatrix.  Do it for Peter.


Linking Up:
I Heart Naptime - 

Ode to Irish Authors: A St. Patrick's Day Vignette

O Ireland isn't it grand you look--
Like a bride in her rich adornin?
And with all the pent-up love of my heart
I bid you the top o' the mornin! 

~John Locke "The Exile's Return"

I feel the same way about lamps as my kids do about rocks:  you can never collect enough of them.  I put them everywhere, including on the kitchen counter.  While I would have loved to have purchased a new lamp in honor of St. Patty's Day to add to my collection, I simply couldn't justify it after looking at the checkbook.  So back to the drawing board I went.  I decided I needed to put a "spin" on what I already had by making an old lamp look "Irish."  But how?  Red wig?  Celtic knots?  Mug of mead?  I went with the more "temperate" option of paper and ribbon.  

With a smattering of glue and a sprinkle of glitter, I turned some paper and green grosgrain into a Celtic looking medallion.  Three minutes to let the glue gun warm up and I was done.  Easy peasy.

I then flanked my Irish lamp with greenery and some vintage prints in gold frames.  

All that is missing now is a leprechaun and some much-needed gold.

May you have all the lamps your heart desires---including the "Irish" ones!


Linking Up:
Very Merry Vintage Style -