Thursday, April 27, 2006

May Day Baskets

Flower
I am not sure how this even came up, my guess is it was on or near May 1st, but I was having coffee with a couple of friends and the subject of May Day came up. I said I could remember as a child how my Mom and I would decorate paper cups then put candy and flowers in them to leave on my friends' doorsteps. I would ring their doorbell and then quickly run away before they would see me, a traditional May Day activity in the small rural town I grew up in. My one friend laughed and said she could remember doing that too for May Day in the small town she grew up in. Then we both noticed that our other friend, who grew up in the city, was looking at the two of us like we had tentacles growing out of our heads. She had never heard of May Day before, which totally surprised me. It never occurred to me that people would not know about this holiday, a celebration to welcome spring and the coming of summer.
Flower
May Day is celebrated in many parts of the world. Its roots can be traced back to the Roman Festival, Floralia, and the Celtic celebration, Beltane, also known as Beltain or Bealtaine. Floralia was a five-day festival to honor the Goddess Flora with dancing, ringing bells, May Queens, flowers, and the Maypole. The Beltane ceremony honored the god of the sun and the rebirth of the earth, a celebration of fertility, flowers, sensuality, and delight. Bonfires lit the hillsides and there were games, dancing, feasting, and merrymaking. The Celts also celebrated with the Maypoles. It was said if the dancers wove a perfect pattern with the ribbons, it would be an excellent harvest, but if the ribbons became entangled, the harvest would not be as bountiful.
Flower
Other May Day traditions include, decorating windows and doorsteps with flowers to keep out mischievous fairies, filling baskets with flowers to leave on the doorsteps of the sick or elderly to bring good health for the coming year, children hanging baskets on their neighbor's doorknob, knocking and then running away, and in some areas it is said if they get caught, then they are suppose to get a kiss. In some countries it is still a tradition for boys to secretly plant a May pine tree under the window of the girl they love. In England they still choose a Queen and King of May and dance around the Maypole. Since the Puritans did not celebrate May Day, it was never celebrated with as much enthusiasm in the United States. However in some towns, children still make paper baskets, fill them with flowers and candy to leave on their neighbors' doorknobs.
Flower
As I mentioned above, I can remember making my May Day baskets out of paper cups. Besides leaving them on your neighbor's doorstep or doorknob, you can place them at the breakfast table to give your family a wonderful surprise to start their day, or leave them on co-workers' desk to brighten up their workday. Whether you traditionally celebrate May Day or not, it is always nice to get a basket full of flowers and candy, but what is even nicer is to not forget this special day and the lore behind it. Happy May Day!

Flower
Paper Cup May Day Baskets

You will need:

White paper cups*
Pipe cleaners
Crayons, paint, stickers or material scraps to decorate the cups
Hole punch
Glue (optional)
Scissors (optional)

Take the white paper cup and draw or paint a design on it. You can also apply stickers to decorate the cup or you can cut out different shapes of material to glue to the cup. Once you have your cup designed you need to make the handle. You do this by taking the hole punch and punching two holes across from each other about 1/4" inch from the top of the cup. Take a pipe cleaner and wrap one end through one of the holes two or three times securing it tightly, then take the other end of the pipe cleaner and wrap through the other hole two or three times making sure it is secured tightly. Fill the cup with flowers and or candy.

*You can also buy decorative paper cups and just add the pipe cleaner handle.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Bunnies on Vacation

Resort Bunnies
Rabbit Ears Resort

Rabbit Ears Resort is the world's premier destination for total bunny relaxation after the grueling tolls of hopping down that bunny trail and hiding all those millions of eggs. Our spa is totally devoted to completely rejuvenating your bunny-being by offering unparallel service in the most peaceful and soothing cat-free atmosphere.


We invite you and your cottontail friends to come spend your days lounging in our Adirondack chairs poolside sipping iced lettuce drinks while a gentle sea breeze blows through your hare. After a day of total relaxation, retire to the enchantment of your contemporary designed bunny hole. Renowned interior bunny designer, Jack Rabbit, designed all our guest bunny holes to create a truly serene but elegant stay. Our expert staff is on hand to make sure all your bunny needs are completely satisfied and that your visit remains cat-free.

Bathing BunniesOther Amities at Rabbit Ear Resort:
Bunny Massages (and cuddling)
Garden Tours
Jacuzzi's built for 20
Wine Tasting featuring our own vineyard Carrot Cabernet
and many more....

Come and experience the luxury and pampering of Rabbit Ears Resort.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

In Honor of Earth Day, April 22nd

Fall Tree
TREE

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die….”



In the spring the tree is an inspiration of life. Dark green teardrop shaped leaves attached to deep mahogany branches laugh when gently tickled with April showers. Randomly scattered on each branch are the beginnings of small shoots pushing their way through the thin coarse bark. After breaking through, these shoots begin to bloom, blossoming into their own flower patch. The miniature clusters of flowers glisten when the early morning sun shines on the small droplets of spring dew that silver coats the flowers. The tree flourishes.

Summer TreeIn the summer, a hot afternoon breeze causes the tree to perform exotic dances. The baking of the dry summer sun dulls the olive green color. The branches slightly sag for they have a new burden to bear. The lightweight, dainty blossoms are no more. Now the tree bears fully ripened fruit. Big perfect round black berries with a reddish tint catch the eye. The tree flaunts its treasure, black pearls that tempt all curious spectators. Pirates, or small sparrows and other scavengers raid the tree of its riches. With berries gleaming in the blistering summer sun, excitement of the chattering birds and the other scavengers feasting, the tree is the center of activity.

Fall TreeAs nights begin to cool and the hectic days slow down the tree no longer has any ornaments to attract the small creatures. As other vegetation sheds its color, the tree merely changes its garments from the shades of green to bold and noble tones. The tree is like an antique queen with a burgundy-wine cloak, a chestnut sash, and a golden crown. Soon though, when the first light frost crystallizes her kingdom in silver, the majestic tree begins to droop. The kingdom slowly enters eternal slumber, and it is time for the queen tree to bow down. The first golden leaf flutters to the ground. Fall days grow shorter as the once mahogany branches turn neutral. The sullen tree has lost its last leaf and left silent.

Early winter, as usual, brings frigid winds and no snow. In a few eyes, the tree is no longer a gallant figure. It resembles a skeleton with bone branches entangled with each other. Eyes now glance through the narrow branches down the crooked trunk to the overlooked mound of dirt. Dried wiry vines have wrapped themselves around the rusted railing of an old wrought iron fence. Some of the somber bars lean out of place. Small gaps in the rickety fence have allowed the new sprouts from the mother tree to creep through. The slightly below kneecap fence encloses only a small area. Here sits a little wooden cross concealed by a few low hung branches. The base of the cross is wedged in a crack of the hard frozen earth. The apex of the cross rest against the sturdy trunk of the tree. Except for a small crack at the base and a chip missing from the top right hand corner, the tree has preserved this marker quite well. At the foot of the cross lies the remains of a lily, which was once growing wild in the garden beside the tree. Its faded limp petals draped delicately up against the bottom of the cross, as the small hand of a girl arranged them so last spring.

Tree
The tree that sang in the spring, shouted in the summer, sighed in the fall, changes to a silenced mourner as the first winter snowflakes softly begin to fall.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die….”


By S.L.L.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

All Us All the Time Tips

Easter Egg Decorating Header
In addition to our spring greeting card line, we finally have our tip page up! I know it has been “coming soon” for a long time. You see the problem is my sister and I seem to struggle with that concept of starting out small. When we first talked about adding a tip page to our site, we originally envisioned our tip page having three sections. The first section would be deeply thought provoking journal prompts with profoundly enlightening written examples accompanied by elaborate intricate illustrated layouts of the likes of the Sistine Chapel. Then we would have a section for unique and captivating recipe, decorating and gift basket ideas. Ideas to rival those of Martha Stewart, eloquently laid out with each ingredient intricately illustrated. Finally we would have a craft section with awe-inspiring paper craft ideas and never-thought-of-before color scheme suggestions with of course an extremely elaborate detailed illustrated layout of each and every step of the process including color wheels, charts, and Photoshop screen shots. On top of this all, we would have a Flash movie with our own composed soundtrack and then animated graphics throughout the page.

Easter Egg Basket
Well, who knew all of that would take a bit of time to throw together, time we just did not have. So, in finally coming to terms with reality, something we so rarely like to do, we decided to start simple, no profound or enlightening prose, no Photoshop screen shots, or Flash movie. Instead a very simple layout on a very fun topic – Easter Egg Decorating. You will find on our tip page a brief history on Easter Egg Decorating, Easter Egg Decorating Ideas, and then resources to learn more about Easter Egg Decorating. Now it just wouldn’t be us, if we did not think of our own Easter Egg Decorating idea – Personalized Easter Eggs. Besides filling up your Easter basket, they can also be used as place cards for your Easter Dinner setting. For more details on how to make your own personalized Easter eggs please come and visit our All Tips Page.

Easter Egg Basket
Our goal is to have a fun new tip each month that might include a recipe, decorating or crafting project, a gift basket idea, or other whimsical fancies we may have. We will try to stay grounded and keep it simple, hold off for a while on making that Flash movie with our own composed soundtrack...hum, can you rent out orchestras?

Springtime Greetings

Easter Kitty Stationery
What do I see hopping down the bunny trail? That’s right, Easter Kitty! It just would not truly feel like Easter without our furry rabbit eared feline friend. In an array of pastel colors, Easter Kitty holds a basket of colorful decorated eggs while sporting polka dot rabbit ears and a cute little cottontail. You have a choice of several inside greetings from “Wishing You a Purrfect Easter" to "Easter Bliss". You can also leave blank to compose your own springtime prose.

Easter Bunny Stationery
Besides Easter Kitty, we have stationery of that other popular creature this time of year too, our Bunny Tail collection. A simply cute illustration of bunny buns in coordinating spring hues. Again, you can choose from several inside greetings such as “Some Bunny Loves You", “Happy Easter”, or leave blank for your own Easter wishes.

Flower Stationery
We also have enchanting springtime stationery of flower bouquets and flower petals reproduced from my sister's original watercolor artwork. Her work is quite stunning with intricate details and warm color palettes, a perfect way to welcome in spring. These greetings are available as single greeting cards, stationery sets, or part of our stationery sachets.

How nice to get a touch of spring delivered right to your mailbox.

Look Who Has a New Shopping Cart!

Small Trunk Logo
All Us All the Time has joined with Mal's e-commerce to give you a better shopping experience. MalĂ‚’s e-commerce provides reliable service, secure transactions, and the flexibility to offer our customers more discounts, provide ordering comments, and a more streamline checkout process. We are very excited to have our new cart in place and to be able to offer you a more enjoyable shopping experience.