Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Easter to You!

Everyone has been complaining because Easter seems too early this year but I've always enjoyed it when it's in March because it's close to my birthday.  I think it's because I associate Easter with Spring and that gives me the sense of renewal which reignites my optimism!  Of course as a child I think it just felt more festive with Easter bunnies and birthday cake!

1964 with two of my sisters

An after church pose at home. This picture cracks me up because of the look on my face.  I remember that bright green alligator with pink trim which was one of my birthday gifts.  I figured out that my birthday has been close to Easter 15 times in my lifetime (using the month of March as my marker) and that particular year it was within 5 days.  The last time it was actually on March 24th was in 1940 and the next time isn't going to be until 2391 which I know I won't be around for!

Fast forward a whole bunch of years to the present!

Dan and I were up in Petoskey and discovered a new "favorite" place for me to go called 

Monarch Garden and Floral Design  

They are a florist shop extraordinaire. There are loads of faux plants like ferns, moss, ivy, florals, as well as pottery, accessories and natural plants and flowers.  They are the kind of florist that puts together unique one of a kind arrangements.

We both spotted this lantern/conservatory at the same time.  It was empty but my mind started running with ideas of how to decorate it.  I didn't want to leave there without finding some accents since they had so many to choose from.  The owner said they change things out color schemes 5 times a year so that's pretty exciting!

I started out with the tall finial type piece that I spotted and when the owner and I started chatting he found the ferns that I was looking for and the pot to put them in.  I found the bird and asked about moss and he brought out three different kinds and I went with the reindeer moss.  I had some small stones at home (but I need more) that I added once I assembled it.

There are two ways to open this. The top is hinged and opens up so you could reach right inside as well as a door on the front panel.  

My first instincts were to create this kind of look but you could also set it up with a large candle.

We both loved the detail it has and agreed we hadn't seen one like it before. We stuffed a toothpick into the side where the handle goes into the little ball to keep the handle upright.

The sun popped through so I took another shot.

I moved Mr. Easter bunny over here too!

I switched from a wax tea light to a flameless tea light to enjoy in the evenings.

So that's my birthday gift from Dan and I love it!

We're going to have an Easter gathering at my Mom's.  I'm working on ideas for setting up the dining table.  I've got some thoughts brewing but I haven't settled on anything yet. 

 This is a link to our 2014 gathering "here".  My niece made the cake for Easter and stuck a little Happy Birthday tag in there for me!

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Easter to you!

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Thoughts of Home on Thursday