One of the items, on my list of things to do at the Arkansas house today, was to gather up the Easter decorations. I don’t normally decorate for Easter, choosing instead to flow with the seasons, and focus on spring. However, I recently discovered Mimi Leta’s ceramic Easter pieces. The girls shared fond memories of those hand painted beauties, when they were at the house two weeks ago. I decided to bring the decorations home and use them in my vintage wooden sieve.
The two pieces painted by Leta are themselves vintage. I’m grateful she signed and dated the bottoms. The Easter egg covered dish and the rabbit were created 55 years ago.
I was nervous as I gently washed up the collection, lining my sink with thick dish towels, in case I dropped something. I saved the dish and rabbit until last, after gaining confidence as I washed the other pieces. As I cradled the clean rabbit, I noticed something I had never seen before…a hairline crack encircling his right ear.
I felt so relieved, as I realized this rabbit had been broken before, and glued back together. It’s endearing, knowing this brave little rabbit has survived a fracture. He’s wabi sabi, beauty in imperfection.
I’ll fill the egg dish with Jelly Belly jelly beans.
In a few minutes, I had a fresh vignette in the wooden sieve. Every piece, except for the white footed bowl, came from Greg’s mom. I love the colorful shirred fabric eggs. The kids hid those when they were young. The delicate pink hankie and crocheted doilies I found tucked in a drawer. The fabric duck pillow, made from an old quilt, adds an interesting contrast to the ceramic pieces. And the little jewel green candle holder is the perfect finishing touch.
I brought back enough pieces today to create several vignettes throughout the house. Stay tuned for more delightful bursts of Easter!
