Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of our Easter collection originally created in 2006.
I created my original 4-pc Cottontail Path Collection from a burning question in my mind, “what does the world look like through bunnies' eyes”.
This original collection (shown on a sales sheet above) included:
- Bunny Getting Mail
- Hattie’s Place
- Bunny Pulling Wagon
- Eggie Em’s
Then, I added to that collection in 2007 with the following 4 pieces which fit together with 2006.
Shown on the sales sheet above:
- Hatching Chicks (which I redesigned into Chickie Babies, below)
- Flossie's Patch (I put the newer version on a different shape wood)
- Picking Carrots (I put the newer version on a different shape wood)
- Daffodil Dan's (I used the egg house as the basis for my Easter Bunny's House below)
They were a little different than the Cottontail collection I've released over the past few years. There's not any special meaning sketched into them. But they did always fit together side by side, which is a signature feature of many of my Cat’s Meows.
In 2014, I decided to walk back down Cottontail Path to see what was going on with the bunnies.
That’s when I reintroduced the collection and started telling more of the bunnies' stories.
I kept 2 of the first 4 2006 pieces and renamed them Letters For Easter Bunny and Bringing Home Goodies. I also kept 3 of the 2007 pieces and worked them into new shapes.
Be on the lookout for “Easter Eggs” throughout this blog…
The creation process continued with more visualization in the bunny neighborhood.
Wouldn’t the Easter Bunny’s House be the most decorated house along the path?
He keeps his 2-story egg painted brightly all year long. And, cousin bunny found a stash of goodies he’s bringing home in his wagon.
Of course, a broken, left behind teacup and plate make the coziest of cottages, don’t you think?
Then I envisioned what it would look like if a bunny could ride a rooster and along came Fats Cockrell followed by Eliza hunting for eggs helped by Twitch, a neighborhood bunny.
“Easter Egg” - Eliza is named after my daughter, Grace Elizabeth.
Moving down the path, we come to the corner of Cottontail and Peek-A-Boo Lane where an old basket found a new use.
This little basket house is the comfy abode of the newest "chick" in the neighborhood, Gretta. She doesn't go out much, though. And right next to Gretta’s place is Bella Bunny’s garden patch filled to the brim with all kinds of bunny munchies. “Easter Egg” - I named Bella Bunny after my dog, Bella.
Flossie found a flower pot and turned it into Home Sweet Pot, complete with a garden of her favorite flowers on the roof. There’s times of the year when the neighborhood yards get wildly noisy as the chickie babies hatch from their bright colored eggs, Elizah Bunny can attest to that.
Amanita continually hunts for eggs all year, but she finds the best eggs under the magic amanita muscaria mushrooms…and that’s another “Easter Egg” (look it up).
Next, Dandelion Bunny, Dandy to his friends, loves his umbrella home, especially when it rains and a beautiful rainbow appears, making more magic amanita muscaria mushrooms grow.
“Easter Egg” - I named this bunny after my father’s favorite spring meal…as he would say, “let’s cook up a batch of dandelions”.
And, did you know that just down around the corner is the entrance to the world of Cottontail Path? You'll find it under this grape arbor...just scurry through to the other side and you'll discover the magical land of bunnies and their quaint Cottontail Path community. “Easter Egg” - Also memories of my father, who always kept our grape arbor trimmed up and producing juicy concord grapes every year.
A new creature made her way to the land of Cottontail Path! Ruby the Raccoon wanted to join in all the festivities, so she grabbed a pair of bunny ears and hoped no one would notice she really wasn't one of their kind. But then, all the bunnies on Cottontail Path are the friendliest around, and Ruby was welcomed with open paws by Buckly Bunny.
“Easter Egg” - This little story is inspired by my brother who still lives on our family farm and usually has a pet raccoon hanging around in the barn. His most recent pal is Ruby, who loves eating grapes.
Tessie is up at the break of dawn, picking tulips for her daily sales. Every day they sell till they're gone. Tomorrow will be more, it never fails.
I can't help but say, I'm in love with this Cottontail design! The sunrise is absolutely stunning...and it will continue onto the next design in 2023!
Which piece is your favorite? Let me know on Instagram or Facebook! I love to hear your thoughts.
Purrs,
Faline, and of course, Casper
pssst - SEE THE COTTONTAIL PATH COLLECTION HERE
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We handcraft all of our keepsakes in Ohio from ¾” thick wood with detailed front designs and written descriptions on the back. They can be set neatly on a shelf, desk, or narrow ledge such as wainscoting, window, or door trim.
Group them with other Cat’s Meows to create your own little Village!
Look for Casper, our black cat mascot, sitting or reclining within the design. He's the sign of an authentic Cat's Meow souvenir replica.
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If you are new here, I am Faline Jones, creator and founder
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Faline, and of course, Casper
Comments
Submitted by: Janet Primm on Thu, 04/14/2022 - 10:28am
Submitted by: Cat's Meow on Thu, 04/14/2022 - 10:46am
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