NOW AVAILABLE: HolidayTrees Stickers!!

I've been wanting to sell something with quotes from this blog. I eventually will be offering clothing, calender, mugs, etc. For now though, I will begin with stickers. All the stickers offered will be priced at $1.99. Shipping will be $5.00. Unless of course you are unwilling to pay $5.00 for shipping. Oh, you are. Ok then, shipping will be free. Happy? So the price you see is the price it be.

NOTE (THIS IS A POST ABOUT THE STORE. CLICK HERE.TO GO TO THE ACTUAL STORE)

More hilarious HolidayTrees stickers for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other major holidays soon to be released :-)

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY SHOP :-) (You will not leave this blog.)

What's Next For HolidayTrees? New Colors, New Holiday, New Addy!!

Ever since Valentine Day and Mardi Gras I have been brainstorming about how to set up this site for the next couple months. Easter is on April 4th, so it's a little early to start celebrating for that holiday now. St. Paddy's is in 3 weeks, which is too much time to spend on that holiday in my book. I would've also done a special occasion celebration before the holidays (wedding cakes, anniversary jewelry, etc) but it felt too rushed since I want to start Easter pictures by March 1st (Mr. Bunny deserves a whole month).

So I decided to spend the next few days getting this website ready for the joyous spring holiday that is Easter.

Photo: Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary Ramah NM, USA
Even wolfie is getting ready for Easter.
Seriously though, you should probably back the #%$& off.

Anywho, by March 1st you can expect the blog's colors to change once again and for a brand-spanking-new special Easter title. I will also add yet another slide show on youtube that will be Easter themed. Maybe I'll do a St. Patricks one too! Hey the sky is the limit.
Oh, and the one other thing that will be different; I am trying to get my website addy changed so that people won't have to type in www.holidaytrees.blogspot.com to get here. It will be changed to www.holidaytrees.us (some bastard took the .com version). Don't worry though, you will still be able to get to this by using this addy. Nothing will change for the regulars :-) (UPDATE: It's official! The forwarding is complete and you can now type in holidaytrees.us to get here. Yippy!)

So have I gotten you all excited yet? Yup, that's what I thought...you looked at the pretty picture of the wolfie and then left. Sigh...

For the few of you that don't have ADD I would love to hear some feedback on the changes this blog will undergo. I will try to give the blog a fresh spring look with the use of pastels without making anyone want to puke. Please let me know how you like the changes.

My hurried Mardi Gras Post

Since Mardi Gras comes RIGHT after Valentine's Day this year I didn't really have a chance to give it any kind of thought or recognition on this website. Mainly because V-Day is a more important event in my eyes.

Now I know that most people who did celebrate already did so last weekend but just to keep with the HolidayTrees spirit I'll throw the holiday that does nothing for me a bone.

Here are some purdy beads.

*Sparkly*

And...

...here is a creepy mask.

Apparently this is also in the fashion of Mardi Gras.


Well, I hope you enjoyed that. Maybe next year the Brazilians, French or whoever the hell started this will make sure that it won't coincide with another more important holiday.

Please Enjoy These Boxes of Chocolates On Me!

People are like a box of chocolates, there are only one or two in the whole batch that you like and the rest suck. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

This is...

...what my boyfriend got me today. I'm so loved.
Photo: shenghung lin (TaiPei Taiwan)

A traditional red box of chocolates by...

...Dilletante.
Photo: Shawn Anderson (Seattle, WA USA)

Why stick to the traditional...

...when you can have designer chocolate?
Photo: alasm (flickr.com)

Give me something with a little more pink!

Thanks :-)
Maker: Secret Chocolatier (Charlotte, SC USA)

Taku (Toronto Canada) recceived this box a couple V-Days ago.

He says - "As soon as I opened them, I was surprised at how elegantly decorated they were. The aroma of the chocolates were quite subtle yet very captivating."


He also goes on to say -

"Even the box it came in was intricately designed."
Soooo chic :-)




That's all for the Valentine goodies. What will be next?
What will the future hold for holidaytrees.blogspot.com?
Seriously, what? I'm running out of ideas here.

Valentine Day Dreamcatcher

My fiancee doesn't dream much. However, I tend to dream a lot. My dreams are usually an assortment of boring, scary, and fun. I found this dreamcatcher at the dollar store (in case you haven't noticed, we are poor) and was stoked. I wanted to hang it in some random spot like the kitchen or living room. Maybe even against the wall. Logan however wanted it above the bed to fulfill its purpose.

By the way, here is the dreamcatcher's legend: dreams flying through netherspace get caught in the web at night. Good dreams slid down through the feather and into the sleeping person's head. Bad dreams get caught in the web and melt away when daylight comes.

Sounds good. Unfortunately for me since we've hung it up I've had nothing but nightmares. The bad kind too. Full of stress, lost loves, and money woes. Logan however has actually started dreaming. Luckily for him they have been the good kind.
We compromised, he gets one more week with the wretched thing. Then I get my way and take it down once V-Day passes. It shall spend the rest of it's life in the Valentine decoration box.
Beware the dream catcher.

Valentine Doll Collection

Ahhh Valentine dolls. Remember when you were a child and you had your very own collection of precious dolls on your shelf? You would lay up all night looking at your dolls. Or particularly that one larger doll's eyes - mostly because the moonlight hit it just right so it looked like she was looking right at you. And remember how you would wake up and she would be on the floor for unexplainable reasons? Almost like you caught her in mid crawl towards your bed? Wasn't that F-cked up?
Well let's go ahead and relive those memories with the Valentine Doll Collection!

This is exactly how...

...my dolls used to looked at me.

I can just imagine this one...

...spinning her head towards you and saying "I want your heart too."

Looky, this one has a present for you!

I'm going to guess it's some kind of random body part.
Previous 3 Photos: luvdollz (flickr.com)

Sewed on eyes, no mouth, no nose equals...

...no fear!
We know this doll can't come alive and claim our souls.

Crap.

I was wrong!

Watch out! She's looking right at us!
Previous 2 Photos: Jessica (osohappytogether blogspot)


Ok, that was a little B horrorish. I apologize.

Valentine's Day Heart Chocolate

Valentine's Day is really nothing more than a poor excuse to eat a bunch of chocolate. Anything that's in the shape of a heart is good for your heart. That's what my doctor says! And when I say doctor I mean that guy that stands out on the corner screaming out medical advice for nothing more than your spare change. Yeah, he's a real living saint.

Let's begin the

thread!

The vines are white chocolate and...

the rest is regular chocolate. I just want to pop one of those in my mouth!
Mirabelle Catering (West Coast, USA)

To me, it looks like two hearts...

...oozing out of another heart.
Maker: Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates

Another one by the same maker.

Paul describes this one as a "Large woven dark chocolate heart filled with fresh passion fruit, vanilla and ylang-ylang filled chocolates."
Ylang ylang? Don't ask me! I just sez it howz I seez it!

This one looks as though...

...it descended from heaven :-p
Photo: Melanie J (Dunedin, New Zealand)

Another little scrumptious group...

Hum...this makes me think of those giant peanut butter stuffed hearts Reese's puts out.

Know what I'm talking about?
Photo: Laura Taylor (Portland Maine, USA)

Oh yeah, that's the one!

*drools*

Valentine's Day Flowers

What makes these particular bouquets official "Valentine's Day" flowers? They were given on Valentine's Day! Duh...

This is a nice, crisp shot of a lovely bouquet.

Alasm from flickr.com says, "Beautiful flowers that my husband sent to me on V-Day".


Chip Bennet from Saint Louis says, "Nothing fancy or extravagant...

...but every girl should get flowers on Valentine's Day."

It's impossible to go wrong with...

...a bouquet of roses :-)

Look! A twofer!

It's Valentine's Day and her wedding day!

These are definitely the most gorgeous flowers of the bunch :-)

Or maybe I'm just saying that because their mine :-)

A close-up of a lily.

I got them from my fiancee at last year's V-Day :-D

Valentine's Day - A New Month, A New Holiday Celebration!

Are you ready HolidayTree lovers for the new month of February? If you are like me you have finally taken down your Christmas tree and replaced all the red and green with pink and white. My website shall change much like our homes. Now this blog will focus on flowers, chocolates and other Valentine joys. First however, I would like to ease you into the transition. Remember when I eased you into the idea of wedding cakes after a month of Christmas trees? I showed you festive styled wedding cakes (see here). In the same spirit here are a couple heart/Valentine themed wedding cakes.

A great use of pink and white.

I love how the flowers are only on half of the heart. It adds a subtle effect to it.
Something Special Cakes (TN, USA)

The swirls on this cake gives it an interesting "in motion" feeling.

The other cool thing is the topper. The bride says, "My uncle made the cake topper...it's hand blown glass of a rose with two hearts and a hummingbird."

~Dezz~ (flickr.com)

I'm not sure if it was intentional...

...but the hearts look like it was drawn on by a six year old. Usually this would give the cake an unprofessional look but I think here it fits the style.
carolinabird (flickr.com)

An elegant fondant red and white cake.

If this cake was any smoother it would be a baby's ass.

Let's get a bird's eye view.

Here you can see the nice heart shape and the use of glitter. It's oh-so-classy.

cight (flickr.com)

More Valentine goodies to come!!!

Valentine Of The Day Thread - VOTD

Obviously it's now time to celebrate the sweet celebration that is Valentine's Day. Much like my Christmas tree and wedding cake of the day threads (seen here and here) this thread will be about my Valentine Of The Day (VOTD). Yeah, the wording doesn't make much sense but that's because instead of it focusing on one decoration or item it will consist of many different things; As long as they are Valentiney. So make sure you keep an eye on the left corner of the page when you come here lest you miss a special Valentine.

Hollywood Cupcakes
Baker: Debbie R
Place: Somerset, NJ (USA)
VOTD: 2/12/10

In case it's not obvious, I've named this VOTD Hollywood Cupcakes in remembrance of the show "Hollywood Squares".
Now that you understand, isn't that hilarious? HAHAHAHA!

Sexy Valentine Shoe
Photographer: Terri
Place: Boston, MA (USA)
VOTD: 2/11/10

As though a giant high-heeled chocolate shoe isn't enough, it's also got more chocolate inside of it. They are in heart form too (remember the "heart shapes are good for your heart" rule). Terri's boyfriend, Andrew bought it for her a couple years back on Valentine's Day. What a swell guy.

Valentine Plaque
Photographer: Me!
Place: St. Louis, MO (USA)
VOTD: 2/10/10

I found this cute little stone (or plaster?) plaque thing at my local Goodwill the other day. I got it for the low low price of two dollars. It was marked down from something like a $1000. At least that's my estimation. It was probably even more!

Stamp of Chocolaty Love
Creator: Shigemi J.
Place: Iwate Takizawa (Japan)
VOTD: 2/9/10

This image was created using fd's flickr toys, so obviously it's not a real stamp.
Shigemi used her photo of chocolate lady bugs to put onto a stamp template.
If only it were real though! What a glorious day it would be if one could send a letter for a mere 39 cents. Sigh...

Vintage Valentine Banner
Creator: Amy_B (flickr.com)
Place: Norman, AR (USA)
VOTD: 2/8/10

I love the little valentine elves on this mini-banner. Reminds me of something out of an old cartoon from the 50s. Amy says, "This was made with vintage knee hugger heads."
Ahhh, yes...those! Why, I've been looking for a use for those old hugger heads myself I truly have!

Valentine Bottle Stands
Maker: Jessica (sohappytogether blogspot)
Place: Jacksonville, Florida (USA)
VOTD: 2/5/10

These bottle stands are such a cool idea. Jessica says she made these for her family's Valentine dinner. I'm still trying to work in my head how she got all those things inside? I'm thinking she's a master of the dark arts? Yes, finally! We are in touch with the dark one!!
Or maybe they are just upside down wine glasses :-s

Cupcake Love
Photographer: weenee (flickr.com)
Place: USA
VOTD: 2/4/10

I'll give you my heart...for one of those cupcakes :-p

V-Day In The Stores

Photographer: nredmond (flickr.com)
Place: Dublin, Ireland
VOTD: 2/3/10

It's proof that the Irish also care about other saints besides St. Patrick.

Valentine Cookie Machine
Maker: Sweet Flour Bake Shop
Place: Toronto, Canada
VOTD: 2/2/10

A shot of fresh Valentine cookies coming out of an assembly line. Delicious!

Gnomes Of Love
Maker: dreamfollow.com
Place: USA

VOTD: 2/1/10

Aren't these so cute? I thought it would be cool to start my Valentine of the day thread with something less traditional than flowers or chocolates. I would love to have one of these hanging out in my kitchen or bedroom during the holiday of love.