We live near a little plot of land that is a bastion of unachievable perfection in the world of horticulture/landscaping, namely Roger's Gardens. For decades it has been, as A Christmas Story so beautifully puts it, a "yearly bacchanalia of peace on Earth and good will to men" - at least for the Martha Stewart set. We try to go at Christmas time every year because the gardens are transformed into as much of a winter wonderland as Southern California can offer; stately pines end up being more lights than needles, an abundance of Christmas decorations of all sorts are available, and Santa Claus is there. A couple of years ago, while sidling through the crowds and outcroppings of merchandise, I found some tabletop, tinsel trees with beaded garlands and miniature ornaments. In my eyes they had the primitive quality of mid-century Christmas decorations and all the sparkle of wacky tacky. I turned one over to check the price tag and nearly had my first heart attack when I saw that this puny, little, ten-inch bit of Chinese manufacture was fifty dollars! Before my friends could be embarrassed by the volume at which I shouted, "Fifty Dollars?!! I could make this," I was at the 99 Cents Only Store sourcing materials for my trees.
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| My trees - not perfect but they get the point across It took me two years to get them made; I told you, I'm not a crafter. The total cost per tree is less than three dollars! I guess that last sentence could have gone without saying... |
As fate would have it, we were out doing some thrifting the other day and what did I spy, but one of those selfsame, coronary-inducing trees from Roger's Gardens. At 96 percent off of the original price, we strapped it to the roof of the wacky wagon and brought it home.
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| The inspiration for my 99 Cents Store specials. It's kind of like a glittering version of the Charlie Brown tree. I wish there were more; I still love them! |
The evidence is there, I am just not much of a crafter. At least my trees are kind of funny and are entirely commensurate with the style guidelines of wacky tacky, right?
Have you been doing any wacky tacky Christmas crafting this year?
Roger's Gardens
2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd
Corona del Mar, CA
(949)640-5800
Cheers!
Mr. Tiny
