South of the Border Hoarder: Let's Taco 'Bout Brooches

South of the Border Brooches 

Top: Flying Tomato, Marshalls
Skirt: ROSS, Dress for Less
Sandals: MIA, JCPenney
Bag: DSW, embellished by The Tote Trove
Sunglasses: The Tote Trove

What's mean and green and screams Cinco de Mayo?  Guacamole?  No.  Margaritas?  Guess again.  It's nothing edible at all, but our old amigo Kermit (unless you count frog legs as food, which I do not), and he isn't really mean of course, unless he's had a tiff with Miss Piggy.  You may recall that the husband and I outfitted him in a jaunty red scarf this past Christmas.  Now that it's spring, the husband asked me to pick him up a tiny straw hat on one of my many craft runs.  So I did.

It's a little small, but I think that only adds to its charm.  It came in a pack of ten (whoo-hoo!), so I decked out the extras as brooches.  Luckily, I have a whole drawerful of pompoms, which was perfect for this Cinco de Mayo-themed project.  

The finished quasi-sombreros remind me of those straw hat barrettes that were popular in the early 1990s, peddled by places like Claire's (all roads lead back to Claire's, it seems).  Only, those were a little bit country, with pastel bows and flowers, whereas these are a little bit rock and roll, all boho and neon and befitting a mini mariachi band.  Here they are festooning a southwestern wall hanging I have yet to hang in my office, otherwise known as succulent central.  The current cactus count in there?  21.

Anyway, whether you're hitting the local cantina or hanging out at home, festive flare fires up the fun factor.  Well, festive flare and jalapeno poppers.  To which I say, no gracias, as I have an unadventurous, chicken-and-not-hot-cheese-based palate.  

That's why I'll have the quesadilla.  

Fiesta, Fleur-Ever

Trippy Hippie Choker

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Shorts: Merona, Target

Shoes: MIA, JCPenney

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Sunglasses: Michaels

Watch: A.C. Moore

Bracelet: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Ring: Seahorse Designs, Etsy 

Patty Pompom Necklace

Top: Byer, Boscov's

Skirt: ROSS Dress for Less

Bag: Delia's

Shoes: Qupid, DSW

Sunglasses: The Tote Trove

Barrette: The Tote Trove

Bangles: Mixit, JCPenney

Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City

Fiery Flowers Necklace

Top: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Jeans: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Shoes: Nine West, DSW

Bag: The Tote Trove

Sunglasses: Party City

Orange bangle: Mixit, JCPenney

Yellow bangle: B Fabulous

Ring: Making Waves

Question 1: How many bloggers, myself included, have referenced Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" in a post about Cinco de Mayo?  

Question 2: Is it wrong to use the French word for "flower" instead of the Spanish one in a post about Cinco de Mayo (even if the French word is only one syllable instead of two, making for a more rhythmic pun)?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that Cinco de Mayo is fun and festive and makes me want to make south of the border accessories.  (It also makes me think of counting to ten in Spanish on "Sesame Street" and of (the less kid-friendly) "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).").  So, to celebrate, I'm shaking things up like a bunch of maracas.  For one thing, I've given Tammy the weekend off (right now she's taking a much-needed siesta after one too many margaritas) and instead photographed my outfits hodgepodge-collage style on the floor, backlit by a bevy of my beloved backdrops.  I like these messy new configurations (if something as scientific-sounding as a configuration can be called messy), and I think the colors came out more vibrant, too.  They're also ideal layouts for (finally!) displaying my quirky cute cocktail umbrellas which have been, until now, cooped up in my craft room.

The USPS is also in on the party (now, there's a transition you don't hear every day).  Last week when I went to the post office to buy stamps, they offered me flowers, birds, or these:

They're a little hard to see, but these stamps feature colorful illustrations of traditional Mexican dishes, including empanadas, tamales, and, my personal favorite, flan (who doesn't crave that caramel custard treat?).  One look at the appetizing images had me saying, "I'll take those" to the surprised postal worker.  And now they're out and about in the world, bringing joy (and takeout envy) to the gas company, the electric company, and my dear friends at Macy's.    

Sigh.  I could go for a churro.