Hi! I’m Chrissy and I LOVE FLAMINGOS!
If you’ve seen The Creative Eclectic logo you might be thinking, “Well..that’s obvious”. You might even think “Chrissy is just trying to cash in on the flamingo trend”.
Let me reassure you that my love of flamingos started over 40 years ago. Long before the current flamingo fad.
I have hazy memories of a family road trip where we saw flamingos at a zoo when I was about four or five years old. I’m fascinated by this bird that starts life a dirty grey-white can grow into such a beautiful and elegant creature that survives in the world’s harshest conditions.
BUT what REALLY cemented my love for flamingos was the Disney animation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved fantasy tale, Alice in Wonderland (1951). Each school holidays, I begged my mum to take me to the local cinema to see it. Alice and the Queen of Hearts playing croquet with flamingos. is enthralling and delightful! I read the book so many times my copy fell apart. It was loved and cherished! I have been know to randomly say “Do you play Croquet?” in a snooty Queen of Hearts tone.
Anyway, I managed to keep my love of flamingos ‘under wraps’ for many years. Sadly, there was a time when admitting you liked those kitschy lawn flamingos was social suicide.
Then my family and I went to Vegas in 2005. No trip to Las Vegas is complete without a visit to the iconic Flamingo Hotel! As well as all the retro lawn flamingos and statues, it has a Wildlife Habitat complete with real live Chilean Pink Flamingos. Oh My! Be still my beating heart! Flamingos were better than I remembered!
A few years later, when on a New Zealand Road trip, I insisted we visit Larnach Castle (Dunedin). They have a statue of Alice and her flamingo on their croquet lawn. There are other “Alice themed” statues throughout the gardens but Alice and her flamingo is my favourite. By the way the Larnach Castle and the gardens are truly beautiful and worth the visit even if you aren’t an Alice in Wonderland fan.
Did you know that a flock of flamingos is called a flamboyance or regiment? How fitting is that?
When Stampin’ Up! released their Flamingo Lingo stamp set to support Ronald McDonald House Charity, all was lost! I decided to embrace my inner flamingo! After adding the stamp set to my stash, I purchased two adorable metal pink flamingos for my garden. From there, I’ve added flamingo themed drinks coasters, a throw cushion, a neon flamingo light, a tea towel, an ornament, a stuffed toy, an umbrella and three coffee cups. My daughter has given me an inflatable flamingo drinks holder and ice bucket. I’m happy with the few eclectic flamingos that I have.
Other than any new Flamingo-themed stamp sets that Stampin’ Up! may release in the future, I won’t buy any more flamingos. Our home won’t turn into a flamingo shrine, but it is fun to have a few quirky pops of pink flamingo in my craft space and garden. Could you imagine if I gave in to purchasing every flamingo item I see? I would turn into the flamingo equivalent of a “crazy cat lady”. Come to think of it “Chrissy, the Fabulous Flamingo Lady” does have a nice ring to it…
Did I mention that our puppy, Delphi even received a fluffy pink flamingo squeaky toy from Santa? How did Santa know?
As you can see my flamingo love is not just a passing phase. It was entirely appropriate to incorporate a neon style flamingo in the Creative Eclectic logo. I just love it!
What about you? What’s your secret, or perhaps not so secret quirky collectable?
PS If you want to find out more about The Creative Eclectic read my first blog post.
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