Thursday, April 7, 2016

Miscellaneous Musings

Sometimes, it's nice to wander in one's own thoughts. Such was the case with these musings, and perhaps there's something useful and/or entertaining among them for you.

I bought a few new books recently: American Writers at Home, Designers at Home: Personal Reflections on Stylish Living, and The Life of a Bowerbird: Creating Beautiful Interiors with the Things You Collect. I like them all. Sibella Court's The Life of a Bowerbird leaves you finding relevance in otherwise insignificant things as collections. Designers at Home captures several contemporary designers and their thoughts of home and style in one book. American Writers at Home is a very cool book of many notable writers, their homes, where they wrote, and a short bio on each.
Late Winter Book Purchases
One of my daughters was an English major in undergrad, so I gave her the writers book for her birthday. Great pictures give you a glimpse into their homes and lives. It makes for good inspiration for road trips, if you like that sort of thing. I've only toured one of these homes - Ernest Hemingway's - in Key West, FL.
Contents of American Writers at Home

Speaking of English majors, listen up, word nerds, blog writers, and everyone else! In the same vein as elementary schools no longer teaching cursive writing, have you heard it is no longer cool (or appropriate) to put two spaces after a period when typing?! I'd stopped the two-space method shortly after I started this blog, when I noticed how it clearly left dangling space in my published posts. Now I have an explanation, and you can read about it, too, in Jennifer Gonzalez' post on her blog, The Cult of Pedagogy.

We had our boxelder tree cut down on March 9. The monkey guy who did the work in the tree, along with one buddy working on the ground, were a phenomenal team. I photo-journaled their activity, so efficient was their work. In just 8 hours that thing was down, and all the limbs chipped, logs cut and hauled, the stump ground, and the area cleaned up.
Boxelder Tree Collage. Bottom four frames show the before, after from east, west directions of the project.

Unlike my professional tree-cutting job, our local power company contracts with a tree-cutting firm to trim trees which obscure power lines. They came to my house once, a few years ago, and made me sign a form when I said I did NOT want them cutting my tree. I told them I'd seen the work they do, and I would hire my own service. Here are a couple examples of the work they recently did in our neighborhood (below). Notice how they left the unobstructing branch to dangle over the road on the one tree in the top frame. Lovely.
Power company's contracted tree service

I completed a 3-days-shy-of-a-year-long journey of two dental implants on March 11, and I learned a few things. First, I had no idea what the process entailed, and asked questions of anyone I knew who had been through it. I learned a hard lesson in patience, a virtue I obviously need work on. It took a team of 3 dental specialists - my family dentist, an endodontist, and an oral surgeon. I got screwed, literally (see photo of x-ray below), and also figuratively, by the money spent. I understand why many people just get their teeth pulled and do nothing else in these type of situations. I sharpened my negotiation skill (hey, it's not just for flea markets), asking for discounts (cash in full in advance, senior, patient longevity, etc.). Negotiating is a smart thing to do, even if you have dental coverage (it will not fully cover the cost). Every little bit helps. I will also say I am thrilled this process is over.
X-ray of dental implants and abutments (on which permanent crowns were placed)
I am not a food blog by any means, but when I cook you can bet it's with careful thought, since my Mr. is a fairly picky eater. I tried a recipe Ellen (Scribbler Unfocused) concocted back in February that looked too delicious to pass up. It's a Chicken Lemon Pappardelle Soup. I only substituted a rotisserie chicken for the chicken breast fillets she used. She is completely right in that the flavors only get better with each day of leftovers. The lemon flavor gives it the perfect taste for me. Thank you, Ellen!
Chicken Lemon Pappardale Soup

I've participated with the 40 Bags in 40 Days Lenten purge each year since 2014, and this year I managed to clean out paper, email inbox, my desk drawers, spice cabinet, a couple pieces of furniture and, most notably, my career clothes closet(s). This time, I donated my clothes to my local Goodwill Prosperity Center's "Suited for Success" boutique. This is a separate entity from their retail centers. It's designed to help people get back on their feet, whether they be veterans, recovering addicts, felons, etc. People receive help building resumes, have access to computers, get clothes to start work - all without fees. I filled almost an entire rolling rack with clothes.
Donations to Goodwill's "Suited for Success" Boutique

We've FINALLY found a contractor who will not only return phone calls, but has shown up for estimates, and has actually begun long overdue maintenance for us on our home! See how pretty the flower beds and front look in this March photo below?
Front of  Home, Spring 2016
What you don't see is the ongoing damage on the outer edge of the balcony that's been occurring ever since this thing was constructed in 2004 (and rebuilt once already in 2006). We are encouraged that it will be taken care of in the coming month. If all goes well, we may realize other projects on our list.
Home Balcony Damage 

Fiestaware, like Blenko, is manufactured in West Virginia. The annual retail/outlet tent sales schedule is out, and the first one just occurred in Flatwoods, WV (about 70 miles north of the capital city on I-79). Our local Macy's recently had a very colorful display of Fiestaware on their main floor (below). Whether for the tent sale occasion, or just a Spring display, I don't know, but the colors are fun.
Fiesta Display at Macy's, Spring 2016
I somehow get the sense that this dinnerware is to today's households much like the workhorse ironstone was to yesterday's households, it's so utilitarian. Last year Fiesta added the Country Living Fair weekend in Columbus to its list of tent sales (at the Columbus Fairgrounds), taking the show on the road for the first time.

Speaking of Macy's, remember in this post where I said other than finding a really cool pair of shoes or purse that I'd rather shop vintage and/or antique? Well, I not only found one pair of new shoes, but I bought two - different colors - at a great price, just before Easter. I love a sexy pair (or two!) of shoes, and we have three family weddings in this year coming. I may just be a Dancing Queen.
New shoes!
After Easter, the grocery store had a cart full of selected candies discounted to 25¢ each. I picked out a few, then Mr. P. picked his.
Candy!

Last, but not least, this story is one for the "boys will be boys" generalization....
My next door neighbors have twin boys, aged 12, and two Wheaten Terriers. Good people, the kind of neighbors you want. The other evening I was sitting at my desk and heard this THUD. A few minutes later THUD. And again THUD. I thought Mr. P. was dropping his shoes on the floor, but after the third time I realized it was outside, and went to see where. One twin was coming out of his gate to collect a ball (or two or three) which, evidently, hit our garage brick wall. He was practicing, picking up balls with his Lacrosse stick, and tossing them at a goalie net against the wall in his yard, but invariably missed, hitting our garage wall. I cautioned him of the accident waiting to happen, he apologized, and moved the net. Next day, we find a Lacrosse ball in our courtyard. We also found some random dog turds between our house and garage, and outside of our garage door. Who Flung Poo?- remember those zany book title jokes? Seems he didn't realize he wasn't just picking up his Lacrosse balls to toss. His mom was horrified when I called to let her know. She thought she got all the yard poop with the scoop before he was practicing. He moved his target net to the yard on the opposite side of their home, where the dogs aren't allowed. :)

Rita C. at Panoply

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Spring in the Sunroom 2016

I always like to lighten up my home, particularly the sunroom come spring and, like most other seasons, I do that mainly with textiles. This room is climate-controlled, with light streaming in and changing continuously through three sides of windows, including the ceiling. It remains my favorite room in the house, mostly because of its light, but also for its unique quality of feeling cozy, yet expansive when needed.
A new area rug from Pottery Barn that blends the tile and peach tones of the patio furniture gives me the neutral and light base I've wanted for a long time. It took me a very long time to find just the right color and pattern. The rug did come with some drama, though, and that's at the end of this post if you're interested. This is yet another good reason why I would never be a candidate for a sponsored blog - I'm honest to a fault.

On the chaise, a pillow and throw (previously used on my table in this post) keep me cozy when I sit in the sunroom, reading and listening to music - Pandora smooth jazz is my choice of late. The Parsons chair is one of two, interchangeable with directors' chairs I keep in the house, mainly as extra seating for when company comes. I have seasonal slipcovers for this chair, but for now, a simple throw covers it. Also, since most of these photos were taken just before Easter, you'll see accessories like bunnies and eggs, which have now been stowed away.
This room is original to the home's construction, but added onto the exterior walls of the open arrangement of the kitchen and breakfast area. It is long, and allows for ample seating. For the photo below, I was standing at the sliding glass doorway from the breakfast area (visible behind the Parsons chair in photo above). The heating/cooling unit is on the left wall (windows perched on its ledge), and half of the pitched ceiling of windows are visible. A fan is mounted on the center beam, over the table.
In this photo (below), you can see the doors to/from the kitchen. The loveseat is opposite the chaise seating, just in front of those sliding doors.
French doors on the right wall of windows (below) lead to the courtyard outside. The monkey knot weight on the floor is my doorstop for the French door we use most.
This seating arrangement wraps around the back wall of the sunroom, just beyond the center table and chairs.
One new embroidered pillow cover, with my favorite summer bird, was added to my mix this year.
Along the back wall of the sunroom, I keep an antique bench that can also be used for seating in the sunroom if we have a crowd. Otherwise, I layer vintage and antique finds on it for visual interest from the long, horizontal view.
Like most accessories in our home, there's a story to go with the scales on the bench. They were a gift to my husband, sourced from an antique shop in Vermont, about ten years ago. The scales were in his office, and held collected foreign coins on the trays. When he retired this past December, he wanted the scales moved, so I exchanged his for those I previously had in the sunroom. While his are more substantial and refined, the scales I removed are more rustic. I took the latter to sell at the antique mall. They have a great provenance of coming from France to America during WWII. They belonged to a woman who owned a fabric/button shop.
Scale swap in the sunroom: (L) rustic, now at antique mall; (R) refined, previously in the office
The sunroom, before and after, winter to spring, below. Simple pillow and throw swaps like these will come through other high-trafficked areas of the house in the days to come. It's the lazy decorator's approach to change, yet a nice way to rotate collections, 'stuff' that's otherwise stored away in the house.
Sunroom: Before (Winter 2016); After (Spring 2016)
Here's the rest of the story on the Pottery Barn rug and....
I bought the rug after Christmas from Pottery Barn, on sale, and with an additional 20% off. It arrived in mid-February, and I didn't unroll it until a month later, only to find a tiny flaw on a section that's under the chaise lounge. The rug was non-returnable as priced, but I called customer service immediately. They agreed to accept the return, but they only had one left in stock. There was a good chance the one remaining rug would be sold before my exchange could be transacted (or, I'd have to buy it now at the higher, current price). I really didn't want the hassle to have to package the rug up for return, either, so I negotiated another 20% credit on top of the sale and clearance markdown price instead. The rug is reversible, and can be used both indoor/outdoor, and so the flaw will remain unnoticeable - except to me. I settled, but the idea of PB selling an item that had clearly been flawed and poorly repaired without mention of 'seconds' or 'floor display' totally ticked me off. I don't have the advantage of having a local PB to visually inspect what I buy from them, so shame on them. I told customer service as much.

As I was preparing this post, I was reminded - when going through photos - I had also purchased one of their pillow covers in the new Malibu Patchwork line. It arrived, separately, and was returned for its poor workmanship. One side seam edge was noticeably wonky, with the patchwork design skewed, while the other side's patches were puckered at the crooked seams. My photos are terrible, but so was the pillow cover sent to me. This is unacceptable, and since they didn't bother trying to send first quality for their newest line, I didn't even bother with asking for an exchange, only credit.
Pottery Barn's Flawed  Malibu Patchwork Pillow Cover
Do you have particular retailers or a purchase that has gotten under your skin lately? I really hope you'll share it with me and my readers in the comments below. Otherwise, these chains get away with a lot of crap that so many bloggers, Pinners and Facebook members (and their followers!) may unknowingly be endorsing. I am an avid reader of customer reviews, and I value honest input, positive and negative. Your input is valued!
Rita C. at Panoply

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Blenko Glass Factory Experience: Eggstra Special!

If you know anything at all about collectible glass, you've probably heard the name Blenko. The Blenko factory produces its glass creations in Milton, West Virginia, just about 30 miles west of where I live. Blenko's glass production over the past near century is certainly one of West Virginia's crown jewels in its economic existence. In recent years, Blenko has made efforts to better market themselves, starting some glassmaking workshops for the public. My sister and I attended an egg-making workshop the week before Easter. What an historical experience!
We arrived at the factory Visitors' Center prior to the class, which houses both a gift shop and an exhibit area.
Blenko Visitor Center - Milton, WV
When you walk into the center, you are entering the gift shop. Below is a collage of what you see in the gift shop, as viewed from the stairway leading to the exhibit area upstairs. Iconic water carafes, limited and special edition items, and color everywhere! The windows allow light to stream in and the place just glows!
Blenko gift shop - Milton, WV
Once upstairs, we confirmed our class registration and received our safety glasses. A short wait allowed enough time to view much of the glass on exhibit within the center.
Blenko celebrates West Virginia's statehood birthday each June with a newly commissioned piece in limited production, and many of those were on display in cases, as were pieces by many of the glass artists over the factory's history (Wayne Husted, Joel Myers, etc.). Blenko has also made many commissioned architectural windows, some examples of which are in the center as permanent fixtures. Blenko windows are most notably in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and the Cathedral of Rheims in France.
Blenko stained glass exhibits - Milton, WV
It is not uncommon to see any number of Blenko family members still on premises, and the day we were there, we saw Walter J. Blenko, Jr. (the 5th family member to run Blenko in its near century history). We also saw Ron Hinkle. Ron is an award-winning master craftsman in glass blowing in his own right, has previously partnered with Fenton Glass in designing ornaments, and has just accepted responsibility as plant manager at the Blenko factory. He will continue to run his own studio in Buchannon, WV, simultaneously.
Top: Walter J. Blenko, Jr. (bow tie) chatting with a visitor; Bottom: Blenko staff member and Ron Hinkle, master glass blower and Blenko's new plant manager
As we headed to the factory floor, the collage below captures some of what we saw. The only regulations we had to follow in the restricted area were to have closed-toe shoes, wear safety goggles, and use a glove (one) while handling the blowpipe rod. I was surprised earplugs weren't issued (the nearly 2400° glass furnaces are not only hot, but noisy). The Blenko factory has been in its current location for nearly 100 years, using the free-blowing technique, with a traditionally male-oriented workforce of glassblowers (note the HUGE men's restroom). The equipment shows signs of its age, yet is still producing, nearly 15 hours daily.
Scenes of the Blenko factory - Milton, WV
Our group class had 15 the day we participated, each getting a turn at the glassblower's bench. We chose our colors (called frits) from several options for the two eggs we made. My sister & I were at the end of the line, so we watched the first few individuals as they worked through each step of the approximate 10 minute process per egg.
Making a glass egg at the Blenko factory
The glassblower dipped out a glob of molten glass from the furnace, and rolled it onto the blowpipe rod, much like you would dip honey. He then rolled the glob in the chosen color frits (which are ceramic bits fused and granulated into the glass) and reheated it in a smaller furnace (the "glory hole"). I held a wooden cup (called a block) beneath the glob, dipped in water prior, to cool the glass while the glassblower turned the rod over it.

Next, he blew a puff of air through the blowpipe, and heated the glob-turning-egg once more. I then used what looked like oversized tweezers ("jacks") to create the actual egg shape, eventually making a narrow end for cutting, while he continuously turned the rod. The next step was to use a pair of diamond shears around that same indentation, as he turned it yet again, almost but not quite severing the egg from the rod. The glassblower turned the blowpipe vertically, and I tapped the rod with the shears, while another glassmaker caught the egg in what's call a punty - a rod with basket that resembled a lacrosse stick. The pontil (scar mark where the freehand glass egg was broken off the rod) was smoothed with a blowtorch, and placed in the lehr (a type of oven that slowly cools the glass). You can see all the steps we covered in either the frames above or below. So much fun!
Making a glass egg at the Blenko factory
The glassmakers at our station are longtime Blenko employees, one with 36 years, the other with 24 (and his father had worked there for 47 years). In spite of the nearly 2400° glass furnaces at various points of the factory floor, it was cold on the floor the day we were there (about 45° outside). The guys said it was like working in a barn - cold in winter, hot in summer, but open year-round.

While we waited our turn, we also got to tour other areas and watch the glassblowers. We watched one guy make the special edition springtime bunnies. Below is the glassblower at work, turning, shaping, torching the finished bunny.
Glassblower making a bunny at Blenko
The collage below shows a finished example of the special edition bunny, one I purchased from the gift center after our class. Standing about 6" tall, they are totally adorable, even if you thought you weren't crazy about glass collecting, ahem, like some of us. Also available in the gift shop were the 3" crystal light bases for display. The bunny, or many other of the items in the gift shop, can set upon the base to make a terrific display or nightlight, especially for a kid's room.
Special edition bunny from Blenko
Being the Panoply pickers we are, we also started eyeing things on the factory floor while we waited our turn. We saw great stuff we thought would make for some highly desirable (and saleable!) antique and vintage items. Talk about provenance! How about the tools we used (top right frame in collage below), or the molds for glass vases, or that cart?!
Blenko tools of the trade - let's go pickin'!
The folks at Blenko were smart when they planned these workshops. Not only did they time this particular one on the day before an 8 day warehouse sale, but you had to be able to return a week after the workshop to retrieve the items created, allowing for curing and packaging. My sister & I went back before the one week, so we could take advantage of the warehouse sale stock choices before they were depleted. I made another trip back to pick up my eggs.
Blenko warehouse sale - Milton, WV
I did not take photos of my warehouse purchases yet, but I will, and I'll share those in a future post. Below are the two eggs I made, along with my recent bunny purchase, and a vintage Blenko basket I bought long ago at an estate sale.
My egg creations at Blenko (foreground), with Blenko bunny and basket
Fortunately Unfortunately, one of my eggs cracked in the cooling oven. You have to look closely to see it, as it's inside the egg. I was told it may or may not ever completely break apart. Not to worry! I was allowed to pick another from the gift shop to replace it, but still keep the cracked egg! Score!
Blenko egg with internal crack
So, I picked another egg, and bought one more for good measure. I put all my eggs in one basket.
Blenko eggs, all in one basket
My Blenko bunny, my Blenko eggs, my Blenko basket, and my Blenko vase  (except the grocery flowers, which are finaling withering after three weeks!) all plan to live happily ever after. The End.
Be sure to check out Blenko's 2016 Schedule of Events, or many of the other informational tabs on their website (menu bar is at top of web page at link I provided for schedule). They also have a Blenko Facebook page, where you can follow events as they are announced. There's also a separate entity, Blenko Glass Collectors website, with loads of online information and links. If you'd like to see more of Ron Hinkle's work, he also has a Facebook page and Etsy shop.

Thanks for coming along on this eggstra special outing with me. The Blenko experience may or may not have been detrimental to my prior opinion of not wanting to collect glass. Time will tell. ;) Do you collect Blenko glass or any other type, such as Washington, Chihuly, Galle, Lalique or other?

Rita C. at Panoply

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Antiquing in Greenbrier Valley

My Panoply sisters and I took a little day trip together in early in March to Lewisburg, WV. Voted as the #1 Coolest Small Town in America in 2011,  Lewisburg is just nine miles from the famous Greenbrier Resort, and just two hours southeast of the capital city of Charleston, WV. Our day trip was leisurely, but getting our fill of antiquing was our mission, even if only to window shop. We started early, around 7:30am, stopped for a quick break, and hit the stores when they opened.
Window Display in Vintage Shop in Lewisburg, WV
Our first stop was Thymeworn Antiques, and upon linking to their Facebook page for this post, I was surprised to see the couple who own it are retiring and selling! George Underwood, the owner, was minding the shop the day we were there, and never mentioned a word about it. Hopefully, the new owners will keep the integrity we've come to expect of the shop.

We then mosied on to a couple other shops, Brick House Antiques and Patina. Both are fun stores. We each came away with a few goodies, and I actually practiced a little restraint. I've promised myself to whittle down my existing inventory as a 2016 goal, and I give myself a B grade for how well I did. I couldn't resist the Bordallo Pinheiro bunny tureen (below) that I found at a great price. This tureen was featured in my last post.
Another cool item I purchased was this WWI (1916) Army Corps of Engineers compass, made by Cruchon & Emons. Compasses like this one continued being made for outdoor enthusiasts by Ambercrombie & Fitch well into the 1930s. I found the pamphlet (online) that came with the original purchase of one of these instruments, printed a copy, and put it with the compass for my future reference.
The last item I purchased is new, but handcrafted by sheep farmers in WV. It's a felted soap and scrubby all in one! This mustachioed soap pictured here was fragranced with cedar & saffron, and had a great outdoorsy, masculine appeal.
I actually purchased a different one - a felted tulip - in a rose & honey fragrance. I love finding little local treasures like this!
We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant, Del Sol Cantina. It was good, and reasonably priced.

We headed home later that afternoon, but stopped at another antique mall along the way, the Beckley Antique Mall. I was pretty tired by that point (I did the driving), so I just walked the aisles and browsed. We made it home around 6pm.

It's always fun to shop around, to see other dealers' displays and impressions of what's trending, what's classic, and what's just good junk. We Panoply sisters have a good time wherever we go, and the drive time is where we talk shop, and catch up with each other's lives, a treasure in itself.

For more information on the town of Lewisburg, WV and the Greenbrier River Valley, you can check it out by clicking here.

Other than finding a really cool new pair of shoes or purse, I think antiquing and vintage picking/buying are my favorite types of shopping these days. What's your preference - shopping for new or old? Handcrafted or manufactured? Retail or yard sales? Have you been shopping lately?

Thanks for visiting. Your comments make my day.
Rita C. at Panoply

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Spring, Easter Tablescape 2016

Happy Spring! Today's luncheon tablescape ushers in both Spring and Easter, just one week apart on the calendar in this leap year. It's that time of year where colors are bursting, and new life is springing up daily. The predominant colors today are my happy, go-to choices of yellow, white, and green. It's a garden feast of elements, complete with bunnies, which seemed to multiply as my concept played out! The tablescape is prepared with a mix of some classics* you'll surely recognize. Let's hop to it!
Two vintage tablecloths are layered for texture, one a solid matelasse, the second a plaid damask in a diamond-weave. The 3-part plate stack is picked straight out of the garden: a yellow sunflower square charger base; an embossed, white magnolia bloom dinner; and cabbage leaf as salad plate.

Placeholder takeaways are tiny clay pots, planted with white chocolate bunnies, bird egg jelly beans and hazel chocolate carrots. Napkins are folded as bunnies.

Individual lotus bowls (with napkins) float upon the plate stack, intended for a cold soup service - a strawberry recipe, perhaps - from a bunny tureen.
The bunny tureen was an unintended, but well-priced, vintage find from the prior weekend's antiquing jaunt with Panoply sisters.

Garden veggies are wheeled onto the table with whimsy, in a wheelbarrow server no less, complete with garden tools for guests to dig into.
The birds perched on the table serve a purpose too, as a salt and pepper duo. The centerpiece florals are a grocery mix of blooming carnations, green trick dianthus, and cabbage. Marble eggs in cupholders and a metal, verdigris bunny round out the centerpiece.
Dessert is a classic coconut cake, served on Fostoria's American square pedestal.
More bird egg jelly beans are nested where white chocolate bunnies hopped into a rope basket, handcrafted by a local artisan. Pass the bunnies, please!

The sunlight was streaming in and out of the sunroom as I was creating this tablescape. I started early, then came back at various times to do a little more. In the evening, as I was breaking down the tablescape, I found my best angles of the sun hitting the room.

My favorite time of the year, my happy colors, my happy space. It's hard to believe I ever had the winter doldrums, given the way this season is already having a positive impact on me and the way I feel. Are you coming out of winter's funk? Does moving from winter to spring do great things for your well being, too? I hope you're able to take the time to engage in a fun activity, or even just plan one with a creative vision, and enjoy the feeling, soaking in some happiness.
As always, thank you for stopping by. Your comments are always welcome. Happy Spring!
Rita C. at Panoply

serving as a standard of excellence; 
traditional, enduring; 
characterized by simple tailored lines in fashion year after year

Tablescape Source List of Classics:
Textiles - all vintage, including napkins (see below for bunny fold instructions)
Dinner plates as chargers - Fiestaware sunflower square
Luncheon plate - vintage Mikasa Magnolia (white)
Cabbage leaf salad plates (WS, new) and bunny tureen (vintage) - Bordallo Pinheiro 
Flatware - vintage Oneida
Bird salt & pepper, marble eggs, egg cupholders - vintage
Wheelbarrow crudites server, tools - Mariposa
Square cake pedestal - vintage Fostoria American cube motif 
Flower vase - WV Blenko clear glass
Verdigris metal bunny - vintage, was my mother's
Cloth rope basket - handcrafted, WV artisan, Gretchen VanNostrand
Clay pot placeholders, green glassware - Dollar Tree
Pepperidge Farm classic coconut cake, Brach's classic bird eggs (jelly beans), Russell Stover's white chocolate rabbits, Lindt's hazel chocolate carrots