Easter Bunnies & Copy Cats
We’re quickly approaching Easter. The Easters of my youth bring back memories of Lenten feasting, warm Sundays, faithful celebration, and loads of sugary confection. It’s a beautiful, joyful holiday. As a kid, the icing on the chocolate bunny was that it, like every major holiday, corresponded with colouring-contest season.
What a time that was. Every holiday, the local paper, grocery store, or realtor’s office would release themed scenes for children ages 12 and under to colour. During my illustrious colouring contest career, I racked up awesome prizes like gift baskets, a piggy bank shaped like Mufasa’s head, and an 18-SPEED MOUNTAIN BIKE! (still my best score). From time to time, I still relive these moments of victory, recalling the sweet feeling of Laurentian pencil crayons in my fingers. However, when I think back to my rise to fame, there remains a dark cloud over the origins of my success…
…I was a copy-cat.
Is there any worse accusation to hear or make as a kid? That’s a pretty slanderous term to throw around, reserved for only the meanest bullies and least creative children. And yet, my first colouring-contest victory made me guilty of this most-heinous crime.
The story: I was just a little runt at the time, all of 7 years old. There I sat at the dining room table, working feverishly on the Easter scene at hand. My older sister Robyn was working on the same contest. Robyn was 11, and a much more skillful colourer. I marvelled at the artistic direction she took with her Easter bunny. She slowly, carefully, patterned the whole bunny in thin rainbow lines. It was beautiful! Like any obnoxious kid sister, I stole that idea faster than you could say Cadbury Creme Egg.
To be fair, I didn’t consciously steal – I just thought hers looked so awesome that I threw a whole crap load of rainbow on my bunny too. The problem was my messy, sloppy attempt at a rainbow rabbit was more endearing to the judges, so I took away the prize, while my sister’s careful colouring was left unrewarded. So, now’s as good of time as any to admit it – Robyn: I’m sorry I stole your rainbow. If I could take it back…Well, I probably wouldn’t, but I’m still sorry you didn’t win, too. Plus, we all know it wasn’t long before little sister Laura entered the colouring contest scene, starting stealing all the good prizes right from under me, and brought my career to an end – painful justice!
Why on earth have I rambled on about something that happened way too long ago? Well, I fear I’ve committed this same crime yet again, and instead of letting the wound fester for the next 20 years, I’m coming clean straight away.
This other story starts with some cargo pants. Recently, I thrifted cargos (not skinny trendy ones, these are outdated J.Lo ones). Af first, I fretted: how could I style these without looking like I just walked off military base or TLC video? Luckily, I had a light bulb moment: I’d wear these pants with my thrifted sheer polka-dotted blouse! Why, that would the perfect contrast of casual and formal – what a delightfully unexpected pairing! What a stylish juxtaposition! Go me! But before I could even put on the outfit, I remembered I didn’t really come up with this combo at all. That wizard of style, Kendi, wore it weeks ago, and I think I even pinned it. That’s how the combo landed in my brain.
So, Kendi, I’m straight-up copying you today. I don’t think I’ll win any sweet Lion King piggy banks for this one, but if I do, I promise I’ll share the loot. Luckily, in the age of style blogging, we’re all granted the opportunity to play copy-cat when our own inspiration well runs dry. Kendi reveals she first saw this pairing on Pinterest. A quick Pinterest search proves I’m neither the first nor the last person to pair these two textures together. It’s the circle of life, people! That’s probably what Elton John was singing about all this time. Oh, Elton, wise beyond your years.
clockwise: source | source | source | source
So what should we all take away from this? I don’t really know – something about acknowledging your sources? The need for adult colouring contests? Or this scarring image of Elton John as a Easter egg? While you all chew on that, I’m going to call it a day and chew on the plentiful amount of chocolate easter eggs these cargo pockets can hold. Happy Easter!
P.S.: Observe my nude peep toes. Liz Claiborne. $5.99. Salvation Army. I’m so happy I’m part of this club now.
P.P.S. (or P.S.S?): My mom is currently trying to dig up the photo of me receiving my 18-speed bike in a Tim Hortons looking like I’m about to cry. I’m probably wearing a turtle neck. It’s fantastic.