Sometimes I decorate

My mom and grandma came to visit for Mother's Day, which motivated me to do something with our family room mantel that had been empty for two years.  I didn't just want to throw crap up there to have it done, I wanted it to be stuff I liked a lot and/or that meant something to me.  I was thrilled to find the antique Staffordshire dog figurine on eBay, just like the ones in old houses I like to walk through.  The orange pots match the chairs and mobile at my kitchen table (Ikea), I just liked those balls made of metal straps (Target), and I'm really lucky to have a friend who took pictures of our kids that are display-worthy.  And finally, I purchased a real toad skeleton to represent my love of the quirky and spooky.  Here's a closer view of my $50 purchase:

I got the skeleton from The Bone Room in Berkeley (insert joke here), which I happened upon after visiting a children's consignment place a couple of stores down.  

I had to walk through quickly while carrying my squirming toddler and sternly telling my 4-year-old not to touch anything, but I went back with 1st Brother and was able to spend more time fully taking in how awesome it is.  These are actual human skeletons that cost several thousand dollars:

 The fibulas by themselves were a little more affordable:

The teeth, claws and vertebrae of various animals were available for purchase too: 

I didn't end up with the bat skeleton I originally came back for. Ultimately my favorites were the pigeon and the toad; I haven't regretted my decision.