Tag Archives: Von Maur

And the Day of the Dead collection continues to grow…

Cynthia Rowley placements I found at TJ Maxx this year!

Collecting Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos items has become a year-round thing for me.  It used to be that I would begin seeing things in stores around September but these days, you can find things all the time!  Granted, a lot of the items I find in local stores like Target are rather whimsical and mass-produced.  They still blend nicely with my more unique pieces and give me ideas for creating my annual Day of the Dead altar at home.

DOD Sugar Skull yoga pants! Aren’t these cool?!

In August, I was in TJ Maxx with my daughter when I spotted these cute pumpkin DOD placemats by Cynthia Rowley!  There was also a tablecloth, but I decided to just get the placemats.  Of course, when you are at TJ Maxx, you have to look through the clothes section and I was thrilled to find these sugar skull yoga pants!  I’m sure I’m going to turn a few heads when I wear them at my local YMCA later this month!

I always go to World Market to see what their new collection looks like.  I happened to hit it right when they were putting all their items out on display last month.  I was drawn to this sugar skull bowl because of the subtle colors.  Plus they had a pillow with the same sugar skulls and colors on it!  I had a $40 gift card which helped me pay for these two items.  Oh, and I also found this incredibly colorful porcelain cup because…why not?!

On to Target…you know they always have a DOD collection and it seems to have gotten bigger over the years!   This year, I added a sugar skull banner, a trio of Day of the Dead birds, two sugar skull “dolls” and a sugar skull candle holder!  They also have some cutesy items in their Dollar Spot section and I decided to buy two of the fabric sugar skull buckets.  I figured they would be good to use for candy for Halloween.  It’s interesting how both World Market and Target seem to have coordinated their color scheme this year for their collections.  I’m loving the blues, oranges and pinks in these new items and they’ve made for a very coordinate kitchen table this year!

These little sugar skull pup salt and pepper shakers remind me of my pup, Lucy! These are from Von Maur.

Von Maur Department Store had these cute sugar skull dog salt and pepper shakers!  They reminded me of my pup, Lucy so of course I had to buy them!  This was an unexpected place to find DOD items!

Vintage style designs on these Day of the Dead placemats I found at the Albuquerque airport!

This year, we had my Zuniga family reunion in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I always look forward to finding new DOD items when I’m in NM or out west.  Amazingly, I always find the best items at the Albuquerque airport!  These placemats are beautiful with their traditional depictions including La Catrina, La Virgen de Guadalupe and dancing sugar skulls.  I bought 6 total – two of each and plan to use them on my dining room table when I create my altars this year.

In addition, at our reunion I snagged these beautiful Catrina candle sticks!  I plan to use them this month and next around the house.  They are so colorful!  And I also came home with a purple and yellow sugar skull very large cup that my cousin Boogie made!  Could this BE any more perfect for this time of year???  Or any time, really…

Sugar skull puppy toys – one for Lucy and one for my grandpup, Lucia! These are from Pet Smart.

Finally…I was in Pet Smart to pick up some doggie treats for my pup, Lucy when I spotted these DOD puppy toys!  I picked up one for Lucy and one for my grandpup, Lucia!  They squeak which should make for an interesting game of fetch and retrieve!

I’m sure there will be more to add as we get closer to Day of the Dead.  I really can’t help myself when I see these items…I think I’m going to have to add another storage container or two this year to accommodate everything!

Recent Day of the Dead “Stuff” Purchases…and it’s only August!

IMG_6548It’s only August but I’ve already scored some cool Day of the Dead items!

I’m always on the lookout for interesting items to add to my growing Dia de los Muertos collection and I’ve found that when you least expect to find them…there they  are!

For the first item, I was in the Von Maur Department Store at the Galleria and noticed they had already put their Halloween items out.  I admit…I walked by thinking it’s the beginning of August and WAY too early for Halloween decorations to be out.  But then I rounded a corner and spotted the Lolita wine glasses.  In particular, the sugar skull Lolita wine glass  REALLY caught my eye!  Now, I have a soft spot for these quirky wine glasses.  They have different fun designs reflecting holidays and events and at the bottom they include a cute drink recipe.  A lot of Hallmark stores carry them, which is where I first learned about them but they ARE a bit pricey.  I’ve managed to find quite a few at thrift stores in the area for a $1-$2 vs. the retail prices of $25-$30!  Love it when that happens…  However, in this case I paid full retail price because had to have this wine glass!  I can’t wait to use it during my Day of the Dead celebration this year!

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Next, I was at the Karen’s Hallmark Store in Vestavia Hills two weeks ago buying cards and I stopped to check out the Hallmark Christmas ornaments.  I have an extensive collection of Christmas ornaments that date all the way back to 1973 when Hallmark first came out with their ornaments!  I was checking to see which ones I might buy this year when I spotted something unusual…a Day of the Dead Sugar Skull CAT ornament!  It wasn’t in the usual Christmas packaging but it was definitely an ornament and once again I decided I needed to have it.  In doing a little research online, I discovered that in addition to the Cat design, there is also a Sugar Skull ornament this year and there was one in 2014.  Why didn’t I see this last year?  Naturally, there are 2014 ornaments  available online but at double the price.  Well, that ain’t gonna happen…maybe I’ll get lucky and find one at the thrift store…

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This weekend I scored two items!  My husby and I are  helping our newly married daughter and her husband move to Atlanta this weekend and next.  After unloading a U-Haul and two SUVs, we headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond to pick up some storage/organizing items.  That’s where I spotted a Tervis 20 oz. water bottle with Sugar Skulls and flowers all over it!  I LOVE IT and quickly put it in our buggy!  I mean, everyone I know has a Tervis water bottles and now I’ve joined the ranks.  Of course, I think mine is the most awesome!

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Today, I was at the new Sprouts Farmers Market in Hoover picking up some fruits and veggies.  I was walking out with my purchases when I spotted a Sugar Skull bag by Blue Q on a turn-style at the entrance.  Well, I quickly put my items in the car and headed back into the store to check them out!  There were two bags and a small cosmetic type bag made of recycled materials among the items on the rack.  I decided on the Sugar Skull bag in blue with a zipper because the bottom of the bag was sturdier than the pink bag that I also liked.  Who knows…if I’m back in Sprouts next week I might break down and get pink one too!  They are just that cute!

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At this rate, and with another week left in August, I may luck up on a few more Day of the Dead items!  Whatever the case, I will definitely make use of them all beginning with the Tervis water bottle tomorrow on my way to work.  I also love that I found these items at places I never thought would carry DOD.  Go figure!

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One side of the Lolita glass has a male sugar skull face on it and the other side has a female face. LOVE these wine glasses!

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Each Lolita wine glass has a drink recipe on the bottom of the glass. This one looks interesting…!!!

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Even the base of the Lolita wine glasses are decorative!