A New Addition To The Porch & Some Fun April Fool’s Day Lore

Welcome to the 792nd Metamorphosis Monday! Met Monday has fallen on April Fool’s Day! I’m not much of a prankster and not that keen on having jokes pulled on me, but I received a delightful email from Norma this morning with some fun facts about how April Fool’s Day sometimes plays out in France. Norma wrote:

Hello Susan,
I don’t know if you have April Fool’s day on April 1st in the U S. I suspect it is an English thing. You play a joke on someone, but can only do so until 12 noon. Some newspapers even run false, ridiculous stories that many people believe. But here in France we have the ‘Poisson d’avril’ The April fish, when you pin a paper fish on someone’s back without them knowing. This practice is not as popular as it once was, as years ago people even sent post cards to each other to celebrate the day. I have one beautiful one from the 1920s/30s. Thought you might like to see it.
Love, Norma

Thanks so much to Norma for sharing this vintage post card! So fun hearing how April Fool’s Day was once celebrated in the past in France. I wonder if anyone still does that today? It reminds me of that scene in the movie, Grumpy Old Men, where one of the characters, John, (played by Jack Lemmon) hides a few dead fish in the back of Max’s, (played by Walter Matthau) vehicle. I think I’d rather have a pretend fish pinned to my back than a few stinky, dead ones lurking in the back of my car. Hahaha!

Updating this post to let you know the adorable bunny vase that I so often use in table settings and my spring decor is currently on sale here: Bunny Vase. Thanks to Peggy for letting me know! I just ordered a second one.

I have a fun update out here on the porch to share this week. In this photo from a previous 4th of July, notice the two lamps—the one on the side table and the one on the hutch.

I bought this rather large, green lamp quite a few year’s back in HomeGoods. It wasn’t expensive, which is good since it was destined to be living out of the porch. I loved the additional color it added to the porch, but was never too keen about its big, boxy, square shade. I’ve never been a fan of the drum-shaped or box-shaped shades.

Also, being a big, square box, the shade always felt a bit too large as you walked out the door from the living room onto the porch. Unfortunately, over the years the shade had become dingy and spotty looking, even though it’s nowhere near the screened windows on the porch. I think the humidity had gotten to it over the years, plus the shade was never a high quality shade from the start.

A few years ago, I bumped into the shade while vacuuming–did I mention the shade is big?!  Because it’s so top-heavy with its huge shade, the lamp fell off the table, cracking the lamp right where the ball part connects to the bamboo-styled base. I was able to glue it back together, although it left a noticeable gap where some of the lamp material (whatever that is) was missing after its fall. I like the lamp a lot, but after years on the porch, it needs a new shade and probably some filler/paint for the gap that was left after its fall.

Recently, I spotted an adorable lamp that I thought would be super cute out here on the porch. So, here’s what I ended up doing. I took the shell/shutter style lamp that was on the hutch, and I moved it to the table where the green lamp used to be. I tossed the green lamp’s “seen-better-days” dingy, spotty shade and the green lamp base is currently stored in the basement. I think I’ll try to find another shade for it since I do still like the lamp, and maybe I can even fill the damaged part (from its fall) with some type of filler and paint over it. That’s a project for another day. So, what lamp do I have on the hutch now?

I couldn’t resist this adorable guy when I spotted him online recently.

Since he’s a bit shorter, I think he’s probably a better size/fit for the hutch than the shell/shutter style lamp.

Let’s take a closer look!

You can see Mr. Bunny’s long ears from this angle. So cute!

The porch is pretty dirty and pollen-covered right now. I had planned to wait another week or two for pollen season to end before giving it a good wipe down, but I did take time to wipe down the hutch and a few of the other tables here on the porch yesterday. I’ll probably end up cleaning the rest of the porch this week since I’m impatient to get it ready for summer.

So, what do you think about this cute guy?  I sorta wish he was looking straight out, not sure why he’s looking up. Maybe he’s supposed to look like he’s pulling the lamp shade up over himself. Or, maybe he’s enjoying the view he sees through the upper windows on the porch. Ha! Maybe the lamp designers thought if he was looking straight ahead with his ears sticking up, he would be too tall. Ummm, why do you think he’s looking up?

One thing I really like about this lamp (compared to other bunny lamps I’ve seen online) is how he is “bunny rabbit” all the way down. So many of the other bunny lamps I have come across online have just a head sticking out the top and legs sticking out the bottom. It’s always really obvious as you look at those lamps where the bunny’s torso ends. It looks weird and ruins the whole enchantment of the design. I really like how there’s a full bunny rabbit behind the shade of this lamp. That means he looks great from any angle, sitting or standing.

Here’s how the lamp looked lit on the porch yesterday. I meant to take a photo after dark, but forgot to do that.

If you like this whimsical lamp, I found him here: Bunny Lamp. He is also available here: Bunny Lamp AND here: Bunny Lamp. You’ll find quite a few other styles of bunny lamps available here: Bunny Lamps.

Once I get the rest of the porch cleaned up, I’ll share how the shell/shutter lamp that was here on the hutch looks in its new home beside the wicker chair. I think it’s a better fit for that space, especially as you exit from the living room onto the porch. Pssst: Don’t forget to stay alert today so you don’t get fooled! Keep an eye out for anyone carrying around fish in any form! Ha!

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.

Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, you’ll need to link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.