Oof.

I was at a local mall last night performing the seasonal ritual of purchasing my son's Easter outfit. I'm not sure if it is creeping prices or malaise about an early holiday (we could have freezing rain on Easter) but an empty mall told a chilling story.

It was empty. And I mean 80% of the people there were in the food court. Now it could be that most people were waiting until next week to see if the prices come down or after the March 15th pay day. But even so, there should have been a line for the Easter bunny or the stores selling candy.

Looks like retailers will have to go the extra mile to make sure they squeeze out some extra Easter sales. Find some last minute promo ideas on our Website.

Don't forget that Easter is part of the Spring celebration which lasts far beyond a single Sunday and crosses ethnic and religious boundaries. Consider creating some Spring- themed cards and layouts in addition to the holiday ones.

As for my house, we'll be exploring new ways to embellish easter eggs after the great purple dye debacle of 2007. Egg dye and squirmy pre-schoolers are a recipe for disaster. I  am thinking stickers are sounding good right about now.

In fact, I think I'll go on a clear sticker hunt this weekend and see what I can come up with to decorate eggs and also just jars that I will be using as gifts for my family. And glitter glue that is my son's favorite. We're also doing an egg tree for my son's room. He like idea of a Christmas tree so much, that thing will never go in the attic!

Inspire last minute Annies like me with some quick and easy ideas for decorating or gifting for Spring. Give your staff a challenge. Hand them a basket, a bottle, a flower pot or any kind of container and see what kind of project or gift package they come up with!

Have a good one-- Beth