I’ve always loved paper cocktail umbrellas.
Exotic and topical in vibrant pink and lime green and turquoise and orange, serving no real purpose other than adorning a beverage, but they make everything seem a little more glamorous, a little more special.
Edit: A huge thank you to Sunshine and Celadines sunshineandcelandines.wordpress.com for the use of the word tropical to describe these little twirly parasols; my brain failed me!
When I was a little girl, my mom would always bring home the colorful little parasols whenever she and my dad went out in the evening.
They shaded Barbie from the summer sun or became part of a beach scene in my dollhouse.
I saved them all until the paper tore or the toothpicks broke.
I have fond memories of my first pretend cocktail, the delicious Shirley Temple, adorned with an alluring paper parasol and a maraschino cherry.
Twenty years ago, I was my own wedding coordinator.
I bought a package of five hundred paper cocktail umbrellas that’ll probably last forever.
You can be sure that if you visit Casa de Enchanted Seashells, your cocktail will be embellished with one!
Mermaids and a clown…
Some of my crazy scenes captured by a camera.
I confess that I spent way too much of the day arranging these umbrellas in all kinds of poses for a photo shoot.
WAY too much time but SO much fun.
Mermaid holding parasol
Shy mermaid
Crazy hallucinogenic clown shaded by an umbrella
‘cos the sun hurts his eyes ‘cos his pupils are all dilated and stuff…
Lady with a parasol
History of the cocktail umbrella:
The cocktail umbrella is believed to have arrived on the bar scene as early as 1932 courtesy of Victor Bergeron of Trader Vic‘s in San Francisco although it is, by Vic’s own admission, a presentation picked up from Don the Beachcomber (now closed). Upon introduction, umbrellas were considered very exotic as were most things from the Pacific Rim. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud 
Nice collection.I love the little umbrellas!
(though I rarely drink drinks that come with them.)
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Now you’ve got my curiosity up…what DO you do with the drinks if you don’t drink them, and what do you do with the umbrellas? Do you have a secret stash? Wanna play umbrellas? ha haha
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I usually play with mine until they fall apart, not long after I get them.
There was a bar I hung out n that sometimes gave umbrellas, and sometimes gave toys. I still have a shark form one of their drinks, years ago, in my car.
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Do you twirl? Just asking for a friend… Shark sounds cute, I might have to obsesh about other things now.
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What a cute poem and pictures.
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Thank you! Even hubs got a chuckle out of it 🙂
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🙂
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Aw how cute. Makes everything look so tropical. 🙂
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Tropical! That’s the word I couldn’t think of, now I’m gonna have to edit it and give you props for that!
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Ha lol. All your posts look quite tropical compared to rainy old england. 🙂
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I can’t disagree, heard you are having very bad rains!
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What a fun post!! I’ll admit to liking the actual cocktail a wee bit more than the umbrella, tho. 🙂 (love the mermaid!!)
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Thank you! Yes, I’ll agree with you about liking the beverage but when it’s gone, you still have a lovely parasol!
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I love your love of the cocktail umbrella! Who could resist a smile when laying eyes on one, whether it’s in a drink or adorning a mermaid, clown, the back of my ear….
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Yes! Darn, I should have taken a selfie but at my age, a pretty umbrella behind the ear screams desperate for lost youth ha ha.
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Oh it does not! An umbrella behind the ear screams playful and fun!
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Well, then, we have a huge assortment to choose from. Holla!
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