Comments (0) When I started posting about odd outhouse related art and decor a few years ago, I never expected that “outhouse” would become one of my most used tags on the blog. Victoria recently sent me this picture. She found this weird birdhouse at a store in Lake Tahoe. I was relieved when she said that she didn’t buy it. Just having a real outhouse of my own is good enough for me. I don’t need a birdhouse that looks like one too.
I’ve had this idea that it would be neat to take a picture of the outhouse each season and to make some sort of collage of it. I took the winter picture this past weekend. I’ll take the rest from the same angle.
Winter – I have a feeling I’ll be painting it in the spring:
And one more neat outhouse shot. The rest won’t be able to be taken from this angle because the leaves will block the view.
A few years ago, there was a problem with gnome theft in town. All of the lawn gnomes in town were being stolen and no one seemed to know where they were going. Long after the gnomes went missing, a hiker found them. They were all frolicking in a clearing in the woods outside of town. Finding a random clearing in the woods with a ton of lawn gnomes in it had to be quite a sight to see.
Since then, I’ve loved the idea of having random lawn gnomes on Action Island. A few years ago, I found two of them at the dump, so I got them and I’m now using them as path markers.
Around the holidays, I got this shepherd gnome in an awful gift exchange from my brother. It still had dirt on the bottom from when he pulled it out of his garden to box it and wrap it up. When I opened the gift, I laughed and said that I was going to take it to the island because I had the perfect place for it. I don’t think he believed me, so I took pictures of the shepherd’s trek to its new home.
Here is the gnome on its journey. It’s in the black and white bag getting pulled along on a sled. We pulled the gnome for over two miles along the ice until it reached its destination.
And here it is in its new home – pointing the way to the outhouse.
I’ve posted before about how I can’t figure out why outhouses are becoming a part of Christmas and holiday decor. It still confuses me, but to add some humor to my confusion, two of my friends gave me this as a gag gift this week. The caution tape that they added is a nice touch. It gives the impression that this outhouse is home to some sort of terrible tragedy – or at least a terrible smell.
Over the past few years, I’ve been amazed at the amount of outhouse related home decor that’s been popping up. I’ve posted about it a couple of times before. Most of it I just happen to find at stores, but I found this collection of outhouse stuff at our friends’ mainland cottage. Considering that they’re island cottage has a real outhouse, my guess is they’re trying to create the rustic outhouse feel at their new place.
This soap dispenser is quirky, but kinda cool:
Outhouse towels:
In the last winter or two, I’ve noticed a growing trend that completely confuses me. What is the deal with outhouse themed holiday decor? I first noticed this when I spied a rustic outhouse in the Christmas village section at Walmart a couple of years ago. I laughed about it and even purchased a couple of them as gag gifts for cottaging family members. This winter though, I’m finding more weird holiday outhouses. I’m not quite sure how this decorating trend began or why anyone thinks it’s a good idea, but it seems to be here anyway.
The other thing that’s odd about it is how every one of them has that silly crescent moon-shaped cut in the door. Living out on the islands, basically no one has running water. We all have and use outhouses regularly and that means I’ve seen and used lots of outhouses in my lifetime. Out of all real life outhouses I have seen, none of them ever had that crescent shaped cut in the door. I really think that the moon is only found in fictitious outhouses. It’s impractical to have in real ones as it would just let bugs in and give the mosquitoes a way to come in an bite you at night. Plus, if you’re so far in the wilderness that you need to make a wooden house to go to the bathroom in, it’s probably safe to say that you’re far enough away from electricity that you wouldn’t be able to use any nifty electric woodworking tools to make curved cuts like that easy to do.
Maybe I’m just reading too much into it that I’m missing the holiday message. Who knows. Though I might not be willing to decorate my house with outhouses for the holidays, I’m willing to try decorating my outhouse with garland and battery powered lights this summer. Maybe a Christmas in July theme will help the holiday cheer last for the whole year – or it will at least give everyone something to giggle about when they go down the path.
Happy holidays to all.
The Walmart Christmas village outhouse that may have started the trend:
Inside / Outside makes outhouse ornaments – I had to buy the ornament set that included it because I wanted the Muskoka chair:
A singing Santa’s outhouse that I found at Big Lots – no I didn’t buy it:
An inflatable Santa’s outhouse at Lowes – I didn’t buy this either:
I finally added the terrible toilet seat clock to the outhouse decor. As awful as it is, I think it works here. Outhouse art definitely isn’t like regular art. I really like that the clock is broken. It’s permanently on island time.
Each year at our annual holiday party, we have an awful gift exchange. This is much different than a standard white elephant – our guests bring the most terrible or offensive gifts possible. This year, my brother brought this ugly and broken toilet seat clock to the exchange. Our friend, Roger (of Pee Pot Pasta fame), got the clock in the exchange. He “accidentally” left it when he left the party. Usually I get annoyed when people leave their awful gifts at my house, but this time I wasn’t annoyed at all. I think it will go perfectly in the outhouse – especially considering the outhouse’s new blue underwater theme. I also think that it’s perfect because it’s broken. It’s like it’s permanently on island time.
Happy December! In honor of the new month, here’s a pic of something that I found while shopping for holiday decorations the other day. Who knew that there were outhouses for Christmas villages? I sure didn’t. Even though I’m not into the villages, I knew that I had to have it. Here it is with a few trees next to one of my favorite sunset pics from this past summer.
Late last week, I put this year’s finishing touches on the outhouse. Victoria and her husband started painting it a few weeks ago, and I did some of the details. We’ll be adding more details next summer. Until then though, here is out 111 year old outhouse in all its beach themed glory.
And here’s what it looked like earlier this summer.
Panorama Theme by 
Themocracy
