Tablescape Thursday - "Fresh from the Bunny Trail"

Happy EASTER and happy Tablescape Thursday! I am confident that today's tablescape party is going to be chocked full of GREAT Easter and spring tables. I can't wait to visit each one! Make sure you visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for the full list of this week's participants. My table this week is "Fresh from the Bunny Trail". Let's take a look. A color palate of spring's best shades - leaf green, pink, pale yellow and creamy white - come together to form a soft spring-like table featuring bunnies, eggs, roses and ivy leaves.

This table is all about Mix 'n Match. Pulling out every dish boasting these colors, I set about layering pieces to mimic the colorful abundance of an English flower garden. A woven rattan charger gives a nod to the tight weave of child's Easter Basket and adds a natural texture to roughen up this sweet table a bit.

White damask table cloth paired with green polkadot napkins are just right with the various pink china patterns. A pink dish towel is folded and tucked around the charger before placing the dinner plate.

This setting features three different patterns. The dinner plate and the soup bowl are both by Nikko. The dinner plate is from the Blossom Time collection and the pattern is Summer Glade. The soup bowl is from the Precious pattern and was designed by Dana.

These adorable salad plates are from Portugal and are made by Bordallo Pinneiro. Can you see the little bunnies and carrots? Perfect for my EASTER table.

Here is a close up shot of the dinner plate. I only have four of them and was not able to find other pieces of the set. I am still looking however. I would love to have 6 more! These would be perfect to use at Mother's Day or a get together with your closest girl friends or a chic garden party.

To add a freshness to the table I sprinkled ivy leaves along the centerpiece and placed EASTER eggs colored in soft shades of yellow and cream among the leaves. A single ivy leaf was placed inside each soup bowl.

At the two ends, I featured a different place setting. Here the dinner plate and salad plate are from the Precious pattern by Nikko. I used a soup bowl from my Better Homes and Gardens IVORY pattern. Bread plates from the IVORY pattern was used at each placesetting.

The key to mixing china patterns is to closely edit your color scheme and combine patterns that don't compete with each other. Keeping your table linens uniform is a great way to add ease to the over all table and pull the look together.

Using both a clear and green glass goblet at each place is another way to add a cohesive look to your mix 'n match placesettings.

I LOVE, Love, love these little eggs! They are formed of metal medium-gauge wire and covered with soft green organza. A satin green polkadot ribbon ties it together and picks up the polkadot theme from the napkins. These little eggs are perfect for hiding away a little EASTER sweet treat.

I filled them with Reese's chocolate peanut butter cups! Yum! The kids want to eat the content of their eggs first! These would be perfect to hold place cards tucked among pastel EASTER grass.

I used a five-arm candle holder to display 3x4" pink pillars. Two faux rose swags are used at the base to form the floral arrangement and bunny statues flank each end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Easter Eggs, Chocolates, Bunnies and Flowers. Spring is finally here! Happy EASTER everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend. If you haven't heard, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting a very special blog party on April 15th. Make sure you check out the details and if you have a pair of those infamous white birdies from Target then you won't want to miss the fun! Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

Easter Basket Delights for a Hostess

Happy Hump Day! Sorry this post is a day late. I had "technical" difficulties with my digital camera. That's short for the battery needed charged. LOL! Is your week as hectic as mine so far? Both boys have had extra activities this week and I am frantically trying to finish some EASTER projects as well as keep some clients happy by completing their orders and finishing their jobs before the holiday. Whew! Almost there!

~~~~~~~~~~

Are you entertaining at home or being a guest this EASTER? Will it be Brunch or Lunch? Indoors or Out? Well, I am going to be a guest, sort of. We are celebrating EASTER with a big family luncheon at my Mother-In-Law's home. So as not to go empty handed, I'm taking a special EASTER basket filled with delightful and thoughtful items for our hostess.

The completed basket is full of wonderful, little "grown-up" treats. None of which are expensive but all the items are practical and useful for entertaining and party planning.

Here I go again with my green and white color scheme.....

I found this fantastic basket at Hobby Lobby. Yeah, I know, your town doesn't have one. I am sorry. So go to the phone, call the corporate office and tell them you want a Hobby Lobby near you! If enough of you do that, perhaps they will expand and create some new jobs for your town. It's worth a shot. I love that store! It is quickly becoming my favorite place to shop for home and seasonal decor (other than my own product line of course).

This basket is deep and reinforced with metal wire. It is covered with natural tree bark on the outside and makes the absolutely perfect EASTER basket with its big, tall handle. I started by wrapping that handle with a soft-green striped ribbon. I wrapped a continuous length of ribbon around the handle until is was covered and then tied a fluffy bow at the base of the ribbon. I then followed by cutting another length of ribbon to form the second bow on the opposite side.

Because this is a hostess gift basket I wanted to use practical items inside. What could be more useful than pretty napkins? I tucked two of them in the bottom of the basket and allowed them to drape over the side. The napkins are 100% cotton in a soft green with a white leaf patterned woven into the fabric. These two napkins will also form a barrier over the holes in the basket weave and keep my tissue paper and shredded "grass" from coming out. Won't this make a perfect bread basket after EASTER is over? I can just see this sitting on the table on a deck or patio during a garden party for the girls. It could hold fresh rolls, slices of thick bread or fresh fruit.
I took 12 pieces of white tissue paper and balled them up to fill in the basket to 3/4 full. This will elevate the items I want to display.

Here you can see the pretty fresh fabric of the napkin through the basket weave.

Remember the shredded cardboard I found at the Dollar Tree? Well, I used more of the same to top off the tissue paper and provide a grassy foundation before filling my EASTER basket. The shredded cardboard comes in a variety of colors but I prefer the natural brown color as it matches my basket.

I then tucked in two white silk Gardenia blooms on each side and perched a pretty little bird on the edge of one bow. Spring green, gardenia blooms and birds - what could be more nature inspired? I found the bird at Michael's. It has a small clip on the bottom which makes it super easy to attach to almost anything.

I love the way his little feathers flip and curl at the ends. This would be great to work into a front door wreath or floral arrangement. Once the basket has been decorated it was time to fill it with fun, useful gifts that any hostess could put to immediate use.

My basket contains 20 Green Toile paper plates featuring a Bunny as the centerpiece. These plates are stylish and chic and best of all, they are disposable. Another 6 napkins have been added making our total 8. Two ivory pillar candles scented with Vanilla Creme are tucked down in the grass toward the front of the basket along with a package of pretty post it notes, a shopping list pad and a spiral notebook that makes a great place to plan your menu, guest list, to-do list and needed supplies, etc. I also found a green inking pad and a rubber stamp that resembles a damask pattern. This would be fabulous for making your own elegant spring invitations. The last items featured in my basket are white plastic EASTER eggs. These are perfect for hiding little after dinner mint treats or any other small, imaginative items that your hostess might love. All that's left for me to do is wrap the basket in cellophane and tie it up with some more of that pretty striped ribbon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nobody ever said that just because you grow up that you grow out of giving or getting EASTER baskets. You just change the type of treats. Can you imagine showing up at your hostess' home with a lovely and practical EASTER basket full of delightful items just for her? She will love you forever! This entire basket and all it's contents cost less than $25.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, I was going to share a delicious recipe from my Grandmother, Mary Catherine, but have run out of time . Tune in tomorrow and I will feature her "Calico Casserole" - a perfect treat for EASTER lunch - along with my final EASTER tablescape. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

STYLE FILE - Top 6 Spring Decorating Trends

Do you love to attend Home Shows? You know the kind they hold at the convention center and highlight the latest and greatest products, designs and trends in the home improvement market? Well, we've just finished our Spring Home and Garden Show here in my part of North Carolina and I wanted to share this year's Top 6 Spring Decorating trends.Top Trend #1 - Scrollwork or Filigree. This trend is inspired by a global appreciation of ironwork scrolls and delicate embroidery. Filigree is popping up on walls, bedding, and textiles. The finely wrought designs, full of swirls and flourishes are as fresh as a sweet pea tendril. This highly sought after trend includes pierced and intricately carved designs.
Another example of scrollwork, this San Lorenzo wall medallion is handcrafted from a popular pattern forged from iron.

Top Trend #2 - Avian Chic. All things bird-related are popular this year. From owls to parrots, we have fallen in love with this natural motif. Fun and whimsical or exquisite and exotic, avian accents are the perfect dose of spring for any room in your house.

This lovely chair is covered in a large scale parrot print fabric. The understated gray tones of the pattern give a subdued nod to this trend.

Top Trend #3 - Enormous Nature-inspired Prints. All of the focus on "going green" and earth friendly living, we are embracing nature in a big way. Big bold flowers, stylized stems and branches, the scale of these prints are jumbo sized. Prints this large almost seem sculptural. We are seeing this trend appear in bedding, wall art and upholstery fabric.

Gotta love this chair! The fresh colors and bold pattern are a fresh welcome from the cold winter blues and grays.

This set of prints embrace two of this season's trends. Enormous nature-inspired prints and the color orange. Which bring us to our next trend.

Top Trend #4 - The Color Orange. This is the new springtime neutral - the color of spice, ripe fruit or citrus. This bold punchy color is the right remedy for Spring Fever or the Winter Blahs. Paired with white, khaki, or tan this color livens up you space with free-flowing energy!

I love this sofa! It's a great example of bold pattern meets the color orange. This would be perfect in my sunroom!

Top Trend #5 - Homespun Appeal. Everywhere I go I am surrounded by technology - iPhones, iPods, Bluetooth techno, wireless notebooks and the list goes on. Maybe that's why so many people are embracing this year's homespun decor. We are seeing the texture of knitted or stitched handiwork cropping up on furniture, bedding, ceramics and wall decorations. This trend mirrors what we are seeing on the fashion runways as crochet and knitted details and appliques gain popularity.

Top Trend #6 - Carved or Burled Wood. The gleam and glow of waxed wood finishes and the natural shapes of vines, florals and tree trunks defines wood's new use as decorative accents. We see wood grain making a big hit, appearing everywhere from textiles to tabletop accessories.

A wonderful example of re-purposed wood, this burled tree trunk finds new life as a side table.

~~~~~~~~~

So, how about you? Are you using any of these trends in your home? I walked around my house trying to check off as many as I could. I've got the scrollwork covered pretty well and the bird motif. My sunroom has an orange accent wall and decorative pillows. I've had that decorated for about 2 1/2 years so I guess I was before my time. (Ha,ha). I really like the large nature-inspired prints but other than a large-scale floral quilt I am using in my Master Bedroom, I don't have too much of that in the house. For Homespun Appeal, I am using several crocheted placemats, tabletoppers and doilies with my spring vignettes. These were handmade by my Mother-in-law, Ann. Not too much in the way of carved wood other than furniture pieces. I'd love to hear about any ways you are using these trends in your home already.

~~~~~~~~~

Some of you have asked about participating in the Easter Basket Extravaganza. The date is April 7th. This is when we will post our Easter Baskets and host our blog party. If you are interested please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail to oopsadaisync@aol.com. Tomorrow I will be posting a special guest feature. We'll visit the home of my friend Ann. Ann's home is all ready for Spring and she's invited us to take a tour. I'm sure you will like what you see. On Thursday I will post a new tablescape called "I'm Dreaming of a White Easter". I hope you will hop on over to take a peek.

Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa