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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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

Bunnies and Baskets

Hello Ladies! I'm back! Took a few days to enjoy the beautiful NC weather, Mr. Panache and my boys. At this time of the year it's hard for me to stay inside. Saturday and Sunday were absolutely gorgeous. Tulips have popped up everywhere, the Redbuds, Dogwoods and Pear trees are in full bloom and yes, pollen is laying in a thick layer on everything outdoors. Thankfully I am not allergy prone. With only six days left until EASTER most of you probably have your spring decor all fluffed and ready for the holiday weekend. But for those who are still needing some inspiration, I thought we would take a tour of some bunnies and baskets. Pink and Green was my Grandmother's favorite color combination. I remember her bedroom, bathroom and kitchen all were decorated in these shades. This basket caught my eye because of those sentimental colors. What could be more EASTER perfect? I love the way the pretty pink ribbon is wrapped around the handle of this basket and the tails of the bow are allowed to puddle on the table.

A fun little ceramic bunny displays a pretty pink bouquet of old fashioned climbing roses. What a perfect accent for any table top arrangement.

Do you still long for the infamous Chocolate EASTER Bunny? Each year I make sure that those delectable treats are the first things added to my boy's baskets. Followed by those oh so good chocolate peanut butter eggs! This basket has been my favorite inspiration for this season. So much of my spring decor has gone "natural" this year. I love the rich clover green accented by the two fluffy bows and the single milk chocolate bunny. The eggs hiding in the clover are thoughfully dyed in subtle monochromatic shades of green.

Potted annuals and bulbs such as violets and crocus are the perfect centerpiece for an EASTER dining table. The bunny and egg arranged among the ivy makes me remember days when the boys were little and we would hunt for EASTER eggs. I remember when my oldest son was 4. We spent EASTER afternoon hiding and hunting and re-hiding and re-hunting the same eggs for hours! That was good times.

Isn't this basket beautiful. For "how-to" make these gorgeous eggs go to www.marthastewart.com and click on EASTER decorations. Follow the prompts until you find "Our Best Baskets". These little creations look like expertly decorated little cakes.

Who says that baskets have to hold eggs at EASTER? I rather like these soft pastel tulips surrounded with little pots of jelly beans carefully sorted by color.

Looking for a quick and easy party favor for your EASTER brunch? Try covering a white plastic mini flower pot with green felt hand-cut to resemble grass and filling the inside with jelly beans and a single miniture chocolate bunny. Each of your guests will be delighted to take this little treat home because it's just too cute to eat.

You've heard the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket"? Well, all of these eggs were left out of the basket and found their place snuggled down among a clover lined straw hat. What a clever and fresh take on the traditional EASTER basket.

Still need more inspiration? My two favorite spots for seasonal decorating ideas is www.bhg.com and www.marthastewart.com

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Tomorrow I hope to feature a very special "grown up" EASTER basket that I am building for a special friend and a wonderful recipe from my Grandmother which has become an EASTER favorite. Until then,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY - Beautiful and Budget Friendly

It's another TABLESCAPE THURSDAY hosted by our lovely friend, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. For dozens of beautiful tablescapes, please pop over to her site for a visit.

My tablescape is called "Beautiful and Budget Friendly" and it goes to show that you can have a lovely table on any sized budget. So this week I decided to pull together an Easter tablescape featuring items from the DOLLAR TREE. Everything except the rattan basket trays came from the DT and I've outfitted the entire table for under $30 Bucks! Chocolate bunnies were my original inspiration for color and theme. I found these Beatrix Potter bunnies and decided that yellow would be the perfect complement.

In yesterday's post I showed how I put together my little flower vases. Here they are all lined up in a row. The little votive candle holders came 2 for $1! They are wrapped in yellow print paper with soft purple flowers.


To add a little pizzazz to the white stoneware plates, I cut a length of yellow grosgrain ribbon and tucked it under the edges of the plate. The chocolate bunny added the only other embelishment.
These cut glass goblets and juice glasses are by Libbey. They are rather weighty and I loved the design. It really catches the light.
I found the brown metal candle holders with the daisy punchouts and thought they could be used as coasters. They worked perfectly. (Look under the goblet)

Finding these yellow, white and brown striped placemats was exciting because I knew they would pull my color scheme together. Yeah! So bright and cheery! These will work great during the summer months when we grill and dine outside on the deck.

There is no pattern name printed on the back of these plates. I really liked their simplicity. Rule #1 - If you don't have a big budget for tableware, buy WHITE dishes. Nothing is more versatile. As you can add additional pieces, you can mix in color and pattern with salad plates or bowls, etc.

It's a little hard to see but I layered shredded cardboard between the basket tray and the plate. It gives a nod to the grass found in children's Easter baskets. I found this in the gift wrap sections at DT. It was available in various colors but I liked the natural look of the brown.

Well I hope you've enjoyed "Beautiful and Budget Friendly". With just a little money and a little imagination you can pull together lots of fun and beautiful tables. Hope you have a very Happy Easter! Until I see you again,

Happy Decorating!

~Alisa

The Cook's Corner - Lemon Curd Layer Cake and Yellow Daisies

Have you ever had a day when things just didn't go the way they were planned? Well that was my yesterday! I wanted to post a project that I'm working on featuring Jelly Bean Pots but that was not meant to be. So I wll feature that a little later this week. In the meanwhile, I'll share a new recipe with you. You might remember that I'm a huge fan of Sandra Lee and love the concept of semi-homemade. That's where this recipe comes in. My mother loves lemon anything and I wanted to test a few recipes that used lemon. I decided to play "Sandra Lee" and spruce up a boxed cake mix with a little added zest. Here's my version of Lemon Curd Layer Cake. I was really happy with the way it tured out. Here's what I used.

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix

3 teaspoons of fresh grated lemon peel

1 pkg Jello sugar free instant pudding - Lemon flavored

3 Eggs

1/3 cup Organic Canola Oil

1 1/3 cups of water

1 - 7.5 oz jar Dickinson's all-natural Lemon Curd

Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting (recipe below)

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Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans, butter bottom and sides.
3. Mix first 5 ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds until moistened. Then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
4. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30-34 minutes on middle rack of heated oven.
5. Remove cakes and allow to cool completely.
6. Once the cakes are cooled, remove from the pans, level the layers by cutting away any rounded, raised cake from the tops.
7. Place a little of the Lemon Curd on a cake stand (this will hold the bottom layer in place.) Place the bottom layer on top of the stand.
8. Empty the entire contents of the Lemon Curd on top of the bottom layer. Spread to an even thickness across the entire layer.
9. Place the second layer on top of the bottom layer, then frost with Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting.
10. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.

Lemon-Cheesecake Frosting

Take one tub of Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese frosting and add 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice and two teaspoons of fresh grated lemon peel. Next, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend well on low with electric mixer.

This cake turned out so moist and lemony. It was an incredible explosion of flavor! Mr. Panche never eats two helpings of dessert but last night he did declaring that "I could eat this cake every day of my life!" I thought that was little extreme but evidently he really enjoyed it. I have been staying away from sugar and high carb foods for awhile now but last night I sampled a small piece of my handiwork and I had to agree that it really was delicious. This will now be one of my "tried and true" recipes and I will do the honor of adding it to the family cookbook.

Here, I saved a slice for you. Enjoy!

While the cake was baking I decided to put together a quick and easy centerpiece. I love working with fresh flowers but sometimes they are hard to arrange without a lot of special tools or the right containers. I had purchased three clear glass square jars from the Dollar Tree. Everything there is only $1 each. They are actually intended for candles but I decided to use them as vases. However the mouth of the vase was wide and the vase was shallow so I had to figure out a way to keep my flowers from falling out of the vase.

I have my photos out of order but here is what I did.

I embellished one vase for use as the centerpiece. I used grosgrain ribbon in yellow and brown. I simply hot glued the ribbon in two places to hold it in place.

Next, I made my own "floral frog" but taking clear, waterproof tape and forming a crisscross pattern across the top of the vase. If you look closely you can see the pattern and the tape. Once you have completed the taping, simply tuck a single stem in each square opening in the tape. Start at the center and work your way to the edge. You can vary the height of the stems if you want but I kept mine the same. This gave me a more casual relaxed look.

Here's a better shot of the three vases and the one I embellished with ribbon.

This little project cost $10. Three vases - $3, 2 spools of ribbon - $2, tape - $1.99, yellow daisies - $3 at my local market.

Since I wan in a lemony mood yesterday, these lemon-yellow daisies caught my eye. This little centerpiece made an eyecatching display on my kitchen island. When Mr. Panache and the boys came home, they were greeted by this cheery scene. The house was filled with the scent of fresh lemon cake baking in the oven and the happy color of sunshine. They wanted to know what was the special occasion. "No, special occasion, just wanted to say I love you guys", I said.

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Hospitality truly begins at home. Don't wait for a special occasion to treat your loved ones special. Make an extra effort today to bless those who live in your home. Tomorrow I'll share the tablescape from our dinner last night. Betcha can't guess what color I used????

Until then,

Happy Cooking!

~Alisa