Happy Spring ~ Happy Easter

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by Karen B. in Easter, Flowers, Gardens, Seasons, Spring

I’m always excited for spring. I hope you stopped by earlier this month and checked out the vast array of ideas for the season via Project Design Now – Spring Mantles. There are some great ideas for decorating—and not just the mantle from the team of design enthusiasts that participated!

This beauty was one of my favorites…Ciao Newport Beach created the fresh, spring look

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Spring brings some new bird friends to the area…I’ve spotted a blue bird on my walks, not as vibrant as this fellow, but still very pretty and we’ve had up to 6 Robin Red Breasts visit our birdbath at the same time!

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For me spring always means spending more time in the garden. Warm days, cool nights. Sparkling sunshine (have you ever noticed how the light changes with the season. Spring has it’s own special, sparkly light).

The patio bed needed a major renovation. I’ve completed this space and will share a post about it, and other little changes in the garden, later.

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It’s a dream of mine to be able to walk through my garden and come up with a bouquet as wonderful as this! I am growing sweet peas, I hope they provide me with bundles of blooms.

Easter eggs whether chocolate or real are a staple for Easter. There have been some really pretty ideas for dying eggs.

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So if you haven’t dyed your eggs yet, visit HERE to receive step-by-step guidance on these beauties (above) and HERE for a general overview of how to dye Easter eggs.

Spring also brings with it the chance prepare a few more meals on the BBQ and to generally lighten up on the ~~mouth watering~~ calorie laden casseroles. True confession, I still enjoy the occasional casserole even during the summer.

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These lovely to look at tea sandwiches made me want to plan a spring tea party for a few friends!

This meal above is pretty typical of our traditional Easter dinner.

If you saw this recent post, you know I love to set a table. These charming Spring/Easter tables give me some ideas for the upcoming season.

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How cute are these little bunny plates?

One last note, if you haven’t already filled an Easter basket with a few goodies for yourself, I’d like to mention the newest book by Kristen Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love which will be released April 5th. If you pre-order from the Design Chic blog site, you’ll automatically be entered to win a $1,000 gift card to Shop Design Chic their online store.

I’m excited to reviewing this wonderful book on April 5th right here.

What are you doing this season. Special plans for Easter Sunday? I wish you a happy spring and all the “new beginnings” it can bring, and a very happy Easter. ♥ Karen

Project Design: How To Style Your Spring Mantel — Two Ways

11 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Karen B. in Accessories; details, Easter, House and Home

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

#ProjectDesignNow

Let me begin by saying how honored I am to be here among the creative women of each of the sites linked below.

SPRING is right up there with autumn for me. I love both seasons equally. Nature provides us with so many visual inspirations this time of year. So when it came to creating a Spring Mantle (two ways), I knew I’d have fun working on the assignment.

Full disclosure, this lovely bouquet was a gift for my late January birthday from my sweet daughter-in-law. It positively is the picture of spring with tulips and anemones, so I had to start early on my spring mantle ideas.

My first spring mantel is fairly simple. I’ve been attempting to declutter all around the house and this mantle reflects my version of restraint. 🙂

The Hare graphic came from The Graphics Fairy. I printed it on vellum and cut it to fit a frame I had in my stash. I framed it over a page from an old book. The Graphics Fairy has a library of free graphics. I can usually find something fun for any occasion.

I collect nests and when I find an abandoned nest on one of my walks, I always bring it home with me. The metal rabbit stand is something I’ve had for years. It’s meant to hold a pillar candle, but I’ve used it for candy and now nest-holding at Easter.

For spring and summer I turn to my glass candle holders, the candles are the best buy around, from Trader Joe’s. They are dripless and unscented and value priced for $3.99 for a box of 8. At my TJ’s they come in ivory and white.

My second spring mantle is a little different—more of a nod to the delights of Easter through a child’s eyes. Being a grandma does this to a person! 🙂

The pink tulips from the grocery store. They opened overnight! Tulips are one of my favorite spring flowers. The blue vase is one of two that normally stand on either side of the mantle. I bought them shortly after Tina of The Enchanted Home opened her online store. The nest is the same one I used for the other mantle, but this time it’s sitting in a silver candy dish atop a few Beatrix Potter books. I have a collection of Halcyon Day boxes and the hot air balloon egg was from Easter of 1985. It commemorates my first trip to England, a wonderful memory. 🙂

On the other side I have a favorite ceramic rabbit—he’s carrying real carrots and some sprigs of parsley, health food, right? The Hare graphic is the same but the little metal birds are eating some bird seed.

One last photograph. I kept thinking both stylings were sparse. My sweet daughter-in-law suggested I try the clock that normally lives on the mantle, in addition to the rest. Here it is…too crowded? I think I like it better without, maybe I am learning to appreciate the less is more trend! 🙂

I hope you enjoyed my two mantle vignettes. Be sure to visit each of the talented bloggers below. You can never have too many ideas for the prettiest season of the year…SPRING! You can also visit the Pinterest board for more ideas.

The talented designers, Cindy Hattersley [Rough Luxe Lifestyle] and Mary Ann [Classic Casual Home] host this series and I have loved every Project Design post they, and the participants, have shared.

{If you’ve missed these special posts, filled with inspiration and creative ideas you can check them out here—“Gallery Walls”, “How to Style your Coffee Table”, “Refresh your Living Room with these Inexpensive Tips” and “How to Create a Beautiful Bed”}

Be sure to visit the creative team joining this Project Design episode.

Amber B. Design Studio

ciao! newport beach

classic ⋅ casual ⋅ home

Dimples & Tangles

Katiedid

Lisa Mende Design

Lucy Williams Interiors

Rough Luxe Lifestyle

The Pink Pagoda

Easter with Beatrix Potter 2015

01 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Easter, Flowers, Holidays

≈ 42 Comments

No tricks, even though it is April 1st. I’ve never been very good at pranks.

Easter is on my mind. I’m not hosting Easter this year {Thank you, Sarah and Kevin} I still enjoy putting out a few Spring/Easter decorations.

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I set my table using my grandmother’s china…it reminds me of my grandma, and the violets are such a pretty representation of spring. The runner was made for me, and the fabric seems like it was made to go with these dishes. {Thank you, Gretchen}

With two granddaughters in our family, my thoughts have gone to Beatrix Potter and her cast of wonderful rabbits. When our sons were very young I collected, obviously more for me than for them, many of the Beatrix Potter Royal Doulton figures from her stories, as well as a complete set of her books. I would pick them up when I could find them at thrift stores or used bookstores. I eventually collected the entire set, although the final 4 needed are the new white cardboard covers rather than the little green books with slip covers, that I love.

The concrete planter is made to look moss-covered. I planted sweet pea, violas and lobelia to create the center piece. I move the planter to our atrium during the day to keep it happy, and provide a little sunshine. It lasts several weeks and then I plant the plants in my yard. Dual purposing, always good, right? 🙂

The little silver bell is Peter Rabbit and has the sweetest ring. {Thank you, Debbie}

Last year we had Easter at our house and I put together this 3-tiered tray of goodies for family…

This year’s version of the little rabbit tags can be found HERE.

The little galvanized cups holding the violas are from Trader Joe’s. They held something else a few years ago and I saved them, glad I did! 🙂

Happy Easter, my friends. I hope you have wonderful plans to be with family and friends. May the sun be shining on you wherever you are.

{Garden, Home and Party} Happy Easter – welcome spring

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Karen B. in Dessert, Easter, Entertaining, Food, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Uncategorized

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Easter

I sure hope my friends that have experienced the coldest winter in recent memory, are finally catching a glimpse of spring.

I’m hosting Easter this year for our west coast family members and I thought I’d share some of the inspiration and ideas I’m using for our celebration.

I’m finalizing the menu (the ham has been a staple to the meal for some weeks, but I have flip flopped on the sides). Here are a few of the items that I’ll fix. Sweet Sarah will prefer the fingerling potatoes I’m preparing (much healthier), but I know a couple of family members that will enjoy scalloped potatoes. My office gives Honey Baked gift cards to each of us at Christmas. Honey Baked stores, which are plentiful in California, not so much elsewhere in the U.S., are known for their honey glazed hams. It will make my day of food prep pretty easy to have the ham cooked and ready. I think I’ll prepare some deviled eggs, a slaw salad that Sarah introduced me to, a few appetizers, cookies for dessert and that should be plenty.

Table setting is the icing on the cake for me. I look for any excuse to create a pretty table. Here are some ideas I’m contemplating compliments of the creative bloggers I visit regularly. {Thank you!} I like the idea of potted bulbs (preferably in bloom) and nests with eggs. Trader Joe’s has been carrying daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in little pots. The place mats are really cool and I believe they’re paper. I may not be able to find these but I have a collection of Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter rabbits that I can scatter among the nests and flower pots.

The happy faces on these pansies make simple eggs look festive.

If it’s a pretty day we’ll sit outside for appetizers so I’ll create an Easter basket similar to what I did last year. I used an assortment of color-pack sized flowers and they lasted for most of the early part of summer before fading.

I’ve ordered these tags from Everyday Occasions and will bake Jenny Steffens Hobick’s cookies with buttery icing. Recipe HERE. I’ll plate some and send each person home with a cookie or two wrapped like this. Jenny’s blog is filled with great recipes and ideas for setting the table. She provides detailed instructions for each recipe, and the best part? She has an online store filled with fun items for home and entertaining.