easter decor — pleasure in simple things

Tag: easter decor

chocolate bunny beverage servers

March

Want a fun way to serve milk at your Easter breakfast this holiday? Use a hollow chocolate bunny! What child (or child at heart!) wouldn’t like Easter breakfast milk served in a chocolate bunny!

Here I’m using Lindt chocolate bunnies because Lindt 3.5-ounce hollow chocolate bunnies are the perfect size to serve a small drink! (Each bunny holds about 4 ounces.) Plus, they are very easy to find…pretty much any store that sells Easter candy will carry them. I purchased mine at Target. The bunnies are sold wrapped in gold foil with a bow around their neck. The bow color distinguishes the type of chocolate of the bunny…a red bow is milk chocolate; a brown bow is dark chocolate and a cream color bow is white chocolate.

Are you wondering how I got the milk into the bunny? It was pretty easy. I heated up the spout of a small stainless-steel funnel. While the funnel was hot, I gently pushed it into the chocolate bunny to make a hole. I used the funnel to pour milk inside the bunny via the hole and added a straw to serve!

Serving milk in a milk chocolate bunny is the obvious combination of tastes, but there are so many more great combinations!

For my milk chocolate bunny, I poured in banana flavored milk! I think a chocolate milk would also taste great. For a more adult treat – how about Amaretto?!

I decided to pour my favorite beverage – iced coffee – into a dark chocolate bunny. Yummy!! I bet Kahlua or Baileys would taste great in the dark chocolate as well!

For the white chocolate bunny, I poured in strawberry flavored milk – a great flavor combo! For an adult version, I would try Chambord or Limoncello!

Wouldn’t these bunnies make a great favor at Easter brunch or breakfast? Tie a bow onto the bunnies, like I did here, to match your color scheme. How fun for your guests to eat the container when the drink is finished!

I hope you are inspired to serve a beverage from a chocolate bunny this holiday – what will you serve in your bunny?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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topiary painted easter eggs

March

Yes, I was struggling for an Easter egg theme this year. They usually come so easily for me. But that wasn’t the case this year, until… I was up all night recently, working on a research project, and it just came to me! Probably because I have been thinking so much lately about how I will continue enhancing my ‘virgin’ garden this spring.

So, in the wee hours of the morning, I grabbed a marker and an egg and drew a topiary. After I had one done, I just kept going!

The next day, I added some green, gold, and brown paint accents as a final touch.

Viola! My topiary Easter egg series for 2021!

Because I always make my designs on hollowed out eggs, I keep them indefinitely. This series is sure to be on display again in the future!

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you are inspired to decorate some eggs in a new way!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on topiary painted easter eggs | diy, garden, holiday

in family we trust

April

It is strange to be isolated on Easter. It certainly is disappointing not to get together with family I don’t often see – especially the newest members of the family. But it is a time to reflect on the many blessings I have in my family.

When times are tough, people show their character. The virus isolation has taught me a lot about people – some surprising revelations about the true character of people I thought I knew. But through distancing and some other recent challenges, I’ve found comfort in knowing my family is a constant – something to count on in times of extreme distress.

So, although my family may not all be sitting around the same table on Sunday as we usually do – we are all truly together.

Wishing you and your family a blessed Easter!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. The photos included here represent the limited Easter décor I put out this year. If you follow my blog, you probably find it hard to believe I didn’t dye any eggs this year since I normally come up with a new theme each year! Fairfield Country, where I live in CT, has been hard hit by the virus and I have been doing my part by not going out. So, I haven’t been to a grocery store to purchase eggs!

Comments Off on in family we trust | holiday, inspiration

polar bear easter egg

March

Today, I am sharing another DIY Easter egg design. And, even though you may not be interested in making a polar bear designed Easter egg, you can use the technique I used here to create a design of your own.

I started with an emptied-out egg. The first thing I needed to do was to make a polar bear template to use on the egg. I used a mailing label to draw a simplistic design of a polar bear. Why a mailing label? Because, I would next adhere the sticker shape I created to the egg. Since I was dyeing the egg to contrast in color from the white polar bear, the shape of the sticker would resist the dye – leaving a white polar bear shape on the egg.

Removing polar bear shaped sticker after dyeing the egg.

After the egg was dyed, I splattered it with white paint, using the same technique I used on my constellation designed eggs. I really glopped the paint on, because I wanted to give a suggestion of a heavy snowfall!

When the paint was dried, I used a pair of tweezers to carefully pull the sticker off the egg. As you can see, it didn’t keep the spot perfectly white – some dye did get under the sticker. The effect is almost like a batik. Wax can be used in place of the sticker (like that used for Ukrainian Easter eggs) to eliminate any dye from getting through, but I really like the effect when some dye makes it under the sticker.

Finally, I used a thin, black, permanent marker to outline the polar bear shape and gave him a nose and some eyes.

Pretty easy, right? This same technique can be used in so many ways. I created the polar bear for a friend, but I may continue the theme by creating a penguin next! Are you wondering what has me thinking of such cold weather friends for Easter instead of bunnies and chicks? Must be that New England March snow!

I hope I have inspired you to create some new Easter eggs designs!

Thanks for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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time to plant easter grass!

March

It is that time of year when I plant grass in every pretty container I can find in preparation for Easter! So, for today’s Friday field trip – a quick peek at a couple past containers to give you some inspiration for grass plantings this year!

You can click on this link to get instructions on planting grass in your favorite containers…

Or, click here for the link on planting grass in eggshells!

Such fun!

I have started my grass planting for the year and will be sharing my creations soon! I hope today’s post will serve as a reminder for you to start your Easter grass!

Happy planting! (Tip: Be sure to use potting soil, not outdoor soil – you don’t want to bring any unwanted insects, etc. in from outdoors!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Comments Off on time to plant easter grass! | diy, holiday, inspiration

growing easter grass

March

I am a huge proponent of unconventional Easter baskets – I think an Easter basket can be any vessel that appeals to your sense of style. And, at Easter time, I feel the same way about the containers I chose to plant grass seeds. I love to plant grass in any and all containers (including Easter baskets) that currently hit my fancy! Today, I am sharing a couple of this year’s container picks for grass planting!

You don’t need to celebrate Easter to plant grass – think of it as a ‘celebration of spring’ activity! A grass filled mug makes a cute spring gift that can be reused long after the recipient tires of the grass.

Any type of grass seed will work. Here, I have used wheat grass seeds. It won’t take more than a week to have a nice patch of grass. Just put potting soil in the container you have chosen. I always use packaged soil, not soil from the outdoors. The reason for this is that I don’t need any unwanted insects, etc. from the outdoor soil to find their way into my home!

Liberally add grass seeds onto the soil, and then cover with a thin layer of additional soil. Water your new planting and keep in a sunny spot. Be careful not to water too much if you have a small container and/or no drainage. You will want to moisten the soil, but too much water (a puddle) will inhibit the seeds from growing.

Now you can just water daily and wait for the seeds to grow! They will sprout very quickly and grow rapidly. They are so much fun!

I always start planting containers in March and just trim the grass with scissors if needed. You may remember last year I shared planting grass in egg shells – click here to see the tutorial for planting grass in real egg shells.

Small, clear glass containers, like the Weck jars I have used here, provide an opportunity to see the roots of the plant. In this way, using one of these tiny jars at each Easter place setting at the ‘kids table’ is a great way to get the children excited about the growing process! Additional jars can be used to fill with treats.