Happy Easter to all!  I hope you all are enjoying Easter Sunday.

We started the morning with an Easter Brunch with omelets a potato, egg and cheese casserole and Strawberry/Banana Smoothies.  Yummy!

The table setting started with  a centerpiece I made from white berry branches with a layer of river rocks in the bottom.  The cute little bunnies with magenta wrapped chocolate eggs marked each place setting. 

I love the chocolate brown of the placemats and napkins with the hot pink accents. 

Yesterday, we finally got the mirror hung.  I found it a few years ago on a treasure hunt.  Until recently, we had been using it in one of the guest rooms.  I lugged it downstairs a week or so ago and propped it up on top of the buffet...and there it sat.  Until  yesterday, I enlisted the help of my husband to help me get it hung.  It looks so much better now that it's up. 

The china was also a find on another treasure hunt.

The pattern has little, light brown outlined flowers with a brown, beige and  olive vine; all is set on a creamy background.  The china and the placemats kind of meld together like a blend of white and milk chocolate.

Below is an updated photo of the buffet - after the bunny stopped by with some goodies.  Candlestick holders - you guessed it - found them on a treasure hunt.  Some other items in this room to be covered in upcoming  posts - the chandelier and the creamy bowls on the buffet.   

I picked up the fresh flowers on the buffet at Costco; they were actually the inspiration for the bright pink accents.  I love fresh flowers - you can normally find at least one vase full at my house at any given time.

It's been a really nice day the whole way around, time spent with some family (always a plus), beautiful weather for such a beautiful day and my husband made reservations for later in the day to go out to eat (again - I was still stuffed from our brunch).  We went to Harper's Tavern.

Going to Harper's is such a treat to me because a few years ago I was working on some genealogy and discovered that in 1763 my ancestors (I don't have my reference handy but that's something like my g-g-g-g-g+ grandfather) owned the property and built the original tavern on that site.  The original tavern burned down; however, in 1804, his son rebuilt the building that stands today.  It is interesting to think of my grandparents and their 10 children living on that property.  Today I couldn't help but wonder how they spent their Easter Sundays. 

Anyway, it's been a great day!  How did you spend Easter Sunday?

Enjoy!
Decor Niche

Here is a simple DIY project that can serve as a tabletop accent or centerpiece.  It's inexpensive, it's easy and you can easily change the look basically for the cost  of a bag of candy. 

Start with a picture frame; mine came from the Dollar Store.  You may already have a frame on hand.  Don't worry about what the picture looks like because you are going to cover it up. 

Using a screwdriver, remove any picture hanging hardware from the back of the frame.  This would also be a good time to add some small felt protectors to the back of the frame so that it doesn't scratch your table surface. 

If you can remove the back - take the picture out, cover the picture in a craft  or wrapping paper of your choice and return the freshly covered picture back   into the frame.  If for some reason you can't remove the picture - you could  spray paint the frame and glass or you could cover the top of the glass.  You  really aren't going to see the paper anyway.  I used some left over wrapping paper right over the glass (secured with double faced tape) - because as I said you won't see it, the filler will cover it up. 

Add candles and a filler of your choice and woah-lah a customizable accent for your home.  Here it is with yummy jelly beans.

And at night...

I am sure you can come up with dozens of ideas for different fillers for different holidays and seasons.  The possibilities are endless so don't limit yourself to edibles. 

Oh, and if you do go with candy or other edibles - - you might want to have some extra on hand - it seems to gradually disappear.  Hmmmm...

For another dollar at the Dollar Store, I picked up a bag of river rocks they come in handy when the edible fillers disappear!!!

Enjoy!
Decor Niche

This is one of my favorite times of year. The trees are in  blossom, the grass is green, tulips and daffodils are displaying their spring colors - it is nature's renewal.  Early Spring inspires me for that extra deep cleaning inside because as soon as weather breaks I want to be outside as much as possible. Along with the cleaning it signals me to change the wreath on the front door to welcome our guests and complement the other sights and sounds of Spring.

This year the front door and shutters are getting a fresh coat of paint, we are going from green to black.  The black opens up more possiblilites so I decided to use green as my accent color for my Spring Wreath. 

So I gathered together a twig wreath, the glue gun, wire, wire cutters, silk flowers and sheer green ribbon.

If you are new to flower arranging - one of the simplest rules for beginners is what you do on what side do on the other side.  Following this rule will give symmetry to your project until you get more comfortable with some other designs. 

So, work your way around the wreath, using the wire cutters to separate your flowers.  Apply some glue to the stem and gently secure the stem by pushing it into the branches of the wreath. 

In the picture below, I have secured 3 stems.  Using the symmetry rule, you can see that the next stem will be placed on the left side. 

Continue filling in the wreath to achieve your desired fullness. 

Then secure a ribbon, I left the tails on my ribbon longer than I normally do - thinking I might like them to sway in the breezes (you can always trim them later). 

With Easter right around the corner, I decided to add a basket of eggs (that can later be removed) and then personalized it with a monogram.  Below is the finished wreath. 

Unfortunately, the wreath is shown on a white interior door.  It is a dreary day - so it will have to wait for a nicer day when it can be hung on the freshly painted door!

Enjoy!
Decor Niche

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