Quirky Easter Decor via Ukraine, Etsy & Ebay!

For my Easter decor this year, I decided pastels were passé. Instead, I snapped up an instant collection of vintage wooden Ukrainian eggs on Etsy and Ebay. I love the rich, saturated color palette- especially the black with pops of bold cobalt, fuchsia and red. I also nabbed a selection of funny hand painted egg cup people. (I do love anything figural for my tabletop!) I think they look quite funny in their little caps- like little Popes or the Queen's Guard. I've also filled the whole house with lilies thanks to a flower arranging class at Donkey Mill Art Center. (More on that soon!) Do you decorate for Easter? What's your favorite tradition?

Easter Bonnet: A Celebration of Le Chapeau!

I think it's a shame that hats have been relegated to the beach alone. They are such a whimsical addition to a wardrobe. If you are hat shy, there is no better occasion than Easter (closely followed by Derby Day!) to try one out. Here is a collection of Easter Bonnets to get you inspired for Sunday! Vive le Chapeau!

This Medusa Print is quite elegant. (Don't you love the idea of tying a scarf underneath a hat for a bit of extra panache?)

A trio of cheery red vintage Hat Stands to display your collection like the works of art they are.

If you aren't brave enough to wear a dramatic hat, consult your reflection in this Pocket Mirror until you screw up your courage.

This Floral Hat is the perfect botanical specimen for spring. (It would look smashing with a pixie cut!)

I love the texture of this Woven Hat and the jaunty pop of the over sized pearl hat pin!

This Pink Cloche is perfection. Her modern smokey eye make up keeps it from looking too costumey.

Yellow Cabbage Flowers and tulle are a match made in heaven.

Banishing the Blues: Five things I'm Digging Right this Second

As you may have guessed by the slow posting (and the melancholy tone of late!) I've got a little case of the blues. Nothing serious- it happens from time to time to us all, but I thought I'd write down five things I'm grateful for to banish them:

1) Thanks to our exciting news, I'm doing lots of daydreaming about cycling around Italy wearing a silk scarf and these shades. (Do you think they might mistake me for a local?)

2) A visit from my lovely Mum! She's the easiest house guest ever- perfectly content to sit in my sunny backyard, chit chat with me, cook up lovely nibbles and stick her toes in the sand.

3) I've been watching Jamie At Home thanks to my tivo and am crazy, madly in love with him. Everything about it is wonderful- his relaxed, confident style, the gorgeous ingredients, the extreme close ups of that gorgeous food moving and gooshing around on the plate, looking so alive and succulent, his slight and adorable lisp, his hobbit hole of a kitchen with bundles of herbs hanging from the earthen walls and mismatched crockery- even his preposterous hair- I love it all. I can't wait to try a few of his recipes.

4) I've just had an order for 20 Dachshund Party Dogs for a birthday bash in a few months. Doesn't that sound like a fun celebration?

5) I'm loving the instant collection of wooden Ukranian Easter Eggs I scored on Ebay. Their electric color palate pops against their shiny black shells and looks both traditional and radical at once. No pastels in sight!

Wanna play? What are you feeling gratitude for right this second?

Etsy Stories: Easter Sunday

See the entire collection of Easter finds live on Etsy here!

On Easter Sunday the birds are busy singing sweetly in the blossoming trees.

A little dish of hand painted Wooden Easter Eggs reminds her of the season.

A pretty Easter Bonnet festooned with flowers is just the thing for the early morning church service she is attending with her neighbor.

This Embroidered Doily inspired the brunch menu she'll serve afterwards.

Soft boiled eggs kept warm with knitted caps and served with scalloped potatoes, ham, warm rosemary biscuits and a healthy slathering of gravy. And it wouldn't be brunch without fresh squeezed orange juice, steaming hot coffee and a round of very spicy bloody marys.
Even though today is really too cold for her chiffon dress, she couldn't resist wearing it when she saw all those bravely blooming bulbs poking their heads out of the snow and mud. Her pretty folkloric Sweater goes surprisingly well. It must be the contrast in textures.

These Leather flats are her house slippers for now, but once the mud and rain are gone, they will be her go to shoes. (They fold up to pack in her purse just in case!)

Do you celebrate Easter? What are your favorite traditions?

Rum Soaked Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I made this rum soaked Pineapple Upside Down Cake for our Easter celebration this year. The brown sugar really tuns the top into golden, gooey, caramely deliciousness . The recipe called for pecans, but I substituted the walnuts I had on hand. It was divine. What's cooking at your house lately?

Free DIY Easter E-Book at Fave Crafts

My friends at Fave Crafts have included my DIY Paper Egg Cup Project in their DIY Easter E-book. You can download it for free right over here. And don't be shy about rummaging around through my archives for more tutorials, just as long as you link back my way should you want to share them.

P.S) Doesn't this bunny look disgruntled? His irritation amuses me in this season of anthropomorphic pastel colored baby animals with unnaturally long eyelashes. I'd be pissed too.

Easter Celebration!

Today we're having a little mini Easter luncheon at home. Here's what's on the Menu:

A luscious honey ham with mustard sauce (recipe follows)

Garlic Rosemary Scalloped Potatoes

Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad in Lemon Vinaigrette

Crescent Rolls

Strawberry Meringue Pie (my own invention, a variation on this, this and this! Post to follow!)



I called my Grandma this week to get the recipe for the mustard sauce because it is one of my favorite parts of Easter lunch at her house. Apparently this recipe comes from her brother's wife, Diane. (And now I know that I love it because it is filled with such sinful stuff! Mmm!) Thanks so much for sharing gals!

1/2 c. French's yellow mustard
1/2 c. canned tomato soup
1/2 c. sugar (I used 1/3 of a cup and it still tasted wonderful!)
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
3 egg yolks
1/2 c. butter (I used 1/4 of a cup here to no ill effect.)

Whisk together in a double boiler on gentle heat, or zap it in a microwave safe bowl stirring frequently to avoid scorching or lumps. It should thicken up a bit and can be served warm or cold as desired. Grandma says it's great on sandwiches and freezes nicely too.

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Mini May Day Baskets

I'm on a quest to find as many uses for T.P tubes as humanly possible. I may need to get out of the house more.

You will need: lightweight cardboard box, T.P/Paper towel tubes, ribbons, pencil, tape, wire cutters, scissors, hot glue gun, pipe cleaners and decorative paper.

First, snip your tube and pipe cleaners in half.

Next, tape your decorative paper to the outside of the tube. You'll want to make sure the tape goes over one edge to keep it from slipping off.

Trim the paper to fit the tube.

Put a dot of hot glue on either side inside the tube.

Attach your pipe cleaner handle to the glue dots.

It's beginning to look like a basket now, right?

Another few more dots of glue to attach a pretty ribbon or other embellishments.

Now trace the tube on your piece of lightweight cardboard.

Cut it out.
Fit it into the bottom. You may need to trim it further. (I used spray adhesive to cover the box with decorative paper to match, an extra fussy touch that is totally unnecessary!)

A line of hot glue will seal the bottom.

Now they are ready to be filled with pretty little candies, wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow. In addition to a fun project for May Day, these would make beautiful wedding, baby shower or birthday party favors! Let me know how yours turn out!

Paper Egg Cups for your Easter Party!

Do you ever hoard something strange, knowing an idea will come to you eventually? Well that's me with T.P rolls. I'd been saving them inexplicably and then- WHAM- the disposable egg cup idea came to me like a lightning bolt! Here's how to make your own for your Easter get together.

You will need:

T.P or paper towel rolls, decorative paper (I used crepe paper ruffles made with the help of the sewing machine), scissors, ribbons and/or lace, and your trusty glue gun.

First, snip that T.P roll in half.

Now give it a good thick line of hot glue. (If you are using craft paper, you could simply trim it to fit and scotch tape the ends together.)

Firmly press the crepe paper down, ruffling as you go!


Now, add another line of glue and attach ribbon or embellishments of your choice. Trim away excess paper.
Ta da! Now you have some party worthy egg cups that you won't mind tossing after the party is over. Wouldn't these make adorable place cards? Just write your guests' names on hard boiled eggs with a fine tipped marker. It will certainly set the mood for an egg-cellent party! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)


Be sure to let me know how yours turn out!

DIY with The Fab Miss B: Florist Style Corsage Packaging

Remember the crepe paper roses we made awhile back? I turned a few of mine into corsages. My mother always bought me a corsage to wear to church on Easter Sunday and I thought I'd mail a few out this Spring to keep the tradition alive. I added some feathered butterflies, and some velvet millinery leaves and an alligator clip so these can be worn in the hair or pinned on a spring frock.

I just wanted to share a fun and inexpensive way to package them. I saved a few clear plastic berry and take away containers, used a bit of goo gone to get the labels off, gave them a good wash, filled them with crinkly paper "grass", and ta da- it looks like they came right from the florist (and they won't get smushed in the mail!)

Do you have any fun Easter traditions?