April Showers Bring May Flowers: My Front Door Easter Makeover

I am so excited to see all the spring flowers in full bloom and our cherry tree blossoming.  Spring is here and the Easter Bunny is on its way (at least that is what my kids keep telling me).  I wanted to update my outdoor Easter decor this year and create a festive spring welcome for all our guests, especially the Easter Bunny :) .

Over the past few years I have started to repeat my holiday decorations.  Maybe due to time, or simply budget constraints but my Easter decor left a lot to be desired.  I decided to take a bit more time and plan out my Spring/Easter decor that could last a few years without boring me.

I knew I wanted to incorporate both spring and Easter and love the rhyme “Spring showers bring May flowers” so when I spotted this adorable pink ruffle umbrella at JoAnne Fabrics for 60% off,  I had to have it.  I thought it would look amazing filled with some spring flowers although I have to admit, I normally would not have chosen pink!    Not only did I pick a pink umbrella, but I also bought artificial pink tulips at Walmart.  That umbrella is over loaded with pink but I LOVE it!!!

I tied it all together with a sage green tulle bow (left over from our Black, White and Green baby shower).    I have to say, I am loving the pink, especially against the black door.  It is festive, different than what I would normally do and it really captures the season perfectly.

 Now onto my two black urns that sit on my front steps.

I normally fill my two large black urns with flowers but as I said, my front door really needed a spring makeover and the urns are too pretty not to utilize.   So off I went to HomeGoods for some Easter inspiration and hopefully a sale item or two. I guess I started too late this season since there was very little left.

Luckily, I found these two rabbits that I guess were once a part of a topiary set.  At the end of the day I got a great deal but needed to get creative to make them work.

"Mr." Easter Bunny

"Mrs." Easter Bunny

I covered each urn with moss and placed multi-colored speckled eggs around the base.  I actually used long toothpicks to hold the moss and eggs in place.  Then I placed each bunny on a long wooden dowel and created my own topiaries.   One of the bunnies came with a wreath around “his” neck which I just loved.  Since I didn’t have the materials to match the wreath, I decide to create a “her” bunny by using some of the left over green tulle and a pink tulip.  I am loving my new and improved “his” and “her” Easter bunny topiaries.

Happy Spring and Happy Easter!

Linking up to~

Southern Hospitality Spring  Door Decor Party

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia’s Tuesday’s Treasures

Not Just a Housewife Show Me What You Got!

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Homemade Sharp Mustard~The Perfect Easter Hostess Gift & Free Printable Labels


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Seriously–doesn’t pretty much everyone eat ham on Easter Sunday?  And whether you’re hosting a crowd at your home, or perhaps planning to enjoy the day with friends and family, this mustard recipe is the perfect complement to your Easter ham.

Courtesy of my dear Aunt Diane, who is a fabulous cook, it’s a staple in my refrigerator at all times, and best of all, it makes enough that you’ll have some to keep, and some to share.

This is a great recipe—as stated in the title, this mustard is *sharp* and almost has a horseradish bite to it, which comes from the mustard and vinegar.  Yum!

Aunt Diane’s Sharp Mustard

3.5 oz. dry mustard (usually 2 jars/bottles)
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1 c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 ½ c. mayonnaise

Combine the dry mustard and vinegar in a bowl and let stand for 8-12 hours (I’ll usually do this before I go to bed).  Beat the egg (I do this in a medium saucepan off heat so I make fewer dirty dishes), and then add the sugar, salt, and mustard/vinegar mixture.  Cook over medium heat until thickened.  Cool and then stir in the mayonnaise.  Pour into jars and keep refrigerated.  **I use Ball’s half pint, large mouth jars for this recipe; it will fill about 4 of them.**

Here are some gorgeous black and green  labels that Amy whipped up for us (thank you, Amy).  You can print these out on sticker or full-sheet label paper and stick them on the top of the jar, or try printing them on cardstock and tie them around the jar with a little raffia or decorative ribbon—I think they’d look great either way, and they’ll definitely dress up your mustard to make this the perfect Easter hostess gift.  I always have a few jars of this mustard ready-to-gift in my fridge; it’s a nice change to the typical bottle of wine or flowers that we usually take our hostesses.

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LInking up to DIY by Design Swing into Spring

The Spring Craft Party at Censational Girl

Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence

The Bunny Blog Hop at DIY by Design

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Easter Mantel Decor


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Easter is right around the corner and everyone in my house is very excited. My 3-year old daughter asks me every day “Is the Easter Bunny is coming TODAY?! “

Easter is among my favorite holidays. I love the pastel decor, the celebration of resurrection and new life and the fresh, easter dresses (!) and the happy, “spring” feeling that comes at this time of year.

I don’t usually do much to my mantel, and having a new house it took a bit of thought to decide how to decorate my new (very white) mantel/fireplace. My house was painted all white (as you have seen in my kitchen HERE and my daughter’s room HERE) so I decorate with neutrals and texture to make it more interesting. Light blue is my favorite color,  so going that route was kind of an easy choice.

I made the EASTER sign out of a wooden plaque from Michael’s and traced some letters, then painted them. My daughter and I painted some kraft paper eggs light blue together, and Christy sent me the light blue cut-out of a bunny which I backed with scrapbook paper and framed.

This little green guy came from Pier One. Don’t they have the best Easter decorations every year?

I hope its feeling very spring-like where you are, I am SO happy it is starting to warm up here.

Here is a link to our Spring Giveaway for a cute monogrammed Burlap Tote!

And, did you see our new header? Yes, that’s us Magnolia Lane girls! Its a preview from our recent photo session with Jessica Oatman, we can’t wait to reveal our whole new look very soon.

XO,

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The Lettered Cottage

Dear Lillie's Easter Link Party

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“Spring” Forward Inspiration Board

It’s that time of year again… time to spring forward and time to give up that extra hour of glorious sleep.  Losing that extra hour is such a difficult transition for me and especially for my children.   I am trying not to fret as there is so much to look forward to in the upcoming months.

I just wanted to share some “Spring” forward inspiration to get you through the time change this weekend.

Spring Forward Inspiration Board

Center Image: http://www.modcloth.com

1. http://www.storkie.com/blog/index.php/holiday-party-ideas/pretty-spring-place-settings/

2. http://www.google.com/imgres

3. http://www.everydaycelebrating.com/2009/07/fizzy-sorbet-cocktail.html

4. http://easter.tipjunkie.com/easter-vignette-diy-decorating/

5. http://www.tarawestphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1#/home/

6. http://news.holidash.com/easter/creative-easter-baskets/

7. http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/10-traditional-easter-dinner-recipes-00417000072280/page2.html

8. http://eastercrafts.net

9. http://bestflowerarrangementsdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/peach-tulips-flower-bouquet.html

10. http://www.jewellery-sets.com/rose-gold-jewelry-rose-gold-jewelry-trend/

11. http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/2010/03/easter-colored-macarons-pink-rose-centerpiece-ideas/

12. http://sochicdecor.tumblr.com/

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Spring Craft Idea–Retro Decoupaged Easter Eggs


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I pulled out my Easter decorations the other day.  Yes, it’s still a month away, but my daughter wanted me to whip them out the same day I pulled down the Valentine’s Day decor, so she considers it quite late!  I don’t do a lot of decorating for the “minor” holidays (and sorry, all you Irish folk out there, but I don’t do a darned thing for St. Patrick’s Day besides drink a green beer), but I do have a few cherished Easter items that I love to put on display every year.

These decoupaged styrofoam Easter eggs that my mother made in the ’70s are still my absolute favorites.  One of them even has teeth marks in it from where I took an exploratory nibble back in the day–they really did look good enough to eat!

This is an incredibly easy project, even for those of you who are craft-challenged.  Begin with styrofoam Easter eggs, available at any craft store, in a variety of sizes.  You’ll also need a bottle of Mod Podge  (or other decoupage glue).  I usually use the matte finish.  If you’ve never decoupaged anything before, be warned that it can become addictive (check out this awesome blog for proof and some incredible tips and ideas!).

My mother used paper napkins for the project, and because they’re so lightweight, that’s probably the easiest thing to glue onto eggs without having a problem with wrinkles.  Obviously these are pretty awesome 1970s napkins, but we still have some great choices out there (Target and Hobby Lobby are probably my favorite napkin sources).  Scrapbook paper gives you an infinite variety of choices, too, but the thickness will make it a bit more challenging to work with.  If you’re not doing an all-over treatment, like polka dots or chevrons, then just trim out the pattern you want and glue it onto the egg using Mod Podge.  Finish with a dusting of clear glitter and you’re done (keep them away from kids like me who may try to eat them!).

I am also planning to use either old newspapers or book pages to decorate some eggs in the same way.  I might use the regular plastic Easter eggs instead of styrofoam and I’ll let you know if that works out as well.  Here’s a great picture that I pinned from Erin at LemonTreeCreations, and you can read her tutorial ~here~.

I’m going to give burlap a try, too, to add some interesting texture to my eggs, and what about wrapping a few in jute twine (like Sweet Bean Gardening did below)?  The possibilities are endless!

Twine Easter eggs from Sweet Bean Gardening

What neat ideas do you have for your Easter decor this year?

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