The Rural Voice, 2001-04, Page 50Home Decorating
Be creative to decorate for Easter
By Patti Robertson
I was absolutely flabbergasted,
while walking through one of the
major department stores the other day
and discovered 14 rows of Easter
paraphernalia and decorating ideas.
Since when did Easter become such a
large retail event?
Now I admit it is rather
considerate of these big guys to offer
us consumers so many endless
possibilities but this gal personally
prefers to look at Easter as a time of
Renewal, Regrowth, Rebirth and how
about Reinvent, as in Reinventing
some of the items readily at hand and
using our own natural creativity to
add an Easter touch to one's decor
and a breath of fresh air into our
home. As always I suggest you pay
particular attention to the areas of
your home where guests will be and
the areas that the family congregates
in the most.
Of course the front entrance of
one's home is always on display, so
that's the perfect spot to start infusing
a touch of spring. Personally I have
an Easter Greeter — that would be
my 3 1/2 foot tall Veronica Rabbit
(fondly known as Ronnie). Ronnie
sports a folk art bonnet, long dress
and pinafore. Her finery
complements our home's colouration
perfectly. At her feet lies a natural
wicker basket filled with natural
coloured raffia and brimming with
realistic eggs which are also scattered
around her feet. I have found that
once again my garden planters look
delightful filled with artificial
daffodils and ivy greens.
At the backdoor I position a large
terra-cotta planter (earth still intact)
brimming with artificial spring
blooms: daffodils, tulips, crocuses,
lilacs, violets, etc. A true burst of
spring colour, this is a great use for
discarded or out of date fake florals
and certainly adds interest until the
real bulbs spring forth.
Inside I take inventory of all my
containers, bottles, vials, baskets,
urns, tin containers, canning jars, etc.
Personally I find the simplicity of
spring florals looks ultimately
46 THE RURAL VOICE
smashing when presented in
unpretentious containers which in
turn states not only the simplistic
beauty of these florals but also
initiates the feeling of renewal and
rebirth – that is to say 90 per cent of
the time tulips look wonderful in a
.simple white
milk jug or an
interesting
canning jar:
I also prefer
simplistic
colourations in
the table linens I
use for the Easter
season. For
example I'll use
a crisply starched
white linen cloth
on the dining
table and
possibly a large
white water jug
brimming with fresh white tulips and
then scatter a few blown eggs around
the base of the jug, or perhaps I'll
choose to fill the jug with sunny
daffodils and add some fuzzy little
yellow chicks at the base.
Last year I found a wonderful
woven scatter mat (approx. 2 1/2' x
3') in a soft seafoam green, lavender
with a hint of white and periwinkle.
This looked amazing adorning the
centre of my table and topped off
with a wonderful stoneware fruit
bowl in soft taupe and white
brimming with blown eggs in all the
glorious natural tones of white and
brown.
And while on the topic of blowing
eggs, what fantastic fun this can be
for the entire family! The possibilities
are endless. Of course you can buy
commercial egg decorating kits but
you may also choose one of the many
unique treatments. Roll your creation
in sparkle dust, or do any one of the
faux finishes on your eggs,
smooshing, ragging, dragging,
marbling with goldleaf veins, add bits
of jewellery or decoupage scenes
onto your egg surface or inscribe
Easter greetings etc. (After Easter
pack your eggs away in a tissue filled
shoe box for next year!)
If you would really like to
present an earthy garden/renewal
theme,,use a rustic style pot filled
with earth and bring in a few of
your "Hens and Chicks" from your
garden. Position these to one side of
the dish and stick a miniature hoe,
rake and shovel into the remaining
area along with a tiny sign that
reads "Welcome Spring!" This
makes an interesting statement when
placed on your bathroom vanity or
kitchen countertop or a rustic coffee
table. For a more whimsical look at
the same idea, turn your dish garden
into Mr. McGregor's Garden
complete with a miniature fence and
of course Peter Rabbit. Ideas such as
this enchant the little people in our
lives.
Mini Easter Baskets can be
fashioned by recycling the plastic
baskets that strawberries come in.
Weave ribbon through the openings,
fill with raffia and add foil wrapped
chocolate eggs, bath salts, seed
packets and gardening gloves, votive
candles, etc. These make a lovely
addition to the Easter table and
provide a lovely cost-effective treat
for your Easter dinner guests. Plush
bunnies can be adorned with big satin
bows and then grouped in and around
planters, hopping up and down your
stairway. Miniature bouquets of
spring florals along with Easter
magazines or a collection of child's
Easter stories positioned bedside in
the guest rooms add to the festive
flavour at minimum expense.
Each spring I'm noticing more
people are creating their own truly
unique spring greeting accents:
Easter egg trees, spring wreaths
featuring birds, and bunnies along
with barnyard baby animals, etc.
All these ideas and so many more
within your own creative genius
assist us in overcoming the winter
doldrums and herald the yearly rites
of spring. Have a Hippity-Hoppity
Happy Easter.0
Patti Robertson operates Classic
Interiors in Wingham.