Easter Tablescape

tablescape

noun

: An artistic arrangement of articles on a table.

: The word tablescape is often used interchangeably with terms like tabletop arrangement, tableaux or centerpiece, but a true tablescape is actually a bit more complex. Although tablescapes often adorn the center of the table, they are more than centerpieces.

Before I started this simple but elegant Easter tablescape, I had a vision in my mind to have simple colors, to include some rustic vibes and to have a fresh very natural look… which basically meant I needed a lot of moss! I usually get inspired while shopping or looking online. My everyday go to is a shop called Terrain. Terrain is my dream come true… my inspiration for my whole life. Never have I ever found more cute ideas than from Terrain. If you love natural, rustic, whimsical décor with a modern twist for your home and garden, you will LOVE Terrain. You can check them out here or by the link at the bottom of this post.

Another inspiration I found this year was natural Easter egg dye. This year I dyed my eggs with red cabbage dye. Yes, yes, I see my eggs are blue and indeed the cabbage is red, but I’m not making this up! I’m not a chemist, but I think it has to do with the vinegar and baking soda you add at the end. You’ve just got to try it for yourself to see. Honestly, it’s too simple not to try!

Just grab a head of red cabbage, chop it up, then put it in a large pot with about 5-6 cups of water (or just enough to cover the cabbage). Bring it all to a boil then turn to low and simmer for a good 30 mins. Strain the cabbage out and keep the dye. Add 2 TBS of vinegar and a few pinches of baking soda. Stir and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Hard boil some eggs and drop them in! For lighter eggs, leave in only for an hour or so. For dark eggs leave in overnight. By rubbing a plastic baggy over butter then placing it on the egg I achieved the marble look. (This does not work on warm/ just boiled eggs FYI… I tried to do some before work in a hurry one day and can you guess what happened? Yeah. It melted the butter. Lesson learned!) There are many more ways to naturally dye your eggs with other produce and everyday products we find in our homes! OH yeah, and I also found out that certain Chickens lay colored eggs. WHAT? That’s not a joke either! Getting Easter egg laying hens next year = goals.

For me, decorating for the Holidays is how I “celebrate” as an adult. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving were all so exciting when I was young. As a child, I truly loved and looked forward to every holiday. Christmas being my favorite, but Easter was a close second. For me decorating is an expression of that same childhood excitement. One Easter tradition I had as a kid was to use clues that my Dad wrote to lead my sisters and I to our hidden Easter baskets. We just thought it was the coolest thing on earth. At 24, I now think decorating and making a 5-star meal is the coolest thing on earth. But hey, I’m still dying eggs and I don’t even have kids yet… so does that still make me a kid?? :) Don’t answer.

To create this tablescape I rummaged through my house for props then headed to Michaels to add to what I had already pulled together. I work at a greenhouse, so finding plants is not too difficult for me. For anyone who is wondering what plants I have pictured, they are White Daffodil Bulbs, Maidenhair Fern and a Phalaenopsis Orchid. Also, on the dessert table I have an Aloe Vera plant.

If you haven’t noticed, the “nesting” trend is kind of a big deal already this year. All of my nests were purchased at Michaels. Then I embellished some with my own materials like preserved reindeer moss, tendrils from grape vine, pussy willows and dried pieces of fern. I do a lot of “collecting” while gardening, especially in the fall when all the seed heads are dried. I harvest anything that catches my eye: cool looking sticks, seed heads, rocks, shells etc. I typically find a use for it, and I tell myself there was a reason I kept this! :) (No, I’m not a hoarder no matter what my husband says!)

The bulb gardens, pictured below, I created myself. I’ve been receiving a lot of questions on how to make them, so I might have a separate post on that! It is a super fun and easy spring craft. My china was a wedding present, and I choose my color scheme based on this light gray. It goes with anything really, because, you know… gray is the new beige. :) The vintage looking candelabra bowl (I think I made that up, but you know what I mean) is my mother's. I don’t know where she got it, and neither does she! Sorry… but I’ve seen these things all over: World Market, Home Goods, Hobby Lobby etc. I filled it with some bluish rocks from Michaels and placed the nests in each one with some dyed eggs.

That piece of drift wood above is what I’m most proud of. Why? Because if you ever noticed, buying a piece of drift wood, which is essentially a stick, will cost you at least 20 or more dollars. No, no, no, I can find that myself, thank you. ;) Yes, it took some searching, and yes, I made Max help me, but really... just kayak the shores of a lake one day, and I bet you will find some. This was a really awesome find though, and I love that it has little notches and spaces for moss and plants. I will for sure have this as a center piece more than once!

The little greenhouse and terrariums were the most fun to make. The little white greenhouse I found at a shabby chic shop in my hometown. I had some small ferns around my house that I just popped in there with some moss, and I used dried materials to cover any errors or spaces. Then in the egg terrarium, I used about 5 dyed eggs with moss in between them and a little pussy willow with grape vine tendrils. The result was delicate and detailed. The pussy willows were from my work. You can find them at most floral shops or greenhouses this time of year!

And that’s it really! The rest is just positioning the objects in places where it makes the most sense. I’m really not a formal person to the T, but a little bit of formality is okay. For example, I placed the Daffodil bulb gardens on either side because they were the tallest. Then I put the candelabra bowl in the center. To finish I just filled in with lower objects. For the dessert table, height was a bit of an issue, but using some rustic boxes and glass risers to give depth and height really helped! Just make sure nothing is lined up or all the same height. If it all looks the same then no one will notice it, their eyes will just float right over it.

 Oh yeah, and those sweet treats... I didn’t make them. Ha! I don’t bake. Well okay, I do, but I just don’t have time, especially in the spring when its gardening season! :) I got those bundtinis from a little cake place called Nothing Bundt Cakes. They are seriously delicious. I’ll just leave this link to their store here in case you cave. :)

Easter is a time of new beginnings, and we are reminded of this new hope because of them:

“Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:7-8

Jesus is the resurrection and life. Anyone who believes in Him will live, and everyone who lives in Him and believes in Him will never die. Jesus is my hope and rock. Without Him, I guarantee I would not be where I am today. Be encouraged by His grace this Easter.

Happy Easter to all my friends and I hope you all have a blessed Easter Weekend <3

He is Risen!

-Amy