To celebrate the first breath of spring, I’m sharing last year’s Easter brunch tablescape: a single branch of flowering dogwood in a white porcelain pitcher flanked by milk glass candle stick holders and potted birds’ nests.

When most people think of spring flowers, they think of vibrant tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs cascading across the bare ground, seeming to shout “Spring is Here” with all of their might. They bring color to the mud gray earth just when you think all hope is lost. But my favorite part of spring happens in the sky. If bulbs are shouting the arrival of spring on the ground, then high above, the branches are whispering it in their own way.  Leaf buds come out, birds come back. I love hearing them chatter and watching them flit about, building their nests. Like bulbs, birds are another sign of hope. After all, Emily Dickinson said hope is the thing with feathers…

If you can’t wait for the trees to do their thing, here’s a how-to link on forcing blooms inside, and a list of shrubs and trees that should do the trick. Or, you can buy them. I bought flowering dogwood from a local florist. Check with yours ahead of time to see what blooming branches will be available during your event.

My potted birds’ nests are actually biodegradable flower pots with seeds inside. I planted moonflower vine and sweet pea seeds in mine, for each guest to take home. Herb or vegetable seeds would be perfect too. You can get everything you need in one stop at your local garden center or hardware store, with the exception of the “eggs.” Those you’ll have to visit the candy store for, but who would complain about a second stop for that?

Ingredients:

Seed Starter Pots

Potting Soil

Seed Packet

Spaghnum Moss

Twine

Paper

Malted Candy Eggs

Potted Birds Nest Instructions:

1. Fill the pots with potting soil, and follow the instructions on your seed packet for planting depth. Depending on the seeds you choose, you may need to soak them first. Be sure to leave some room at the top.

Caution! If you’re putting the pots directly on the table, don’t over-saturate the soil before your dinner event, or you will have moist seed pots leaking onto your table cloth. Wait until after the event, or place the starter pots in pretty containers.

2. Top soil with spaghnum moss and place egg-shaped candies in the center. If you don’t have candies, you could use beach stones, but eating the candy is half the fun.

3. To use the nests as placecard holders, tie name tags to the pots with twine or ribbon. I made mine on the computer by copying the flower care instructions from my seed packet, folding the instructions in half, and then hand writing guest names on the outside.

4. After the party is over,  your guests can place their pots on a sunny windowsill until all danger of spring frost is past. Then the pots can be put right into the ground, or in a planting container outside.

Note: Moonflower and sweet pea both bloom well in pots. So they’re good choices for gardeners and city apartment dwellers alike. Moonflowers only bloom at night, and make a great addition to a patio garden or a windowsill. If you choose to use those seeds as well, be sure to tell your guests to place a bamboo stick or a twig in the container or plant the seedling near a trellis, fence or post.

My seedling is growing!

The Philadelphia Flower Show

I promised to share some of the highlights of the Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme? Springtime in Paris. Some of the participants followed this concept, albeit loosely. Others did not bother, as far as I could tell. Some of the guests really got into it, with Paris-themed shirts and accessories.  Forgive the graininess of the photos. Many of the displays were not well lit, which challenged my poor little point and shoot to no end.

I’ve narrowed my ultimate favorite displays to 3. Not only were the design and executions beautiful, but they were also sporting enough to play along with the Paris idea.

Stoney Bank Nurseries “Delectable Paris”

The designers at Stoney Bank Nurseries created a rooftop garden design featuring culinary herbs, flowers, espaliers, and a kitchen and dining area. A French Chef’s dream. Not only was this a creative use of roof-space, but it was pretty enough to be stunning in anyone’s back yard. The project was done in collaboration with Stone Manor Lighting, if you’re wondering where to get the gorgeous peach colored fixtures.

Groundswell Design Group “Monet’s Allee”

Using a green wall product called EcoWall  to create an allee of trees is clever enough… but I was delighted to discover the trunks rising up from a koi pond with lily pads. The designers at Groundswell were inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies (See a video and explanation here) but I was instantly brought back to pages of my favorite children’s book the Lorax by Dr. Seuss…

Way back in the days when the grass was still green
and the pond was still wet
and the clouds were still clean,
and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space…
one morning, I came to this glorious place.
And I first saw the trees!
The Truffula Trees!
The bright-colored tufts of the Truffula Trees!
Mile after mile in the fresh morning breeze.

And, under the trees, I saw Brown Bar-ba-loots
frisking about in their Bar-ba-loot suits
as they played in the shade and ate Truffula fruits.

From the rippulous pond
came the comfortable sound
of the Humming-Fish humming
while splashing around.

Robertson’s Flowers “Romantic Paris”

What bride would not love a wedding like this one by Robertson’s Flowers? The pictures are dark and I had to throw out the majority of them. But you get the idea. The best part? A gazebo draped in weepy flowers, twigs, and strands of shiny baubles.

I also liked the sensory garden by the American Horticultural Therapy Association– which advocates the use of gardens as therapy for the elderly, blind, physically handicapped, or otherwise disabled. Invite active participation through carefully planned heights of the vegetable and flower beds, and combine texture, smell, and sound to create a full sensory experience.

Sensory Garden by the American Horticultural Therapy Association

Also fantastic were: The carousel creatures (all made from living material) and the Smith and Hawken Display (yes, they’re back…. via Target). Though the Philadelphia Water Department’s curbside stormwater garden was a little lack-luster in execution, I appreciate the public education effort and hope to see them continue to spring up all over the place (pardon the pun). The EPA’s bog and temperate forest display was lovely, and though my photography efforts did not bode well, you can get a plant list here. The mini gardens were adorable, and make me want to create my own just as soon as things start greening up here on Cape Cod.

Mini Garden

Carousel Ostrich

Carousel Lion

See the rest of the carousel critters and more highlights from the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show via my Flickr album.

Birdling Ingredients: wire, pine cone, fake flower petals (wings & tail), leaf shaped bead (beak), flower and seed beads (eyes), wire eye-whiskers.

Another Snow Day? Your kids are probably under your feet chanting “I’m Bored. I’m Bored. I’m Bored.” Or your neighbors/siblings/cousins/mail carriers were in a pinch and dropped their kids on your doorstep because you have nothing better to do. Either way, it’s time to get crafty! First, send the kids to gather some woodland stuff, like pinecones, twigs, acorns, seed-pods, or whatever else catches their interest. Hopefully this takes awhile. Have a nice cup of tea while you wait.

Granted, if you live in Michigan where I grew up, Snow Days mean SNOW. So everything is going to be buried. Slightly warmer zones sometimes get snow days with only a light dusting. Here on Cape Cod, I can usually find quite a harvest this time of year, especially after a windy storm. You might want to let the loot dry in front of the fire for a little while if it’s wet (or on a baking sheet in the warming drawer or oven set to low). You could do this while making lunch.

Now scavenge your drunk drawer and craft cupboard for some wire, fabric scraps, and any odds and ends with holes in them like beads, buttons, shells, nuts/washers, or random objects. Pipe cleaners, string, glue, and wine corks could also come in handy. You may need pliers, wire cutters, or an old pair of scissors. Then, let the imagination soar (literally). I made little owlets and birdies with my pine cone stash.

Owlet Ingredients: wire, pine cone on a twig, large wooden beads & seed beads (eyes), leaf shaped bead (beak), nutshell wings, scrap of ribbon for feather head tuffet.

I attached the beads, buttons, fabric, etc to the pine cone with wire, by threading it through various objects and wrapping the wire around the core of the cone. I made a loop with the wire to hang the creatures in the window or on next year’s Christmas tree. I prefer not to use glue (too messy) but kids love messes so if you have young ones, glue or string might be safer than wire.

Confession: I actually made these around Christmas-time for tree ornaments. But they look cute any time of the year.

Craft and Image from dnr.wi.gov

Craft and Image from believingnature.wordpress.com

By blueridgebluecollargirl.wordpress.com

Seashell Koalas by MarthaStewart.com

Acorn Babies by Twig and Toadstool

Craft and Image from National Wildlife Federation

Dish Towel Packages

Holiday Gift Wrapping Dilemma #4: How to make gifts look pretty without sending wad after wad of paper (not to mention cardboard rolls) to the trash? This year I used peppermint themed dish linens. They’re bright, colorful, and help cushion breakables during shipment. The giftee can use them in the kitchen, or wrap a gift in it for someone else next year. Check out the clearance sections for inexpensive dish towels, dinner napkins, even table cloths. These make great wrapping for host/hostess gifts, because they can be used to clean up peppermint hot cocoa spills after the party. (For Peppermint Cocoa Mix, keep reading).

Peppermint Bow

How To make the peppermint bow:

- Take a piece of wire from the junk drawer and wrap it several times around one end of a peppermint candy.
- Place another candy next to the first, and wrap the ends of the candies together.
- Add more candies, one at a time, until you end up with a cluster. If they don’t lie down correctly, or some of them are too loose, just twist the candies around each other until they stay in place.
- Use the end of the wire to attach to the gift, and leave a little extra to string through a handmade tag.

Peppermint Cocoa Tag

Peppermint Cocoa Mix:

1 cup dry skim milk

1 cup cocoa powder

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cornstarch

mini chocolate chips (handful or so)

crushed peppermint candies (handful or so)

instant coffee granules (optional)

Directions: Layer the ingredients in a bag, canister, or jar. The mix can be added to coffee for a Pepperminty Mocha, or to boiling water (about 3 -5 tablespoons per cup of water, depending on personal taste.) Make it a mocha mix by adding several tablespoons of instant coffee granules.

Peppermint Cocoa Mix

If you’re wondering why my ingredients aren’t layered in the photo, its because I messed up the proportions the first time. Um, I mean, I premixed it to make it easier for the gift recipients. To see how its really supposed to look, check out the original recipe here.

Dish Towel Wrap

No tape required for this gift! Just roll it up in a dish towel and tie the ends with ribbon. For a cheerful “gift basket” sprinkle the container with extra peppermints. If you’re like me and you bought the mints in bulk to save money, well, you’ll have plenty to spare.

A Tin Full of Cheer

For some more alternative wrapping ideas, check out this cute blog: The Happy Married Couple .

Every spring, my boyfriend’s mom Susan asks me to do a floral centerpiece for Easter Dinner. Last year, we used mostly household items and annuals from the Garden Center to create a cheerful, but inexpensive tablescape. Several weeks before Easter, Susan grew a batch of grass from seed in her windowsill and wanted to use the grass in the decorating scheme.  So we decided upon little planted egglings for place holders.

We saved the egg shells from a breakfast casserole, and I dyed them with blue and yellow food coloring left over from Valentines Day (I’d already used the red for Red Velvet Cupcakes). The vibrant blue green color looked nice with the yellow pansies and bright green grass, and the several layers of colors on the shell created a marbled effect.  The actual centerpiece is a simple white casserole dish filled with yellow pansies. Foil wrapped candies in the shape of violas complete the whimsical look.

To make your own eggling place holders, here is what you need:

Empty egg shells

Cotton Balls

Food coloring or Easter Egg dye

Grass seed

Planting soil

Bottle caps

Toothpicks

Paper

Glue or clear tape

Ink pen

2-3 WEEKS BEFORE EASTER:

Grow the grass in flats or pots, according to seed packet instructions. Make sure the seedlings get plenty of air and light (so they don’t get moldy).  The grass seed packets sold in pet stores (for the grazing pleasure of cats) is inexpensive and grows quite quickly. You may need to soak the seeds overnight in water before planting. Plan to grow more grass than you will need, in case some of it does not transfer well.

Save your eggshells! When you’re breaking eggs for cooking, be careful. Only break it at one end, so that most of the shell is intact for planting. I used a knife to cut the egg open at one end.  Wash and dry the shells completely and then dye according to packet instructions. You may need to do several coats. Let eggshells dry overnight or longer before planting.

1-2 DAYS BEFORE EASTER:

I planted my egglings on Easter morning, to be sure the grass wouldn’t wilt. However, the grass ended up lasting for quite a while after the event and so I could have made them several days ahead. When you’re ready to transplant the egglings, place a small piece of cotton in the bottom of each shell. Transfer grass shoots with roots intact and small amounts of soil into the egg. Pack in as many blades as you can so the grass doesn’t flop over.

You can add a little water. Just be careful when watering, because the dye on the eggs may run. Don’t water the eggs on the special Easter tablecloth or it might become slightly less special.

Set each egg on a bottle cap to keep it upright and use toothpicks, glue, and cut up index cards to create little signs with the guests names.

You can also try putting other plants in the egglings. I would have liked to use the pansies in the eggs, but the root masses were too big. So keep that in mind when choosing your plants. You could also try starting them from seed, right inside the eggs. This might require more eggs, and more time, since some of the seedlings may not survive.

For the floral centerpiece, all you need is a 12 pack of annuals and a rectangular casserole dish. I chose pansies because they last a long time, and can grace your outdoor planters for months after Easter. Plus there are so many colors to choose from. I transferred the flowers and soil from the flats and packed them in as closely as possible for a full and lush centerpiece.

What should I do this year? Ideas?

My cherry blossom pendant was on the Front Page of Etsy today, along with a whole slew of talented Cape Cod Artists. I’m so honored!! You can see the front page below. Click on the any of the images and it will take you to the Vault, where you can explore each shop further. I recommend checking out BonnieBracelet and RuthBleakley.

GIFT WRAPPING DILEMMA #3: TEENY TINY BOXES FROM OLD GREETING CARDS

Unable to find a jewelry box small enough to fit my Sweetheart Necklaces, I crawled the web in search of the perfect origami box pattern. After testing eight different patterns, I found these adorable little flower boxes. For my purposes, it was necessary to adapt the original pattern slightly –I added the point and slot on the inside tabs. This created a plan that looks slightly like a flying chicken, but stays together better than the original version.

Download a PDF version of the pattern here:     Flying Chicken/Flower Box

First trace the pattern onto your recycled material of choice. I found it helpful to print the pattern onto thick paper, then cut out a template to use over and over again. In my version, the bottom is one square inch (about the size of a quarter), but you can enlarge the pattern to any size.  Use old greeting cards, postcards, cereal boxes, cardstock, or whatever you can find around the house.

Once the pattern is on the cardboard, cut out the outline of the box. It should look like either a squashed bird, or flying chicken, depending on your mood.

Place your cut-out box with the prettiest side down, and lightly score the dashed “fold” lines that create the square bottom of the box. Scoring the lines will help keep the folds crisp and straight. Cut the notches at the scalloped ends and cut a slot on the tab with the squared off end.

Now fold all four tabs upward, along the scored fold lines.

Bend the pointed tab towards the tab with the blunt end, sliding the point into the slot. If the point does not fit into the slot, you will need to adjust these now. Either make the slot slightly longer, or carefully trim the edges of the pointed tab.

Now put your tiny gift inside the box and pull the scalloped (flower) tabs towards each other.

Carefully slide the notches at the flower tabs together, until they complete the flower top.

Your flattened flying chicken is now a flower box, and the tiny treasure is safely inside. If you’re feeling really industrious you could slip a piece of ribbon or wire through the opening and hang it on the christmas tree for your giftee to find.

Know a new mommy who could use a little pick-me up?  This necklace lets her wear her baby’s birthstone close to her heart. The Sweetheart Pendant takes traditional pearls and birthstones, and gives them a twist. A genuine pearl heart and a tiny rough birthstone dangle from a sterling silver chain. More than one baby? It’s easy to slip additional charms onto the layered sterling silver ring. The necklace looks even better with additional birthstones, like a tiny bouquet of color on a chain.

I created the original sweetheart necklace for my old college roommate, who had her first baby girl, Avery, in July.  The pendant will either grow with the family (getting an additional charm for each new baby,) or make a special gift for Avery on her sixteenth birthday, first date, or wedding day.

The necklace also works well for any sweetheart in your life on birthdays, holidays, or just because. Hubbies, add your own birthstone to hers for an anniversary gift that’s sweeter than pie.

There once was a girl from Nantucket
Who kept a treasure trove in a bucket.
When it started to rain
She strung it all on a chain
and into a tin she did tuck it.

A re-purposed spice tin is the perfect home
for Nantucket Girl’s treasure trove.
Sea creatures with swarovski crystal eyes
cavort with ocean glass and other charms.
The chain fastens with a heart and toggle clasp.