Easter Decorating & Entertaining Inspiration

Easter is just a hop or two around the corner and I have been busy planning for the joyous celebration. Dying eggs, planning the hunt and selecting the menu for Sunday brunch are just some of the tasks on my party planning list. Here are some wonderful Easter decorating ideas from Martha Stewart that have inspired me and I thought they just might inspire you too.

And look what I am going to serve… this Potato, Scallion, Goat Cheese Frittata {above} looks fabulous! Thanks Martha for all of the festive ideas for Easter!

Simple Handmade Flower Garland & Chicks!

Last week we experienced a huge rain storm and the kids were going a little crazy inside. So, I decided to have them help me decorate for spring by creating flower garland to hang in a window.

Using pre-cut paper flowers, pastel water colors, pom poms and grosgrain ribbon the kids created some beautiful flowers. 

I was impressed with the different color schemes, textures and patterns. It was a simple project and such a fun, inexpensive way to decorate for spring.

And what better way to celebrate spring than with some baby chicks? You may recall that we’ve been thinking about raising backyard chickens for sometime. The chicken coop hasn’t been built yet, but the chicks have arrived. Their names are Fluffy and Chipmunk. Can you tell which one is which? {wink, wink} We are crossing our fingers they are both hens. A rooster would have to be sent to a farm.

If you have raised chickens , I’d love to hear your advice!

Linking up to Centsational Girl's springtime party too!

Peace on Earth and Let it Snow...

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~ Charles Dickens

May peace be with you and your family.

xoxo

* Lake Tahoe photo source.

"Nice to Have" Gift Guide

Needs and wants. Quite frankly, I don’t really need any material goods – as the Beatles' sang, “Love is all I need!” However, here are some very nice to have that I wouldn't turn down and you may consider for your list or someone special this holiday season.

1. Vintage Dutch Cup & Saucer – Jayson Home & Garden; 2.Tree of Life Pillow – Alexandra Ferguson on Etsy; 3. Siberian Tiger Pull-Through Scarf – Kate Spade;
4. eTablet Metallic Leather Case - Tory Burch; 5. Live What You Love Letterpress Poster – Hijirik Studio on Etsy; 6. Tiffany Keys – Blossom Key Pendant – Tiffany & Co.; 7. Pop Menagerie Elephant Ornament – Jonathan Adler;
8. Beaded Fur Bootie – Tory Burch

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Breakfast with Elf on a Shelf

The Adventure’s of Tartanscot had a Holiday Decorating Contest and here’s my entry…

It's a joyful Christmas morning and the table is set for breakfast {well, brunch most likely!} The vintage "elf on the shelf" inspired the traditional red & green color scheme. I love when period styles are blended, so there's a mix of modern, vintage and contemporary elements.

The table features two table runners crisscrossing, both with fun prints. One is actually two dish towels from Crate & Barrel put together {shhh}... can you tell which one? The centerpiece consists of a sparkly snowman, Swedish Kosta Boda crystal snowball votive and red roses {Trader Joes, thank you very much!} with heather {from the garden} in a milk glass bowl (from an estate sale}. Here’s how to make the floral centerpiece.

Glittery, lime green snowflake ornaments are used as napkin rings {from Crate & Barrel}.

The table even includes a note to Santa with nibbled snacks from the wee hours of the morning.

And as you can see, that little elf keeps hopping around... he just wouldn't sit still!

To see more festive Christmas tabletops, visit Between Napa on the Porch.

Happy Holidays!

*all photos by Cristin Priest for Simplified Bee®

Beautiful {and Simple} Ideas for Displaying Christmas Cards

Receiving Christmas cards from family and friends is one of the big highlights of the season. We collect and display ours in a vintage wicker sleigh. And we have done it this way for several years. But after researching this post for a Simplified Bee reader who asked for creative ideas for displaying holiday cards, we might have a different approach next year.

Here is a simple and elegant way to display holiday card using an existing mirror. Martha Stewart used Lametta tinsel to create three swags perfect for hanging season’s greetings.

Using a picture frame and twine, holiday greeting cards are displayed beautifully with other festive décor. Thank Country Living for this idea!

Hang Christmas cards along a fireplace mantel with twine and colorful clothes pins. So simple! DIY or purchase a kit on Folksy.

With a little ribbon crisscrossed, this cabinet becomes a wonderful place to display cards. Brilliant idea found via Living Livelier.

Hanging cards on a door with decorative ribbons is also a fun idea. Here is the how to via Country Living.

For an eclectic look, layer holiday cards on an existing cork board is also a great idea. This one is from Domino via Centsational Girl.

Love Kate at Centsational Girl’s corkboard turned card holder using fabric, ribbon and a little nailhead trim - just add some time and it is a simple diy project. Here’s the how to.

And here is Kate’s chain & jingle bell Christmas card display from last year. Isn't this creative too?  Here’s how she did it with even more inspiration!

Happy Holidays!

Tips on How to Wrap a Gift

Sometimes what makes a gift so special is the way it is wrapped. Knowing how to wrap a present is a good skill to have. Here’s a simple tutorial on wrapping a rectangular box, but this could be easily applied to other shape packages:

Supplies you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Pencil
• Rule
• Gift wrap {tip: buy recycled or vintage papers or reuse older ones if possible. Also, here are ideas for ideas for making your own gift wrap}
• Double stick tape
• Ribbons {recycle or vintage when possible}

The secret to a neat package is to not use excess paper. Determine how much gift wrap you’ll need by placing the box along the length of the paper. Then unroll enough so that it wraps around the box with a 2” overlap. Also make sure that there is adequate wrapping paper at the ends to cover them completely when folded down. Use a pencil to mark where the overlaps end. If cutting in a straight line is a challenge or your paper doesn’t have a guide, use a rule to help you keep your cutting in line.

2. Draw paper around smoothly and tape with double stick tape.

3. If you do have excess paper, fold over to created the right fit.

4. Use double stick tape to secure the second side in place.

5. Fold down the top part of the wrapping paper and tape in place.

6. Crease the sides and fold inward. Fold the bottom flap into a triangle {fold tip if desired}. Tape in place.

7. Tape the bottom flap to the box. Repeat steps 5 – 7 for the other side.

To finish off the look, add a ribbon or two. I like to layer ribbons that compliment the wrapping paper. Here I wrapped the package with a green & white striped gift wrap leftover and secured it with tape. Then I wrapped a smaller width vintage red velvet ribbon and taped it in place.

The bow on top was created using recycled ribbons.

Add a card, gift tag or small ornament to personalize the gift.

Vintage brooches, antique silverware, colorful buttons and other flea-market finds also make perfect finishing touches to a gift. {all images above via  Country Home 2008}

Furoshiki, a Japanese gift wrapping technique, uses a large piece of fabric for wrapping gifts. This is good for the environment because there is no paper waste. It’s also chic and economical because it can be used again. Visit Joybucket for a tutorial on making fabric reusable gift wrap {image above via Joybucket}.

Recycling ribbon is also a good thing, but what if it’s wrinkled? Real Simple shows us a great technique to get the kinks out using a flat iron.

Are your gift wrap supplies out of control? For gift wrap storage solutions go here.

Happy Holidays!

* all photo by Cristin Priest for Simplified Bee or otherwise stated.

Christmas Rose Floral Arrangement How To

Decorating with fresh flowers is always a nice touch, but professional floral arrangements can be expensive. If your wallet is being squeezed this holiday season, here's a simple and elegant floral arrangement you can do yourself.

What you’ll need:

• Round decorative bowl or vase
• Oasis / Foam Brick {floral supply}
• 2 dozen large roses {amount may vary depending of the size bowl used and rose heads - I picked mine up inexpensively at Trader Joes}
• Pair of Pruners or Snips
• One bunch greenery {leaves, lacey fern, or decorative grasses}
• Large mixing or sink

1. Cut a piece of foam to so that if fits in your decorative bowl or vase.

2. Fill mixing bowl or sink with cold water. Then drop the foam brink into the water, but do not push it down. Let is soak up the water and sink to the bottom on its own. This will ensure that it is saturated. Let the foam soak for 15 minutes.

3. Place the saturated foam brick into the decorative bowl or vase.

4. Using a pruner or snips, cut one rose so that it’s stem is approximately 3” {this also may depend on the contain your select}.

5. Push cut flowers one by one into the oasis starting in the center and then four corners.

6. Fill in the empty spaces with more roses while trying to keep a rounded look {you may need to shorten some of the stems to make it curve}.

7. At the base between the roses and the bowl or vase, place sprigs of greenery. Cascading Heather, grasses, lacey fern, or tree leaves {pine, lemon, etc.} would work. The greenery will go all the way around.

That’s it! Create a floral arrangement for your holiday mantel, table centerpiece or to welcome guests on an entry table. Either way fresh flowers will add just the right to your holiday décor.

For more Christmas crafts, visit Kate's Centsational Girl...

Happy Holidays!

* all photos by Cristin Priest for Simplified Bee