Today I want to show y'all the little last-minute vignette I put together in our foyer to celebrate Easter weekend.
I pulled out the church I found recently and made up a palm cross for the steeple. This isn't actually a palm frond, but something similar looking that grows in our yard. Don't ask me what.
Do y'all read Making Lemonade? Carrie is such a great writer and full of wonderful ideas. She inspired me with a few of her Easter tips. I cleaned the dust off of my big cloche, and gathered together some of my milk glass pieces. She recommended shredding a brown paper bag for Easter basket grass (genius!), but I used it for the "nest."
We are lucky to have friends who share their farm eggs, and they come in all shades of white and brown. I picked out a few to use for this project and decided to blow out the white and yolk. Have you guys done this before? I had heard of this method, but hadn't tried it. I simply poked a hole in the top and bottom of a raw egg with a strong pin.
After some trial and error, I figured out it was better to make the bottom hole a bit bigger. So, I wiggled the pin around a little more there. Then, I simply blew on the top hole (over the sink), carefully supporting the egg. I have to say, this took quite a bit of effort. That's why we only have 4 hollow egg shells. The good news is, if you can store them in a safe place you can use them for years. You could carefully paint or dye or decorate them at this point, but I chose to keep it natural (and easy). I love the "freckles" on that brown egg.
Bonus points if you noticed our spring wreaths in the reflection of the cloche! Our tulips and daffodils are gone in our yard, and the only thing blooming at the moment are the azaleas. The egg cup is from my Grandma's china. The same china I used for this project in December.
I stacked some marble coasters I picked up thrifting to add height and interest.
On another note, did you guys know that scallop shells are often used in the church as a symbol of baptism and rebirth? I learned this when lil EB was baptised. I have this set of scallop shells that my Grandma kept in her china cabinet. Apparently they were used for baking scallops...here's Lidia's recipe. Anyway, I've now had them in my china cabinet for years, and finally brought them out, just to look pretty. Perhaps, though, I'll try this recipe sometime. Looks good!
I hope you have a lovely weekend! May it be full of love and life and hope.
Subscribe here or like me on Facebook to keep up with dC.
Love that cloche and eggs vignette! Lovely ideas, thanks for sharing. The shells are such a great idea, too... I'd forgotten their significance until you mentioned it...
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie. I love the shells! And they're a little unexpected Easter decor idea.
DeleteI love the vignettes and those are great photos! I blew out some eggs for easter this year too - SO MUCH harder than expected! Did you know you can use mod podge to reinforce your eggs and make them last longer? I saw the tip on Aunt Peaches here - http://www.auntpeaches.com/2012/03/how-to-make-hollow-eggs-last-ten-years.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+auntpeaches%2FHxHT+%28Aunt+Peaches%29 - I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like a great plan!
ReplyDeleteHi Jen, Thanks for the tip! I loved your naturally dyed eggs. They are lovely!
DeleteYep, it's your mum, again. Oh, I cannot wait to walk into your foyer tomorrow night for the Easter weekend! I love your little tin church and palm cross with the candle inside. Your grandma used to get my brother and me to blow out the egg whites and yolks so we could dip the shells in colors and decorate them to hang on an Easter Egg tree made of a leafless branch stuck into a pot of sand on the dining room table. I think the dead branch may have been painted white. Oh, was that hard to do! I do not remember ever showing you this tradition when you were little... now you know.
ReplyDeleteI love your way of using local eggs of different colors and fresh flowers from the yard. You understand my choice to 'simplify simplify simply' so your little vignette is just perfect!
And I can't say that I remember when my mom used those scallop shells to serve individual servings . . . perhaps, it was for some of her bridge parties. But like you, she sure did enjoy learning new things about cooking and decorating!
I'm itching to figure out how to make that little church have colorful stained glass windows....
Mom
Funny! I didn't know you and Roy blew out eggs. I"ll have to delegate that job to EB in a few years!
DeleteSuch a sweet vignette! I love the little church. And yes - another faithful making lemonade reader here. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Kelly! The church is great...the only problem is how HOT it gets with a candle burning inside. I need a pot holder to open the roof and blow the candle out!
Delete