Touches of Easter

Good morning!  I'm so glad you're stopping by.  If you're a regular around here (hi mom!), you've noticed I haven't been posting as regularly as I usually do.  I've been enjoying family time and working on some projects I'll be sharing with you soon.  So, stay tuned!


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.

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Our House: The Foyer

Welcome to our home!

For those of you who haven't been here, I thought I'd start a little tour, room by room.  It's a 1960s ranch right in the heart of downtown Brevard.  Everything is "in progress," since I'm constantly moving things around and painting walls.

Today we'll look at the foyer, one of my favorite spaces here.

I love the big double doors.  We only use one regularly, but it's so nice on a warm fall day to open them both wide.  The slatted screen doors keep the bugs out. 

We were lucky enough to inherit a bunch of framed art from my Grandmother and Mom, and have picked up a few other pieces along the way.  I rounded up all of the smallish ones with goldish frames to hang in here. 

The pendant light was original to the 1950s home I grew up in.  I hated it as a kid, but learned to appreciate it's character.  When Mom sold the house I took it. That oil painting above the switches to the right of the mirror was done by Mom.  It's a scene from a trip to Paris. 

I picked up the little task light at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney, SC.  The candle is probably my all-time favorite, and a definite splurge, Kobo Portuguese Olive Blossom. It manages to smell  fresh and clean, but in a spicy, earthy, natural way.  The vase is, of course Missoni at Target, and one of the last things on the shelves when I managed to get to Target 3 days after the launch. 

This vintage Carolina rug was passed down to my husband, along with a pillow you'll soon see.  Generations of his family are serious UNC fans (as most of them attended the school, but neither Frank nor I did).   

The middle painting above was done by my Grandmother.  She was quite the artist.  It's of Ocracoke Island, NC, one of my favorite little spots.

 I made the bench out of a side table I found at our Habitat ReStore.  It was the perfect size for the spot.  I upholstered it in a coffee sack I picked up at the roaster's here in town. 

The small violin above was done by my uncle (brother of said Mom, son of said Grandmother).  I've got some artistic genes!  The Brian Andreas print at the bottom is a favorite.  "There are things you do because they feel right & they make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other and to eat each other's cooking and to say it was good."   Well, I'll be darned if that isn't a metaphor for this lil blog.