Easter Decor 2018

It seems odd for Easter to come so soon after St Patty's Day. I had time to take down all my green and throw up some Easter, and after this weekend it will be time to take that down. Easter on April Fool's day...hardly seems right.

 Easter is the first holiday I ever decorated for all by myself. When I was small, antique postcards and handkerchiefs were ten to fifteen cents. (No, Dear Reader, it was the 80's, not directly after the Flood :) Whenever we went out I kept my eyes peeled and my little coin purse ready! Easter cards with their sweet bunnies and chicks were the first thing to make me a real collector. Then my Grandma Tommy, with her antique shop extraordinaire, began to give me little things to go with them. The chick above was the first one. It is carved from bone and is very heavy. Below is a celluloid Easter Bunny in a horrible mood. It is just the opposite, it is so hollow and light that tiny, eager hands have dented it a bit through the generations.

 Under the tree is my collection of tin and papermache eggs. My favorite one is the large purple one covered with violets and a very excited chick.

 On one of the buffets is a rabbit and basket in a vintage style that moma gave me some years ago. Behind is a favorite childhood book, and in front is another Grandmother gift, an antique Easter egg out of blown milk glass. Aren't daffodils the most Easter-looking of flowers?

 You knew without asking that Squeaky would be properly attired. His basket is brimming with eggs.

 Fluffy is sporting vintage by way of an old children's Easter bonnet and basket.

 On the other buffet, just a small vignette. When it is time for the Easter feast everything will have to be moved to accommodate the heaps of yummy food!

 This is the table setting for every day meals. For Easter luncheon it will be formal. I love that the quince bushes bloom with their carmine pink blooms at this season!

I saw some fake chocolate rabbits in a decorating magazine and admired them, but was not willing to pay the price they wanted. Then moma popped into the discount clothing store, Cato, and I found this pair for $4. They make me so happy and, unlike real chocolate bunnies, they will last more than a few hours...;)

 I have had the egg light strand ever since I moved out after high school and began gathering decorations for my own home. That's only been 20+ years, *cough*...

 Last year moma gave me the little pink duck planter. She found it in the basement, left from when my Great-granny and Granddad lived there! Doesn't it have a sly look? The frog is another one of Granny's, but out of chalk, as well as the duck with a rather vacant look. Great-granny obviously had a penchant for kitchy planters. I can't talk, the dapper bull on the end was in a box that some people next to me bought at an auction. They were discussing how they were taking out what they wanted and throwing the rest away. I piped up and asked for the very Ferdinand-esque bull because I adore his bow tie and sweet gaze. Guess the corny planter fondness doesn't fall far from the tree...or something like that.

 I spent yesterday working out the menu for our Easter luncheon. Ham (from our own pigs), Grandma Betty's tater salad, deviled eggs, and Bunny Butt rolls are non-negotiable. I am adding the Ramen Oriental salad for my hubby, his Grandma Ernestine's 7 Cup Fruit Salad, and pickled okra. I am also planning on forming an "egg" from compound butter made with lemon zest, chopped parsley, and lavender buds and decorated with viola flowers. 

For dessert I am trying some new recipes. A Blueberry Cream Angel (angel food cake tossed with a cheesecake-like batter, alternated with layers of blueberry-lemon compote and fresh whipped cream). It looks amazing layered in a clear bowl and sounds yummy! The next is a Victorian recipe, a raspberry and rose water Blanc Mange that will chill in a beautiful mold I found at Goodwill that has roses pressed into the top! Really hoping that one turns out. And last, I always need some chocolatey thing. I am coating those chow mien noodle-things in chocolate and making little brown nests to fill with Cadbury speckled eggs. I would say that I will show you pictures, but, like St Patty's, they would always be AFTER the holiday and it just seems silly to post them after the fact. We'll see.

I hope that you are looking forward to Easter. Not just looking forward to the wonderful food, to seeing your beloved family, but looking forward to the Resurrection. What a glorious day when we can wake up and say to someone, "He is risen!", and hear the reply, "He is risen indeed!"