Enjoy this guest post by my mom who has some great ideas for Easter decor and tablescaping!
Easter is a time for reflection, reawakening and renewal – a time to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Decorating for Easter is fun because it gives us a chance to infuse in our homes the bright colors of Spring and reflect on all the symbols of Easter and what they mean. So what do lilies, colored eggs and bunnies have to do with Jesus?
There are many traditions associated with these decorations. Many people think the Easter Lily, with its majestic white blooms, represents the purity of the risen Christ. I always include a cross or several crosses in my Easter decorating because of the subtle “reason for the season” reminder.
There are different theories as to why eggs have become a symbol of Easter. Some believe that eggs are a symbol of the tomb and that the hatching of a baby chicken is the symbol of new life. Apparently, coloring and decorating eggs was a custom in England in the Middle Ages. Before the egg became associated with Easter, it was associated with the beginning of Spring.
I like to decorate for Easter for a variety of reasons – to celebrate the resurrection, to brighten the house with the colors of Spring and, also, to say goodbye to the doldrums of winter. For many years I decorated an Easter tree centerpiece – which was a limb spray-painted white and secured in plaster in a clay flower pot. From the limbs we hung small wooden egg, bunny and basket ornaments. But a few years back my tree was looking overused and I needed a new look. That’s when I discovered cascarones. Cascarones, better known as confetti eggs, are colored hollow chicken eggs filled with confetti and sealed with a piece of tissue paper. They are meant to be broken over someone’s head apparently, but that would make a huge mess. Having a cascarone broken over your head supposedly brings good luck. In the movie West of the Pecos (1945), Cascarones are used to throw at the one you love and this person must dance the next dance with you.
We purchased our first dozen confetti eggs for a $1 in San Antonio on a visit there several years back. Adorned with crazy designs using Sharpies, the colorful eggs were a beautiful addition to my Easter decorations. Last year I discovered HEB was selling beautifully died cascarones for $1 a dozen so I splurged on six dozen.
Using the eggs, I developed a centerpiece using three hurricane candle holders – filling them with eggs and placing a taper candle in the middle, rising out of the eggs. The centerpiece was colorful but didn’t mar the view of those sitting around the dining table. This year I placed green Easter grass in the bottom of the hurricanes, and then filled in with the eggs. I found three moss-covered bunnieson sticks to replace the candles. I think I got them at Pier One at a Spring clearance sale last year. I have a few bunnies I have collected from here and there that I use in randomly in my tablescape.
Last year I also discovered Astroturfas a cute placemat. It’s very inexpensive at most hardware stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. I bought a yard and was able to cut eight regular sized placemats. For my Easter brunch, I will add little vases of flowers to the tablescape, probably tulips and Easter lilies if I can find them.
This year my newest Easter centerpiece sits in the middle of our coffee table. Using a footed platter that a friend gave me from Mexico, I filled it full of Easter colored, egg-shaped Whopper candies. Within the mound of candies I placed like pastel colored pillar candles in two heights. The colorful candles bring in the Spring colors I so crave; they look beautiful all lit up; and guests are tempted by the candies. Of course I say they are for eating! I have added two or three bags of candies since I first made the centerpiece as it runs low after guests come around.
A few years back my best friend gave me a beautiful frame with this quote in the frame: “Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket and then counting your blessings before they hatch.”
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Thanks for your guest post, Mom! You’re the best 🙂
Great post! I especially love the place mats!
Your mom Rocks! I love the bunnies in the egg vases.
What great ideas! I loved the quote about faith! Another great thing about Easter eggs and their connection with Easter – they are a great way to help kids and grandkids understand the Trinity. There 3 parts to an egg- yolk, white, shell – but only 1 egg. Just as their are three persons in the Trinity – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – but One God! 🙂 Thanks again for sharing such fun and creative ideas.