Although a feather tree is traditionally used at Christmas, we modified ours to resemble the ubiquitous symbol of the season. Its branches feature egg and carrot ornaments hanging from loops of silver thread, as well as pipe cleaner baskets filled with Easter creatures and more eggs. Millinery blooms flower on several limbs, fastened by their stems. As you hang the ornaments, be sure to intersperse decorations of different sizes and hues for a balanced display.
Blooming for just a few brief weeks in spring, cherry blossoms are famously ephemeral. Unless, that is, you craft artful renditions of them from glassine or vellum, in which case they'll deliver year-round pleasure. Embellish woody branches that you have pruned from the yard with the colorful blooms, and use them to decorate a mantel or spruce up a collection of favor bags.
A whimsical flowering branch is a natural perch for these handmade baby birds. We wrapped a fallen oak branch with ivory perle cotton thread, and then glued on fabric millinery flowers. To make a centerpiece, bunch several branches, nestling chicks among the buds.
Dyed in fresh spring hues, our egg chain makes a cheerful seasonal swag for a mantel mirror; the blown-out eggshells are light enough to loop across a doorway.
In Germany and Austria, it's customary to celebrate Easter by hanging hollow eggs from the branches of trees. This year, bring the tradition indoors by creating a unique display for your blown and decorated eggs.
Everything is reborn in spring -- even Easter eggs, which can be transformed into votives for your table. Simple eggcups make a lovely base.
Hollowed-out eggshells make naturally beautiful vases for tiny flower arrangements.
Enliven your next buffet with an arrangement of eggcup bouquets displayed on cake stands. Choose small-budded flowers in similar hues, such as the tulips, lily of the valley, paperwhites, and daffodils we used. Trim the stems so the blossoms will peek over the rims of the eggcups. Place a small round metal floral frog in each eggcup to help shape and weight the arrangements. Fill the cups three-quarters of the way with water, and then add the blooms. Arrange the mini bouquets on and around stands. Water daily for a long-lasting centerpiece.
Celebrate spring by bringing some greenery indoors. Embellishing pillar candles with blades of grass highlights a plant that's rarely appreciated up close -- and unifies an assortment of candles. Place the candles on pastel saucers that set off the green grass blades, and display them on a shelf or mantel.
Surprisingly versatile, eggcups can be transformed into miniature vases and place-card holders. Use a set of matching cups for a uniform look, or mix and match for an eclectic table setting.
For a festive Easter table, transform ordinary paper cups into favor baskets filled with chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.
Easter-bunny-shaped napkins are a festive detail for the holiday table, and they require only a few simple folds. Well-starched crisp cotton or linen will transform into the sturdiest bunnies. Fold napkins the day before your meal so your "warren" is full when guests arrive.
Symbols of rebirth -- downy newborn chicks and rabbits -- abound at springtime. Their proliferation is charmingly represented in simple paper chains, which make perfect Easter decorations. Smooching tissue paper bunnies and flocked-paper chicks populate a cake stand and egg boxes.
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