Decorating for Easter

From apothecary jars filled with eggs to bowls brimming with seasonal fruit, the perfect centerpiece is what brings your Easter table together. Decorating extraordinaire Julie Blanner of Martha's Circle presents nine breathtakingly beautiful (and simple) table decoration ideas that are perfect for your sit-down holiday meal.

Enliven your next buffet with an arrangement of eggcup bouquets displayed on cake stands.

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.

This fanciful green-meadow vignette seems a fitting home for a chocolate bunny. His eyes (dabs of tinted royal icing) and bow tie (ribbon with a glued-on rosette) match his surroundings.

Set inside a rustic boat-shaped birch basket, this cheerful yellow hilltop vista is a breath of fresh air. You can practically hear the chicks peeping and feel the warm sunshine on your face.

White cotton or linen place mats are an ideal backdrop for a verdant lawn motif.

Are you "dyeing" for a new way to decorate Easter eggs? Here's a recipe for fun using basic crafts supplies.

Symbols of rebirth in many cultures, eggs serve as the perfect star component in this festive wreath. To hollow out the eggs, working over a bowl, pierce one end of a raw egg with a pin. Pierce the other end, and use the pin to enlarge the hole slightly and break the yolk.

An oversize eggshell filled with flowers unites two symbols of spring in a single arrangement.

Inspired by an easy Japanese technique, we've created these delightful decorations to enjoy this Easter and next.

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 blown and decorated Easter eggs.

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.

Bring the beauty of spring into your home with this speckled-eggs-and-nest display.

This oversize nest cradles an exuberant mix of blooms from spring-flowering bulbs -- the botanical counterpart to newly hatched birds.

Selected flower- and bird-themed artwork can transform a variety of eggs -- from naturally deep-green emu eggs to tinted and undyed ostrich eggs to painted wooden orbs -- into instant collectibles.