I'm still working outside to get the pool area ready for spring, but I want to show you the progress so far.
I recently added these blue and white planters to each of the five stone terrace beams. I mixed hot pink petunias and sweet potato vines so the flowers would eventually cascade over the pots. I found the planters at Wal-Mart for under $15 each!
I know most people dress up Easter weekend for church or egg hunts. We decided to have brunch on our terrace for the second year in a row. Last year, the weather was so nice and we all enjoyed it by the pool. This year was no different! My boys prefer to stay at home, especially when it's early. My husband would much rather cook than go to a restaurant. I just want a place with great ambiance, and I'm okay with this view! These pictures were taken only a couple of weeks apart, but check out the difference in my roses. We also added these blue umbrellas the night before from At Home to provide a bit of shade from the late afternoon sun. My parents came over for dinner that evening, and we definitely wanted to be in the shade since it's already heating up here in Houston. Before dinner we had pina coladas by the pool. The breeze was amazing! It truly felt like we were at a resort.
I'm working on the lower area by the pool now. I just ordered a few items so I'm thinking the patio areas should be complete in a couple of weeks. The next step is to hire a landscaper for the yard. It will take several years to complete everything I have in mind since we have almost half an acre, but I'd love to get started with plantings by the fence line this spring. Stay tuned!
A local talk show called Houston Life contacted me recently to share two of my Easter tablescapes on live TV. Of course, I said yes! I had less than a week to prepare so I had to decide on an adult table and a kids table theme, and then shop for both in just a few days. It was absolutely chaotic, especially since I was working with clients at the same time!
Instead of being at the mercy of what the stores had left I decided to work with what I had on hand for the adult table, which meant my china and chinoiserie vases. I decided to look for a spring color to supplement the blue and white. Thankfully, everything goes with blue and white! I found the most beautiful blush chargers at Pottery Barn and went from there. I added napkins with a bit of pink, and then I repeated the color with macaroons, bejeweled eggs and rose wine because that's an inexpensive way to repeat a color. I eventually added a third color by with the addition of a green and white trellis runner and cabbage leaf bowls.
Here are impromptu shots over the weekend as I was putting it all together.
The second table was a kids table. I had nothing on hand for that one! I decided to let my imagination run with that one instead of pulling every kitschy kids item in a big chain store. Every viewer can do that with a few hundred dollars. That's not very inspiring since most of us aren't going to spend that kind of money, and the retail stores already have those displays set up. I decided on a vegetable patch theme with real produce. The huge leaves of mustard greens make a great table runner by the way! I piled on purple leaves, radishes and carrots. Then I went shopping for garden related items. I was thinking about anything galvanized, watering cans, and shovels. Of course there had to be a bunny in there too! I made this functional by adding a dessert tray and a kids craft area.
I love the ball glass to hold pencils and the basket to hold the kids craft. I also found a watering can and added a sunflower arrangement.
The kids dessert tray was decorated with moss and faux Easter eggs. It was so hard to keep the kids from eating all of this! I couldn't believe my luck when I found the cabbage placemat, vegetable salad plates and garden themed napkins at Pier 1.
Here it is all set up before the show!
It was a little nerve wracking because I was supposed to have two tables, but we ended up having to combine everything on one table. I wasn't sure if it would all fit! I even considered editing down the items or suggesting to cut the kids table, but the producer had already mentioned the decor in a teaser. Thankfully, I was able to get everything on there. All of that rushing ended up being a good thing in the end because I never had enough time to work myself up into being nervous in front of the camera. I had a wonderful host too that prompted me throughout the entire segment.
Click on the picture below for a link if you'd like to watch!
So, I've never decorated any part of my home for Easter. Before I had kids I always imagined that I would have a family of ceramic bunnies in my kitchen and giant faux Easter eggs in my front yard. Then, I had kids and realized my former self was insane. I can barely keep up with the necessary parts of Easter, like stuffing tons of plastic eggs with candy the night before my kids' school egg hunts. This year I finally shopped early and spent the extra money for pre-filled eggs. Why didn't I do that before? I also found a few Easter décor items for the house while out shopping this week. I can't tell you how together I feel right now.
Breakfast Room Centerpiece
The coffee bar got bunnified, too.
The eggs are from Pottery Barn, which are already on sale. Both of the bunnies were found at World Market for just a few dollars each. These touches of Easter may be small, but they made a big impact with the little guys in this house. Plus, smaller décor is easier to store!
