Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Tiptoe Through the Daffodils





Easter has come and gone, 
and April is knocking at our doors. 

 I had planned a "tiptoe through the tulips" 
sort of theme for Easter 2016.

When I spotted these adorable golden bunnies
while in Dallas during February, I knew they
would be fun with my group of Courtly Check vases 
and urns that I had used for my Queen of Hearts
table for Valentine's Day here.

My plan was to exchange the red tulips for pink,
use stacks of gardening books in 
place of the red themed decorating books,
and trade out the Queens of Hearts for bunnies.

The crowns and 
Courtly Check hearts
hanging from the brass chandelier  .   .   .

Gave way to frolicking bunnies
and Courtly Check Easter themed figures.

It all came together easily, and we've  enjoyed a lovely
spring table during the month of March.  
Fresh tulips filled the vases each week
while tulip bouquets were available for just a few dollars.

But by Easter week, tulip prices were suddenly 
two and three times what I had been paying.

I decided it best to tiptoe
through the daffodils instead.  
With daffodils available for two dollars
a bouquet, it was an easy choice.

A few girlfriends came over early in the week
for a light but delicious chicken hack salad.

Before dinner we munched on chips and guacamole and 
healthy "rabbit food,"  along with a glass or two of prosecco.
 Lemon tarts were our treat for dessert.

It was a lovely spring evening
out on the terrace under the full moon.

Our Texas weather didn't cooperate for an
Easter Sunday alfresco brunch as planned, so
Saturday afternoon I decided to set the table inside.

The William Sonoma rabbit offered to load up his
  basket with daffodils and hop on board as our centerpiece.
Limoges boxes, gifts from a sweet friend through the years,
were nestled in the grass below.

The other bunnies and daffodils that had been on the table
settled in on the buffet and on tables on the sun porch.

 Wedgwood Nantucket Basket was the obvious
choice with the woven basket detail, and green chargers
added just the right color with the natural linens.
Petite vases of daffodils brightened each place setting.

The Texas Easter Bunny filled festive cones
with special chocolates for each of our guests to take home.


We enjoyed tasty appetizers with
 champagne to start us off.

I had to have at least 
one bouquet of tulips for Easter!
The vintage Easter toys were finds while
antique shopping last year.  
They are J. Chein and Co. tin toys 
from the 1940s and 1950s, 
a bit of nostalgia from my own childhood. 

Small bites of smoked trout and smoked salmon
are one of the chef's specialties.

~ Easter Brunch ~
French Toast Sticks with Maple Syrup 
Open Face Ham and Scrambled Egg Sandwich
Caramalized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart
Bacon and Sausage Medly
Tri Colored Salad

Lemon curd tarts were my "go to" dessert for Easter week.
My inspiration was that cute lemon curd tart with a
pie crust bunny seen in the top left corner of the mosaic above.  
Jain @ A Quiet Life shared the idea in a post here.
The bunny chalkboard was an Easter gift
from a friend that arrived in time to do dessert buffet duty.

Pier 1 was the source for the cute paper napkins.
~ Life Needs More Chocolate Bunnies ~
As well as the darling bunny plates.

That's it for our Easter 2016.
Thanks for stopping by.
Tell me about your Easter ~ I'm all ears!




Click here to join.











Monday, March 21, 2016

A Trio of Bunnies ~ Easter @ My Friend Susan's








My friend, Susan, who lives in Dallas

shared photos of her Easter table.





Susan's sunny diningroom

features a beautiful Louis XVI style table.





Her natural linen placemats are the 

perfect texture for this spring setting that

features bunnies and carrots.




Faux carrots are tossed about,

and the gingham napkins have an 

embroidered bright orange carrot.

A special chocolate carrot awaits each guest.





Verdigre metal rabbits let everyone know

exactly where they are to sit.




This cute trio of carrot gatherers

are the stars of Susan's Easter table.





Wouldn't you be delighted 

to dine with these cute faces?





Happy Easter!
~~~~~~


Click here to see Susan's winter tablescape.




For Susan's charming breakfast table click here.



I'm linking this post to  Easter Inspirations Linky Party by My Little Inspirations

Joining

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

St. Patrick's Day ~ 2016





Welcome to 

Cuisine Kathleen's 8th Annual 

St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl.




  
Are you wearing a touch of green,

or are you lucky enough to have green eyes?





These two friends are permanent

sculptures at a local veterinary clinic here in town.





I always smile when I pass by and

see them frolicking together out on the lawn.





At times during the year, 

 they are decked out to celebrate special holidays.





They are adorable even when not in costume,

but you have to admit the holiday touches are clever.





Sadie's groomer always has a selection of handmade 

doggie treats available, and this is the

selection for St. Patrick's Day.





Our Sadie girl will get one of the lucky shamrock treats.

 Feeling extremely lucky that this precious girl 

came to live with us in March of 2012.  





It's your lucky day!

Two special cookies 

from the bakery just for you!

These are NOT doggie treats!





Happy St. Patrick's Day 2016!

May the luck of the Irish always be with you!

Be sure to stop by Cuisine Kathleen's



Also Joining




Friday, March 11, 2016

Hoppin Down a Trail of Easter Tables - Texas Bluebonnet Blog Hop



Welcome to the 

Texas Bluebonnet Blog Hop

With The The Lone Star Sisters

We invite you to join us for some springtime inspiration.


Only 16 days till Easter!




Easter comes at the end of March this year.

Though I much prefer to celebrate Easter in April,

I can't deny that our springtime weather

has me thinking of bunnies and beautiful flowers.




A Friend's Easter Mantel


I plan to host a small dinner party 

with girlfriends the week before Easter,

and we will also host an Easter Sunday brunch.

As I often do for inspiration, I pulled up my 

photo files of celebrations past.

Come along for a hop down the trail of a few

Easter tables set here at Hyacinths in past years.

~ Easter 2015 ~




Redbud blooms and an antique chippy iron 

rabbit were the centerpiece for last year's Easter table.




Soft pink linens, our MacKenzie-Childs pottery,

and some fun new bunny plates

filled out the table for Easter Brunch 2015.





Stop by here for a look at all the fun details.





While the new bunny plates and 

Ambiance Vintage Garden chargers

layered beautifully with the MacKenzie-Childs plates,





I also set the table with simple woven chargers 

under each plate for our casual everyday meals.

For the centerpiece, Mr. Chippy Bunny 

was paired with an antique French Jardiniere

filled with purple hyacinths and a collection

of hand painted eggs tucked in among the grass.


~ Easter 2013 ~




This table focused on textures and the colors of

fresh spring greens along with the

rich earth tones of the soil.

It was a refreshing change for me since I typically

use our MacKenzie-Childs dishes which are

a variety of pretty pastel shades.

Click here to view the complete post.

~ Easter 2012 ~



We hosted a group here for 

brunch outside on our terrace in 2012.

As you can see, this was definitely a pastel affair.




It was a perfect spring morning, 

and "Hen and Chicks" was the theme.





I chose to use succulents instead of spring flowers,

because I wanted to use "hen-and-chicks",

a succulent that I fondly remember 

growing in both my mother's and grandmother's gardens.

You can view the complete post here.

~ 2011 ~




Once again, pastels were the color of the day for

an alfresco setting of a spring luncheon.





Petite bunny creamers filled with flowers

did double duty at each place setting as they 

served as both a napkin holder and a

party favor for each guest. 




Click here to read the entire post.  

This post includes specific information about 

the various patterns of MacKenzie-Childs Taylor ceramics.

~ Easter 2009 ~




I had to hop way back into the archives for this one,

and I apologize for the less than stellar photos.

my thought is this table might offer a bit of inspiration in its

simplicity and the use of the pussy willow branches

with Easter ornaments instead of fresh flowers.

You can view the complete post here.


~ Easy Party Favor ~



If you like to send guests home with a party favor,

Johanna Parker's springtime tussie-mussie is easy to make.  

I filled mine with Easter candies, but you could

fill them with flowers or some small gift.  

The directions and pattern can be found here.



A friend's Tray of Bunnies


What are your plans for Easter 2016?

Will you host an Easter brunch or lunch?  

Please share your plans and ideas.

I'm always looking for new inspiration.



I'm linking this post to  Easter Inspirations Linky Party by My Little Inspirations


Also Joining

You are certain to be inspired by my fellow 

Lone Star Sisters at the links below.