How to Create an Easter Centerpiece in 3 Easy Steps

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Good Morning! I’m working on some Easter decorations and thought I’d share my 3 step method for those of you that might get stuck and need some inspiration. Breaking it down into 3 simple steps makes things so much easier!

Things you already own can be used as a container!

Step #1 Pick a Container

I “shopped” around my house for options to use as a container for a centerpiece. These things all seemed to have Easter-like colors or inspired me with an idea. The clear glass kitchen canisters can be purchased at Walmart. They are made by Anchor Hocking and you can find them in the kitchen storage section. The antique Ball jar, jadeite bowl, Brush McCoy bowl, and milk glass sugar bowl were all items that I’ve picked up over the years.

For help finding these, check the floral department of a craft store.

Step #2 Pick a Filler

Most Easter decorations are inspired by nature: rabbits, chicks, eggs, carrots. I tried to keep in this mindset while I picked up some dried moss, raffia, Easter grass made of straw, and natural looking eggs. I found all of these at Michaels. The Easter stuff was all 40% off, plus I had a 20% off everything coupon. Sweet!

My cast of Easter characters that I used for focal points.

Step #3 Choose Your Focal Point

Find something to be at the center of your centerpiece. 😉 I’ve had the ducks for years; I think they actually came from Party City. The lamb has been around a while, too. Hobby Lobby, maybe? The rabbits are all new from World Market. (Oh, I love you World Market.)

Put the filler into the container and arrange the focal point. That’s it!

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1. Jadeite bowl 2. Straw grass and eggs 3. Bunny
1. Cake plate for a container 2. Moss and straw grass 3. Egg holder (World Market)

Same as above, except the focal point is the lamb.

1. Extra large glass canister 2. Dried moss and eggs 3. Rabbit (I did add some ribbon to this one.)
Same as above except I put in an antique book and the smaller bunnies.
1. Antique Ball jar 2. Straw grass 3. The eggs are the focal point in this one!
//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.jsI truly hope this helps you create some lovely decorations for your home. I’d love to see your creations or to know what was helpful for you.

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Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

I’m in the holiday decorating mood today, but Ken is at work and there is no way that I’m attempting to shop for decorations with the kids in tow. Yesterday I hit up Home Depot with them, and by the time we got home, Mama needed something a whole lot stronger than hot chocolate.

So after scrounging around the house for materials that I already had on hand, I decided to get a little creative.

First I got together some different kinds of ribbon. I already had all of these at the house. On the right is a jute ribbon that I purchased from Save-On-Crafts.com several months ago. The other 5 types were all purchased at Michaels. The burlap style ones (all but the plaid) were purchased within the past 6 weeks. They have wired edges.

Next, I rounded up some containers. I use metal-type buckets for all of the kids birthday parties. I just change out a piece of ribbon on the handle to go with whatever the color/theme is. They’re great for utensils, etc. I also got some of the cuttings from our Christmas tree.

Three of the containers came from Goodwill: the wire egg basket, the fruit orchard basket, and the galvanized pail. The metal pail in the middle of the back row is a 2.5 paint bucket from Home Depot. It’s been a while since I bought it, but I think it was around $2. The oval shaped pail came from Target. It was in the “Dollar Spot” for $2.50.

Finally, I scrounged around and found some things to fill the buckets with.

I decided to start with the galvanized bucket. I layered two of the ribbons around it.

Proof in the background of yesterday’s Home Depot experience. Next I added some Epsom salts and a green tea light candle to a Ball jar. The jar, candle, and some Christmas tree cuttings were all nestled into the bucket. (I ended up not using the candles in the picture. I thought they were a little too big.)

Okay, so next I decided to play with the Home Depot paint bucket. He got two different ribbons layered onto the outside. He also got the same jar and candle routine.

Finally, I decided to use the orchard basket by the front door. I didn’t want to use a candle this time, so I opted to just fill it with tree cuttings.

The moral of the story is, try to use what you already have on hand. If you’ve got it, flaunt it! That’s all for now! I have some other ideas that I’m working on. Stay tuned.

By the way, if you hadn’t heard, our Etsy shop is opened! We are gradually getting lots of vintage, antique, and handmade items listed. Check it out! 🙂

Merry Christmas!
XOXO,
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Abby SmolarskyLeave a comment

That’s just crate!

October is always really hectic at our house. It’s my favorite month of the year, and I always have a million fantastic unrealistic ways that I want to spend the autumnal season. I think October might be busier at our house than December. We have soccer games and family birthdays, not to mention the traditional pumpkin picking, carving, and eating that goes along with season. So when I registered to sell at a craft fair this month, I obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. I do happen to operate well on a time deadline, so you guessed it…another adventure!

I needed some way to display my wares at the craft fair. Not having a lot of extra time (see above) or money (see above), I wanted to do something fast and easy. I was inspired by these two guys below that I have used in vignettes around the holidays. The chippy red bench came from my sister’s garage sale about 10 years ago. And the green crate came from someplace like JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby.

Next I did a search on Pinterest for crates. Don’t you just love Pinterest? Of course, I found some inspiration.
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First I found this DIY crate project from Vintage Chic.


Next I found some inspiration for creating a vinegar stain from The Money Pit

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I decided that I wanted to create some crates that looked like they were left in a barn. I gathered my materials, which included: two unfinished crates from Michaels, apple cider vinegar, a mason jar, a foam brush, some pennies, tea bags, and some steel wool. The crates were normally $12.99, but I used a 40% off coupon for each (purchased on different days) and a 20% off total purchase coupon. I found the vinegar, tea, jar, and brush at Walmart. The steel wool came from Home Depot in the paint department.


Don’t you love the patina showing on Abe? I have another project with these coming up in the future that I can’t wait to show you.

Step 1. Make the stain. Fill the jar with the apple cider vinegar. Add the steel wool, pennies, and tea. The website I found didn’t do it exactly like this. But I like to experiment, so I came up with my own stain cocktail recipe. I left it sitting on my counter for 2-3 days. You have to be careful with the tea, though, because it will mold. I took the tea bags out after a few hours.



Step 2. Sand the rough edges. (Oops, I didn’t picture my sanding block!) You will want to decide how much to sand, depending on how you’re using the crates. I wanted mine to be rough and old looking, so I only sanded the rough edges and splinters.

Step 3. Find a spot where you can get messy. This may be a DIY stain made with materials from home, but it is a stain. And it does. Stain. Even concrete in a garage. This would be great outside on the grass with some newspapers.

Step 4. Give the steel wool in the jar a few dunks up and down to get all of the fantastic color mixing through. Dip your foam brush in and, going with the grain of the wood, start brushing it on. The more coats you do the darker it gets. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look like it’s doing anything at first. The wood reacts with the ingredients and starts to change color. I did three coats on mine.

Here’s the before and after.


This was one of the easiest projects I’ve done. When I have time, I plan on adding some wording to the sides of the crates, either my company logo or something utilitarian like, “Peaches.” Don’t feel like you have the time for this project? No worries, you can purchase weathered looking crates online!

Let me know what you think!


XOXO,
Abby

P.S. Here is a great site to get steel wool from, delivered right to your door! Red Devil 630-0316 Steel Wool Course #3 (Google Affiliate Ad) //assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js

Abby Smolarsky6 Comments