Easter – Cottage Green on the Lake

Easter Place Cards and Favors-DIY Mini Flower Pots

Ready for Easter and perched on a stack of plates in the cupboard, this little planter would look fitting in Old Mrs. Rabbit’s shop alongside her… “rabbit-wool mittens and muffatees…her herbs, and rosemary tea, and rabbit-tobacco (which is what we call lavender.)”

It’s hard to believe it’s time to celebrate another glorious Easter! Here’s a fun and easy DIY favor that is so whimsical and garden-esque, even Peter Rabbit would happily forgo marauding Mr. McGregor’s garden patch to come sit at your Easter table! These little flowerpots, covered in chippy white paint and decoupaged labels, have twiggy handles adorning their tops and look like rustic, little baskets! Guest’s names are written on the back and the flowerpots serve double-duty as charming “place cards” (showing every bunny where to sit) and can also be given as favors, and a sweet remembrance of the day.

A Tablescape and Spring Buffet Plus, Decorating Tips for your Home

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Brilliant blue skies, birds in construction mode flying back and forth with building materials in their beaks, Mourning Doves cooing, Barn Swallows swooping, Mockingbird’s singing, beautiful wisteria, azaleas, and roses blooming in all shades of pretty…it’s Spring!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Easter Giveaway and Antique and Flea Market Finds

I love Depression Glass salt and pepper shakers: their colors, lined details, embossed flowers, and their ruggedy little tops that are dented and worn, whisper of days forgotten, if you listen………………

It’s almost spring and to celebrate I have 2 sweet bunny gifts to give away for 2 lucky winners, just in time for Easter! I’ll give you the complete set of instructions on how to enter, at the conclusion of this post. It seems so long ago since I wrote my last blog, on decoupaging terra cotta planters. A lot has happened since then and I’m sorry, I am just now writing again. Four weeks ago I had a terrifying experience when I was out in the cottage greenhouse.

Bunny Tablescape and Easter Desserts … Carrot-patch Cupcakes & Cottontail Spice Cookies

“Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!”

Today was a glorious Easter and celebration of Resurrection Day! Our day was spent rejoicing in Christ’s resurrection and also reflecting on the gift of everlasting life that Jesus has given to all that believe that He is God’s Son.

(Our front yard and neighbor’s yard with beautiful Azalea Majestic and Flowering Dogwood)

Before this day is over, I wanted to share this sweet bunny tablescape with you. It all began with this soft brown table runner with white fuzzy bunny’s from TJ Maxx.

I was thrilled when I saw how well the bunny runner matched the embroidered napkins I had already ordered, made by Mud Pie. The napkins were “almost” too cute to use, edged with white pom-poms and the word “HAPPY” sewn on each napkin!

I slipped each napkin into little grapevine wreaths that I made into napkin rings. They seemed like the perfect pairing since they are trimmed in green ivy and blossoms … which every bunny loves!

White serving pieces, also from Mud Pie add to the whimsy and “hoppy” theme of the table.

White Porcelain dishes edged with swags of pink rosebuds are piled into a favorite bunny crate and are ready to be placed at each setting.

Silver Cutlery looks elegant even casually “bunched” into a matching flower vase and are ready to be passed around the table.

Time for desserts! … chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting are sprinkled with ground graham cracker crumbs dyed with Wilton Green paste dye to look like grass. A foil wrapped carrot, with the foil removed from the tip of the carrot is inserted into the chocolate frosting to look like Mr. McGregor’s carrot patch!

Instructions for dying Graham Cracker Crumbs

To blend the paste dye into the graham cracker crumbs, add dye to a small amount of water and stir water to blend
Pour the tinted water into a ziploc bag filled with graham cracker crumbs
Knead the bag until the color spreads throughout the crumbs, adding more dye as needed.
After crumbs are the desired color, spread crumbs on rimmed cookie sheet and place in 275 degree oven until moisture is removed, 10 – 15 minutes.
Remove crumbs from oven and let cool before sprinkling on cupcakes

Speaking of Mr. McGregor’s carrot patch … Here’s a sweet little Peter Rabbit vignette I have displayed in my Music Room. These Wedgewood dishes are made in England and were just the right size for our daughter’s little hands and tea parties! Each dish is painted with Beatrix Potter’s charming pictures and inscribed with the words from her book “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” This is also a little teaser to one of my next blog’s all about … “Spring Vignette’s!” (;

Back to the desserts! Cottontail Spice cookies are “Cake Mix” Cookies and they are delicious and so easy to make!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
To any cake mix (I used a Spice Cake mix) just add 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil
Mix ingredients together and scoop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper
Bake approximately 9 minutes
Remove from oven and cool for 1 minute before placing cookies on wax paper to finish cooling.
Top with choice of frosting, using a decorator bag and tip.

Every bunny welcome!

Hope your Easter was filled with blessings and “sweet” endings!

From my cottage to your’s ~ Trenda

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This Way to the Easter Egg Hunt! Plus … DIY “Carrot Cutlery” & “Carrot” Bubble Wand

~ Trenda

“The stars at night are big and bright” ‘we Texans love to sing … look below the Red, Lone Star, your egg should be in sight!’ This is a clue from our Annual “Clan” Easter Egg Hunt that all of our family participates in! Each family member is assigned a particular color of egg and gets a sheet of numbered clues directing them to where their eggs are hidden. The eggs must be “gathered” in the same order that the clues are given. Each “participant’s clue sheet is in different order, so everyone is running to different locations at different times and can only pick up their color of egg. For our littlest ones, I have easier clues and pictures or numbers, marking where their eggs are! The first one to find all their eggs, gets the grand prize and our Family Egg Trophy to take home and display until the following year.

~Holly Pond Hill

Now, for this special Egg Hunt …. our picnic fare and ware has to be as “fun” as the occasion! (: Look at this bunny caddy crate! It looks darling loaded with bright green polka dotted plates, lime colored cutlery wrapped in orange napkins and tied with raffia (to look like carrots!) and tucked into this fun carrot vase, befitting any Bunny Picnic!

For each set of “carrot” tableware … place a green spoon, a green fork, and a green knife on top of an orange paper napkin; roll up so that the cutlery “peeks” out of the top of the napkin, like carrot tops and tie a raffia bow around each set of tableware.

A little whimsy and favor “For you!” … Slender orange bubble wands look like a bunch carrots – especially after I added a bit of gauzy green ribbon and a lime green label to each “carrot top!” To make my tags, I used my Recollections over-sized “punch” die-cutter (I bought mine from Michael’s) and stamped each label with the words “For You.” A little bubble fantasy and favor for each “participant.” (:

The Menu …

Grilled bratwurst
Potato Salad
Mr. McGregor’s Carrot & Celery Sticks served in a dipping cup with Ranch dressing
Peter Rabbit Carrot Cake Cookies w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Our Annual Clan Easter Egg Hunt has become one of our favorite family traditions with shouts of laughter and a special camaraderie and competition between the children and the adults! I love making up the little “sing-song” clues each year -like the sample above (; … that sends everyone scurrying all over the yard, out on the dock, and up the deck stairs looking for their eggs! From the pictures I take while everyone is dashing about, our son makes a video of the whole event complete with music, captions and headlines for everyone which becomes another treasured volume in our set of “family times.” ❤

P. S. I already heard that 2 of our Clan are wearing competition tee-shirts they’ve made in keeping with “the spirit of the day!” (: I can’t wait to see them!

I’d love to hear about some of your family traditions and hope you’re enjoying this glorious season of the year with loved ones and friends!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

DIY Easter Bunny Treat Bags

Trenda

“Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ down the bunny trail and I am happily preparing for our little bunny’s that are coming to dye dozens of eggs and … all “us bunny’s” here at Cottage Green are anticipating our Family Easter Egg Treasure Hunt, complete with prizes and a trophy! (: We have been out of town for the last 2 1/2 weeks so this week is going to be especially busy and “filled” with Easter preparations!

These “Big-earred Bunny Bags are so cute and take just a few minutes to make! They are reinforced paper sacks and hold lots of Easter goodies, dyed eggs, jelly beans, cupcakes, Peeps, Chicks, and sugary treats! I bought my treat bags, pink and white gingham ribbon, tissue paper, felt hearts, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes at Michael’s. (Tip: I used my glue gun instead of Elmer’s Glue-All to make my assembly time faster!) Plus, I also used a pair of scissors and a ruler.

Supplies needed:

To begin … adhere a pink felt heart in the center of each bag, for the bunny’s nose. Position and glue 2 googly eyes above each nose. Then, pull out two strands of shredded color paper. Fold both shredded tissue strands in half to make 4 whiskers for each side of the bunny’s nose. Place the 4 whiskers on one side of the heart, where they touch the “heart nose” and glue in place. Repeat process, and glue 4 more whiskers on the other side of the heart nose. Trim whiskers to desired length.

Simple Bow instructions:

Measure and cut a 12″ length of ribbon. Glue ends together to form a loop.
Gather ribbon together in the middle of the circled loop.
Hold tightly with fingers and secure with a pipe cleaner and twist.
Trim the two ends of the pipe cleaner near the “twist” with scissors or wire cutters for a neat presentation.
Cut another length of ribbon, approximately 2″ in length.
Fold ribbon in thirds, lengthwise and glue edges together.
Wrap this short length of ribbon around the pipe cleaner. Glue it on the underneath side of your bow, making sure it covers all of the pipe cleaner.
Glue bow to the top of your Bunny Treat Bag. (Since I have both little boy and little girl “bunny’s” … I made some of my Bunny Treat Bags without hair bows!)

To complete my Bunny Treat Bags I “stuffed” each bag with bunny ears made from gift wrap tissue paper. I cut one sheet of white tissue paper in half and formed a “bunny ear” by grasping the 1/2 sheet of tissue paper in the center. Then, while holding the center portion of the paper in one hand, I ran my other hand up over the tissue, while grasping it lightly to make loose folds. Then, I stuffed my “ear” into the treat bag so that the pointy ends of the tissue were sticking out to resemble a long ear. I repeated the entire process for the 2nd bunny ear, using the other 1/2 of the tissue paper. To form the pink “interior ears” I used my pink or my gingham gift tissue. Again, I cut each piece of gift tissue in half, “fluffed” my tissue and inserted into the bag, in front of the white outer ears. Use your imagination, they do look like Easter bunny ears!(;

Last touch … I “stuck” one more felt heart on the back of my Bunny Treat Bag (I used the same color heart as I used for the bunny’s nose) and placed it near the bottom of the treat bag. Then I glued a little pom pom on the heart to make a fuzzy little bunny tail! (:

Get ready for more fun and festive ideas coming this week ’cause … “hippity, hoppity Easter’s on it’s way!” (;

Today was another glorious Sunday at our church with Richard and I having the added joy of singing with our choir and presenting our Easter cantata Hope Alive In Me by Travis Cottrell. I love every aspect of Easter! The bunnies, the baskets, the eggs … the Cross, the Tomb, and the resurrection of Jesus … The “Hope Alive in Me!” It’s not all about the bunny, Easter is about The Lamb.” ❤

Thank you for spending some time with me today!

From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda

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~ Trenda

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Trenda

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