Children’s Easter Table at Bunnyville

 

I posted this Bunnyville table a few years ago, and this year again Sweet Baby Love came over and we set Bunnyville up! It was precious that this year (she’s 7 now) she remembered so many of the houses, and was actually looking for specific ones! We didn’t set a table; we just set Bunnyville up. I have tons of pictures, of course, but not ready for posting. When I read the sweet comments from the first time it was posted I was inspired to share it again. Happy Easter 2015! May you celebrate His Resurrection in peace and joy. ~Zuni

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I started collecting pieces for "Bunnyville” in the '90s, well before grandbabies came along.  They graced many a spring/Easter family gathering, and at one we even did a “tour” of Bunnyville—I served as the tour guide, showing our guests the “park,” the “wedding chapel,” the “downtown” area….  But for several years now Bunnyville hasn’t been laid out, until I decided that Sweet Baby Love, who is five, was ready to see and enjoy Bunnyville.

And enjoy she did!  Each one she took out of its box was accompanied by “Oh, look how cute!”

I let her arrange and re-arrange to her heart’s content, and make up stories about them as she played happily.

Once she headed home, I set a pretend table for her and her little brothers, using their Bunnykins dishes that were their dad’s and uncle’s (we’ve bought a third set, of the same vintage, for Baby #3)~~

The silverware was also our sons’—in fact, this fork has even met with the disposal, but I gently straightened it back, and now the marks it bears are just proof of having fed two generations of babies.

Beatrix Potter’s “Peber” Rabbit, as SBL called him when she was little, is one of my favorites, so when our DIL bought one for each of the three babies at Barnes & Noble last year, I bought these two, just in case one or two more babies come along.    I knew they would be well used in the meantime.  I filled them with the egg napkin rings my mother made years ago that I used (see http://chickadeehomenest.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-table-vignettes.html (you may need to use the CONTROL key to link…I’m having problems with my links)).

I used the carrots in last year’s Easter post too—I like the color and texture they provide, and the tiny clothes pins with carrots on them are perfect for holding the place card.

You don’t see these “Bunnyville” pieces anymore, but I loved the details and the sweet stories you can create around them then, and still love them today.  Here are some of my favorites:

Mama Bunny with an apron full of her babies—there are three more around her back—is SBL’s favorite, and it, along with the one shown above of the hollow tree full of babies, are my two favorites. And see the bunny at her mushroom house window?  She’s setting a pie on the window sill.

And this is the playground at Bunnyville Park.  There are lovely swings from the trees, and birdie couples singing from their nests, and what would a playground be without some ornery bunnies climbing not a tree, but a GIANT CARROT?!  Bunnies are very active, you know.

In this “egg house” we see a bunny’s tail end, standing on her tiny bed, complete with pillow, curtains, and tiny slippers, and outside we see that she’s actually joining her brother in sliding right out the window! 

Happy Easter to you and yours, as you celebrate and rejoice in the blessings of the season.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

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From my nest to yours, ~Zuni

Irises—Urban Garden

A couple of years ago I did a post about the Urban Oasis I “found” when I went to get my hair done. I went at just the right time, and was able to capture the most amazing display of tulips in a small urban piece of land that doesn’t even belong to the gardener!

Here’s a glimpse of it ~

You can see the rest of the post here

But this gentleman doesn’t just do tulips…oh, no…He also has planted IRISES, and again, my timing was perfect. Although the tulips will bloom first (and they haven’t yet), since we’re all so anxious for spring I thought I’d share his gift to the world now, in anticipation of spring and the riot of color I hope to see again this year.

No narrative needed. I invite you to sit back and enjoy not only the simple beauty of this urban lot, but also the fact that a single man created it, for all to enjoy.

 

   

 

And finally, I leave you with this sweetness:

Has spring arrived in your corner of the world? Or are you, like me, dreaming about it still? If you are, I hope these pictures will bring H O P E that yes, spring will come. (It was 18°here this morning, so H O P E is important!)

As we celebrate this joys season of Christ’s Resurrection, I wish you joy and peace.

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

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Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays Creative Collection at http://thecardswedrew.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

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Friday Tatertots and Jello at http://tatertotsandjello.com

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Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

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From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Spring Decorations

Well, it’s still March, and here in central Ohio the sun in shining brighter and is teasing us into thinking that it’s spring, but walk outside and you’ll be quickly reminded that, nope, not yet. This morning it was 29° when I got up! That’s below

f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g!! BRRRRRR

But Easter will be here in two weeks, so it’s time to put our Easter bonnets on and at least decorate as though it’s spring!

First, I’ll share what I’ve done inside, then we’ll move to the outside.

Recently it occurred to me that my MIL’s writing desk was too hidden where we had it, and so with a little help from Mr. CHN we switched it with the buffet, and I like it! We’ve never had the writing desk in this spot, and it seems to open up the room so much! Perfect for spring!

So here’s the spring vignette for the writing desk~

This sweet teacup, with violets and yellow “violets” said spring to me as I searched through my collection, so she was chose to join the spring vignette.

The right side of the writing desk holds a vintage crystal bowl filled with marble eggs, and can you see the teeny, tiny lights on the twigs to the right? Here they are, lit!

I just love these little lights in the evening! We bought them years ago in a boutique, and I’ll tell you, I’ve gotten our money’s worth out of them! I added more twigs to make them more natural, and we keep them in the blue-and-white umbrella stand year-round. They’re great for seasonal decorating. I’ve decorated them with felt hearts for Valentine’s Day and several other holidays.

And as you walk in, this is what you would see ~

(Here’s a silly little secret: Unless we’re having extreme heat or cold, we keep our front door open, since we have the storm door. Which means everyone and anyone who walks by can peek in as they walk by, and our neighborhood is a walking neighborhood—lots of folks are out all the time. So after I’ve done something that would be visible from outside, I take my own stroll out there (sometimes I drag Mr. CHN with me), and I peek in (yes, into our own home!), because you know…you have to see what your neighbors are seeing as they walk by!) LOL   Now I’m SURE no blogger EVER looks in houses as they walk or drive by, right?

Another touch of spring and Easter is my Southern Living Ballard Designs tiered basket. Boy does this basket get a workout! It’s so versatile, and we have the perfect spot for it on our tall counter/bar, which is what I need there—something tall that makes a statement! This basket is one big,tall basket! I love the handle on it—like a shovel handle!

The feather wreath (top shelf of basket) and the glass eggs on the bottom shelf were great garage sale finds a couple of years ago, and the papier-mâché eggs are from Tuesday Morning a few years ago. They’re made in Germany, and the designs are just precious.Now that we’re expecting another chickadee, I hope I can find one more! <3

While in the mood, I also did a little something on the dining room table and the screened porch :)

These are candles that I actually have on eBay to sell, but as I took pictures of them on our table I decided they added a nice touch of spring color to the table, so I’ll enjoy them until they go to another happy home!

Because we have such a direct view of our screened porch and beyond, it’s important that we have nice seasonal touches out there. Forsythia and GIANT eggs (another garage sale find), as well as a few more marble ones were a quick addition that says “SPRING.” (I’m always in search of my first glimpse of {real} forsythia. It’s a sure sign that spring is coming!)

And finally, the front door and porch ~

Welcome! A simple forsythia bouquet, tied with glittery green and white tulle, provides a simple-yet-colorful touch. Since we have a storm door, the arrangements on the door must be “crushable,” and this one is!

 

  And, when you come over for a visit, this is what you’ll see on the front porch! (It’ll be lovely out here when it’s warmer, so maybe you should wait a month or so, but please do stop by!)

 

I’ll leave you with shadow play, which as you know, I love.

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Tell me, what have you done in terms of spring decor? Are you in the mood yet? What early spring flower tells you it’s spring? (BTW, I also watch for crocuses. They’re so brave to sometimes bloom right through the snow!)

I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Making Monday at http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

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Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

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Tuesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

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Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays Creative Collection at http://thecardswedrew.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Fridays at The Thrifty Groove at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Friday Tatertots and Jello at http://tatertotsandjello.com

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Friday at The Girl Creative at http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Easy Ways to Style Your China Cabinet for the Seasons

 

Easy Ways

to Style

Your China Cabinet

by Chickadee Home Nest

As I thought about this post it occurred to me, “My blog should really be called “The Lazy Decorator,”” because if there’s an easy way to do something, or a shortcut—I’m there!

And here’s a perfect example: Many of you know that I like to decorate/refresh our china cabinet for the seasons and holidays. I find that if I leave it be for very long it starts to feel lifeless, like it’s there as a shrine, or as a “Hands off: This stuff isn’t meant to be touched and used!” That’s exactly why I took the doors off—I wanted our china cabinet to be approachable and inviting, and to serve as active storage.

Here’s how it looked before, with the doors ~

Then, with the doors removed ~

So much more inviting, don’t you think? It’s as if it’s saying, “Come on over and use the stuff here! Live with it! Enjoy it!” And, as you can see, in each of the two pictures it’s decorated for the season or holiday: Valentines above, Spring below. You can see the whole post here.

My challenge for today’s post was to keep the foundational pieces I’ve had in the china cabinet for almost three months and change only the embellishments, hoping to show you that it doesn’t take a total re-do to bring your china to life and keep it current for the season or the holiday.

Here’s the china cabinet with what turned out to be the foundational pieces that have carried me from post-Christmas until now:

From there, still keeping the foundational pieces—the white pieces—I moved to early Spring~

Notice that I left the snowy little trees, after all, it was only February and we still had LOTS of snow (and lots to come!). I even kept the deer on top, though you can hardly see them in this picture. So I simply added the violet tea cups and the violets as we i-n-c-h-e-d into Spring, because I was sooooo ready for some color and signs of Spring! You can see the full post here.

Here’s a close-up of the early splash of Spring color~

 

Yesterday and this morning we had lots of rain. Welcome, because it got rid of the last bits of snow we had left (which we thought would be around at least until, oh, JUNE!!), so I was inspired to get with the program and do a bit of Spring and Easter decorating. Yea!! AND…sunshine later in the day!

First on the list…you guessed it! The china cabinet! As I’ve mentioned before, our floor plan is very open, so as the china cabinet goes, so goes the mood and the season at our house!

So on with my challenge, and here’s today’s Spring china cabinet~

  Notice the foundational pieces remain exactly the same. I was tempted to switch some pieces out as I rummaged through my Easter and Spring bins, but nope! I stuck to my challenge of using the same white pieces one more time. A few silk flowers tucked in here and there, and the addition of my favorite Nicodemus chubby robin and bunny, and voilà! We have a Spring china cabinet with minimal effort! (I did switch the deer out for a chippy basket painted in Annie Sloan Duck Egg. It was time for them to go hibernate until winter!)

  In the early Spring version this sterling compote held dried roses with touches of preserved cedar. A nestful of eggs and a splash of color from the daffodils, and it says Spring!

These glass “cups” are votives now repurposed as vases, and the silver “vase” is a salt or pepper shaker.

Wow!! I have these “crocuses” in yellow and pink. I wasn’t sure which I was going to prefer, but once I put the pink in the white sugar bowl, I didn’t even try the yellow! Love the splash of happy color!

In its previous rendition this Pfaltzgraff creamer held vintage knives, and the cloche simply had a tiny sprig of baby’s breath. Just one little crocus for a bit of color.

Just some speckled eggs in the Waterford goblet—the colors go well with the robin and bunny.

Forsythia!! Every year I search for the first forsythia bloom…JOY! It means Spring really has arrived! For now, only in the silk version, but it does the trick!

Gotta have chickadees in our china cabinet! Did you notice they’re a salt-and-pepper set?

I absolutely love this darling little spoon, though I don’t know exactly what its intended purpose was—do you? I’ve always thought of it and used it as a jelly spoon, but I’m not sure about that. I’d love to know if you know!

  You’ve seen this darling silver cup before, I’m sure. It was in an auction box lot! What a find! In the previous display it only held the baby’s breath, and liking the white, I simply added a sprig of {faux} stephanotis.

Okay…here’s one change I forgot about! In the former displays I had a darling miniature milk glass sugar bowl where the glass one now sits. I’d had it on Etsy, and when I saw that Beverly, from How Sweet the Sound (here) holds a Blog Shop where you can add the items you have for sale on Etsy, eBay, or your blog, I added my Etsy items. Lo and behold, Beverly herself bought the sweet sugar bowl and another milk glass vase! If you have items for sale, be sure to visit her!

This little silver tray and “bronzy” spoon were already there on the china cabinet. I simply added the “grass” and daffodils. This spoon is perfect for the Spring setting—it always reminds me of a hosta Patriot leaf.

So…have I convinced you about how easy it is to update your china cabinet and enticed you to use yours as a seasonal display? I can’t wait to hear from you!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Making Monday at http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

DIY Design Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Thursday Share Your Style at http://northernnesting.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Fridays Creative Collection at http://thecardswedrew.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Fridays at The Thrifty Groove at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Friday Tatertots and Jello at http://tatertotsandjello.com

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Friday at The Girl Creative at http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Spotlight Saturdays at http://www.classyclutter.net/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni