Easter Brunch Inspiration

Inspiration and blog post done by new shop girl, Rachel!

Hosting Easter brunch is one of my favorite annual activities!  I love to open up our house for spring; bring out the pastel colors and celebrate the day with a delicious meal, egg hunt and time with people we love.  Fresh blooms and floral patterns are my favorite way to decorate for Easter.  Sometimes it seems we overlook the kids table because so much of the celebration is focused around other children’s activities, but not this year!  This set-up pulls together an eye-catching display that’s sure to impress and, perhaps more importantly, entertain the smallest guests.

While it looks like a lot is happening here, simplicity is the goal! We can show you how to make it easy to layer patterns and textures, mix and match paper goods, use what you have and add elements of nature.

On this table we used an aqua table runner (festive wrapping or kraft paper is also a favorite), layered two Meri Meri Liberty Napkins on the table (because we know kids need more than one napkin) then set a base of our Meri Meri Toot Sweet Pink Stripe plates.  The iconic gold, scallop edge peeks out from underneath the textured appetizer plates and bowls in Pearly Pink and Caribbean Blue.  In the center of the plate we added Sugarfina Robin’s Egg Caramels and Baby Butterflies (available for purchase in store).

For additional table decor, add fun theme activities like this Meri Meri Bunny Dress Up Kit, stuffed animals like Hazel Village Bunnies, Liberty paper bunny ears or a decorative bunny balloon kit. These will occupy little ones while the adults socialize and finish their meal. We also added the adorable bunny backpacks on the backs of the chair, for the children to take home their fun Easter goodies.

Simplicity comes by mixing in what you already have on hand. Extra plastic eggs? The kiddos will have fun opening each one!  Easter grass? Crayons and paper? Toss them on the table!  In the shop, our best tablescapes often come together with the addition of small elements.  Plus, it’s always a win when decor doubles as a favor; bunny ears, bunny backpacks and pouches or Liberty Bunny Bags are all fun souvenirs for guests without a lot of work from the hostess.

The backdrop… to DIY or buy?

For a fresh and festive backdrop, head out for a walk with the littles and gather branches.  In about 40 minutes, we added greenery and florals to a fallen branch in order to create this hanging backdrop.

DIY Branch & Greenery Hanging Decor
Estimated time: 30-45 minutes
You’ll Need:
A branch or other hanger
Floral Wire
Flowers & greenery of your choice (we purchased at a local grocery store)
Optional: Eggs ornaments or other garland

To Make:
If you’re using fresh greenery and flowers, be sure to do this the day of your event so it’s as fresh as possible!
Cut stems to desired length
Wrap floral wire around the stem and connect to branch
Repeat until you have the desired look
For extra interest, hang egg ornaments from the middle or ends of the greenery

No time to DIY?  No worries!  Our favorite decor picks include the Meri Meri Liberty Happy Easter Garland, Meri Meri Floral Garland or The Flair Exchange tassel garland kit.

What are your favorite ways to celebrate Easter?  Did you try any of these ideas? We love to see your celebrations! Comment here or tag us on Instagram @loveofcharacter! Make sure you're following along to see some of our other Easter favorites, such as basket ideas.

Lots of Love,
Rachel

Little Ballerina Birthday

We are heading out of the shop on the blog today and sharing pictures from Leni's adorable ballerina birthday! Now that Leni is the big three, she is able to take ballet. My cousin, Kelly, wanted to celebrate her birthday with pink and tutus. Definitely an adorable theme for a little girl.

For food, Leni wanted her local favorite, Barnards. That girl knows what she wants! Plus, the selection definitely went over well with her little party guests. I always love when parents let their littles give input on party details. Kelly also made some adorable marshmallow tutus to add a touch of ballerina to the food spread. There are different recipes for these on Pinterest. She picked up some pale pink plates and gold polka dot napkins at the shop to set out with the food.

The masterpiece of the party table? Leni's ballet cake! Kelly went to her usual local favorite, Cheri's Bakery, and made her requests. It turned out beautifully and we didn't want to cut into it. I think Kelly shed a tear taking the first cut. For an additional dessert, Kelly ordered tutu cookies, which Leni also took to school to pass out. Both made for gorgeous table decor.

Kelly got crafty for the party table, and made a tulle tutu skirt. It takes some patience and a lot of tulle, but the end result is adorable for a ballerina or princess party. She layered a ballerina garland from our shop on top. The different colored tutus on the ballerinas popped against the light pink tulle. I also had to snap a picture of Leni's adorable new ballet shoes - they're so small!

For the invitations, we worked with a local designer I carry at the store, Gretchen with p.ink creative. She has this vintage ballerina design and it worked perfectly for the party. For a little flair, Kelly added pink rhinestone stickers to the ballerina.

This little ballerina had a wonderful time dancing into the age of three! She was excited to party with her cousins and friends. Now we just need to get her into those ballet classes! Next session she will be ready. Pom pom tutu and all.

Lots of Love,

Baby Shower Flamingle

Last month, two friends hosted an adorable Florida inspired shower for their friend visiting from the sunshine state. They filled the space with flowers and pastels with pops of gold. Luckily, the weather outside cooperated with their theme and it was a beautiful day! Savanna and Ashley wanted to make sure the mom-to-be had a lovely afternoon with old friends.

For the tableware, they picked a fun mix of aqua, pinks and golds. To add a tropical touch, they picked flamingo napkins and pineapple plates. They also added a fun mix of paper cups - pink stripes, gold scallops and gold polka dots - for the drink table. Mixing patterns and colors is a great way to add character to your party and give you a "Pinterest" look.

On the tables, Ashley brought in a roll of white paper with gold polka dots. Quick and easy way to cover tables. For decorations, they added a few simple flower arrangements, books, snacks and "Wishes for Baby" cards. The guests filled out these cards as a memento for the mom-to-be to take home. Fun activity that is simple and easy for the guest of honor to take home. They put together the tables in a U shape, so guests were able to easily socialize and watch the mom-to-be open their gifts. This has been a shower favorite lately. They added pastel balloons, a fun banner and baby pictures of the mom and dad for a personal touch on the backdrop.

Photos via Mary

The hostesses had quite the spread for their guests! Included in the spread, were gorgeous cookies made by one of our favorites, Sweet Sugarlicious. She played with the tropical theme making cookies in the shape of pineapples, monkeys, bananas, flamingos and adorable onesies with the baby name. They also ordered a fun pineapple cake.. It was the perfect pop of bright color on the food table that coordinated well with the gorgeous floral arrangement. Next to the pineapple plates and flamingo napkins, the tropical look came together in a pretty and settle way.

It was a beautiful afternoon full of sunlight and pastel colors. Thank you for hosting at the shop and I hope you all had a wonderful time!

Lots of Love,