LET’S CRACK ON WITH EASTER...
Don’t allow the health crisis to lockdown your creativity this weekend, says Emma J. Page
Many of us will be celebrating Easter on the hoof this year — with little chance to go outside or see extended family.
But that doesn’t mean that the spring holiday can’t be memorable. The key is to abandon the idea of perfection and embrace the moment with what you have to hand . . .
SET THE SCENE
CREATING a celebratory atmosphere, even with the simplest of materials, will help this weekend feel special.
Make the dining table your centre piece. Work with what you have to hand — for example, raid your ribbon drawer for raffia or velvet to tie around napkins.
an easy way to create a considered effect is to layer. ‘if you have a colourful tablecloth, pick out a few tones and build on those as you layer up with cutlery, placemats, flowers, glasses and plates,’ says The Edition 94’s india Whalley ( theedition94.com). ‘add colourful candles along the centre.’
CREATE A WREATH
look to bring the outside in. ‘Combining blossom branches and bulb flowers with the past season’s dried twigs, seed heads and moss creates balance between old and new and imbues Easter with beauty and meaning,’ says anna Potter, author of The Flower Fix (White lion Publishing).
‘Use these materials to create a wreath. only a roll of wire or twine is needed — a circular frame is handy but this can also be created by bending willow or other malleable twigs.
‘Vines such as ivy, clematis and honeysuckle can be wrapped around it. Spritz with water every day.’
POT PLANTS IN CANS
ANOTHER trick is to buy some potted herbs during your weekly shop at the supermarket.
Pop these into washed and dried tin cans. Bloomsbury Flowers’ Mark Welford ( bloomsburyflowers.
co.uk) suggests dusting off the battery fairy lights usually used at
Christmas. ‘Thread them along the table or dress your foliage arrangement with them,’ he says. ‘if you come across some ivy trails, snip off a few and weave them in.’
PUT ON A FEAST
WHEN it comes to food, remember Easter feasts come in all shapes and sizes and even everyday staples can be elevated to something special.
Food writer and photographer Melanie Johnson ( melathome.com) suggests making a soup with leftover vegetables: ‘Serve in cups with saucers and top with softly whipped cream to make vegetable cappuccinos. These add a sense of fun for everyone.’
HANG PAINTED EGGS
GET children involved by painting eggs. To do this, nestle fresh eggs in an egg box with a piece of kitchen roll beneath them to help them sit firmly. Take a small nail and hold it on the top of each egg and tap gently, making a small hole. Turn them over to make holes on the opposite end. Then blow the eggs out of their shells using a bowl to catch the fluid.
rinse them out with water and gently pat dry. Use child-friendly acrylic paints or watercolours to decorate them.
instagram influencer rosanna Falconer (@ rosannafalconer) marbles hers with nail polish. ‘Simply swirl three colours on the surface of warm water before dipping the egg straight in,’ she says. ‘They will dry in an hour.’
Then thread the eggs with ribbon using a pin, before tying a knot in one end and leaving the other end loose, ready to hang.
FUN AND GAMES
an Easter egg hunt can still be a highlight. if you don’t have access to chocolate eggs, replace them with creative surprises, such as handwritten promises of treats, like ‘waffles and nutella’.
String plants and trees with decorative Easter items like eggs, bunnies and bunting. artist designer Chiara Perano ( ciao-chiara. says: ‘ gather glasses, napkins and ingredients, and make a mini-bar area, whether it’s a lemonade tray, or a negroni bar cart.’
This Easter, remember that anything goes — after all, these are truly exceptional times.