EDITOR’S LETTER

Each time we finish up an issue, I like to spend a few quiet moments revisiting the beautiful country homes, ideas and projects inside to reflect on stories the homeowners have shared, vignettes that mark special holidays and antiques that resemble treasures my parents once owned. The lively spring decorating featured within these pages evokes happy childhood memories of coloring eggs for our Easter celebration, and one article in particular brought to mind a story that my mother liked to reminisce about when the holiday rolled around.

In “Spring Renewal” (pages 14–19), Country Sampler stylist René Haines put her fabulous flea-market finds to work as creative holders for eggs that she dyed and decorated in clever ways. After we photographed her projects, I asked René to save the fresh eggs that she colored with natural dyes, just in case we wanted to tweak one of the arrangements. I forgot about the eggs until about a month later, when René called to ask if she could throw them away. They were past their prime, she said, judging by the smell in the refrigerator.

Well, that call reminded me of a similar “forgotten eggs” incident that happened when I was young. I was so enthralled with my psychedelic-colored eggs one year that I decided to stash them away in a little-used cabinet above our oven to admire another day—they were just too pretty to eat. My mother discovered the eggs several months later while she was looking for one thing or another and, as you can imagine, the eggs were quickly discarded and the cabinet got a thorough scrubbing.

I hope you and your family will create lasting memories of good times shared together this Easter. And, if you hide real eggs for the little ones in your family to find, just make sure they all are accounted for at the end of the day!