The Christmas Finial

Interested in an Easter decoration idea?

A set of bottles with egg shells on top, filled with flowers. This looks very decorative and the egg part makes an interesting connection to the Easter season.
For this project you need:
*  three identical empty bottles, you can save them from dessert wines, or you can buy them at craft stores. Clear glass, or slightly green or yellow tinted, works best.
* three hard boiled eggs
* three (bunches) of blue spring flowers, such as Grape Hyacinths (Muscari), fresh or fake, whatever you can get.

First cut off the top one third of the egg by a swift cut with a knife. The top is the wide or dull side of the egg.

Empty the egg contents into a bowl. With mayonnaise the eggs make a fine egg salad for lunch or snack time.

After the egg shells are emptied we need to make a small hole in the bottom or pointed end of the egg. Hold the egg upright on the table and tap the bottom with the tip of a knife, so that the tip is crushed. The hole should be no bigger than the stem of the flower(s).

Then put the egg shell on top of the bottle with the small hole pointing downwards. Stick the flower stem(s) through the hole until the flower(s) rest on the rim of the egg shell.

When you use fresh flowers make sure there is water in the bottle to at least a level where the stems reach the water. Add water as needed in the following days until the flowers wilt. In the weeks leading up to Easter the flowers can be refreshed as often as needed.

A group of three decorated bottles make a smashing Easter decoration. You can put a group on a coffee table, in front of the livingroom window or in any other prominent place in the house.

Enjoy this easy but effective decoration!!!

Happy Easter

Do you like to deck the halls for Christmas? Decorate the Christmas tree?
Now you can do the same for Easter.

The US Christmas decorating traditions come from Europe. Guess what, they also have an Easter decorating tradition. The decorations celebrate new live and Springtime. Eggs are the symbol of new life and they are not only eaten, real eggs and chocolate ones. Eggs are also available as ornaments. Ornaments that are used to decorate the Easter tree or branch.

Several weeks before Easter a branch is cut from a Willow tree, a so-called Corkscrew Willow or Chinese Willow, that you see in many gardens these days. The Latin name of this particular species is Salix matsudana ´Tortuosa´. The picture shows what the branches and leaves look like in summer; perhaps you will recognized the foliage.

The branch is put in a vase filled with water and placed in a light spot in the living room. The light green curly twigs of the branch on its own are already very decorative. The warm temperature of the living room make the branch decide that it is springtime and it will start to grow. The tender green shoots generate a springtime atmosphere.

Next the branch is decorated like a Christmas tree. Easter ornaments like bunnies, chicks and eggs are hung in the tree. Children can use their creativity and make ornaments for the tree, or one can buy all kinds of Easter ornaments.
The decorating can be done right away or after the branch has started to make leaves. You can decorate as simple or elaborate as you please. Just like Christmas trees decorations, you can make it stylish, contemporary, family style, whatever suits your interior and taste.

The result is a colorful and unique decoration for the Easter and Springtime season. I am sure you will enjoy it, and will impress your friends and relatives with something that is new in the States.

Happy Easter

P.s.

When you remove the branch after Easter, you will notice a lot of roots at the bottom of the branch. You can plant the branch in your garden and grow another Corkscrew Willow tree.