Hostess Jo at Home

Spring Home Tour

I've got good news!  I got a new camera!  Now I just need to learn how to use it.  Soon I will be bringing you lots of pretty eye candy!  For now, I'm sharing the rest of our home decorated for Spring.

I added touches of green throughout which is my favorite.  Greenery can also last all the way through summer.  Most of mine is faux.  I cannot seem to keep an indoor plant alive!  What is it about bringing plants inside that make them so easy to kill?  

The addition of this simple fern wreath adds life to our mudroom...

I love styling trays.  Its like a hobby to me.  This is a tray I styled with items I already had.  You could place a tray anywhere.  Dining room, coffee table, kitchen, etc.

Yep, that succulent is already a goner. 

I played around with some new décor on my sideboard and I love how the natural wood tray looks against the white background.

I scored the metal three tiered tray for $15 from Hobby Lobby!

You'll also notice the moss bird and nest from the other tray.  Shop your house!  Moving things around can totally change the look.  I just had to have those moss eggs.  They are from Hobby Lobby too.

Here is our Resurrection Garden on our entry table.  Click the link to find the how to!

Moving on into the dining room and kitchen I used Easter decorations.  Do you remember our Easter mantle?

I decorated our dining table with items from Target Dollar Spot!  The pallet trough is so easy to change for the seasons or occasion. 

In the kitchen I decorated our chicken wire stand with moss, pastel eggs and moss bunnies..

I love how the eggs bring out the yellow and aqua accent colors in the kitchen.

Hope you enjoyed our little Spring Tour!  Try adding seasonal touches throughout your house.  It doesn't take much to bring a lot of joy!

For more spring décor ideas check out my In Bloom Pinterest board.  For more pictures of our home join me on Instagram. 

 

Happy Spring!

Jo

 

 

 

Our Easter Mantle

With Easter being later this year I felt like I had more time to decorate for the holiday.  Plus my girls love helping!  As much as I love neutrals, Spring is a time to bring in color.  I start missing color this time of year so it helps to have cheerful décor around the house.  Don't be afraid to incorporate a little color in your surroundings!

I like adding little touches all over the house but the mantle is what we see most often.  Its really fun to decorate.  A few items stay year round and a couple I've moved from other places in the house. 
You don't have to spend a fortune to decorate for the holidays.  Look around your house, you may have something that looks totally different when you place it somewhere else.

The happy place sign used to be in our mudroom, but I liked how it brought in more color for the mantle.  The bunnies were my grandmother's so they have a special place in my heart.  I ordered the chocolate bunny banner this year from Etsy.  I just loved that it was chocolate bunnies!

My mom surprised me with the carrot wreath! I love that it has a rustic feel to go with our fireplace. 

 

I didn't totally put away my antlers.  I changed from the wintry stag pillow to a colored antler pillow!

 

This sign is so true!  Being at home truly is our happy place.

 

Any décor with sentimental value is so special..

 

I love the colored bows on the bunnies!

 

I hope you enjoyed our Easter Mantle!  Do you decorate your home for Easter or Spring? 

Check back soon to see our kitchen and dining room!

XOXO,

Jo

 

An Easter Garden

To celebrate Ash Wednesday the girls stayed home from school and after Mass we created our own Easter Garden!  I've seen several versions of these on Pinterest and always wanted to make one.  They are also called Resurrection Gardens.  It's a great hands on way to tell your children about Jesus' resurrection. 

First you will need a clay saucer and small pot.

Turn your small pot on its side.  This will be your tomb.

Next you will need some potting soil.  Fill your saucer with soil and mound it up around your tomb.  Sorry for the messy pictures!  3 and 6 year olds and dirt!

In the meantime, my 6 year old was finding us twigs and rocks. 

We tried gluing the twigs to make the Crosses but they didn't stick so we ended up using twine.  A hot glue gun would probably work too.

 

We used moss to cover our garden.  I've seen people plant grass too.  We are instant gratification types.

Glue your moss all over to cover the soil.  Then add your large rock to the side of your tomb.  We added little pebbles to make a path too.

I decided the moss looked a little sloppy so I gave it a haircut. 

Tada!

We stuck our crosses through the moss along the backside.

I decided to display it on our entry table so everyone can see it coming and going. 

I just love the fresh green it adds and of course the meaning!

 

Blogging again has really got my creative juices flowing.  I hope I'm inspiring you to try a few new things also!  I've got a lot more coming for Spring!

 

XOXO,

Jo

Nesting Instincts

Hi Everyone! 

So sorry for the long break.  I have a good reason though-I am expecting a baby girl come August!!  I have no other excuse for not blogging besides being totally wrapped up in all things baby!

I have really missed you in the meantime.

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Spring.  I have a couple of events coming up I can't wait to share with you.  First is a cherry blossomed themed bridal shower for one of my friends. Then a tea celebrating the arrival of my baby.

Next, is my "Nesting" Baby Shower.  I have been in love with this theme since I started blogging and am so lucky to have friends who have let me be involved in the creative process.  I can't wait to see it all come together.  Here is a sneak peek of my amazing invitations designed by my friend Lena.

 

We gathered tons of great inspiration from around the web for this shower.  We are going for a Anthropologie-ish feel.  We shopped for grapevine wreaths, nests, bird cages, birds, butterflies, feathers etc.  We took major advantage of all the Easter goodies on sale! 

Here are some links I love:

Modern Nesting-Hostess Blog

Vintage Nesting Part One-Pepper Design Blog

Vintage Nesting Part Two-Pepper Design Blog

Oh How Tweet Part 1-Hostess Blog

Oh How Tweet Part 2-Hostess Blog

More details coming soon!

Easy Cheesy Brunch Bake

Here is another easy breakfast casserole to serve your crowd over the weekend!

 

Prep Time:

20 min

Total Time:

50 min

Makes:

12 servings

 

Ingredients:

 

12 large eggs

1/3 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1 lb. pork sausage

4 oz.  sliced fresh mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

2   tomatoes, chopped

1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

HEAT oven to 400°F.

BEAT eggs and sour cream with whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 10 min. or until egg mixture is softly set. Meanwhile, cook sausage, mushrooms and onions in large skillet on medium heat 6 to 8 min. or until sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Drain.

REDUCE oven temperature to 325°F. Spoon tomatoes over the baked egg layer; top with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses.

BAKE 30 min. or until egg mixture is set in center.

Here are my other favorite brunch casseroles:  Good Morning Grits and Sausage Casserole

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!!

(photo and recipe from kraftfoods.com)

Pretty in Pink

This photo caught my eye for its pretty pink color.  Then the recipe sounded just as good as it looked.  What a great punch to serve at Easter!  The recipe includes instructions for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions so you can please everyone.  This would also be great for Mother's Day and wedding and baby showers (especially if mom is having a girl!)

 

Sparkling Punch 

Yield

Makes about 9 cups

Ingredients

• 1  (12-oz.) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 4  cups  white cranberry juice cocktail
• 1  qt. club soda, chilled
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

1. Stir together lemonade concentrate and cranberry juice cocktail in a large pitcher. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Stir in club soda just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Champagne Punch: Substitute 1 (750-milliliter) bottle extra-dry Champagne or sparkling wine and 1/4 cup orange liqueur for club soda; proceed with recipe as directed

(photo from southernliving.com)

Twisted Nests

Change is Good

 

Large peonies sit in nests instead of eggs!  I love the simplicity of the white flowers in the nests.  What a pretty table setting for Easter, Mother's Day, weddings or "Nesting" baby showers.  These open peonies are sitting in a shallow plastic bowl of water then in a basket of twisted fern vines.  If you can't find fern vines, I think you could buy two medium nests at your local craft store and set one on top of the other and blend the sides to get the same depth shown here. 

Continue the theme with miniature peony nest place card holders.  You could use a bud of the centerpiece flower or one that is more closed.  These stems sit in a water tube within each nest.  Finish the setting with large round glasses that mimic the roundness of the nests. 

Of course you can use any flower you prefer and hopefully one you have in your own backyard!

(photo from marthastewart.com)

EGGcellent!

For your Easter table centerpiece, try this twist on the traditional Easter egg tree.  Your children will love it!  Bonus:  this would also be cute for a "Mama Bird/Baby Bird" or "Nesting" baby shower.

Swinging Birdie Egg Tree

 

First find a branch in your backyard and set in sand or pebbles.  You will also need:

	Egg carton
	Hole punch
	1/4-inch-wide ribbon
	Colored tissue paper
	Pinking shears or decorative-edge craft scissors
	Blown eggs
	Glue stick
	Colored feathers
	Colored card stock
	Marker
Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

1. For each, cut a cup from the egg carton and punch 3 holes as shown.

2. Cut 3 pieces of ribbon, each about 9 inches long. Thread an end of each piece through a hole in the carton and knot it, then tie the other ends of the ribbons together.

3. Cut two 2- by 6-inch rectangles of tissue paper, one with the pinking shears. Lay the pinked rectangle on top of the other. Wrap the papers around a blown egg so that the pinked edge peeks out from behind the straight edge. Secure with the glue stick.

4. Place the wrapped egg in the cradle. Use the glue stick to attach a small tuft of feather and a card stock beak and eyes to the egg. Make pupils on the eyes with the marker.

(photo from familyfun.com)

Easter Table Inspiration

I love love this table setting!  The colors are bright instead of pastel.  Not to take anything away from the pastels but I love the brights.

 

It looks simple to duplicate also.  You could purchase a turquoise tablecloth and hot glue ribbons down the center.  Fill a basket with tulips or your favorite spring flower.  Coordinating plates and napkins and you're set.

Here is how to make the adorable glitter eggs in the baskets:

 

• Large bowl
• Sewing needle
• 24 raw eggs (keep cartons to use later)
• Rubber ear syringe (available at pharmacies) or egg-blowing tool
• Fine craft glitter in assorted colors and spray paint in matching colors (available at craft stores, Martha has some very nice glitter at Wal-mart)
• Small bowls
• Thin wooden skewers
• Face mask
• Rubber gloves
• Spoons
• Waxed paper

1. Working over a large bowl, use a sewing needle to carefully pierce both ends of an egg. Make hole at wider end of egg slightly bigger by chipping away at shell with needle. Puncture yolk with needle.

2. Gently insert a rubber ear syringe into smaller hole and blow contents of egg out through larger hole. Rinse egg shell with water. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with remaining eggs.

3. Allow eggs to dry completely. Pour glitter into separate bowls and set aside.

4. Slide an egg shell onto a wooden skewer and spray paint in a well-ventilated area while wearing a face mask and gloves. Hold spray can at least 6 inches away from egg to coat it evenly; rotate egg as you work.

5. Working quickly, place painted egg in a bowl containing glitter that is same color as paint. Gently roll egg in glitter before paint has dried completely. Use a spoon to sprinkle glitter over sparse spots.

6. Place eggs on waxed paper to dry (about 20 minutes). Store eggs in cartons until ready to use.

Wouldn't these be great as place card holders or favors for your Easter gathering?  You could buy letter stickers at your local craft store to use as initials on the eggs.  Or for favors you could place them in wrapped candy baskets instead of grass. These are also seen in the top picture in egg cups.  You could use them as little bud vases too.

(photos from allyou.com)

Peep Show

Check out these adorable Peeps cupcakes from Fancy Flours!

Easter Peeps Cupcakes

 

You will need:
• Assorted Solid Colored Muffin Cups
• Assorted Colors of store bought peeps (at your local grocer)
• Cupcake recipe of your choice
• Icing or frosting recipe of your choice


Instructions:
• Make cupcake recipe. Bake and cool as directed in colored muffin cups. Frost as desired.
• Place all of the cupcake on a tray (or wherever they will be stored) Adhere a peep to the corresponding color of muffin cup by slightly sticking it into the frosting to hold it in place.
• Store in an airtight container.