{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 190 countries!}

• Wishing ALL my readers a very HAPPY EASTER! 
• Thanks for visiting my blog and let's hope that SPRING will start with this Easter Weekend! Literally a day of New Life.
• Showing you my cute Easter lambs that will hold a place card or menu. Together with my porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases. 

• Vintage egg platter that hold some of my porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases + real eggs.
• Easter lambs and chicken salt & pepper that goes with the egg platter.
• Don't you love these Victorian hybrid 'Rosebud' Pelargonium inside those egg vases?

• The linen and hand crocheted tablecloth is from friend Marianne. Her Aunt made it for her and she gave it to me.
• Those Victorian hybrid Pelargonium 'Red Rosebud' look just like real rosebuds!

• Wish we could have those Victorian hybrid 'Rosebud' Pelargonium year round!

• 'Appleblossom Rosebud' Pelargonium + real egg...

• Nowhere is the egg; symbol of New Life, better incorporated than here at the Kruisherenhotel in Maasricht, The Netherlands. 
• Just click here to see how they actually did integrate an EGG into their reception.
• May Easter be the true symbol of New Life and also the symbol of Spring for all that live in the Northern Hemisphere that is.
• Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy and Meaningful Easter!

Related links:
{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 163 countries!} | previous post by me with more info about the Chateauhotels/Kruisherenhotel
{Happy Easter with Our Pelargonium 'Rosebud'} | previous post by me with more Pelargonium info
12½ jaar L1 - Amerikaanse president in Limburg | Château Hotel St. Gerlach where President George W. Bush stayed during his visit to Margraten in my Province of birth (part in English!)
Dutch Queen and Bush lead VE Day memorial | YouTube video

{Easter Table Setting}

• For Easter I have done a special Table Setting for you to see...

• Using photos from previous years, because we don't have any daffodils or narcissus blooming and only very few for 2013...
• Picture frame vase with daffodil and rosemary.
• Easter lamb holding the place cards.
• Easter Bunny Dad with Bunny Infant...
• Baccarat Piccadilly Crystal stemware and Villeroy & Boch porcelain egg vases...

My sister Diny did find them for me in The Netherlands after I'd seen them in a Dutch magazine!

Do you ever get something you find in a magazine? 

• Le Jacquard Français tablecloth and napkins.
• Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware.
• Wedgwood cream color on cream color china.

• Heavenly fragrant Obdam  Narcissus in Wedgwood pitcher...
• Porcelain egg vases inside large Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.

• Closeup of the porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases inside the Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.
• Don't you LOVE these orchid narcissus?

• Cute porcelain egg vases with Thalia orchid narcissus!

Related link:

{Easter Season} | previous post by me

{CIRCLE Vase with Candles for Easter}

• As promised previously in my February 24 post: JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase, here is another display. The Speedy bunnies you already saw on March 22...

• On top of the glass plate I now placed candles...

• The yellow pillar candles are Müller Kerzen from Germany that I received from my German friend Marlene.
• Those pillars are called Flower Garden and burn for 32 hours.
• You can click on the above hyperlink for their info.

• Tablecloth is from Le Jacquard Français and the cups and saucers are Royal Albert Friendship series in the daffodil pattern.
• Salt & Pepper shakers belong with the egg platter that I showed two days ago.
• Spoons are ceramic from Avon with daffodil.
• Round candles are Bolsius from The Netherlands. 
• Are you a candle favorite as well?

• That's what I LOVE about our IKEA chairs, their backs are low and never obstructing the view as they barely come above the table!

• Those candles are a perfect match with the daffodils!

• Too bad that those daffodils were blooming on February 25... 
• Way too early for Easter and we didn't get any others; this was the entire crop for 2013.
• At least I have the photos for showing.

• So what do you think about the different uses for this CIRCLE Vase with glass plate to display whatever on top?

Related links:
{Daffodils in CIRCLE Vase & Leonardo Figurine Bunny SPEEDY} | previous post by me
{JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase} | previous post by me

{Hand Made Easter Egg Gift by Friend Ellie}

• Since it is Holy Week, we are getting into the mood for Easter. 
• Out come these three lovely Easter Eggs, hand made by dear, almost life-long Friend Ellie from my hometown, Horst in The Netherlands.
• This very talented friend did a great job on some artfully created Easter Eggs. Have a look...

• Had to display them on our silk brocade table cloth that husband Pieter did bring back from his trip to China with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program

• Don't you think this pale blue will bring SPRING to our area soon?

Related links:
{Elvira my 1st and only Goddaughter} | previous post by me
{Wedding Elvira & Bob - Michelin Star Top Restaurant Brienen aan de Maas} | previous post by me
{Silk Embroidered Birds from China Trip} | previous post by me
{Our Mouth Blown Glass Nativity} | previous post by me

{Hand Knitted Easter Gift from Sister-In-Law}

The sweetest gifts are often those that are hand made. We call it here in the USA; Labor of Love. My sister-in-law, Elly Van den Munckhof did knit for me six cute egg warmers. A set of Easter Chickens for placing over a boiled egg. For years already, both of us don't eat eggs but I do use them over some special egg shaped Easter candles. Have a look...

Here they are; that is four out of six. 

The Chickens to the right had a bad hair-day...

I've only given them a new felt crest and silk organdy graduating ribbons around their neck.

They held up really well.

Elly did make the eyes from a glass bead.

Nice Easter grouping... except that the weather was actually too dark to make decent photos...

A tiny bud vase with blooming Pelargonium from our Green House. 

Because we will have frost on Tuesday night, our potting plants are still inside!

Dark days with a mean and cold wind...

The lazy Chick on the yellow plate we got one year in the mail from our 'German son' and family.

The lacquered and hand polished laser cut brass Egg window decorations are from Germany, Jech Kunstgewerbe.

FAKE Egg... it is a candle in a mini-terracotta pot with gold sparkle.

The top plate is from Blokker in The Netherlands where we bough them with my niece Maartje Van den Munckhof... Three out of four survived so far!

The tablecloth is all cotton Le Jacquard Français.

So what do you say about my Easter Chickens?

Related links:
{RARE ANTIQUE ROSE: JEANNE D'ARC (1818 FRANCE)} | previous post by me showing hand crocheted doily by Elly
{Our Garden's Winter Blooms for Christmas} | previous post by me showing hand crocheted doily by Elly
{Easter Season} | previous post by me showing the brass window decorations with link
{Our Organdy Beribboned, Porcelain and Brass Easter Eggs} | previous post by me showing the brass window decorations with link

{Daffodils in CIRCLE Vase & Leonardo Figurine Bunny SPEEDY}

• As promised before, I will show you our Circle Vase again with another display. 
• Here you see our glass Leonardo Figurine Bunny ´SPEEDY´ with daffodils, displayed on top of the glass circle. 
• Nice Easter decoration; if the timing for the daffodils would have worked. 
• These photos are from February 24 and no more daffodils have bloomed since. BUT we got the photos and we have the bunnies!

• That's our CIRCLE vase again, with the 18 bud vases that are joined together.
• As I did mention in my previous blog post (see link below), there is a separate circle of glass, to use as a shelf.

• Those bunnies are made of glass by Leonardo in Germany.
• Their name is Hase (German for Bunny) Speedy.
• We got a 16 cm (6.3") Speedy and a 26 cm (10.2") Speedy.

• Can you see the glass shelf?

• Different light and only the small Speedy on the glass shelf. Now you can also see part of the bud vases.
• I used my two table cloths from Le Jacquard Français; one as a back drop.

• Love Speedy's cute tail!

• Here you see the full circle of the top layer with 9 bud vases...

• Detail of shelf and bud vases.

Hope you liked this early Easter setting.

Related link:

{JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase} | previous post by me

{Challenge Accepted + Easter Photos}

On March 19, I already did receive a challenge request from Alessandra, in Italy, for listing 10 things that make me feel good. She is writing the blog: Shabby but ohh so chic!! ←click for getting to her blog.

Okay, now it is my turn for listing those 10 things, after having waited till first several other challenges got taken care of. 

After our trip to Curaçao we first got our tax papers done. Will write about our Curaçao vacation soon; promise! 

Our garden was also begging for weeding and still needs lots more done. 

On Saturday we finally hung the long crocheted peacock curtain at our friends' home. That was a gift from us and after I designed them, a sweet elderly lady in The Netherlands did crochet them for me. My task was for sewing on numerous brass rings for hanging. My husband Pieter, did hammer in the brass nails for the rings... Mission accomplished and even before Easter!

Happy Mom in the USA...

Okay: 10 things that make me feel good...

1. Looking at Mom's photo, taken while here in the USA, still makes me smile when thinking about all the great times when we had Mom & Dad over to visit us in the USA. Seeing Mom so relaxed and happy in this photo, being on vacation and enjoying it. She worked hard all her life, gave birth to 8 children and had her health issues.

She looks like an angel with her pink feather boa. A nice transition for when she really will become an angel...

2. Calling each Sunday after Church with my Mom & Dad and hearing their voices. Feeling blessed for having Mom still around after 4 years of kidney dialysis.

3. Happy times when video calling with Liz or Anita, our daughters.

4. Having my soul mate Pieter still with me and healthy and strong again after his open heart surgery in September 2010. Enjoying the trips we make together, while talking for hours on end in the car or when walking.

5. Enjoying a cup of coffee, or our version of Chocof (Chocolate from Dutch Cacao + Coffee) with some dark chocolates with pomegranate (from Costco).

6. Getting into a fresh made bed with clean linens, it makes me sleep like an angel under the down duvet and on the down pillows.

7. Having breakfast in our bay window in the sunshine and having fresh flowers from our garden.

8. Having friends around the table for dinner and enjoying a home cooked meal together.

9. Gardening together at our great property that we can claim all as our own. Such a treasure compared to what you can own in the Old World.

10. Watching our seven felines frolicking in our garden and being purrfectly happy - just like we!
~~0~~

Ten things is by far not enough for listing it all... 

It is a joy for reading your blogs and for visiting you around the world!

Now I would like to pass on this 10 point challenge to:

1. Kerri from Artisanbella

2. Claudia from NuNu's Garn-und Stofflabor a multi-talented lady that is also great in English.

3. Véronica from Los Mundos de Nika Vintage who is also very artistic.

4. Michiko from Michiko who needs ALL our help and support after her severe accident on December 15. We need to give her lots of BLOG-LOVE. 

5. Ginger from Savannah Granny who has been having health issues and today is her Birthday so she needs some BLOG-LOVE too.

Okay, mission accomplished in about three weeks...

Don't feel pressed for taking this on. But it is my aim always for helping some others by sending visitors and hopefully followers, their way. A friendly word goes a long way!

Hope we soon will have flowers again like here, from our own garden. 

We lost most roses last year due to the heat and drought but we do have the first ones blooming already.

Happy Easter setting from previous years...

• The book from which I  made the organdy ribbons for the eggs...

High Tea/Coffee for friends...

The bay window is a favorite breakfast area and for all settings.

Have a nice week!

{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 163 countries!}

Wishing all of my readers in 163 countries a Happy Easter!

May you have a lovely family time with hopefully sunshine to brighten this day of new life even more.

A real egg with our Villeroy & Boch eggs, filled with Pelargonium Appleblossom Rosebud...

The egg is the symbol of New Life and therefore associated with Easter.

I'd like to show you also the beautiful architecture used at the Kruisherenhotel in Maastricht, The Netherlands - click: Kruisherenhotel Maastricht | Design between heaven and earth. In one of the Chateau hotels, St. Gerlach, the US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were staying when visiting the American War Cemetery Margraten. It truly is a Design between Heaven and Earth. 

Click here for seeing how they did design an EGG in their reception. 

Photo Hotels.com

View of the egg from above but the previous link will give you a much better idea. 

We were fortunate for having toured this Camille Oostwegel Château Hotel, in October of 2005 with our Goddaughter Elvira, her parents (our dear friends) and even two Dublin, Georgia friends. Just wanted to share this with you as the symbol of the egg is relevant to this special Easter day.

Back to the Villeroy & Boch eggs..

Sheep as place card holder...

Pink Pelargonium Rosebuds now fill the egg vases from Villeroy & Boch.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF YOU!

Related link:

12½ jaar L1 - Amerikaanse president in Limburg - video of President George W. Bush in Margraten, my province of birth Limburg. He visited the American War Cemetery of Margraten and was very complimentious towards the Staff at St. Gerlach. Video is Dutch but also in English, just listen...
President BUSH OP GERLACH | YouTube movie
Dutch Queen and Bush lead VE Day memorial | YouTube movie

{Our Organdy Beribboned, Porcelain and Brass Easter Eggs}

Several years ago I did make these yellow and salmon colored organdy ribbons for use at Easter time. Combining white and brown eggs, creates a perfect beribboned presentation. 

They make for a nice display on a special egg platter.

Daffodil season is long over so we could not fill our porcelain egg-vases from Villeroy & Boch, like we could in 2010.

Villeroy & Boch ←(click it) porcelain egg-vases that my sister Diny, ordered for me in The Netherlands after I found them in a magazine. They are so lovely when filled with fresh flowers!

Those egg-vases make a pretty table decoration during Easter Season.

Shown here on Le Jacquard Français table linen from France.

Just right click the hyperlink.

From Germany I got these Lacquered Brass window decorations in egg shapes.

For my German readers, click next: Jech Kunstgewerbe to go to Jech Kunstgewerbe's site, who is producing and selling them. 

Wishing all of you a very Happy Easter weekend!

Related articles
{Easter Season} (mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com)

{Happy Easter with Our Pelargonium 'Rosebud'}

This year Easter is quite late and thus we have NO daffodils like for last year's {Easter Season} ← (click to go to that blog). So I had to fill my Villeroy & Boch egg vases with different blossoms this year. Our Pelargonium hybrid 'Pink Rosebud' and 'Appleblossom Rosebud' were just perfect! So have a look...

The 'Sheep' place card holders with a vintage cream porcelain egg tray and chicken salt & pepper with the Villeroy & Boch egg vases. Because of the color blossoms, I used only the pink and green egg vases. Those 'Appleblossom Rosebud' ←(click it) and 'Pink Rosebud' ←(click it) Pelargonium are available at Logee's Greenhouse. Click on each name to go to their website's page for it.

See my previous blog about {Victorian hybrid Pelargonium 'Red Rosebud'} ← click it. That makes now a family of three different Pelargonium hybrids with Rosebuds. They are so lovely! A study in poetry as Logee's is calling the 'Appleblossom Rosebud'.

Just like true roses are these 'Pink Rosebud' Pelargonium...

The real chicken egg gives you a good idea about the size of the blossoms!

Those 'Appleblossom Rosebud' Pelargonium are so special...

On April 12, they started budding up and were just perfect for a great Easter bouquet. 

Hope you all do have a Happy Easter with lots of sunshine! 

Thanks for your visit.