A late Easter, like we’re having this year, to me, is the unofficial start of the growing season here in up-state New York. With the late Easter, no matter how cold or snowy the past Winter has been, I seem to have snowdrops, winter aconite, crocus, hellebore, daffodils and hyacinth that have set buds and are starting to bloom. This blog post shows the decorations that I’ve put up to celebrate the Easter holiday and to herald Spring. The cover photos for this post show the two Easter egg trees bushes that I’ve put out on the front lawn to hopefully catch the eyes of people as they drive up and down my road. To me, the bright colors of the plastic eggs are a welcome sight, set against the still gray tones of the landscape they are in. (Hanging eggs on a tree or bush is really easy, to read how to do it look my post Make an Easter Egg Tree, Celebrate Spring). (click on photos to enlarge).
The above photo shows two cement bunnies that greet visitor as they approach my front door. The bunnies were bought in California, while on a family road trip in 1970, and I carried them back home on my lap. The bunnies were originally white with touches of black and red, but over the years the paint chipped off, so I recolored them to what you see here.
Daffodil wreaths, that I’ve decorated myself, adorn the two doors on the front of my house. Making the wreaths were a snap. I took a piece of florist wire and attached it to the back of a grape wine wreath to form a hanger. After that I snipped individual stems off of inexpensive bunches of silk daffodils that I picked up at the Christmas Tree Shop and A C Moore. I bent the heads of the daffodil to form a kind of “L” so they would face forward on the wreath and just inserted the stems into the grape vine wreath and that was it; no wire or hot glue was needed.
Now we’re inside looking at how I decorated the fireplace. Last year I made the garland of Easter Eggs, which was an easy project (for instructions on how to making it read my post How to Make an Easter Egg Garland). The bunny pulling the Easter basket was my first Easter basket, given to me by my father’s sister Jo, 61 years ago. The tin rabbit and chick flanking it were found this year at my local Rite Aid Pharmacy, I love how the old and new work nicely together. More plastic eggs, the happy yellow silk daffodils, and one of my paintings adds a bit of Spring time to that side of the room.
Easter egg trees are not just for outdoors. In the space between my living room and dining room I have a large floor vase and that vase became the container for yet another tree.
To fill in the bottom of the vase I first stacked, one on top of the other, two plastic pots that shrubs or rose bushes would come in. That was then followed by bunches of crumpled newspapers and finally I topped all that off with some crumpled black trash bags. I then placed many stems of silk flowers, on an angle, around the lip of the floor vase, and then added even more working toward the center of the pot. After that I added the white branches, which are part of my Christmas decorations, and finally added the eggs, just like I would do when decorating a tree outside.
Easter decorations don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. On an end table in the living room, I filled a Chinese dish with eggs. To cut the business of the bowl’s pattern, I first lined it with a paper napkin that has lilies printed on it. I then followed that by placing the two ceramic chicks (a gift from my Mother) and then arranged plastic eggs around them, How easy is that!.
Silk daffodils are a reoccurring flower used in my Easter decorating. On yet another end table, a vase that I made in college was first filled with a large plastic boxwood globe and more individual stems of daffodils were placed around it. On the counter, by my front door, as seen in the background, is a ceramic basket filled with plastic eggs.
Now we’re in the dining room, where a chair in the corner holds a collection of stuffed rabbits. The big one was from my father, he bought one for both me and my sister, and the smaller ones came from Easter craft fairs at the church.
A ceramic rabbit, (yet another gift from my mother) is nesting in a large Chinese bowl on the dining room table. Notice the two plastic boxwood spheres on the metal urns. I inserted Easter egg picks into them, that I bought last year after Easter, and they instantaneously became fanciful topiary.
On opposite corners of the dining room, vases that I made in college are filled with more silk Spring flowers. By repeating the daffodils, as even part of the arrangements used throughout the house, they form a continuity from one display to the other.
On the dining room buffet is a glass dome that I’ve filled with eggs. (read my post It’s really Easy to fill a Glass Dome with Easter Eggs, Christmas Decorations, etc if you want to know how to do that).
The final stop on my little tour is in the kitchen where a collection of Easter decorations, given, inherited and collected have been display on the windowsill above the sink.
I hope this post has in some way inspired you, and I want to wish all of my readers a Happy Easter, a Happy Passover and a Happy Spring!
Fred Gonsowski Garden Home 
I always love getting your blog posts—your decorations and the details you provide make me smile and, I always feel I learn something! Happy Easter!
Hi there Cathy and Happy Easter to you also, glad you’ve been inspired ;-}
Fred, your post was like an Easter card to all of us! Thanks for sharing all of your decorations with us. I am partial to your vintage decorations as they remind me of my own childhood. A blessed Easter to you, and let the gardening season begin!
Hi there P.W. Happy Easter to you also. I recently lost my Mother and was wondering if this year I should put out the decorations. After a moment of going back and forth on that, I realized that she had given me a lot of the decorations, she would want me to enjoy then, and life has to go on. In a way, putting the Easter stuff out filled in my time, brought about some extra color and change in my house for the Easter period, brought about this post that might inspire someone else, and what I put outside might brighten someone elses day. Easter is all about renewal, renewal of the spirit. So I say to everyone… Spring has sprung, and it’s great for the mind, body and soul/spirit to be outdoors in the sun and breathing fresh air. So turn off your computer, after reading Fred Gonsowski Garden Home.com and go outside and do something lol, lol, lol ;-}
I am very sorry for your loss, Fred. I think you did exactly the right thing by decorating, and you did it for all the right reasons. Your mother would want nothing more than for you to enjoy the things she has given you. A bit of her lives on and will always remind you of her every time you see or touch anything she meant you to have and enjoy.
Again, I wish you a happy Easter. Perhaps you will go out and plant something beautiful or design a garden in her memory. 🌺
Hi there P.W. thanks for your note. My mother was the one who taught me about gardening, from what was a weed to how to plant anything. My mother many times said to me..”Fred your garden is too big”, to that I would say, “It’s all your fault, as you taught me how to garden”. I will not plant a garden in her memory, but I will maintain the garden at her house, so her garden will live on.
Love mixing old and new. I too have lots of memory pieces that I cherish. I collect blue and pink plastic Easter toys from the 50s. They make my heart sing. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hi there Toni, Happy Easter to you, thanks for your comment.
Fred, so sorry to hear about your mom,I’m sure she will always be with you in spirit.I went to high school with you. Happy easter! Dan O.
On Apr 12, 2017 3:04 PM, “Fred Gonsowski Garden Home” wrote:
> fredgonsowskigardenhome posted: ” A late Easter, like we’re having this > year, to me, is the unofficial start of the growing season here in up-state > New York. With the late Easter, no matter how cold or snowy the past Winter > has been, I seem to have snowdrops, winter aconite, crocus, hell” >
Hi there Dan, I remember you. Today, 4-13-2017 is the one month anniversary of her passing, she left for heaven at 3:24PM. My sister and I are doing fine, but have our moments when things trigger sadness. Talking to others, we are finding out that is is just something a person has to live through. Happy Easter to you Dan, you were one of the nicer people at Keveny.
Fred, what is that wonderfully whimsical artwork featuring the man drinking a glass of wine? Your creations are nice too.
Hi there Mary, did you look at my post titled “Adult coloring..Fred Gonsowski’s drawings of the Big Eyed People to down-load, print and color?, you will see more of my creations of the past that I made recently for my readers to look at.
Was wondering where you had been. So sorry to learn of your loss. In time the sadness will pass and you will only remember the love and happiness and that will remain with you.
Hi there Andrew, thanks for your words of encouragement.
A Happy and healthy Easter to you too! I really like how you’ve displayed the items from your parents with everything else so beautifull. The way you sprinkled daffodils throughout makes everything look so fresh too, and the door wreath is so nice and bright (I love wreaths that are eye catching from the street). So sorry to hear of your mom’s passing Fred. May she rest in peace, and may perpetual light shine upon her. And may you find comfort in the Easter season of renewal.
Hi there Margaret, thanks for your condolences. My mother was 91 plus 2 and 1/2 months when she passed, she died from kidney failure. For the last year and a half, I acted as her personal assistant, then home health care aid, and for the last 8 days of her life, I became a home hospice nurse. My mother died with both my sister and me holding her hands, as she requested. In a way there was something peaceful and beautiful about her dying and flying off to heaven. A belated Happy Easter to you.
Thank you Fred, how beautiful that you and your sister had the privilege of being able to hand your mom to over to God, even though it must have been very difficult for you both. Your selfless act and generosity in caring for her was the ultimate gift of love, and something many people cannot do. I’m sure you and your sister received a special blessing that day and I hope that you both are taking good care of yourselves now and maybe even spoiling yourselves a bit, you certainly deserve it. Enjoy the Spring!
Margaret, thank you for your kind words, they are so appreciated by my sister and me.
I have a print of dogs with big eyes # 57 out of a thousand , it looks like a dog park with a Dalmatian peeing on a fire hydrant. Can not find it online to see what it is worth. Can you help me with this
Hi there Jennifer, it is a poster, the value is probably what you paid for it, about $15. to $20. dollars. The posters were for people who, liked what I was painting, but did not want to pay the price for an original work. Sorry to have deflated your balloon.
Hi
May I have you’re e-mail address or can you send me a mail?
I want to know about a painting of yours.
Hi there Line, I deleted your e-mail address to protect your privacy. As for my paintings, they are a thing of my past, and I haven’t made any for years, as making things at this time of my life does not interest me. I though have painted doors in my house to decorate my place, to see them click here.