Tuesday, April 26, 2011

18 Years of Easter Baskets

This Easter, there were 3 changes that I wanted to make for me . . . just this year . . . but maybe to be repeated.  Just 3 little changes, but they did leave me with a bunch of bubbly happiness on the inside.

#1 - I white-washed the garish, carnival-colored Easter baskets:

BEFORE:


AFTER:



Ah, delightful.  

The boys were mortified . . . simply mortified.

Oldest Son's Clemson-orange basket was suddenly a very soft, rosy, bunny-ear color.

Middle Son's screaming purple became a delicate lilac.  

He mourned for a day.

I remained unmoved.

Youngest Son, in desperation took his green and blue basket and headed for the hills.

It didn't resurface until Saturday night.

#2 - I did not visit Target or Wal-Mart to fill Easter baskets:

Instead I went to Fresh Market and bought things like
white chocolate pretzels with Easter-y swirls


mounds of German gummy bears


peanut butter-filled eggs


watermelon taffy


Australian licorice


and Lindt milk chocolate bunnies.

It made me so happy.

A treat just for me.  I'm sure the kids would just as soon have had the
junky stuff!

Because the candy was more expensive, I bought less.

And that was a good thing too!

#3 - No eggs this year.

I know . . . I almost felt criminal.

I just didn't want to do eggs this year . . . in any form.

I didn't color them, hide them, serve them, or decorate with them.

Instead, I gathered the yummy candies into little tissue paper pouches, 
plopped them in the baskets,
and the baskets were waiting on the table Easter morning.

I loved the simplicity, and I think they turned out cute.





It's amazing how refreshing changing up things a little can be.

Taking off the pressure of expectations.

Choosing less but better quality.

Freshening up what looks old and tired, instead of buying new.

Making the holiday special for me too.

And after 18 years of Easter baskets, I needed that.

6 comments:

  1. great job...would love to have the goodies in those Easter baskets!!

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  2. Your baskets look just lovely. This is the first year I didn't have ANY baskets to make. My boy's didn't want one, so they each received a chocolate bunny {exactly like the one you pictured] and that was it. I did make a few homemade items for the wee one so I felt like I did something.

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  3. They look adorable. I love the Hello Kitty Basket. Only thing now....you may just now have some more expensive taste buds......but well worth it! :) Especially chocolate peanut butter eggs!

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  4. hi shelley....the baskets look great, plus you have the satisfying feeling that your creativeness saved money and freshened up the whole look. i bought the lindt milk chocolate bunnies for our family, too!

    connie

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  5. I like the whitewash. The only eggs I did this year were Deviled (for dinner) and Cadbury (for breakfast ;-) I skipped the baskets and purchased Easter party cups and "filled" them with just a little candy. It was nice to keep it all so simple.

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  6. Way late on commenting on this...been bloggy-absent for a spell. However, I receive your posts by email so I did get to enjoy this post "on time"...

    I adore that white-washed look on the basket! What a great idea.

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