One of the things I love most is impromptu gatherings! It seems like as the kids grow it actually gets harder and harder to spend time with people we love…so when a spur-of-the-moment get together actually works for everyone involved–it feels like a great accomplishment! It seems as though the phrase “we should get together soon” is said WAY too often to WAY too many of our friends. No fault of anyone…it just happens to be the way of life right now for so many of us juggling busy schedules! But this weekend was fabulously different when a last minute suggestion turned into an actuality! We spent a casual evening of catching up with friends on all the goings on of family, work, school and everything else we could remember to talk about! And the great thing about this kind of gathering was that everyone brought food or beverage making it simple for all! AND not only was I lucky to be able to see my friends but to have them in our home…allowing me to throw together some last-minute decorations which you know I love to do! I’ve been wishing for springtime for several weeks now…and even though it was snowing that day, I decided to go for an Easter inspired theme! I had also been working on some holiday crafts recently…so I decided to use some of those whimsical creations on my appetizer table! I love to share how easy it is to scour the house for things that can make a fabulous display without spending a penny…or maybe only a few pennies! But the point is that many times you can come up with plenty of goodies to make a pretty appetizer table…even if it is at the last-minute! Let me share with you how I dressed up the tabletop
on my springtime buffet…
even though we haven’t yet celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, it’s such a short holiday season with Easter on St. Paddy’s heels that i’m going ahead and decorating for both at the same time! i’m sure you know me well enough by now that i pretty much don’t follow any decorating rules or codes of etiquette when it comes to this kind of stuff! the good news is that most old “rules” were tossed out the window long ago…especially when it comes to your personal style! so if you feel like decorating for two different holidays at the same time…do it! so while my bar cart sits in the corner decked out in gold & green…my buffet is ready for the Easter bunny!
and a fortunate thing about our weekend gathering…one of my friends is a WONDERFUL cook so that left me with the easy part of choosing a simple simple appetizer selection! a stocked pantry helps with last minute gatherings but a quick trip to the market can provide effortless and inexpensive additions if you don’t have them in the fridge! some of my holiday serving pieces that sit in the cupboard all year made an early entrance along with another common Easter decoration…plastic eggs!
i only had four of these adorable plates so i just added some non-holiday versions to the stack…
i did mention i had done some crafting, right? i thought the DIY eggs looked so cute tucked into the appetizers…
i love the way the “chirp” plates sit below…a lucky fluke!
and some “hop” to the fig & cheese platter…(which is ironically by the “hop” bowl of carrots…sometimes these little coincidences just work out!)
i just piled the plastic eggs in some pretty bowls…they fill extra space and look springy! no fancy appetizers in this spread, but they can still look extra special with some simple additions to the tabletop!
one of my favorite, and easiest additions…some fresh petals tucked in. i love alstroemeria…it’s pretty, it’s cheap, and it lasts forever! even if you take the blooms out of water they won’t wilt for hours, even days…really! i plucked the flowers from an old bouquet and tucked them around the bowls & platters…
and on the backdrop of the buffet i strung a tissue tassel garland which i made for my bar cart after the St. Paddy’s Day decor comes down. and over the steer skull i twisted a flower garland (found in the wedding section of Hobby Lobby) around the horns…it kind of makes him look pretty don’t you think? don’t forget to shop the areas of crafts stores that you might not spend a lot of time browsing…there’s all kinds of wonderful things in there that you might not find otherwise!
and when the light dimmed…i switched on the fairy lights!
i say it all the time, but i LOVE these tiny battery lights! probably ’cause i don’t have a lot of great lighting in my house! they make everything look enchanting and help add brightness to areas where it’s really helpful to be able to see…like the food and drink tables!
speaking of drink table…
once again, just simple sips & sweets are all you need…
and these are the BEST chocolate black-pepper icebox cookies…a recipe from Martha Stewart–get the link here. They are SO yummy with red wine and berries! you can also make them up ahead and freeze them so they’re perfect for spur-of-the-moment guests!
and no matter how much fun i had primping my buffet to reflect spring…nothing beats getting together with special people we love! so it can be easy to whip up some springtime inspired displays…but the prettiest sight was when the chairs were filled with friends…sharing good conversation!
