Sunday, March 29, 2020

A Garden Village at Easter

Once upon a time, there was a lively little village and their inhabitants nestled among the colorful flowers and hearty fruit and vegetable plants of Auntie Franny's garden.  The bustling members of this busy community love to grow flowers, fruits and veggies of their own and spend their entire day tending to their rows and rows of bright and beautiful scented flowers, crunchy, sweet and flavorful veggies and fruits.  Collectively, young and old, they work harmoniously as a team to harvest their crop and spend their day making delectable vegetable soups, savory stews and sweet and wholesome fruit compotes and sauces.  The aromatic scent that permeates from this diligent, hard-working community is a mixture of spicy and savory and, at other times, a sweet fragrance from raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.













The little Easter apothecary village was my inspiration for this week's slightly different interpretation of an Easter tablescape.  Lime green and navy were my chosen colors to give Easter more power and punch over the pastels, especially since it was designed mostly with solid colors that did not compete with the details in the village.  This little miniature village filled with adult and baby bunnies, garden equipment and nature's crops was originally the centerpiece for my bright Easter tablescape until a friend came to visit with a pot of orange tulips wrapped in lime green paper as a gift. The potted tulips which I decided to use as a centerpiece instead of the village gave the table the needed pop of orange color along with the orange carrots to break up the two-color scheme of just lime green and navy.  So the miniature village will be moved to the buffet for solitary viewing of its own.







Since the little apothecary village consisted of a bunny community, I used chicks, eggs and flowers in my Easter tablescape as something a little different.  A large yellow chick cookie and light green flower cookie with a buzzing honey bee dresses up each placesetting.  I just love edible decor pieces!  (That is the best part of designing.)








Each cookie was designed with a homemade white chocolate chick or flower using my mother's chocolate molds.  She had quite a collection of molds, but I decided the chick and flower mold would work the best in the white chocolate with the egg and flower shape sugar cookie.













Who is peeking out from these eggs?  A tiny bunny.  I used the egg shells from last week's Spring tablescape that contained a tea light candle and refilled it with iridescent Easter grass and these tiny pastel bunnies that were also placed in the village.




These gorgeous orange tulips bring so much vivid color to the table and room and definitely helps to bring more consolation, fortitude and hope to the Easter holiday.






















One item on the brunch menu are these delectable glazed cherry almond muffins.  They have just the right amount of sweetness from the glazed crunchy topping that goes so well with a strong cup of coffee.  Be sure to save the recipe which follows the photos.
















Glazed Cherry Almond Muffins


1/2 C unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 C sour cream
2  tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 C flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 rsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. whipping cream or half and half
2 C dried cherries

In a large bowl, mix butter, sugars, eggs, sour cream, extracts and whipping cream until smooth.  Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended.  Stir in cherries.  Spoon into paper or foil-lined muffin tins.  Top with crumb-topping (see recipe below) and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 15-20 minutes more or until toothpick comes out clean when inserting.  Cool and glaze with the following glaze recipe.

Crumb Topping

1/3 C brown sugar
1 T granulated sugar
1/4 C unsalted butter, cubed
2/3 C flour
1/2 C sliced almonds

Cut together with pastry blade until crumbly and top muffins before baking.

Glaze

1 C powdered sugar
3 - 4 T. whipping cream
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Drizzle over cooled muffins.

🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇

I am also happy that this quirky lime green and navy Easter Garden Village tablescape is among the the many other Easter tablescapes designed by the following list of participants in Chloe Crabtree's Easter Tablescape Blog Hop beginning Tuesday, March 31, 2020.  Thank you bunches, Chloe!!!!  It is because of her hard work, many talents and detailed organizational skills that we all can enjoy such a wonderful collection of tablescapes from these many blog hops throughout the year.  So don't miss out on the wonderful decorating ideas and visit each one of the following links below after 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

One last note.......the coronavirus has impacted our lives significantly and we all find our own ways of coping and dealing with the situation and relying more on our faith.  I want to convey to you my own prayers for you and to ask for God's help and guidance.  May you all stay safe and for those who are on the frontlines helping others, may God provide his loving comfort and protection.




30 comments:

  1. What a pretty table and those muffins look delicious!

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  2. What a cute table! And I just love the centerpiece! Darling!

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  3. Adorable!!! I love your color scheme!! The cookies are soooo cute! The yellow chick 🐣 peeking out of the white cup is so fun. Your apothecary jar is just delightful!! Stay safe and have a nice Easter. Always a pleasure to hop with you 🐇🌸

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  4. Aww, I love your garden village of bunnies and your pretty Easter cookies! Such a fun tablescape! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction

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  5. Your muffins look delicious! Glad to have found your blog.

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  6. The garden village is beautiful and it brought a smile to face today. Thank you for your beautiful table. God Bless you :)

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  7. So adorable Marsha! And you always have so many goodies to nibble on, your cookies are amazing! I love the bright blue and lime green palette, so pretty with the pops of yellow and orange! Your terrarium and story is so fun, so much creativity here! Happy Easter!
    Jenna

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  8. Oh boy you set the most delicious tablescapes! How cute is that garden village! Those cookies look so delicious and so do the muffins! I wish I were a kid in your house! Love the floral arrangment! I love orange so I'm enjoying those tulips! Fun to blog hop with you!

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  9. Marsha, how stinkin' cute is that little village and storyline? Super cute, as are the tiny bunnies nestled in those cute little broken egg shells. I loved that idea when you first presented it. The color scheme in navy and green is preppy and fun, and the orange accents in the tulips and carrots very complimentary. Those cookies are too pretty to eat (but I would, if given the chance!), but those muffins make my mouth water - pinned! Thank you. Another terrific tablescape you've brought us, and I'm so glad you're part of the stylist group today.

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  10. Aww, so darn cute, your garden village with the Apothecary jar. Very creative! The bunnies are adorable. I love that you share your recipes. The Easter cookies are so sweet. The muffins look wonderful. Your sweet table brings me smiles. Do stay safe. Happy Easter.

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  11. What a great little garden! And then the blue and white salad plates are so beautiful. But, my favorite item on your gorgeous Easter table is those cookies! Just unbelieably adorable. So very glad to join on the blog hop with all you talented and inspirational ladies.

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  12. Adorable Easter apothecary village Marsha and I love your sweet cookies using your mother’s molds! The chick cookie is so cute in the nest of Easter grass and egg cup and the orange tulips add such a cheery pop of color too. Happy to be hopping with you this week. Happy Easter wishes to you.♥

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  13. Those muffins look so yummy! The blue and white salad plates are so striking and those cookies!! Oh, yes, I am sure that your guests will all love those sweet treats! Thank you so much for joining us. Please have a happy Easter and be safe and well!

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  14. Cute bunny garden! Thanks so much for linking up with me at #AThemedLinkup 14 for Spring Crafts and Decor, open March 29 to April 10. All entries shared on social media if share buttons installed.

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  15. Wow -so much beauty in one post. I am having a hard time deciding which photos to pin! The apothecary village is so incredibly adorable and I love how it inspired your table setting. I love the combination of the green with the navy. It's all so beautiful! Great to hop with you again. Stay well!
    Shelley

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  16. What an absolutely darling terrarium for Easter...and all these treats look delicious! Thanks for sharing so much creative inspiration for us all today!

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  17. Your Easter tablescape is so pretty and festive. So fun hopping with you. Cynthia at Create With Cynthia.

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  18. Marsha, the glazed cherry almond muffins look delicious and I love a cup of strong coffee. The apothecary village is so darling, I just love it. My little granddaughters would be enchanted just peering in on the little miniatures. Your cookies using your mother’s molds are beautiful and I am sure they taste fabulous. The orange tulips give a nice cheery welcome to your navy and and green color scheme. It is always nice hopping with you!

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  19. Can I come over for Eater brunch. LOL! Everything looks so beautiful and those cookies are amazing!!
    Pamela~ DIY Vibes

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  20. Good Morning Marsha,
    This is the most precious, creative, detailed and delightful Easter garden village! I adore the color palette and your baking and cookie decorating is phenomenal. What a pleasant spot for me to visit today! So neat to meet you and share in this blog hop too!

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  21. Love the bunny community, love the table color combination, love the cookie designs! Love it all!! And you're right - edible decorations are the best!

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  22. Marsha, we get two posts really for the price of one --- a charming tablescape and delicious recipes! I am crushing on the chocolate mold favors at each place setting. How wonderful to have molds from your mom! Of course, my favorite is the one with the bee lol!

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  23. Oh how delightful that your friend brought you those beautiful tulips. I love the apothacary jar village too though! I love your blue and white colors, so pretty for spring time. Your muffins look delectable! Happy Easter Season!

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  24. Marsha, your blue patterned dishes are gorgeous. THe navy works so well with the lime green. Love all the bunnies and chicks. Your apothecary jar village is so cute. Happy Easter.

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  25. What a fun post, your bunnies are adorable and the muffins look divine. Hope you have a wonderful holiday! Sandi

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  26. What a beautiful way to decorate for easter.Loved the story of the little village

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  27. The cookies are just beautiful to look at and enjoy too much to eat. Stay safe and have a great Easter. #HomeMattersParty

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  28. We are featuring your awesome post at Full Plate Thursday,479 this week! Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us and we sure hope you have a great week!
    Miz Helen

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  29. Such a sweet Easter tablescape! I love the blue and white place settings with those beautiful cookies! Your muffins looks delicious! It is always so much fun to hop with you. I hope you are safe and healthy. Happy Easter, my friend!

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