KISS - Easter Table Styling...

OK - ya all know me...

I don't like complicated, AT ALL!

In fact my all time favourite styling term is KISS.

I heard this mentioned many years ago in an interior design forum,

and I thought OH MY GOSH - KISS IS ABSOLUTELY ME!

KISS means - Keep It Simple Stupid...

(No derogatory pun intended!)

And because life is just so...well...BUSY...

KISS and I have become fabulous friends!

The Easter tablescape follows the KISS styling concept and it all began with:

An aqua coloured table runner for a bright pop of colour.

On top of that I added a antique lace tray runner.

A mason jar vase in blue glass.

Into this some blooms of 'Just Joey' rose...

I'm LOVING the stunning colour contrast of the vibrant orange peach with the aqua.

Around the neck of the vase,

 I tied a bow of stamped linen raw edged ribbon,
 in the same ecru colour as the lace runner.

I left the tails long to drape onto the table.

Add a vintage aqua blue and white spot tiered cake plate filled with mini Easter eggs

(foiled in Aqua of course)...

And a rabbit... 
(Must have bunnies on display at Easter!)
This cute bunny was only $6 from The Warehouse!!

Mia Bella Passions KISS Easter tablescape was complete.
Easy to put together with a few key elements, and completely stress-free!
All I'll need to do to maintain the look, 
 is replenish the eggs as they are devoured...
and freshen the flowers as required.
SO SIMPLE!`

Which leaves me pondering...
How complicated will your Easter decorating be?
Are you tempted to KISS?

St Patrick's Day and a little taste of Irish Coconut Ice....

 Ok - I am fooling with ya all a little....

this is an ordinary coconut ice,

sweet...

delicious...

uncooked...

 and simple to make.

The Irish bit is just the fact it has green colouring added 

to a layer instead of the standard pink!

This delish Coconut Ice is courtesy of BBC Good Food.
It is very easy to make so pop over to get the recipe:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2799/coconut-ice-squares

Nothing more perfect 
than a sweet treat to share on 
St Patrick's Day!

A Beautiful St Patrick's Day Proverb....

Choc-caramel Easter Slice

I found this Easter slice recipe on The Bite,
http://www.bite.co.nz/recipe/7137/ChocCaramel-Easter-Slice/

And it promised to be the biggest sweet overload in history with an almond chocolatey cake base,
gooey caramel filling and chocolate covered malt balls on top of that!

But here's the surprise....

it was sweet... but nicely so...

Not at all over the top as one might have expected,

and sooooo delicious!

The caramel was a little gooey,

  but adding longer cooking time will firm it up without a problem. 
Printable recipe is over at the Bite - http://www.bite.co.nz/recipe/7137/ChocCaramel-Easter-Slice/

For your Easter dessert display, 

add candles...

 And serve the Choc-caramel Easter Slices on brown paper, 

on a worn wooden chopping board.

Feathers always add to the fun!

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Porch Love...

Nothing beats a covered porch for summer dining,
an outdoor room to relax in, listen to music, or spend time with family & friends.

So today I'm sharing 'Mia Bella Passions back porch'...

 It's quite a large area,
sited between a bedroom and the red sitting room.
Bonus is it has a roof!

There's an old oak table centred on the deck that has a mosaic top.
The picture is of a butterfly.

The words read: Fly like a butterfly - free.

 Of course there is the mandatory fresh flowers...

a bowl of creamy white lilies.

The chairs are worn wood, 

I thought maybe one day I'll chalk paint them,

 but right now they're just plain shabby,
but I like that!

The old fish tank sits atop a huge cabinet...

it contains air plants, a bromeliad, rocks, and driftwood and various treasures. 

 There are quite a few plants...

I'm quite fond of orchids...

 Rhododendrons and bromeliads...

The stencilled valentines mat sit's outside the bedroom door.
Here's the link on how to make one:
http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/stenciled-valentines-heart-door-mat.html

French doors open onto the deck from this room...

as well as French doors on the opposite side from the red sitting room.

 An old patio aviary sits in the corner,

  that's used to store baskets and bits...

 The upcycled chandelier/candelabra hangs from the ceiling beam...

 There are practical shelves for those shoes...

 And room for some pretties too...

 A black wrought iron birdcage and globe

 A hand-painted gourd birdhouse.

 Mosaic...

 There's quite a few birdhouses actually!

The back porch is a fabulous place to relax,

to enjoy the flowers,

and simply chill out in the tranquillity!

 Tucker agrees...

Shanti-Rose thinks it is a fabulous place to nap too.
Isn't she the cutest?

(©               Cat love moment…)

There was just one thing missing from the back porch decor,

and that was a porch rules sign...

so what does one do...

get creating of course!
Using the free vintage Chrysanthemum flower printable from here:
http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/vintage-chrysanthemum-printables.html
I added some wording in various fonts, printed it on matt photo paper, and popped it in a brassy gold frame.
That is complimentary to the lone brass upcycled chandelier which is now a candelabra!
Read about that DIY session here:
http://miabellapassion.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/upcycle-chandelier-into-outdoor.html 

I'm loving the new Porch Rules sign,

and it's the perfect finishing touch!
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