Easter Decorating

Easter is one of my favorite holidays not for the bunny, baskets, eggs, candy thing (although I do like to get one original Cadbury cream egg every year. The smooth milk chocolate-y shell, the creamy yolk-y candy-whatever-it-is inside... mmmmm...) Sorry! I got lost reminiscing about last year's Cadbury, back to the post....
I love Easter because it's more than a holiday, it's a reminder that Jesus Christ did what He came to do. He went to the cross, conquered death, and rose again and because of what He did, I have an eternal future with Him! It's humbling, exciting, and amazing all at once! To remind of us of what a special time of year it is, the house has to have a bit of decor here and there.

Our front door (Yes, still with the horrendous crack in it. I like to think that it offers ventilation.) gets a grapevine cross with some lilies. We used the cross with hydrangeas on it at our wedding to dress up the front of the head table.

The mantel got a few additions. Some fuzzy sheep that I made years ago. A vintage Easter postcard. A cross scene that my late father-in-law made along with a wooden egg that a friend of my mother's painted for me years ago.

In place of my spring rag garland, I made a paper banner that says 'He Is Risen.' It was super easy with my handy-dandy Cricut and free since I have sooo much scrapbook paper on hand. (See, deah, I do use my stash!)

 

I used the 'Straight From the Nest' cartridge (on loan from a friend---thanks, Julie!!) and cut 12 pennants at 5 1/2"; 6 from patterned paper and 6 from cardstock. Then I cut the pennant toppers, also at 5 1/2", and glued them on to the pennant base.

 

Then I used my Storybook cartridge and cut out the letters at 2". I cut a brown shadow for each and then cut each letter from cream cardstock. I glued the letters on to their shadows and then to the center of the pennants. (I did eyeball measure, using my plaid tabletop, to try to line up the letters on each pennant.)

Breaking out my Crop-o-Dile and seriously large stash of eyelets, I put 2 eyelets in each pennant top where the Cricut had pre-cut holes. Then I ran twine through the eyelets and tied off a loop at each end so it could hang on my 'invisible' Command hooks.

A few Prima flowers with mini brads for centers dress up the pennant between "is" and "risen".

The dining room got a few pretties too. Another vintage postcard on the table. (This has the Legend of the Dogwood on it.)

On the bay window,
 
(We get a lot of light in the dining room and my camera and photography skills are not enough to take better pics in here. Sorry the pics are so washed out and shadowy. Maybe I should just make this a disclaimer at the top of my blog?) ;)

vintage postcards in a card holder with little chicks

 

and some contributions from my little ones.

 

What it's really all about:
"O wondrous cross, my Savior's cross
cruel sign of death and shame
O wondrous cross, my Savior's cross
symbol of God's love proclaimed
the cross of life, O praise His name"
by Lloyd Larsen

Happy Easter! Come celebrate at all of these great blogs!