Spring Table Setting

Celebrating Easter, and news of an exciting event with Toast! 🐣

Happy Easter! It feels like longer, lighter days are finally here: just last week was Ostara, the Spring Equinox, the clocks just went forward signalling the beginning of British Summertime, and today is Easter Sunday. So, three reasons to celebrate Spring in today’s newsletter!

One of my favourite things to do at each of the transition points of the Celtic Wheel is to set the table for a simple, seasonal celebration. I find so much joy in “shopping” my own home and bringing out much-loved linens, candles, decorations and props, many of which I’ve cherished for years now - and I know I will cherish them for many more years to come. I have a drawer in my dresser that is filled with seasonal bits and bobs like my bunny and egg decorations pictured in this post, and the joy they provide by only being brought out for brief spells through the seasons makes them all the more special. It’s like Christmas decorations - though it would be lovely to keep them out, the ritual of decorating each season is magical for all its delayed gratification.

Changing up my decor through the seasons is incredibly grounding to me; I have fond memories of dressing the table for Spring celebrations with my family and something about this nostalgia and tapping into my inner child makes the turn of the seasons all the more beautiful to me. Once I left home, I started my own collections of decorations and made it a ritual to decorate the table. I recently realised I’ve been sharing these table settings and little styled moments online in one shape or form since I first started blogging in 2011!

With all that background, setting the table was something I just had to write about in more detail in my book, Slow Seasons, and these reflections found their home in the Ostara chapter. Maybe it’s because we need these rituals at this time of year more than ever (as the weather seems unreliably springlike here) or maybe it’s my penchant for pastels, but I really enjoyed writing about table settings/ decorating inspired by Ostara. In the chapter you can read about how I style my Spring tablescape, as well as my tips for sourcing and thrifting props, and making your own table linens including a table runner and handmade napkins with step by step instructions. You can click here to order Slow Seasons, and thank you to many of you who already have!

In other exciting news, I’ll be hosting a Spring Table Setting Workshop with Toast here in Edinburgh on 12th April - click here for tickets! I’ll be talking through Spring craft ideas from my book, Slow Seasons, while demonstrating how to style Toast’s SS24 Homeware collection. I will also guide you to create floral posies you can bring to your Spring table or for outdoor dining with locally grown flowers from floral collective Ochre Botanical Studios. I’d recommend moving fast as when I hosted my launch workshop the tickets sold out in under 48 hours!

I do hope to see some of you at Toast, and in the meantime, here are some more pictures of my Ostara/ Easter table settings over the years to inspire you and to celebrate.

Pale pinks, rich creams and soft yellows inspired this table setting. I also folded my napkins around decorative eggs to make bunny ears: fold a napkin in half to make triangles, then fold over several times to make a long thin strip. Wrap around an egg and tie with a ribbon at the top to make two ‘ears’. A simple but sweet touch!

Mint green and pastel pink plus Liberty print florals: the palette was inspired by the vintage Scandinavian candle holder (on the left) that I thrifted at a vintage fair. I made hot cross bun cheesecakes that year and they were very delicious! White and gold details added a finishing touch.

A plain white background here let the chocolate orange simnel cake be the centre of attention, and a homemade Easter tree with gathered branches added a celebratory touch. I love the blank canvas that a white, simply embroidered tablecloth can bring to a table setting! Fluffy chicks, of course, are mandatory. The green and white plates were a kind previous PR product from Denby when I did a festive table setting job for them one year.

Pastel green, lilac and cream were again inspired by the flowers I sourced for this Spring tablescape. That year the Easter showstopper was a simnel-spiced salted caramel chocolate cake and I even coordinated the mini eggs!

Dusky pink and Liberty print florals for another job I did for Denby pottery (previous PR product) later in Spring to show a non-Easter option of a seasonal tablescape. The flowers I gathered (lilacs, forget-me-nots, blossom) inspired the palette once again - I think we’re sensing a theme! Though you can see I still had the faux fur throws out. Ahh, Spring!

Will you be setting the table for Easter? I’d love to see your creations!

If you enjoy my monthly seasonal newsletters, do consider joining us in my paid subscriber community for more regular posts. Together in this wee corner of the Internet we are creating a beautiful community of like-minded old souls who want to slow down, simplify and connect with the seasons. Here’s a flavour of what I’ve been posting over there this last month:

Blood Orange and Bay Drizzle Loaf

Behind the Scenes of Slow Seasons: the Writing Process

Celebrating Ostara with a Spot of Spring Crafting

Gentle Planning for the Year Ahead

Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest Book Group: March

And if you’ve enjoyed my newsletter I’d love it if you could share it too to help me spread the word:

Thanks so much for reading, and see you next month xxx

p.s. Slow Seasons is filled with seasonal crafts, recipes, nature notes and celebrations inspired by my Scottish heritage and if you enjoy this newsletter I think you’ll love it! I follow the progress of the year through each mini season, from Imbolc at the start of the year to Yule at the end and the book is beautifully illustrated by Holly Ovenden throughout. You can read more about it in this post and order ‘Slow Seasons’ here.