DIY: Easter Centerpieces

By Mikes Furniture

Hop your way into Easter with this simple & charming floral arrangement. The beautiful pastel colors will give your table setting the fresh look it needs this spring. Then, with the same eggs, you can make another thrifty craft that will look just as dainty. Follow these easy steps & you’ll have them done in no time!

Easter Floral Arrangement

What you need:

·         A wire basket

·         Speckled Easter eggs

·         Baby’s breath

·         Vase

1)      Use some speckled Easter eggs, preferably in muted colors. If you do not manage to find any that are already prefabricated, purchase some wooden or foam eggs. Then paint them in muted colors of your choice. As a final touch, use a toothbrush to speckle brown spots.  Make sure to make extra eggs for the following craft!

2)      Start by adding a few eggs in the wire basket. Don’t be afraid to mix the colors for best results! Also, include yellow, as you cannot have a happy event without the color that best represents the emotion! Next, add a glass vase in the center of the wire basket. Then arrange the eggs around the vase according to your liking. Once the wire basket is filled and the vase is surrounded, add water to the vase.

3)      Finally, add some flowers to your arrangement. Most people would consider baby’s breath a “filler” for floral arrangements, however its simplicity will not take away from the beauty of the colorful eggs in the basket. On the plus side, they are also extremely inexpensive, so your arrangement will turn out to be a bargain!

This arrangement has a rustic feel to it and would be showcased beautifully on a rustic dining table. It’s simple yet charming look will complement the natural and organic elements of the wood.

Nestled Easter Eggs

What you need:

·         A cake pedestal

·         Straw

·         Speckled Easter eggs in muted colors

1)      Begin by taking some straw and shaping into a circle. If the straw is being fussy, try to wet it a little to help shape it and stick it together. If it still does not stick together at the ends, a little dab of glue from a glue gun will do just fine.

2)      Place the straw that is now shaped into a nest onto the cake pedestal. Then, take some of the leftover eggs from the previous craft and nestle them into their cozy little nest. This centerpiece would look lovely with a Shabby Chic or Vintage Casual style, as it screams effortless elegance.

There you have it! A table with dainty and egg-citing décor. It’s quite egg-traordinary! 

 Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Gathering Ideas For St. Patrick’s Day

By Mikes Furniture

St. Patrick’s day, the patron saints’ feast is coming! No need to be in Ireland or Irish to celebrate it, as March 17th has become a cultural tradition spread all over the world. It is more of a religious holiday in Ireland where St. Patrick was known for converting the people to Christianity. In other countries, this day is a symbol of sharing Irish traditions and heritage. Some people would even say that it is their luckiest day!

Indoor or outdoor- lots of things are planned for gatherings on St. Pat’s! Here are a few ideas you will definitely crush on. No matter what mood you are in; get ready to see everything green!

Our indoors/ in-house suggestions!

If you decide to throw your own St Pat’s party, you will be rewarded as you can make a great party on a budget and enjoy the most of the day! 

Start by turning your house green with a green sofa and homeaccents or get few accessories like green leprechaun’s hat, shamrock!

Once the atmosphere is set, you can now get some drinks and food ready. If you are a great cook, you can attempt to cook some typical Patrick’s Day dinner with colcannon or Irish stew. Whatever you plan to make, just remember that “a room without potatoes is like a body without a soul.” Make sure you have potatoes!

Put some nice Irish music and start dancing!

Our outdoor /outside your house suggestions:

If you live close to the Chicago River, you might see the leftover of the river dyed in green the weekend prior to the D-day.

In the morning, you can start your day on a green foot – drink an Irish coffee and wear green clothes to fit in the Patty’s day mood!

Then, participate in a street parade in the afternoon. Eat the classic corned beef dish!

Continue or finish your day in a pub for a stout and just feel the Irish culture ambiance surrounding you!

So many things can be done to celebrate St. Pat’s but the best part is that you can share this moment gathering with friends and family.

Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

International Women’s Day: Bring Femininity To Your Home

By Mikes Furniture

In the 1950s, the typical middle class woman was responsible for childcare, meals and household maintenance. Her femininity was reflected in being able to perform in these areas, while looking her best! In fact, there was an ongoing consumerism trend that offered different products and methods to improve the ideal homemaker. These characteristics were not simply suggested by means of advertisement and commercials; they were depicted in action via popular sitcoms. Television was not merely for entertainment, it was a teacher of acceptable family values.

As we know, the role of the woman has shifted over time. Their responsibilities are not largely domestic, as they have been encouraged to enter the workforce. There are women who still enjoy being homemakers today, but it is no longer an expectation. Although women are aiming to gain gender parity, this doesn’t take away from their femininity!

Besides it being reflected on their outer appearance, women still show a side of their femininity in the household. Not only does it resonate with keeping the house tidy or decluttered, but also through home décor of course! A home with elegant furniture, texture, vibrant colors and spruced up with eye catching accents is usually an understatement for a “woman’s touch”.

That being said, only a woman would choose tasteful living room furniture or a buffet to expose her beautiful china! Hence, even though the role of the woman has significantly evolved, this is a girly side that will always remain in their DNA.

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com

Nutrition Habits

By Mikes Furniture

We have great news for those obsessed with dieting - March is the national nutrition month this year! Nonetheless, we are not nutritionists and will not suggest what you shouldn’t eat nor give you any recipes – even if, these tips could help lots of us as spring is coming! Then why not talk about eating habits for once! What eating habits should we adopt to stay healthy and live longer? Here are our pieces of advice:

Time does matter!

Some American surveys reveal that 7.11 am is the ideal time for breakfast, 12.38pm for lunch, and 6.14pm for dinner.  Whether there is any best time to eat or not, when we are less active especially in the evening, it takes more time to burn calories- that’s a fact! Yet, what really matters is not at what time you eat, but how many times you eat on a daily basis.

Fuel up 3 times a day with a healthy meal and have some healthy snacks in between if need be. This is a great habit to develop. You don’t have to apply the famous phrase: “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” as you know your limit. However, never overeat especially before going to bed! While eating, take your time to enjoy each bite!

Eat in the best room ever… It is always better to have a sit-down dinner than to eat on the go. Obviously, our dining room is arguably the best place to have your meals or as a second option, there’s always the kitchen! As long as you sit on a chair, you are in the right spot!

Keep the rhythm! Eating in the dining room is also great for sharing family moments. Families share about their day or/and make plans. We will always remember those times where we were all seated around the table, eating all kinds of food, even green vegetables and discussing! Everyone needs their daily portion of fruit and vegetables and if leading by example can help our kids, why not adopt this routine?  It will certainly reduce some health problems later too! So keep the rhythm…

As a last piece of advice, follow healthy eating habits more than 31 days. How long could we carry on with this challenge? You know the answer…Have the greatest and healthiest March ever!

Content provided by: @tailbase

www.tailbase.com