March 24, 2024

Bonnets, blossom, baskets & bunnies... an Easter edition of The Scribble

Bonnets, blossom, baskets & bunnies... an Easter edition of The Scribble
Into the light...

Just before Easter comes Ostara, celebration of the Spring Equinox, a casting-off of winter's dark spell and the weaving of a new one of blossom and renewal.

Although the classic markers of the year - Christmas, Easter, birthdays - are the festivities woven into my life through culture and repetition, I find myself increasingly drawn to those of folk tradition or plain invention...

One of my favourite revels marked my 10,000th day; spent on Tyninghame beach in Scotland with friends, fire and feasting, it was far more memorable than any birthday.

The Pagan calendar offers a myriad of excuses to party and dress up - Beltane is up next - and if you're looking for inspiration, read this feature in Vogue to see how our friends Hugo & James of Bard feted Ostara at Boath House last weekend, and have a frolic in this fabulous history of the Easter bonnet..!



When Easter rolls around, my focus tends towards food, fun and flowers, so what follows are a few suggestions to bring these fine things into your life this year...
 
Smell the wildflowers...
 
Opening the curtains each morning to find yet another grey, drizzly day has particularly tested the patience this year, but at last the nodding heads of beautiful Spring flowers herald warmer, brighter days ahead. They know nothing of the cares and sorrows of our human world, they just appear for a brief moment, year after year in spite of it all; remember to stop to look at them. 
 
Here are some of the best places to make an Easter pilgrimage to do just that...
 
North Meadow in Cricklade (UK) is renowned for the spectacle of thousand upon thousands of Snake's Head Fritillaries around this time of year. The Wildlife Trust also has this list of nationwide spots to see these tiny miracles. You'll find a card in their honour within our Great Dixter collection.
 
Crete is a heaven of wildflowers in Spring with an abundance of species of wild orchids, tulips and anemones. Greece as a whole is rich with flora that you can enjoy vicariously via gardener Lucie Wilan.
 
Pasque Flowers, aptly named for the timing of their appearance, are now incredibly rare in the UK but there are still a few sites they can be seen here.
 
Hilsides in California erupt in April with carpets of Eschscholzia californica, vivid orange poppies that create spectacular swathes of colour across the valleys.

Set the Scene...



Don't take all the fun out of things by fussing with fancy decor, keep it over-easy for Easter decorating...

Invest in some of our hand-sewn streamers - just unfurl, and drape or tape them up year after year...

Throw a bright cloth on the table and jam some daffodils in a jug - love this Murano glass one, £95 from our stockists Alex Eagle

If you want to be a little bit fancy, you could add our hand-painted place cards to the table, maybe with this sweet egg spoon tied with pink ribbon as a present... 

Make like the bunny and liberally sprinkle chocolate eggs about the place (these Pump Street ones are from our stockists The Hambledon, also home to the zingy tablecloth, £55)

Wonderful slipware plates by Celia Wood are from another of our favourite stockists, The Merchant's Table, £36 each

As of this month, you'll find Scribble & Daub stocked at The Newt in Somerset from whence comes this little children's straw basket (£14.50) and paper eggs (£7.50)

Brighten it all up with yolk yellow beeswax candles, £10 from Form Lifestyle Store






Some-bunny Loves You...
 

Not one for time poor bunnies, granted, but if you want to treat your little kittens (honestly, that's the technical term for a baby rabbit!) then House of Lars' Carrot Surprise Balls get my vote, paws down - here's how to...



Senior bunnies might wish to consider a capacious basket for distribution of the obligatory easter egg hunt which can then be repurposed year round - I've rarely left the house without this one from our stockists Straw London for the past 2 years, and still most weeks someone will ask me where it's from. 



Thanks to everyone who has been (s)hopping with us this month 🐰 We suggest making your Easter orders no later than 27th March to ensure their timely arrival if you are in the UK. We send everything by courier, so any International orders made until Monday still have a whisker's chance too! Shipping is free over £25 (UK) and £150 (Worldwide).

Lastly, a date for your Spring diaries - Scribble & Daub will be at the Water Lane Spring Fair on the weekend of 4th & 5th May, we would love to see you there...
 
May the bunny be good to you all!