4.29.13

may day flowers + “hello sunshine” printable

may day flowers + free printable via seejaneblog

when i was a child, my mom and i lived with my grandparents in the rainy northwest. when i was about eight years old, my *grandpa was eighty-something and he had a notorious flower garden. i first learned about may day from this grandpa. each may first, he would slowly and carefully roll paper into cones, and take me out to pick flowers from his garden. then, we would go for a walk in our neighborhood and choose homes to leave the flowers at as a surprise. he would stand back, let me go to the door, leave the flowers, knock, and run…

hello sunshine * may day flowers via seejaneblog

one year, i was caught in the act and our local paper wrote an article about my grandpa and i keeping the may day tradition alive… and this week, almost thirty years later i am doing the same thing with my kids in honor of grandpa.

may day flowers via seejaneblog

hello sunshine free printable via seejaneblog

only, we are using glassware in place of paper cones because i like the idea that after the flowers die, there is a little treasure to keep.

have you ever prepared and delivered may day flowers? have you ever received may day flowers? i am so excited for sunshine, warm weather, and spring this year that there was no way we could skip this delightful may first tradition. i really enjoy making people happy, even more, i like to see them smile. surprising someone with flowers is sure to do both if only for a fleeting moment, right?

Leucospermum for May Day via seejaneblog

download the “hello sunshine” printable here and spread some flower love! xo.

*i shared another story about my grandpa here, and why i am fond of red poppy’s.

{photos and styling by me, Jane Rhodes. hello sunshine tags designed by lovely lindsay for seejaneblog}

3.31.13

Easter 2013.

the sun shined for Easter in New England!

that was one of the highlights of our day.

color coordinated Easter egg hunt via seejaneblog

the easter bunny did not show up last night for his glow-in-the-dark night-time egg hunt,
and our kiddos started to worry that it wasn’t going to come – but he didn’t forget us this morning!

modern easter bags via seejaneblog

huge upcycled easter bags via seejaneblog

sela head first in her easter bag

KJ head first in his easter bag

Oh So Tiny Bunny book via seejaneblog

myla moo and her easter treasures

Easter sunday via seejaneblog

i hope your day was filled with loved ones, and lots of good food. boy-oh-boy do i have to start eating good {AGAIN} and working-out extra starting tomorrow… anyone else with me?

xo.

{pictures by me, Jane Rhodes}

3.28.13

Easter table setting :: for kids + free placemats printable

are you hosting an Easter breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner this weekend? if so, do you have plans for a kids table? if you answered yes to both of those questions, here are my ideas for you:

Easter table setting for kids with free printable placemats via seejaneblog

we plan on having a simple {cereal, eggs, and bacon} Easter breakfast, tending to our traditional festivities, and then we are dining out for Easter dinner. because our mornings can be crazy when six of us are all getting ready in our sunday best, i want to make breakfast special, and memorable for the holiday, but easy. a good combination, right?

Easter table details via seejaneblog

for some time now i’ve wanted to create a custom placemat that could be used all year long. so, i chose the classic dots game and a leaf design that i can’t get enough of lately! both of these designs could be adapted to any holiday, birthday, or everyday meal use!

free printable dots placemat via seejaneblog

i printed the placemats on white and brown kraft paper card stock to get two different looks. i adore both of them, and can’t decide which i like best! the white placemats underneath the floral splashes of color is beautiful, and i love the brown underneath white dishes, clean and simple. which do you like best???

free leaf garland placemat printable via seejaneblog

printable dots placemat via seejaneblog

free Easter printable placemats via seejaneblog

to download the paper placemats, click on these links:

dots placemat here.

leaf garland placemat here.

i recommend printing the placemats on card stock. if you do print & use the placemats, i would love to see a picture of your event or pretty tables! regardless of if you celebrate Easter, i hope you are planning a weekend filled with your passions and those you love. i don’t practice my faith exactly like my parents practiced theirs and i greatly respect and learn from friends who practice different faiths than mine, and yet we all make opportunities this time of year to create meaningful celebrations with our families and our children. make every day uniquely yours. i encourage you to soak up all that spring has to offer, it is not an ordinary season – it is an exceptional one.  happy hosting, friends! xo.

also:  i hope to get one more {super cute & EASY} DIY Easter basket tutorial post up soon!

also, also: i posted an Easter basket fillers roundup of goodies on instagram, follow @see_jane to check it out!

***

table details:

plates from anthropologie, hobnail tumblers from anthropologie, white bowls here, mini bunny surprise balls from meri meri, flowers: ranunculus, if you do not want to make mini origami bunnies – you can find lots right here on etsy, fluorescent colored pencils found here.

{photos & styling by Jane Rhodes, placemat graphics designed by Lovely Lindsay for seejaneblog}

3.18.13

st patty’s day…

came and went in the blink of an eye. our kiddos woke up to a trail of three leaf clovers that lead to a pot of treats. we had a busy family day, and that was it! what did you do?

three-leaf clover trail to a pot of treats via seejaneblog

my leprachaun via seejaneblog

12.3.12

*new to me*

happy monday friends!

to start the week, i am so excited to share with you something that is *new to me*!!!

this is good.

are you ready?

ok. three of my creative friends melanie burk, alma loveland, and mike loveland have come together to create caravan shoppe. before you click on their link to see how amazing the site is, let me tell you a little bit more…

first, when you go to their site, look for the confetti please button. AND CLICK ON IT! is that the cutest thing you have ever seen??? amazing!

second, Caravan is the happy space where we share our art and designs inexpensively while allowing you the freedom of printing as much as you like. Bonus? We share our secrets on how to print for the same low price designers pay every day. sounds really good, right? look at some of their art/designs you can print:

the winter olliblocks are a fun homemade gift idea + if you don’t have a chalkboard in your home, these posters are an easy way to hang instant-cool-holiday-cheer on any wall in your home!

that’s it. now, go-go-go! start right here.

{images via}

4.16.12

Patriot’s Day

today is a holiday i was completely unaware of until we moved to new england. Patriot’s Day. {not to be confused with Patriot Day on Sept. 11} it commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, which were two of the earliest battles in the American Revolutionary War. annually held on the third Monday of April, Patriot’s Day is a state holiday here in Massachusetts and Maine.

the boston marathon is ran on Patriot’s day every year, so it has been nicknamed “marathon monday.” also, the sox have traditionally been scheduled to play at home on this day since ’59. {we had green monster tickets to this game, but sold them because we want to watch the runners!}

today, our family is going to be cheering for the marathon runners from the comfort of our front yard. the marathon route goes right past by our home! we’re so excited, this is definitely a highlight about the location of the house we live in!

if you are in boston and don’t plan on watching the marathon, you can watch re-enactments of the battles. more info here.

cheers to Patriot’s Day my friends! whatever you do, i hope you are surrounded by people you love. xo.

{image source}

4.3.12

color block + rubber band stripes easter eggs

tips:

  • we used baby food jars to help with dying the tips of our color blocked eggs.
  • i found it to be easier to just hold the eggs with the aid of a spoon for color blocking.
  • thick rubber bands work much better than thin rubber bands.

***

we were inspired here, and here.

{photos by me.}

© 2013 jane rhodes.