Design Threads: Easter Trees

Easter is just around the corner. It is the time of year for Easter egg hunts, big family lunches, long walks and being surrounded by loved ones. While this may feel slightly out of reach at the moment, there are still things we can do from the comfort of our homes to get us into the spring spirit.

The Easter tree is a family tradition of ours that has been passed from my great grandmother and beyond down to our own family.  The concept is simple, while at Christmas time, the décor is all about using foliage of the season such as fir trees, holly, laurel leaves and red berries, at Easter we use far more delicate branches such as Catkins, Pussy Willow and Cow Parsley. 

The arrangement is placed in a large vase or jug  and decorated with colourful little eggs and other springtime items, a knitted rabbit, a felt lamb, little yellow chicks and so on.

Ribbons are a wonderful addition to the tree, the more mismatched the better. If you don’t have ribbons, try using old bits of fabric cut into little strips. Another trick is to wrap the branches in different wools or cottons; you can layer these up in colourful stripes. 

The same goes for origami, try creating paper birds, eggs or flowers which can be attached to the twigs.

Feathers or pompoms are great alternatives to the Easter egg. Pompons can be made so easily at home with just little bits of cardboard and some wools.

If you’re feeling particularly daring, you can take some real eggs and blow the yolks out – there are many tutorials of how to do this online. It takes a lot of patience and time – perfect for self-isolation! You can then thread ribbon through both sides and paint them in any way you like.

Send us your Easter tree creations using the hashtag #designthread.  From all of us here in the Kit Kemp Design Team, a very happy Easter and we can’t wait to see your ideas!

Weekly Book Recommendation from Much Ado Books

Brilliant Maps – An Atlas for Curious Minds by Ian Wright.

These days, armchair travelling is about the only option. This book will whisk readers around the world with brilliant graphic maps that offer fascinating insights into the world.

From serious subject like military spending to whimsical analyses of speeding limits, every page offers thought-provoking facts and distractions.