Ostereierbaum to osterbrunnen: Extreme Easter egg decorating in Germany

An Easter egg topiary that is likely part of an Osterbrunnen display. Photo: Maria-Anne RothSometimes an idea consumes you.

While looking for Easter ideas for the current issue of At Home, I happened upon an image of the globe shape at left. It was so pretty and uniformly covered by assorted blue Easter eggs.

I could not figure out if it was a perfectly pruned shrub or a ball of some penetrable material, covered in sheet moss and pierced by some sort of rods onto which eggs had been mounted.

I had a strong sense that it was the latter.  It would be difficult, I figured to place the eggs so uniformly in a shrub.

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Morris County home makeover: Small bath gets spa shower with laundry area

EUGENIO PHOTOGRAPHYJoseph Augis has become accustomed to clients showing him photos of dreamy, but unusual, home features that he always finds a way to build in his Linden workshop. Such were the shelves in the laundry area of a master bathroom his company, Heavy J Construction, recently renovated in a house near Morristown.

The owners wanted to stay on budget with stock cabinetry. So instead of building the custom cabinets that are a specialty of his company, Augis was challenged to use his creativity and woodworking skills in another way.

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Grace's House: Plainfield show house pits high design against cancer

Grace's House, a show house open until May 19 at 950 Hillside Ave. in Plainfield, benefits the Valerie Fund

The renovated 1870 home, in Plainfield's Hillside Avenue Historic District, retains many original features of its Second Empire architecture. Photo by Kimberly L. Jackson 

The house showcases the work of local artists, with numerous custom features conceived by area designers. Decorative items are being sold, with 15 percent of each sale going to the Valerie Fund. Room designed by Swati Goorha. Photo by Kimberly L. Jackson There are four good reasons to go and see a designer show house in person.

The first, of course, is to support a worthy cause. The second is to get ideas, often from top interior designers, that can offer insight into the use of color, the latest materials, and the possibilities for blending custom furnishings with well selected antiques, artwork and imaginative “off-the-shelf” pieces.

The third reason is the insights a show house can offer into renovation of an older home, or the options for new construction.

At Grace’s House, a show house open Thursdays through Sundays through May 19, the fourth reason is perfectly illustrated: the opportunity to enjoy a visual feast of jaw-droppingly gorgeous home design.

About a year ago, this property at 950  Hillside Ave. in Plainfield’s well-manicured Hillside Avenue Historic District was a distressed house on auction. It still had a crushed roof from a tree felled by Hurricane Sandy, and it had been vacant for five years.

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Outdoor wedding ideas: DIY Chandelier made from hanging planter basket

A hanging wire basket made for plants is beaded and transformed into an outdoor chandelier in this project from Jo-Ann fabric and crafts.An ordinary hanging planter becomes a gorgeous DIY chandelier with instructions from Jo-Ann fabrics and crafts. Beads are strung on lengths of wire to surround the basket and its hanging wires for an outdoor accessory that can add a little more sparkle using battery-operated candles, so no electric power is required.

While the idea is perfect for outdoor weddings, it is also a fun way to beautify any outdoor "room" for a warm-weather celebration or just to create a romantic setting with the benefit of several flameless candles with battery-powered light.   

All materials are available online, but head to the store at 1272 Route 27 in Colonia to see more options and get any project questions answered in advance.  

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Inspirational quotes preserved with decoupage on a crafty table

Inspirational quotes on paper can be cut out to make a design that will remind you of your dreams and give you a nudge to keep at the work required to make them real.

These project instructions are suitable for adding cut out inspirational quotes to wood, cardboard and other surfaces. 

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