Spring is here! And so begins the onslaught of events: Easter, Mother’s Day, graduations, bridal showers… Need we go on? And with those events comes entertaining, of course! So we scoured the vast Shelterrific archive to find our very best recipes for your springtime brunches and soirees. Here’s what made the cut:

Appetizers & canapes:
Mascarpone stuffed dates
Crab meat canapes
Parmesan walnut salad in endive leaves
A super fast shrimp appetizer
Dungeness crab and asparagus “cocktails”

Brunch (we’ve got brunch COVERED):
Leek and potato galette pictured above, from way back in 2007!
Cinnamon Rolls
Spinach and caramelized onion tart
Bacon candy
Ree Drummond’s breakfast puffs
Wild mushroom and pancetta tart
Asparagus and gruyere tart
Orange cranberry pecan bread
Caramelized onion and goat cheese tart
Chicken pear turnovers

Veggies and sides:
Cider glazed sunchokes and carrots
Asparagus, raw and roasted
Jamie Oliver’s simple vegetable soup
Perfectly puffy popovers

Desserts:
Coconut bread pudding with banana macadamia nut caramel sauce
Gammy’s carrot cupcakes (or muffins)
Grandma B’s rosemary nut roll cookies
Amped up red velvet cupcakes
Butterscotch marble blondie drops
Cherry cupcakes with best vanilla frosting

Now it’s your turn to share — what are your favorite time-tested recipes for entertaining?

Around here, we have a thing for holiday decorating. Last week we scouted the latest in Easter décor at some of our favorite stores, but if you’re looking for a crafty, quick and virtually free project for this week, look no further than this adorable paint chip Easter garland tutorial from Modern Parents Messy Kids. I love the simplistic pop of color this could add to a room, but unless I hit the paint store for some new chips, we’re looking at a greige garland strung together with dental floss. Neutrals. So hot right now.

Also, lest we forget, Easter marks the beginning of a very fleeting Peep season, so ready those pots everyone: It’s time for Peeps treats! –Sarah C.

Photos courtesy of Modern Parents Messy Kids

My digital bookshelf is beginning to get out of control, and just as I start to grow content with the solid stable of online magazines competing to draw me out of my Domino mourning, we have yet another to add to the list. Last week, the folks at Traditional Home launched Trad Home, their digital collaboration with the editors of Lonny. Slated to release issues in May and October, the venture promises to feature 100% original content. Traditional Home is also partnering with sale spot One Kings Lane to host tag sales curated by designers from their annual “hot list” to watch. Running from June to early fall, each “Trad Home Tag Sale” will feature a room created by each designer where consumers can glean décor tips and buy anything they see in the set. Bookmarked! – Sarah C.

When I spotted this fun Tiki Head pepper mill at Neatoshop ($15.95 ), I knew about five people off the top of my head it would be perfect for (myself included). He’s just the thing to bring a little Easter Island to the Easter table — just fill with 4 AA batteries (and pepper, of course), press his imposing nose, and your pepper will be effortlessly ground and dispensed right where it’s needed — like the scalloped potatoes. — Megan B.

There’s something about Calypso St. Barth stores that instantly put me in a good mood. My favorite is tucked away in Nolita, on Mott Street. Anytime you walk in you are treated to a sensory vacation: flowery scents, exotic textiles, with aqua and fuchsia reigning supreme all year round.

Now that Caribbean couture is coming to local Target stores — I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a designer line since last year’s Liberty of London collection! There are tunics and raffia bags, jeweled thongs and tie-dyed rompers for little ones. And, of course, there will also be some lovely home accessories, which will give your pad a pool-side resort vibe even if you’re stuck in a concrete metropolis.

Some of the things we have our eyes on: Elephant teapot, $13. Turquoise serving bowl, $13. Toss pillows, $25. Silver poof $60. Available May 1st at Target. – Angela M.

Monday, the week’s cruelest mistress, is back again, (ugh) but fear not, dear readers, I come bearing today’s mental solace in the form of an Etsy find of epic proportions. I’m pleased to introduce Lisa Krowinski of shopsaplingpress and her ingenious line of cackle-inducing letterpress cards. In partnership with Jared Wunsch of DearBlankPleaseBlank.com, she’s reprinted some of the best submissions from the site to hilarious effect. Some favorites are shown above, and more will be added, so stop on over and write your own letter to life for your chance at 15 seconds of fame on the finest of paper stocks. – Sarah C.

1) We love a good diy carpet coaster. Rebecca F. got her creative fix from Flor with her simple, inspired coasters. And they last! Hypothetical Woman says: “Oooh, good idea! And easy to replace when they get yucky, too! But don’t they fray at all?” Nope! Get the look here.

2) Everyone is looking for a pop of color and an accurate read on the weather. Our solution? A bright thermometer. Greta says: “I adore these so much. The colors, the style and the price make them irresistible. I want one for the front of my house, the back and in my kitchen. Do you think that’s too much?”

3) The Allstate app is a digital way to catalog keepsakes. Sarah L. shared her most recent download to rave reviews. Ellie says: “Great find, just downloaded. And I love your pencil holder.”

4) You like the look of a bar and you’re happy to make one happen creatively. Bar carts are having a moment. Jesselyn says: “When I moved into my current apartment 2 years ago, I made myself one of these (though it’s less mobile) by simply buying one of those old LP media cases with the glass front doors. A few under-shelf wine glass holders laters, voila! – and really, it would function great as a bar even without those.”

5) A good pillow is hard to find, but we have resources. Sarah L. swears by Target. Kimberj says: “I found my best pillows ever, both latex and down, at Penny’s Outlet store. The regular store doesn’t have the same stock so I’ve only ever found them at the outlet, which is closing in a couple months. I’ll have to try Target, I love a great deal on a great product!” Where do you get your bed pillows?

photo by Kletia Garies

NOTCOT has us yearning for a set of these beautiful (and dishwasher safe!!)wooden plates by Moneral.

A modern grand piano deluxe: the WHALETONE piano by Robert Majkut, at Yatzer.

Renters, say goodbye to your bare white walls! CasaSugar has four great decorating ideas that will still get you back your security deposit, like using electrical tape as wall stripes.

Brush up on your coupon-clipping skills with this post at Curbly: how to become an extreme couponer.

Treehugger presents an interesting idea :learning energy efficiency from Medieval houses. Are smaller windows (and less of them) really in our future?

Gardening gadgets for thumbs green and black, at Design*Sponge.

We’ve got dessert covered, but this Vegan matzo “lasagna” we spotted at Don’t Fear the Vegan would be a great addition to Passover seder.

I’m having a bit of an existential crisis. I’m not sure if I’m getting old, or if my taste is waning, but I’ve had the urge this year to… wait for it… decorate for Easter. I know, I know, this conjures all sorts of awful images of tacky plastic Easter grass, “country chic” wreaths or even an Easter Bunny flag flying over my front door (talk about letting your freak flag fly). But I’m convinced there’s a way to spruce up my house for this pastel holiday without going into Hallmark overload.


West Elm, for example, has loads of sweet-but-chic Easter options (many more in-store than online, sadly). I happen to especially love this David Stark topiary, which I think could certainly be stylish bedecked with a host of, say, glittered eggs. Or what about just displaying a few candy-bright dyed eggs in this ceramic egg crate? I also love the more subtle style of these cream and blue speckled eggs from Pottery Barn — I’m imagining these in a clear glass bowl (which you probably already have) on a side table somewhere. Or, for a little vintage charm, these classic Steiff Easter rabbits manage to be sweetly old-fashioned without being cloying (as long as you pick the ones that aren’t wearing clothes), and they remind me of Easter brunch with my grandmother. The Steiff bunnies are notoriously pricey, but you can sometimes find a steal on eBay if you’re patient…especially the week after Easter.

And of course, there’s always the option of decorating with candy…a big glass vase filled with Cadbury Mini Eggs and Whoppers’ Robin Eggs wouldn’t survive long in my house, but it would be absolutely lovely while it lasted.

So, what do you think of Easter decorating? Strictly for the senior set, or am I ahead of the trend? — Becki S.

Your child’s art may already be suitable for framing, but The Great Remember makes it official. They arrange for a photographer to shoot your child’s work, then the company will turn it into a surprisingly attractive mosaic. Of course, it’s not free: mosaics start at around $150 and go up to $380, with the option of having the final work printed on canvas for an additional fee. For even more nostalgia, send in special or outgrown clothes and The Great Remember will turn them into an appliqued piece (starting at $200). There’s also a selection of Mother’s Day gifts. And if you place an order now through 4/25, you can use coupon code MD15 to save 15%.