How To

Celebrate spring's grand entrance with a classic tea party that lets kids and grownups all share together in the fun.

On Easter, bunnies and eggs go together like family and friends, so we came up with a party that brings them together. We have created an unforgettable feast with a side of deliciously sweet cupcakes, tea and creative inspiration. We've called upon our Pottery Barn stylists to share their favorite egg-decorating ideas (and rest assured, even if you haven't decorated eggs since childhood, these easy craft techniques will have beautiful results). We've also looked to Chef Joey Altman to create the perfect spring menu — culminating, of course, in the ultimate Easter cupcake. With brilliant style tips and no shortage of other special touches, this party has all the makings of an annual family tradition.

Setting Up

What we used to think of as "kid holidays" have now grown up into celebrations that kids and adults can all take part in together. This party allows all your guests — big and small — to participate in Easter's traditional egg decorating. Making natural vegetable dyes, hand painting, and playing with decoupage are all fun, flexible techniques that can be as simple or challenging as you like.

In your invitation, tell guests to dress in craft-friendly clothing, and to be ready for a creative session of egg decorating. You'll need to visit a craft store to purchase supplies to set up three decorating stations, one each for our three design ideas. This allows for interruption-free prepping and setting. To create the stations, cover three small tables with easy-to-clean cloth or newspaper, our printed instructions and decorating supplies.

In the kitchen, you'll be getting creative too. Our recipes incorporate the use of The Smoking GunTM, a smoke infusing tool. You'll use it to give your salmon, roasted red peppers and bacon hollandaise sauce a natural smoky flavor on the spot.

Design your table with Easter-themed accessories and our special Bunny serving dishes that lend color and texture. Add a special touch to each place setting by using our downloadable tags as a personalized place card attached to a tea bag. Final setup will include placing food and desserts on the buffet. Also set up a beverage area with bottles of sparkling wine and orange juice for mimosas. Place tea bags, honey and sugar in attractive servers, and keep hot water at the ready.

After guests finish decorating their eggs, invite them to place them all in the center of the dining table to act as a centerpiece.

Don't forget the creative little details: Download our free Invitation Template and choose songs from our Party Music Playlist to get the festivities going.

Natural Vegetable Dyed Eggs

Supplies

A selection of vegetables and fruits to make the dye

A selection of leaves and flowers, either real or adhesive, as motifs

Hard-boiled or blown-out eggs

Preparation

To make natural vegetable dyes:

1. Choose your colors and vegetables. We used purple cabbage, blueberries, spinach and red onion skin. Look online for other vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers you can use for dyeing.

2. Chop up each of the vegetables into small to medium pieces. Put each vegetable in a separate pot, doubling the amount of water to vegetable ratio. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for one hour. Boil longer for stronger color.

3. Pour through a strainer, saving the liquid which is now ready to be used as dye. The dye will last about a week refrigerated.

Dyeing and decorating eggs:

1. Either hard-boil or blow-out eggs. Hardboiled eggs should be cooled so that the heat won't affect the dye.

2. Select the leaves and flowers for making impressions. Press them overnight to get them to lay flat on the eggs. Position the motif on the egg and put the egg in a clean, cut-off nylon stocking. Tightly and smoothly tie off the end to make sure the dye doesn't seep under the motif. Alternatively, you can use a leaf- or flower-shaped sticker that pulls off easily.

3. Put the eggs into the dye bath. The color will deepen the longer you leave the eggs in the bath. Varying shades can be achieved by steeping for different lengths of time. Liquid will eventually seep under the motif whose edges will become fuzzy. Experiment to find the perfect balance. For blown-out eggs, place a lid or cup over the egg in the bath to hold it under the liquid.

4. Remove the eggs from the bath, cut off the stocking and let dry.

Hand Painted Silhouette Eggs

Painting with acrylic paint yields more saturated colors than dyed eggs. It also lets you get creative with hand painting, drawing and craft techniques like stenciling and stamping.

Supplies

Acrylic paint

Small paint brushes

Blow dryer

Hard-boiled or blown-out eggs

Variety of craft supplies, like acrylic paint pens, pencils, stencils, craft punch, thin masking tape, ribbon, small scissors or X-acto knife.

Preparation

Paint the entire egg and let it dry. Draw a silhouette by hand with a pencil, or alternatively make a stencil with an X-acto knife, stamp or punch. Use an acrylic paint pen to clearly define the outlines and fill in the outlines with paint.

Découpage Eggs

Using blown-out eggs is best here, since these graphic eggs are wrapped entirely in paper and sealed with glue.

Supplies

Blown Eggs

Modge Podge brand all-in-one sealer, glue and finish

A selection of newsprint images

Scissors

A small bowl for glue

A small paint brush for applying glue

Cookie drying rack

Preparation

1. Cut out selected images and words from catalogs or newspapers

2. Place larger pieces around the egg by painting the back of the paper and place on the egg. Carefully press the paper around the egg, smoothing out corners, bubbles and ripples with your fingers while the glue is still wet.

3. Once the larger pieces are in place, the smaller images can be used to fill in the negative spaces.

4. Continue adding imagery and typography until the egg is completely covered.

5. Dry the eggs on the drying rack.