Table Talk: Easter Dinner is About More than Food

Whoever’s invited to Bill Hamilton’s Easter dinner table is in for a treat. Not just because of the Russian cheesecake, hot cross buns, ambrosia, kielbasa and lamb-shaped butter that he and his partner, Chris Clark, typically serve on this spring holiday. For Hamilton, it’s a feast for the eyes, as in decorations extraordinaire.

As friends and family arrive to their Royal Oak home, they’ll likely first see a stunning chandelier “centerpiece” hanging over the dining table. 

“It’s amazing what people can do with items that are in their own back yards,” said Hamilton, the 49-year-old owner of Bill Hamilton Designs, a wedding and events design company.

Stick with it

“I was trimming back my lilac bush this past weekend and noticed how gorgeous the branches are,” he said. As nothing escapes Hamilton’s crafty ideas, the branches were hauled into his home and now they hang on his chandelier.  He adorned them with artificial cherry blossoms that he purchased at Michael’s.

“I bought the blossoms on stems, and then snapped them off and reglued them to the branches,” he said. “That way you have something real mixed in with the artificial.”

This tabletop expert knows what he’s talking about. For the past three years, in fact, Hamilton was invited to decorate the governor’s home in Lansing for the winter holidays.

April McCrumb also likes to “branch out” when it comes to springtime tabletop décor. McCrumb, 36, is the owner of Catching Fireflies, the home décor and gift shops located in Berkley and Rochester Hills, and the Yellow Door Artists Market in Berkley.

She selects branches out of the backyard at her Beverly Hills home and then adheres handmade leaves to them. “I like to mix and match the patterns so I buy paper that has different patterns on the front and back,” said McCrumb, also the founder of a.i. paper design, which features McCrumb’s handmade frames, recipe books, photo albums and more.

For the tree centerpiece, McCrumb finds her papers at Michael’s or any scrapbooking supply store. “You just draw a leaf outline onto folded paper, cut it out and then sandwich the branch between the leaf and hot-glue it closed.”

McCrumb hangs whimsical handmade birds available at Catching Fireflies, where you’ll also find everything from artistic baby gifts to jewelry (McCrumb’s Yellow Door sells a variety of works by artists from Michigan only).

As for a vase for the branches, the West Michigan native prefers clear glass ones. “Or, you could put foam in a flower pot and push the sticks into the foam,” she said. “You could also hang old-school dyed eggs (with yolks emptied out) on the branches along or with the birds.”

Hamilton and McCrumb also suggest spray-painting the sticks for added pizzazz. “Paint them all one color, like pink, blue or green,” McCrumb said. “That would be Easter-y.”  

Ode to the tulip

Not far from McCrumb, Carolyn Hefner, also of Beverly Hills, will be setting her Easter table with a mix of real tulips, moss balls and rabbit figurines. 

“I use glassware from the Depression era and fill with tulips, moss balls, other blossoms, Easter candies and Lladro and Hummel bunnies,” explained Hefner, who owns The China Closet, an event-planning firm in downtown Birmingham. Hefner adores tulips, as does flower designer Larry Kulpa, who works at English Gardens in Royal Oak.

“I like to mix tulips with wax flowers for something different,” said Kulpa of Lincoln Park. “And purple tulips mixed with pink are really springy.” Kulpa often ties a festive ribbon (purple is popular) around the vase.

“Tulips continue to grow even as a cut flower, from 1-3 inches,” he said. “They tend to last; just change the water every other day.” Kulpa said customers like the “celebrity” vases because they resemble the shape of an egg.

Besides enjoying her tulips, Hefner and her family will be relishing chilled asparagus soup, butter lettuce with Parmesan tuiles and toasted almonds, and lamb and spring chicken on her bird-themed china. “Birds signal spring,” she said.

All in the details

Speaking of birds, that’s another cheery element that guests at the Hamilton gathering are likely to see come April 24.

“I have a few small old bird cages that I sometimes hang from the chandelier. You could put just about anything in them … flowers, Easter eggs, votives or birds, of course,” Hamilton said. For this year’s gathering, he has placed a colorful egg in each of the cages. Above the cages sits a yellow bird.

Hamilton and Clark also hide plastic eggs filled with treats and coins for their young guests and neighborhood children.

Hamilton’s tableware is a blend of vintage crystal pieces and garage sale finds (such as his pear-themed, springy green plates). “Cut crystal is really in and doesn’t have to match. You can find all sizes and shapes at Home Goods,” he said. He also fills old, clear vases with water and floats votives atop the water.  

Beyond Home Goods, other shops with affordable, springy adornments include Pier 1 Imports.

"Spring is all about awakening to spring colors and a fresh, new season,” said Aimee Beatty, Pier 1 Imports’ in-house stylist.  “For spring parties, you want to incorporate pieces that bring the beauty of nature indoors. Our hand-painted glassware is the perfect mix of color, whimsy and functionality for a spring tablescape.”   

She also suggests using LED candles if you don’t want to worry about fires or melting candles. Pier 1’s stylish, cutout LEDs mix the warm hues of traditional candles with a spring attitude.

By all means, don’t forget the chocolate bunnies! Hamilton gets double duty out of his. By carving a little slit on the top of his bunnies (solid, not hollow), they become a place card holder. “Just don’t use hollow,” he said with a laugh. The best part about these place card holders is that guests can take them home for a treat later on. 

More spring entertaining tips:

• Fill clear glass hurricane lanterns with decorative eggs, Beatty suggested. Hamilton does the same thing with gold spray-painted nuts, pinecones and holiday ornaments during Christmas. “This is a lovely way to add a splash of color to the party buffet,” she said.
• "Don’t forget that napkin rings really are the jewelry on the table,” Beatty said.
• Consider a game, especially if kids are invited. A favorite at the Hamilton/Clark household is a traditional Easter egg cracking game. Each player holds a hardboiled egg and takes turns lightly tapping the ends of other players’ eggs. The winner is the one who is able to successfully crack the ends of their opponent's egg while sustaining the least damage to theirs. Another game could be an adult Easter hunt. “I’ve been to an Easter party where there were wine bottles, costume jewelry, etc.,  hiding  in trees and such," Hamilton said. "Really fun ideas.”

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