Simple Spring Brunch

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colorful throw  //  black and white throw

We have been having the BEST weather the past few weeks! Normally it’s already pretty hot by this time of year in Arizona (I know.), but would you believe me if I said it was even a little chilly on Easter Sunday? Well, “chilly” might be a stretch, but it was an especially beautiful day.

planter  //  Margot’s dress

At the last minute we decided to invite some family over in the morning for a casual brunch on our back porch. I’m a firm believer that holiday entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful and festive! A quick trip to one of my favorite grocery store (AJ’s Fine Foods) and to Target made things simple for me, but I think the spread we put out still felt special. I was so inspired by all the global design pieces at Target right now. I especially love the Mexican and the Moroccan-inspired lines with their beautiful colors and textures that translate SO well to all different styles and holidays. I love that bright colors and graphic patterns can work equally well for Easter and Christmas, summer and fall.

One of my best tips for throwing an easy party is to use a lot of textiles on the table. It just conveys extra effort on the host’s part, but the reality is it couldn’t be more simple to do! I picked up the chambray table cloth and the three woven runners at Target and I placed the runners along the short side of my table so they would act as place mats, too. I love that I’ll be able to use both of these year-round! The colors and patterns are so versatile (especially that chambray!). I also put out pillows on the seating and layered a rug on the painted concrete for some softness for the little ones.

Rattan chair  //  Rattan stools  //  Brass stool

colorful pillow  //  black and white pillow

The next tip is obvious, but is worth underscoring – flowers and plants are your secret weapon for successfully pulling off a last-minute party! If the flowers are gorgeous, the event feels special. I lucked out and found those beautiful yellow ranunculus at AJ’s. I got the bougainvillea from a huge tree in my yard (I love them in the brass vase!) and Ali snipped the pink roses from her garden before coming over.

brass vase  //  green glass vase  //  blue opaline glass is vintage

I say don’t worry about being too literal with holiday decorating! Putting out a bunch of extra holiday-specific fluff just means more to clean up! Let the colors and textures tell the story of the event and try to invest in pieces that are universally festive, like this Nate Berkus brass serving tray that the watermelon is sitting in. It’s my new favorite bowl and it’s sitting on my coffee table now filled with mini Cadbury eggs (they won’t last long though – yum!!)

These little bread boards are another new favorite. I have two of the white ones and they’re great for serving everything from cheeses to homemade pizza!

I bought a set of 30 of these little salad plates from Junk in Williamsburg years ago and I love pulling them out for parties. They’re lightweight and not too small or too big to walk around with. And I think they look cute with the little mint and persimmon triangle platters. (PS Those cheese danishes were so good. Like, double the amount of good your imagining. So, so good.)

striped salad bowl

My favorite parties are the ones that feel more spontaneous and casual and this one definitely fit the bill. There was good food, great conversation and lots of little adorable people and animals running around. The Easter bunny brought my girls little chicks and they were SO excited to show their cousins (who will be keeping the chicks for us in their big coop). :) And I was excited to have an excuse to eat cheese danish and talk about babies and weddings, of which there are many coming/happening in our family this year!

hand-blown juice glasses

colorful throw  //  black and white throw

Do you have any tips for throwing a party that still feels special but doesn’t require a crazy amount of effort? (PS How cute are those baby chickies!?!)

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