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An Easter table

paintingfool
16 years ago

I did this table several years ago for a party, am about to use the same horse but need suggestions on what to put around the base of the horse. The table will be used to hold Easter eggs and the prizes we will be giving away, probably stuffed rabbits, etc. Thanks,

B
{{!gwi}}

Comments (9)

  • phonegirl
    16 years ago

    You are so talented. That is adorable. Is the eggs in the grass candy or plastic? I think the stuffed animals at the base is cute. Several years ago I made bird houses from seed packets and put them on little dowels with bases at the top and bottom and sat that on a colored plactic plate with Easter grass with candy eggs & plastic eggs and used them to give away at a firemans dinner. Some of those would be cute sitting on your table. Will u be giving away gifts for adults as well as children? Each bird house takes 7 packets. I had found them at ACE at 5 for $1 so it didn't cost much to give away. If I can find one I'll post it but I think I gave them all away.

  • paintingfool
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Oh, thank you. The horse is a rocking horse that I mounted on a pole. You can't see the roses but they are painted on the saddle. I think birdhouses would be a great idea. The eggs are plastic. What you can't see are the goose eggs that are painted also. This is on a round table in the middle of the lobby. Post pics when you can, would love to see them.
    B

  • phonegirl
    16 years ago

    I don't seem to have any left but I will talk with my sister & see if she still has one. If so I'll try to get a picture in the next couple of days and send. If not wouldn't Easter baskets filled with different cololors of grass with eggs look good sitting around it? I bought several a few years ago at WalMart after Easter for .10 each. If u lived close by I would be glad to give u some. How about putting Easter material in buckets, cans or whatever u have with a ruffle around the top & fill with grass. Another thought would be rose bowls with Easter grass and a bow tied around the top. Not good to get me started. I've had alot of experience with PTA, firemans, etc. trying to come up with table decorations at the last minute. Check out the dollor stores. Sometimes they have little things that top off your project. I've used metal candle holders from there before and thought they were cute for $1. You could spray paint them in pastel colors to go with your theme.

  • paintingfool
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Here are a few more pics of the other horses I have done in the past (I posted them on the Trash to Treasure forum and they suggested I share them over here)- I thought there might be a few moms out there with children that have outgrown their rocking horses. We started doing these over 20 years ago and I still get request to paint more. The painting is easy, the mounting on a pole is time consuming but the mothers always love them. I did one in October for a girl who collects everything carousel but wanted her horse done in a bright green and purple. I hated the color combination - very garish, so I was able to come up with more subdued colors and she loved it - and I didn't do it for free! Don't have a pic to post though. If anyone needs instructions, let me know. Just thought you would like to see them. Bebe
    {{!gwi}}
    {{!gwi}}

  • anjabee
    16 years ago

    Bebe~ I hope you asked this question over on Holidays cause I'm sure you'd get lots of good ideas there too. I was thinking Easter Baskets too.
    I saved the horse off my kids "jumpy thing" as they called it. I love how you have yours painted. I want to get mine painted and up this year. Think I'm gonna paint mine Americana. Did you use regular acrylic or another kind of paint? Does yours every go outside? Mine will be outside so not sure if the acrylics will work.
    Good luck on your party. Sounds fun.

  • anjabee
    16 years ago

    We posted at the same time! You've done a lot of them. Ok questions. How do you line up the holes so that it sits straight. Is it just a dowel rod that you use to put them on? What do you fill the holes with and what do you use to hold it up on the pole? If you've already answered these on the other forum just send me over. I will probably go check out your post on T2T anyway. I remember some people doing them on garden junk (that's why I saved mine) so if I have time I'll go check out those posts over there too. DH is getting tired of moving my horsey around while he waits for me to get it done. ha I love to hear any tips you have for me! ~Anj

  • paintingfool
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I line the hole up by laying the horse on its side, positioning the pole over the horse and marking with a pencil. I don't like for the horse to have its front hooves too high up, I try to keep it a bit off balance. The rod is one you can purchase in Home Depot or Lowe's. It is about 2" in diameter and it can be as tall as you want but I like mine around 5.5 feet. I cut the wood dowels that hold the springs so when you place the dowel back in the holes it is about 1/4 inch inside the horse on both sides. If you look at the last picture you can see where the hole was at the front of the horse. Then I glue the dowel in place with a good carpenter's glue or adhesive. Then I fill the remainder with a wood putty (some have used an epoxy filler or Bondo). I don't know how to use those items so I tried the wood putty and it worked. To keep the horse from sliding down the pole, there are several ways you can do this. Once you have the horse on the pole, slide it up or down until you get it in the position you want, then mark it with a pencil. Drill a 3/8" hole through the dowel and place a shorter (4") dowel through that hole. Now when you place the horse back on the pole he can slip down. Or you can take a round wood curtain ring, screw in small long screws in both sides place it on the pole in the right position and finish screwing in the long screws so the curtain ring stays in place and the horse can't slide down the pole.

    For the stand, I used 2 - 2" think pieces of wood. One about 12"x22" and the smaller one about 6"x10". I used a wood boring bit (2") or hole cutter to drill through both pieces. I cut the smaller one first, set it on the bigger piece of wood used a pencil to draw where the hole would go and then drilled it. You don't want to go all the way through. Then to secure the pole once it is in both pieces of wood, I sunk a screw in the bottom of the stand so it would go into the pole. I also add glue inside before I put the pole in. Anything to keep it stable. Does any of this make sense?

    It actually sounds harder than it is. I don't think you will have any trouble because I know you like working with wood. If you ever find an outdoor umbrella stand at the TS it would work too, you could paint it as well.

    Feel free to ask any questions. I only have one of the horses left as I sold the others. But my hubby is after me to make another one for our granddaughter.
    Bebe

  • phonegirl
    16 years ago

    Here is The birdhouse I made several years ago without all the grass and eggs around the bottom. It takes 7 seed packets.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • anjabee
    16 years ago

    Thanks for all the tips Bebe. I may have to ask you some questions when I actually get down to doing mine. It shouldn't be too much longer before the weather warms up enough for me to work on it. ~Anj

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