The magazine assured it would only take 15 minutes to arrange each pot once the materials were assembled... but we found that timing to be a little - how shall I put it? - underestimated! Most of our time was taken up in trying to persuade the catkin stems to curve slightly (they came ramrod-straight) and trying to make the midelino sticks meet them in a reflection of the curve.
No matter what we did (sticking the sticks into the oasis horizontally, varying the lengths of the sticks, trying to bend them gently), they insisted on remaining straight or pushing the catkins away. We ended up using oasis tape to pull the midelino sticks down a little, but a lot of our 'arched window' arrangements took on a decided slant... At least our ten potted arrangements leaned the same way!
We had Easter lilies on the altar - a basketful on one side, with a smaller arrangement on the other. I do like Easter lilies - and they are surprisingly easy to arrange en masse, because they fill the space without the arranger having to try too hard!
It wouldn't be Easter without the Easter garden: here is the before, from Good Friday, and the after, when the garden springs into life...
We also had a few knitted and crocheted flowers, which added a touch of Spring to the back window:
We chose yellow and palms for the porch - there were also yellow carnations around the credence candle - and the stones displayed were made by children of the local school, who had taken part in Experience Easter, run by members of our congregation. Each stone has written on it a hope or dream for the future...
And from our Good Friday All-Age service, we included our crossful of love. The children had been asked to bring decorated hearts, because the cross turns from a terrible thing on the Friday to an object symbolising great love on Easter morning.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to you all!
