Let color set stage for Easter

When Peter Cottontail brings the children baskets of goodies this Easter, be sure to ask him for something for the grownups, too.

This centerpiece combines softly colored Easter eggs with pastel flowers and might look nice on a buffet table during breakfast or brunch.

Build a basket

You will need a basket, fake grass, eggs, dye, floral water tubes and small, light-colored flowers such as pink carnations or pale-yellow spray roses. Large flowers don’t work well in this arrangement because they overpower the eggs.

First, boil the eggs and dye them. If you’re using conventional Easter egg dye, water down the solution a bit and don’t let the eggs soak for long.

Consider dying eggs with natural coloring instead to achieve a subtle, earthy look. The Web site for Whole Foods Market ( www.wholefoodsmarket.com) offers a page of suggestions, including using boiled down spinach leaves for light-green eggs, onion skin for yellow eggs and coffee for brown eggs. From Whole Foods’ main page, search for “natural egg dye.”

Fill the basket with a generous amount of fake grass, and then lay the eggs atop it, using enough so they sit close together.

Next, cut the stems of the flowers so they’re only a few inches long. Insert a few stems into each water tube and insert the tubes into the grass between the eggs.

Go for a natural, irregular look when making the arrangement, as if the eggs are hiding inside a lush flower garden during an Easter morning hunt.