--A beautiful vegetable bouquet is a unique and fun way to serve fresh veggies and dip. Here's what to do. Slip wooden skewers through green onion stalks and top them off with flowers made from radishes, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Push each skewer into a cabbage half, tucked in a basket. You can even use your imagination and try asparagus stalks, squash, or whatever you like. Serve it with a side of your favorite dip.

-- A honeydew melon can become an elegant serving bowl in seconds. Simply sketch the outline of a swan, starting with the head at the smooth end, on the outside of the melon. Use Jack O' Lantern carving knives to carefully cut it out and remove the contents. Fill it up with melon balls and use a whole clove for the eye of the swan.

--Beautiful flower candles are simple to make with natural materials. Surround a small pillar candle with leaves, flowers, or blades of grass. Hold everything in place with a rubber band. Tie a decorative ribbon around the rubber band to finish it off.

--Hanging flowerpots make wonderful decorations. Paint and decorate a small clay pot. Thread a long length of ribbon through the bottom and tie a bow to secure it. Fill the pot with floral foam and fresh flowers. Pull the ribbon up through the center and tie another bow at the top. Hang from a hook.

--Cookie eggs make a fun dessert and kids will love helping. Just roll out refrigerator sugar cookie dough, and cut the egg shapes out with large cookie cutters, or make a template from cardboard. Bake a little longer than the instructions call for so the cookies are browned and crispy. Then decorate with store bought icing tinted to seasonal colors with food coloring.

--Make an incredible "Robin Bread", from a box of hot dinner roll mix. Add a few sliced almonds and you've got a centerpiece worth chirping about.

Robin Bread Decoration

1 box (16 ounce) hot roll mix 1 egg

1 cup golden raisins 2 chocolate chips

1/2 cup granulated sugar sliced, unblanched almonds

1 tablespoon grated orange peel granulated sugar granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3/4 cup hot water

2 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons butter

Method:

Lightly grease two cookie sheets. In a large bowl mix hot roll mix and yeast packet with raisins, sugar, and citrus peels. Add hot water, egg yolks, and butter. Stir well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Knead dough for five minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover dough with a large bowl and let rest for five minutes. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Working with one ball at a time flatten into a 6" round.

For the body cut one round in half, place one half lengthwise on the middle of prepared cookie sheet. For the tail cut 1/3 of remaining half round in a pie shaped wedge. Press gently to adhere the "V" shape to the body. For the head, break off enough dough to form a 2" round ball. Attach to body. For the wing shape remaining dough into an oval and attach to body. Repeat process to make second robin.

Cover prepared robins with a clean kitchen towels and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about one hour). Heat oven to 350. Beat egg with a fork, brush robins with egg. Press inverted chocolate chip into each head to form an eye, and a small sliver of almond for a beak. Lightly press almonds, slightly overlapping on tail and wing to resemble feathers. Brush nuts with more egg. Sprinkle entire robin with sugar. Bake together on separate oven racks for 30 to 35 minutes (switch cookie sheets to opposite racks in the middle of baking). Cool on wire racks.

So "spring" into action and try these few tips to create the perfect brunch.

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