Such Pretty Things

Happy Weekend!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday weekend!

XOXO

Jessica

Happy Mother's Day!

We are hosting a Mother's Day brunch for my family this morning, which means I get to spend the day with my wonderful mommy and my most precious pretty things ever...

...my lovely, lovely daughters.

Happy Mother's Day!

XOXO

Jessica

* Beautiful pink peonies courtesy of the husband!

Mother's Day Breakfast in Bed

Why not make a special breakfast-in-bed for your mom (or wife) this Mother's Day? With just a few items, you can make her something lovely - without breaking out all the pots and pans or spending a small fortune.

Start with a pretty tray. I love this vintage floral one, but you can find many different varieties (at great prices) at your local flea market. It's practical and makes for a very nice gift.

Add a small bouquet of flowers.  These can come from the garden or the the grocery store...just put them in a little vase, glass, or tea cup.

It's nice to bake something from scratch, but you can also just pick up a yummy pastry (or two), like this almond croissant, from your local bakery.  Serve it on a pretty vintage china plate.

Then add a glass of orange juice and some fruit (like fresh berries or a pink grapefruit) and some coffee or tea. And don't forget the napkin! This one is cinched with a millinery rose pin from H & M!

So pretty, simple and inexpensive...and your mom will love it!

XOXO

Jessica

Spring Break Break

I want to wish you all a very Happy Easter and Passover!

I am taking a little time off to spend the spring break with my family and friends.

But, I'll be back soon and I'll have LOTS to share with you!

XOXO

Jessica

 

Pretty Easter Centerpieces

Here's a super quick, easy, and inexpensive centerpiece for your Easter table...

All you need are some glass votive holders, some colorful candy, and some fresh flowers.  I found my votive holders at A.C. Moore (I chose them because of their "egg-like" shape...and because they were on sale for 3 for $1!). I just filled them with some pretty pastel candies. I am loving the sherbet shades of these speckled jelly beans!).

Then I trimmed my flower stems and placed a few blossoms in each votive holder.

If you do this right before your guests arrive, you won't even need to mess around with water. But, if you need them to last for a longer period of time, your stems can be placed in small water vials (found at any florist shop) and then placed in the candy.

I love these clustered in groups going down the center of a dining table, but they also look so sweet placed individually at each place setting. These are so easy - you have to try them!

I also want to say a huge thank you to the The Huffington Post's Stylist Home for featuring my Paper Flower Easter Eggs today!  You can check out the full article here.

:-)

Jessica

Paper Flower Easter Eggs Revisited

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Parenting Magazine for including my Paper Flower Easter Eggs on their website.  This was a project I actually did several years ago, but in case you missed it, you can find the complete tutorial here.

:-)

Jessica

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

My newest (and probably favorite) addition to my vintage candy box collection...

For me, nothing beats pink satin ruffles...

...and lovely lavender millinery roses.

Well, except for maybe some chocolate. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

XOXO

Jessica

Sweets for your Sweet

I guess we just can't get enough sugar around here! These are some very simple and quick party favors that you can make inexpensively for almost any occasion. We made ours "pretty in pink" for Valentine's day...

To make some, you'll need some rock candy crystallized sugar sticks (I found mine at Party City, but most candy stores carry them in a rainbow of colors).

You'll also need "pretzel stick" bags (mine are from Wilton), coordinating ribbon (I used seam binding), and pretty millinery or favor flowers (shockingly, I used Forget-me-nots!).

Remove the unattractive printed-plastic bags that the sugar sticks are originally packaged in and slip them into the pretzel bags. Wind a small bunch of posies around the stick and secure with a ribbon bow. You will probably need to trim the bag to size. And there you go...

Super easy and so pretty!

XOXO

Jessica

 

Valentine Pop-up Shop!

Hello All!  Just wanted to let you know that I added a bunch of items to my Valentine's Day Pop-up Shop. You'll find lots of pretty things for Valentine's Day crafts, such as vintage millinery flowers,

velvet and satin leaves,

and new forget-me-nots...

I have some beautiful, high-quality heart-shaped boxes in both metallic gold and velvet that are just waiting for you to embellish with pretty trims...

There are also lots of paper doilies, vintage sequins, rhinestones, beads and ribbons!

You'll find those fun heart-shaped sprinkles and pretty paper scrap, too.

For you collectors out there, you'll find some beautiful vintage candy boxes (so hard to part with!)...

...and vintage millinery covered hats!

And if your looking for a gift, I have some lovely new cameo necklaces...

and pretty pink glass vases for all your romantic arrangements!

So head on over and take a looky...

XOXO

Jessica

Wrapped Valentine's Day Candies

Here's an easy and pretty way to dress up some simple candies for Valentine's Day.  All you need is some colorful tissue or crepe paper, pretty ribbon in narrows widths, double-sided tape, and some round wrapped candies (I used Lindt chocolates).

Cut a rectangle of tissue that will completely encompass your chocolate when you wrap it (it should be slightly wider than your candy). Roll the candy (keeping it in the wrapper) in the paper, secure with a small piece of tape, and gently twist the ends.  Secure each end with a small ribbon bow.

These are so simple, but look sooooo fancy!

Present them in a pretty dish or a small heart-shaped box with a millinery flower on top...

And these would make equally lovely favors for a wedding or party - just change out the colors to match your theme!

I am planning to do a Valentine shop update this weekend, so I'll let you know when it's ready to go!

XOXO

Jessica