Between the two girls and Moi, there's a lot of nail polish around our house. I love all those little bottles of pretty pastel color.
So much so, that I like to keep them out on display on my bathroom vanity.
And a vintage floral china plate does such a nice job of organizing them...
XOXO
Jessica
Vintage tins are such a great way to organize all your office and crafting supplies.
They come in so many wonderful colors and patterns and they seem to be one collectible that can still be had at fairly reasonable prices. Etsy and ebay are wonderful sources, but so are your local flea markets and tag sales. I use them for storing just about anything...like my favorite markers (Copic)!
These two tins are my latest finds. I just couldn't resist the pretty colors...
...and sweet motifs.
Happy Weekend!
:-)
Jessica
I LOVE my huge glass jar filled with pretty cupcake cases, but truthfully, it had been getting a bit disorganized as of late. My wrapper collection had been growing and my jar wasn't getting any bigger, so something had to give. It was time for a little cupcake case organization.
I purged some oldies and added some new favorites.
I am happy with the result and, hopefully, I will be able to keep it this way for at least a few days. :-)
XOXO
Jessica
I think my official motto should be that almost anything looks better in a glass jar.
My pretty baking and entertaining supplies look even prettier when stored in simple glass jars.
They keep everything so nice and organized.
And they allow you to display things that are way too pretty to hide away in a kitchen cabinet.
I find most of my glass jars at Target, The Container Store, and HomeGoods - they all have an excellent selection at very reasonable prices.
Happy organizing!
XOXO
Jessica
Who says that thumbtacks have to be of the boring, office-supply store variety?
Try using inexpensive pierced earrings instead! Just pop off the backs and you're ready to go...
Shops like Forever 21, H & M, and Claires have a good selection of multi-pack earrings in a wide variety of styles. The ones I used for yesterday's mini memo boards were from Forever 21.
So skip the plain jane thumbtacks and put those pretty earrings to practical use!
XOXO
Jessica
It's no secret that I've been known to buy something just for it's pretty packaging. These candy boxes are an excellent example...
While the truffles inside were truly delicious, it was the pastel boxes that really persuaded me to purchase them. I've collected many of them over the years - in lots of beautiful, soft colors.
But they don't just sit around collecting dust. Oh no, the candies may be long gone, but these lovely boxes now hold all sorts of little trinkets and craft supplies.
Providing pretty (and practical) storage for lots of pretty little things.
Happy Monday!
:-)
Jessica
So, I innocently walked into Staples yesterday. I was in search of some packing tape and had planned to be in and out of the store in under five minutes. But...there was a bit of a delay. You see, I had clearly forgotten that the new line of Martha Stewart office products had just arrived in stores! I will do a post on all the pretty files, notebooks, sticky notes, and labels sometime soon, but today I just had to share the "boxes". Pretty, textured, stack-able, Tiffany-blue boxes!
They were intended to hold office supplies, but instead of paper-clips, I immediately knew these babies were destined to corral my ever-growing collection of costume jewelry.
They are perfect for organizing my pretty bracelets, necklaces, and earrings...
A place for everything...
...and everything in it's place.
The boxes are reasonably-priced, come in a bunch of sizes and shapes (some with lids), and you can even order them online!
Jessica
I may have mentioned in the past that the girls and I are a pretty hairy bunch. Yes, we all have rather long locks and keeping them in place requires a lot of hair accessories!
I used to just keep everything in a basket, but we could never easily find what we wanted - especially when we had about two seconds to locate it before we had to rush out the door to get to school. So, to avoid hair accessory chaos on busy mornings, I devised a simple way to store and display them. All you need is some ribbon (I used satin, but I've found that grosgrain works even better), a bit of glue, and a few thumbtacks. This is so easy, you won't believe it...just cut a length of ribbon to suite the size of your accessory collection, fold over the ends and glue (this is more for appearance than function), and thumbtack your ribbon to an easily accessible place (we have ours tacked on the side of a built-in bookcase in our kitchen).
Then just clip away!
I made one for our flower-type clips...
And one for our rhinestone bobby pins...
The hair accessories look so pretty gathered together as a collection and now the girls can quickly find what they need!
I have seen expensive hair accessory/bow organizers for sale in children's boutiques, but why waste the money? This costs just pennies to make and works just as well!
:-)
Jessica
With the girls going back to school this week, I am once again faced with the dreaded task of packing lunches every day. Both of my girls are good eaters, but they are also picky and, therefore, do not love the lunches that the school has to offer. And, since they have such a long day at school, I really want them to eat! So, I find myself making packed lunches...day after day after day. Not my favorite activity. Can you relate?
To make this rather mundane chore a bit more palatable, I have learned a few tricks along the way. So, today I thought I'd share a few tips with you:
1. Lunch Box: Yes, this is obvious, but shop around. There are so many cute options out here. My girls always pick out their own lunch boxes and I am happy to say that, after many, many years, we have finally graduated from the "princess" lunch box phase! This year we found some adorable, floral versions at Cath Kidston.
2. Storage Containers: You will need a bunch of little storage containers for sandwiches, snacks, etc... While I must admit that I do resort to using the occasional plastic bag, I do try to use storage containers whenever possible. HomeGoods, Pottery Barn Kids, Target and the Container Store are all good places to find cute storage options. I found these at PBK, Borders Bookstore, and Cath Kidston...
3. Ice Packs: These are obviously necessary for keeping lunch fresh if it won't be refrigerated. I look for ones with pretty, colorful designs. These are from Target - collected over the years.
4. The Details: My favorite part - adding in all the pretty, little details. Colorful napkins are a must. I buy these whenever I find them on sale. HomeGoods has an especially wonderful selection and the prices are always great.
Pretty straws make drinking your milk so much more fun!
And a handi-wipe can't hurt for those sticky fruit leathers and sweet treats!
5. A sweet note: I also always like to include a little note - just something as simple as "I love you" or "eat your veggies" lets the girls know that I am thinking about them...
6. A little Something Special: For special occasions such as birthdays or the first week of school, I like to include a special little treat - just a small trinket - like some stickers, a piece of candy, or a Squinkie (Mini-mini-me's fav at the moment)...
I know this may all sound like a lot of extra work, but it honestly only adds about one or two extra minutes to my lunch-packing process. I just stock up on pretty, fun things when I see them. You can even write out a bunch of notes all in one sitting. Packing a "pretty" lunch makes making lunch so much more enjoyable for me... and I know my kiddies really love all the special touches. :-)
Happy Back-to-school!
XOXO
Jessica
P.S. Yes, we did survive Irene. Thank you so much to everyone who so kindly wrote and expressed their concern for our safety. We were very lucky around here and managed to come out of the whole thing without any injuries to ourselves or damage to our home. Sadly, many others along the East Coast have not been as fortunate and my heart goes out to everyone whose lives have been forever changed...
My sprinkle collection has really gotten a bit out of control lately. I think it was my last visit to HomeGoods that really pushed me over the edge of reasonableness. I mean, did I really need six bottles of this pretty, sparkly sugar when just one or two would have been plenty?
Well, yes. It was so pretty.
But, what to do? It seemed that some sprinkle containment was desperately needed. Soooooo, I went on over to Target and got these...
Target has a wonderful selection of inexpensively priced jars and storage containers in their kitchenware aisles. I chose some cute little acrylic canisters (RE Style Brand, three in a set) and the Anchor Hocking glass jars (my favorites for storing just about anything). The adorable mini canisters are great for storing smaller quantities of sprinkles and baking bits...
And the glass jars are perfect for storing larger quantities of bulk baking supplies. For example, I was magically able to turn those six bottles of sugar into just one! Presto...total sprinkle containment!
Happy Tuesday!
:-)
Jessica
