Such Pretty Things

Lilac Love

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a fabulous holiday. Well, I am officially back from spring break. We just returned from a wonderful family vacation to London and Paris.

I have spent the past several days recovering from some serious jet-lag (what day is it anyway?) and going through the 2000+ pictures that I took. Yes, you read that correctly - 2000+ pictures!

I have sooooo much to share with you over the next few weeks - beautiful bakeries, cupcakes, old-fashioned candy stores, cooking shops, Shabby Chic London, haberdashery and trimming shops, a visit to the Paris flea markets, and so much more!

So, please bear with me while I sort through all my photos and try to get it all organized!

In the meantime, I though I would share these gorgeous lilacs that I bought at the farmers market this weekend. Aren't they pretty...

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

 

Cherry Blossom Picnic 2012

I think we truly picked the most beautiful day ever for our family's annual cherry blossom picnic.

Spring has arrived early in the D.C. area and everything is blooming with pink and green buds.

With temperatures in the mid-70's, it has seemed more like early summer and we have been more than happy to break out our sundresses and flip-flops! This year we were super lucky to find a great parking space (a miracle) and an empty bench to spread out our picnic...

Those of you who know me, know that I like to make our picnics extra-special, so I always bring along real vintage china...

...and a vase of fresh flowers (no blossom picking allowed!)

I also used a vintage floral duvet as our tablecloth - such a pretty backdrop for our meal. After a yummy lunch of salads and sandwiches, I put out the special treats...like these fabulous French creams.

And these chocolate dipped Madeleines...

Mini-mini-me enjoyed some sparkling pink lemonade (you gotta love the green magic marker on her fingers).

Personally, I could sit under that canopy of fluffy, pink blossoms for forever and a day.

But, eventually it was time to pack-up and head back home - but not before a leisurely lap around the Tidal Basin. And, as we always do, we stopped to take a ton of photos of the girls...and the blossoms. :-)

Happy Thursday!

XOXO

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Chic Serving Tray

I found this very chic serving tray at Target this week.  The only problem was the color...

Kind of a very blah and boring grayish-green. Definitely not my idea pretty.  But I just loved the design, so I broke out a can of white lacquer spray paint and five minutes later, I had this!

Now it's pretty and chic!

Perfect for spring-time entertaining!  Just load it up with some vintage juice glasses,

(you can find then for a few dollars a piece at tag sales)

fresh flowers,

and some sweet treats and you've got yourself a party!

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica

After-school Snack

I bought these colorful sprinkle cookies at the bakery to give to the girls as an after-school snack.

They looked so happy and pretty that I just had to share them with you.  Plus, they matched my new Cath Kidston plates so perfectly!  :-)

XOXO

Jessica

Pretty & Thrifty Thursday: Toothpaste!

You probably already know this about me, but I have always been a big believer that even life's most utilitarian objects should be pretty.  I mean, why not? We are surrounded by these objects on a daily basis, so why shouldn't they give us pleasure when we look at them.  Case in point, this wonderful toothpaste.  It's Marvis and it's my very favorite.  Such beautiful, beautiful packaging and it tastes great and looks pretty to boot! The downside - it's usually quite pricey, as it's imported from Italy and normally sells for around $14!

But....I found it on sale at Anthropologie last week for only $7.95! I love the "mint", but it also comes in lots of other luscious flavors.  So, stock up while you can... I'm worried the sale means that they won't be carrying it much longer!

Happy Thursday!

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Spring Finds

A recent shopping trip resulted in some pretty Spring finds, so I thought I would share them with you. I just fell in love with this delicate floral necklace...

It was only $6.80 from Forever 21. And when I saw this blingy bracelet in my EXACT color palette, I wanted to buy a dozen!

I controlled myself, but they would make really pretty napkin rings, don't you think? ;-)

I am always a sucker for a new polish and this splurge-worthy lavender-pink one (it's called "Teddy Girl") from Butter is the perfect shade for Spring!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

XOXO

Jessica

 

 

 

Pretty & Thrifty Thursday: Cake Stand

I just love old-fashioned cake stands - so I was beyond happy to find this pretty vintage-inspired glass beauty at World Market.

It was a bargain, too! The cost was actually $12.99, so a few dollars above my allotted $10 "Thrifty" budget, but I did use my 10 percent-off coupon - so pretty darn close! Isn't it pretty! Such a lovely, pale green color for Spring...

Cake stands and pedestals have so many uses beyond holding cakes - personally, I think almost any type of food looks prettier served on a cake stand...and they are wonderful for adding height to buffets and for displaying perfume bottles or your favorite beauty products (try placing one in a guest bathroom stacked with prettily packaged soaps). But for today, my cake stand is just being used the traditional way..to hold some delicious pastel meringues...

Happy Thursday!

:-)

Jessica