Such Pretty Things

Pretty Organized: Kitchen Storage

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

{Half} Birthday Sprinkle Pancakes

I'm not quite sure of when we started celebrating the girls' half-birthdays, but it has become a sort-of tradition in our house. Yes, there are some years when life is crazy busy and I completely forget.  I guess that's why "Mini-me" threw herself a party last year - complete with invites, a cake, and presents that she got for herself! So, this year I was determined to remember. I didn't really want to bake a cake, but I recalled a recipe for birthday cake pancakes that Rachel Ray posted some years back and thought I would give it a try.

You can find the recipe here, but they are so easy.  You basically just make up a box of yellow cake mix and add lots of these to the batter...

For the "syrup", I just made some pink icing to drizzle over the top and then threw on some more sprinkles for decoration.

Add some pretty, colorful candles...

...and you've got a fun (half) birthday breakfast!

"Mini-mini-me" recently suggested that we start celebrating quarter-birthdays, too.  Such a lovely idea, I told her...but soooooo not happening!  :-)

XOXO

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Soup's On!

OK, people, run - don't walk - to your nearest Target!  They are now carrying limited edition Andy Warhol-themed cans of tomato soup!

The cans sell for only 75 cents each and come in four gorgeous, vibrant color combinations.

The cans are designed in celebration of the famous pop artist's original works featuring Campbell's soup cans. As you can probably tell from these photos, I decided to stock up! I guess my family will be eating a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup this Fall. :-)

Happy Tuesday!

XOXO

Jessica

Meltdown at The Rose Bowl Flea

The Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, CA, is one of my favorite flea markets. It is only held on the second Sunday of each month, so I try to plan my CA vacations around it whenever possible. What makes it so fabulous?  Well, for one, it's HUGE! Typically over 2500 vendors! And regardless of what I am searching for, I can usually find it.  So, this trip, we (yes, I always drag the family along with me) set out super early in order to get the best stuff - armed with our floppy hats, sunscreen, and bottles of cold water.  We had good traffic from L.A. and managed to get there right when the gates opened.

I was so excited to hit those stalls. I was on the hunt for vintage millinery hats and flowers.  I can just never get enough of them - plus, they are small enough to fit in my suitcase. :-)

Well, the party was over pretty much before it even started - within five minutes we we absolutely melting!  MELTING!!! It was soooo hot! We are talking well over 100 degrees with the sun beating directly down on us.

We had barely made it down one row, when I realized that the girls had to get out of that sun ASAP. Luckily, the husband volunteered to take them back to the air-conditioned car while I forged on. I am such a trooper.  :-)

I was completely miserable - I have never experienced heat like that before. I think my face must have been the color of a ripe tomato and my tank top was sopping wet. A normal person would have probably left immediately, but I had come so far and I was determined to find those flowers! So I tried to walk quickly (if you can even walk quickly in that kind of heat) down row after row, my eyes scanning for anything remotely millinery-esque.

Nothing.

Lots of really cool stuff, but not a single hat. Not one petal to be found.

I was just about to give up (i.e., faint) when I finally spotted them. There they were - piled up all prettily on a table - my millinery flowers! I nearly cried.

I scooped them up and made a bee-line for that air-conditioned car. I love you, Rose Bowl, but next time I'll be checking the weather report first!

XOXO

Jessica

Pretty Sweets: Mazet Chocolate

I am a major chocoholic.

Yes, for me, happiness can sometimes be as simple as a Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate bar.  But every once in awhile, I come across something a little more exotic and equally as yummy. While shopping at one of my favorite gourmet markets in L.A.(Monsieur Marcel), I discovered these incredible French chocolate bars from Mazet.

I was originally drawn to them because of their beautiful labels, but I quickly found that the chocolate was every bit as delicious as the packaging...

The Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate bar is my favorite, but there are a ton of varieties to try.

Happy (chocolately) Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Back-to-School: Locker Magnets

The girls will be going back to school tomorrow and it will probably not come as a major surprise to you that I love helping them decorate their lockers each Fall. Making our own customized magnets is super easy, quick, and fun.  This year, we are putting on the bling.

I found these pretty rhinestone earrings at Forever 21 (yes, I am totally addicted to that place).

We just removed the earring backings...

...and used jewelry glue to adhere some heavy strength magnets to the backs.

That's all there is to it!

Not into rhinestones?  Not a problem - you can turn almost any small object (think Lego's, fabric flowers, Japanese erasers, etc...) into a magnet - just make sure it's not too heavy and that the object is large enough to completely cover the magnet.

Happy Back-to-School!!!

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Organized: Thumbtacks

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

Target Tuesday: Mini Memo Boards

I found these cute mini cork boards in the Dollar Spot at Target...

They came three to a package for only $1.  With the start of school rapidly approaching, I thought it would be fun to make some little magnetic memo boards for the girls' lockers. Using some spray adhesive, I simply covered each board with some pretty paper.  The easiest way to do this is to use a memo board as your template and just trace around it on the wrong side of your paper. Then cut out your papers and use a glue-stick or adhesive spray to adhere them to the cork surface of the boards.

These boards came with an adhesive backing, but if you want to be able to remove them or use in a metal locker, just hot glue some flat magnet tape to the back of each one.

Wouldn't it be fun to make a whole bunch of these in different patterns and colors! And see these fabulous mini-thumbtacks?

I'll be back tomorrow with the scoop on those...

Happy Tuesday!

Jessica

Bottega Louie

Bottega Louie Restaurant and Patisserie has been on my L.A. list of places to go for a number of years now.  I had read numerous rave reviews about their delicious cuisine and beautiful macarons and had been dying to get there. This trip, I finally made it and Bottega Louie did not disappoint.  First of all, the restaurant itself is absolutely stunning - with high ceilings, marble counters, and an super-chic bar.

The bakery counter is loaded with every sweet imaginable.

Eclair, anyone?

But it is the macarons that are truly the star of the show...

I mean, just look at them...

I have seen many a macaron over the years, but never any as vibrantly and beautifuly hued as these.

The colors - in every shade of the rainbow - are just incredible! And they are soooo delish!

Bottega Louie also has the prettiest pastel candies and marshmallows...

It took me some time to get there, but now that I've experienced Bottega Louie - I am counting the minutes until I can go back!

XOXO

Jessica

The Simple Things

It's no secret that I am positively smitten with Mollie Makes magazine.  So, imagine my excitement when I found out that the publishers of Mollie Makes are launching a brand new sister magazine called The Simple Things. From what I can see, it looks like it's going to be incredible. The focus is on the simple (and pretty!) things of life - from recipes to decorating to crafts. I can't wait to get my hands on the premiere issue (on sale beginning September 6th). You can find a sneak peek here.

:-)

Jessica