Such Pretty Things

Tomorrow...

Well, I can now officially announce that the grand-opening of my new on-line shop will be tomorrow, Friday, October 1st, at Noon (EST).

I am very excited about this new adventure.  Over the past year, I've thought long and hard about what I wanted my shop to be.  I knew that I wanted it to truly reflect my love for all things vintage, floral, pastel and pretty. In keeping with this, you can expect to find everything from vintage millinery flowers and floral fabrics to pretty sprinkles and candies.

There will be vintage craft supplies and sparkly jewelry, as well as pretty things for your home and festive party and holiday decorations.

I also wanted my shop to be a place where everyone can find something to put a smile on their face - no matter what their budget. In this economy, I am well aware that everyone has less disposable income than they once did. So, whether you have two dollars to spend or two hundred, you'll be able to find something pretty and affordable.

I have also kept in mind some of the things that I like (and don't like) when I personally shop on-line.  For example, I'm sure we've all ordered something, only to receive it and be completely disappointed because it's not the color or size that we expected. For this reason, I have made a concerted effort to take lots of large, clear photos of each and every product and to provide detailed descriptions. I want you to see exactly what you will be getting.

And please keep in mind that this is just the beginning.  While I have put a good number of items in the shop, I will constantly be adding more in the weeks and months to come. I also have lots of wonderful projects in the works - including vintage craft kits and some of my very own designs as well.

Such Pretty Things, The Blog, will continue on as usual.  In fact, I hope to be posting more frequently now that I have some of this store stuff behind me.  :-) The holidays are coming and I have lots of party and decorating ideas to share - as well as recipes, crafts, Target Tuesdays, and more fabulous vintage finds.

So, I hope you will join me back here tomorrow...

XOXO

Jessica

Pretty Parties: Mini Chocolate Bar Favors

Well, I'm still working away on favor ideas for my younger daughter's upcoming tea party and I came up with these...

They are miniature chocolate bars wrapped in vintage wallpaper scraps and decorated with glitter. I often make the large sized bars, but I was thinking that it would be so cute to make some mini ones.

Here's what you'll need to make some, too:

-Miniature chocolate bars  (I buy Hershey's Miniatures, but I put the ones with nuts aside in case anyone is allergic)

-Vintage wallpapers, scrapbook paper, or wrapping paper

-glitter

-double-sided tape

-Glue pen or Elmer's Glue

-scissors and/or paper-trimmer

To begin, cut some strips of paper (I used my vintage wallpaper scraps) into narrow strips, just slightly wider than the "Hersey" logo - you will want to leave some of the silver foil showing.



Next, wrap the paper strips around the bars and secure neatly on the bottom with some double-sided tape.  Now, you can leave these plain or embellish them some more.  I decided to use some glitter to highlight some design elements on my vintage papers.



To do this, just place a small amount of glue on the areas you want the glitter, sprinkle on the glitter, and shake off the excess.  Be sure to allow them to dry completely.



These can be completely customized for whatever event you are having  - weddings, showers, birthdays, etc....because you can use choose any colors and patterns you wish!



Plus, because they are chocolate, they are sure to be a big hit!

:-)

Jessica

Flocked Wallpaper Tutorial

In collecting vintage wallpapers over the years, I have occasionally come across some beautiful flocked wallpapers.

I just love the velvety texture of them.

They are truly gorgeous, but they are also very expensive and usually available in only very limited quantities.  So, when I came across Martha's new flocking supplies, I had an idea...why not make some of my own!

Here's what you'll need to make some, too...

Paper to flock (wallpaper, wrapping, scrapbook, etc...)

Glue pen with a fine point (or tiny paintbrush and white craft glue)

Flocking Powders

Toothpicks

I began by choosing a flat vintage wallpaper that already had a swirly pattern on it.

Next, I began to cover the areas of the design that I wanted to be flocked with a thin layer of glue.

I highly recommend Martha's glue pens - they allow for very precise control of the glue, which is perfect when working on intricate designs.

Next, I liberally shook some of the flocking powder over the areas covered with glue, let it sit for a few seconds,  and then tapped off the excess.

Keep in mind when choosing a flocking color that the paper underneath will show through a bit and this may affect the overall resulting color.  If there are any areas that look a bit messy, you can use a toothpick to easily clean it up.  I was also careful to only work on a small section at a time, so that the glue didn't dry too quickly on me.

The newly flocked vintage wallpaper...

The entire flocking process is super easy and lots of fun.  In fact, it's very similar to how one applied glitter to crafts projects as a child - you know, squeezing out the Elmer's glue, dumping on some glitter, and then shaking of the excess. And remember, you could try this method on any type of paper or make your own design - you don't need to use vintage papers.  I am very happy with the results and plan to make some hand-flocked wrapping papers for my (smaller!) holiday gifts this year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Now, do I dare attempt the mall today???  

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Mini Photo Albums

I found these cute little photo albums at Target last week.

They are just your typical mini album designed to hold 4" x 6" photos, but at $2 a piece they seemed like the perfect item for a little embellishing.  And you know how much I love to embellish!

You probably have a pile of scraps that look something like this.

I have boxes and boxes filled with left-over bits and pieces from previous projects...random millinery flowers, odd lengths of ribbons, and scraps of vintage wallpapers.  I never know what to do with them. They are way too pretty to throw away, but not really useful for larger projects.  So, this seemed like a great opportunity to recycle some of these lovely little bits.

I started by covering my albums with scraps of some of my favorite vintage wallpapers.  I did this much like you would to cover a text book - folding in the edges to make flaps. I then attached some lengths of ribbon to the inside covers, so that I could close the albums with a pretty bow.

Then I just started embellishing.

The finished product.

I think these will make sweet little gifts...and I can feel good about using up some of my scraps as well!

:-)

Happy Tuesday!

Brimfield Bounty: Part II

OK, you asked for it!  Here, as promised, are my fabulous Brimfield finds...

Hats

These hats covered in millinery flowers were a great find.  I saw a lot of hats at Brimfield, but many were not that wonderful and those that were, seemed very over-priced to me.  I found these in a tent filled with a bunch of old tools and almost walked by until I caught a small glimpse of something pink out of the corner of my eye.

I love the dotted tulle ruffle on this one...

This one is totally covered with pale pink velvet flowers.  I don't know if you can tell in the photos, but the stamens are aqua blue!

This hat has the sweetest little cloth forget-me-nots.  very old and delicate.

A band of pretty pastel roses.

Vintage Wallpaper

Sadly, I didn't find any large rolls of vintage wallpaper at Brimfield, but I did find some of these old border rolls. They are great for scrap-booking and covering old hat boxes.

Vintage Stationary Boxes

I had to get these vintage boxes of stationary.

While some still had the stationary inside, it was the boxes that I adored.  The illustrations are so beautiful!

And the colors are so perfectly shabby chic!

I will re-purpose these to use in my office as storage.  Don't you just love the names of the stationary?

Wicker Basket Purse

I always scoop up little wicker basket purses when I am lucky enough to find them.

This one has some lovely little millinery flowers on top.

Flower, Flowers, and more Flowers...

These millinery flowers were my very first purchase.  My older daughter and I sat down on the ground and went through about four huge tubs to find these, but it was worth it!

I found lots of pretty aqua and minty green ones.

Love this velvet and silk rose.

Aqua carnations.

Some pink flowers, of course...

I love this pale blue linen one - it just needs a good steaming.

Millinery Flower Petals

These are the same millinery flower petals that I showed you yesterday, but here are some more photos.

Definitely one of my favorite finds of the trip.

Ruffles and Tulle

I couldn't pass up this pretty crinoline - I just love the tiers and tiers of ruffles.

The softest pale pink.

This petticoat was just too fun.  It has layers upon layers of frothy pastel colored tulle.

I may have to donate this one to my girls' dress-up box.

This dotted tulle crinoline is such a gorgeous lavender color.

Yummy layers with satin edging!

Ribbon

And finally, this pleated pink silk ribbon is TDF!  It's very, very old, but in excellent condition.

Soooo pretty!

Well, that's about it. :-)  I have a few other little things that I will show you another time.  I think I did pretty well considering we didn't even get to Brimfield until Thursday and things were probably fairly picked over by then.  I really can't wait to go again...hopefully, soon!

Have a great day!

Jessica