Such Pretty Things

Happy Holidays!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a very Happy Hanukkah, and a very happy and healthy New Year!

I am signing off until after the new year, but when I return I will have lots of new and exciting things to share.  I will be starting some new features here at Such Pretty Things.  For one, I will be adding a new weekly party-planning post that will focus on everything from cake decorating to favors to party themes and decor.  I will also be starting a regular feature on organizing.  Yes, organizing!  One of my New Year's resolutions is to get my disaster of a studio in order, so I will be showing you my progress along the way and sharing tips for storing all those lovely bits that we tend to accumulate over time.

So, I hope you will join me back here in 2010!

XOXO

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Dotty Spotty Glasses

Yes, yes, I know it's Wednesday.  But, in my own defense, I must tell you that we're still digging out from almost two feet of snow here in the D.C. area, so, I wasn't able to make it out to Target until this morning.  When I finally got there, the store was completely packed with last-minute shoppers and it took literally forever to find a parking space. But, it was totally worth it because I found these super cute spotty, dotty glasses.

They were a true bargain at four for only $9.99!  Aren't they adorable?

They seem to be currently sold-out online, but they had a ton of them left in my local store. These would be perfect for the holidays...and I love how they go with my Cath Kidston linens for everyday!

And hey, forget the cookies, how about leaving Santa a cold glass of milk and a cupcake this year!

Also, for a fun little gift idea, try filling these beauties up with candy canes or other treats, wrap them up with some clear cellophane and tie with a brightly colored bow.  The recipient can then later use the glass as a sweet little vase to hold some pretty flowers.

Happy Wednesday (Tuesday)!

:-)

Jessica  

Butterfly Tree

Hi Everyone!  I'm back!  I had a wonderful (and warm) vacation, which is good because we came back to a huge winter snow storm and about 24 inches of snow!  It's going to take days for all the roads to be cleared and I'm sure school will be closed right up until Winter break!  So, given that we are going to be home for the time being, I thought I'd work on some fun projects.  I've been wanting to make a butterfly tree for a long time now, so here was the perfect opportunity.

I started with some branches.  These were spray-painted white and then dusted with aqua glitter.  I cut them down to the size I wanted and arranged them in a silver mercury glass.  Once I had the overall shape that I desired, I started adding on my butterflies.  I found my pretty, pastel feather butterflies in California a number of years ago, but I'm sure you can find similar ones in your local craft store.

 

I also had to include some of my favorite glittery birdies...

This is such a fun and whimsical project...

 

I also want to thank everyone for all the candy cane love!  I'm so glad you liked them.  I had a lot of emails asking where I got them - I bought mine locally, but you can find them here.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!  We're going to bundle up the girls and attempt some sledding...followed by hot chocolate, of course!

:-)

Jessica 

Candy Cane Treats and a Little Vacation

I found these gorgeous pastel striped candy canes recently.

I loved them so much that I bought ten boxes of them.  That's a lot of candy canes.  Even for me.  So, what does one do with ten boxes of candy canes, you ask?  Well, I decided to make my own version of those old-fashioned reception mint sticks - the pastel candy sticks dipped in chocolate and wrapped in cellophane. 

To make my own candy sticks, I started by removing the curved potion of the candy canes in order to transform them into "sticks".  You could obviously leave them as canes if you so desired, but I was in the mood for sticks.  :-).  This was really a very easy process - I just scored each cane with a knife (where I wanted the break to be) and then gently snapped off the tops.

The girls were happy to help me dispose of these! 

 

Transformed sticks...

Next, I melted some white chocolate (milk or dark chocolate would be delicious, too) - you can use candy melts for this if you wish.  Then, I just dipped each stick in the melted chocolate and then immediately rolled them in some pretty nonpareils.

 I let them sit for about ten minutes to set up before I packaged them.

I simply placed them in cellophane bags and tied them with some lavender ribbon.

That's it! Super easy candy cane treats!

II also wanted to let you all know that I'm headed out of town for a family vacation.  A little bit of snow and I'm ready for sunny skies and warm beaches. I am such a Winter wimp!  Anyway, Have a great week and I'll be back soon...

:-)

Jessica

Snowy Day S'mores

We had our first snowfall of the season today.

A perfect excuse to stay home and make some yummy s'mores...

With pink marshmallows, of course.

:-)

Hostess Gifts 2009

As the holidays grow closer, I am once again on the lookout for fabulous hostess gifts.  This year I have decided to give these little boxes of truffles from one of my favorite chocolatiers, Charbonnel et Walker.

The company is based in the UK (although you can find their products in department stores like Macy's here in the States) and their packaging is every bit as pretty as their delicious chocolates.  I chose these lovely soft green boxes of "Sugar Dusted Mint Truffles" - don't you just love that name - so perfect for the holidays!

 

Now, while I do love their packaging just as it is, I decided it would be fun to dress the boxes up just a "bit" more...  So, out came my satin ribbons...

and these adorable mini pastel glass ornaments...

I simply removed the original gold ribbon from the candy boxes and added some luscious layers of satin ribbon.

I tied on a big bow and added a few of the ornaments to each box.  To do this, I just looped some very thin jewelry wire through the hooks and then wrapped the ends around the bow a bunch of times to secure them.

This was a very fast and easy way to put a little personal touch on my gifts. You could obviously try this with any box of candy or small gift - and the embellishing possibilities are endless...

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Holiday Colors

Have you had a chance to check out Target's holiday merchandise yet?  I spent a good chunk of time wandering the holiday decor aisles this past weekend.  I found a few nice things, but much of it was very reminiscent of last year's stuff.  :-(  One thing I did find was this pretty aqua blue beaded garland.

Only two dollars for 18 feet!  A true bargain!  The color is lovely and it really reminds me of my vintage mercury glass ornaments...

I decided that this aqua blue will be the starting point for my holiday color scheme this year.  I am also crazy for lavender these days. These pinkish-purple mercury glass pine cone ornaments were a recent happy find from HomeGoods - another one of my favorite places to shop!

I am really loving the aqua and lavender together.

Of course, I just can't live without a little pink thrown in as well...

So, yes, this will be my holiday color palette this year.

What do you think???

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica