Such Pretty Things

Mini-Me Strikes Again...

I know I've mentioned before how thrilled I am that both my daughters seem to share my love for all things vintage and pretty.  Case in point: My older daughter was busy straightening up her room today (allowance time!) and when I went in to check on her progress, this is what I found...

She had completely decorated her dress form with pieces from her ever growing collection of jewelry.

Didn't she do a beautiful job?  Some of the jewelry is true vintage - necklaces and brooches she's been collecting ever since she was old enough to walk and accompany me on my frequent antiquing trips.

And some of it is from her favorite store at the moment, Forever 21...

I have to say, it's a lot of fun having my very own "mini-me"!  Maybe she'll even let me borrow something one of these days...  :-)

Happy Weekend!

Jessica

Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones

Being that I am in the "tea party" frame-of-mind lately, I decided to make some Cherry Chocolate Chip scones this morning.

They are beyond delicious! Filled with tart dried cherries and sweet chocolate chips...

So adorable when cut out in these miniature heart shapes...perfect for a Valentine's Day brunch!

And even prettier when served on some vintage floral china.

Bon Appetit!

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Beribboned Vases

I found these super-inexpensive glass vases in the floral department at Target over the weekend.

They are about seven inches tall, a nice cylindrical shape, and quite a bargain at only 99 cents each!  I thought they would make excellent budget-conscience centerpieces for a wedding or festive party.  I, of course, decided to dress them up a a bit. I was thinking of something "preppy-chic" and colorful for Spring, so I chose these pretty striped grosgrain ribbons...

To decorate the vases, I started by measuring the circumference of the vases and added about an inch.  Then, I just cut a bunch of ribbon strips to that size, being careful to cut the ends very neat and straight. Next, I just began wrapping the lengths of ribbon around the vase in a pleasing pattern, layering and overlapping them as I went. I used the stripes in the ribbon to help me keep everything straight.

To affix the ribbon strips, I used my glue gun - making sure to just apply a thin layer of the glue.  I took special care to try to match up my seams.  When I was satisfied with my design, I carefully added water and a few Tulips to the vases. I love Tulips, but I really think Gerber Daisies would have been even better (had I been able to find them!).

Now, since they are adorned with fabric ribbons, these vases will obviously not be washable, but they are so inexpensive to make, you won't be devastated if you can't use them again.  Just recycle them or give them away to your guests to take home.

And the really cool thing about this project is that is is totally customizable to your party's color and theme.  I chose to use bright preppy colors, but this technique would work equally as well with a pale, romantic palette. Next time, I would love to try this with layers of yummy lace and satin.

:-)
Happy Tuesday!
Jessica

Vintage Valentine Candy Boxes

I am completely and utterly in love with vintage Valentine chocolate boxes.  I have only been collecting them for a few years, but I am completely smitten.  I know I showed you some last year (you can find them here and here), but I wanted to share a few more...they are way too pretty to keep to myself.

This one is one of my favorites...

I mean, what's not to love about pale lavender-blue satin pleats and velvety pink roses?

The detail and craftsmanship on these old boxes is truly incredible.

Even the sides of the box are given special treatment.

This next one is also a favorite of mine...

The softest pink and lilac satin ribbons...

on a gold and cream lace backdrop...

Just look at the yummy, ruffled edging...

This last box is so pretty and in such a rare color for Valentine's Day...aqua!

I just adore the millinery corsage on this one - an aqua silk rose with pink metallic leaves.

And the edge of the box is printed with a flocked lace pattern.

Well, that's it for today - I hope I haven't overwhelmed you with photos!.  I'll try to post some more of my collection before Valentine's Day...

Happy Weekend!

:-)

Jessica

Valentine's Day Nosegay

When I saw these beautiful Spray Roses at Whole Foods this morning, I simply couldn't resist.

I decided to make them into some nosegays for my daughters. So, I started by cutting down the stems so that the roses were all the same size - about five inches.

Then I removed all the leaves and began to put the flowers together to form several small bunches.

After securing the stems with a rubber band, I wrapped the flower heads in some ruffles of vintage eyelet lace that reminded me of doilies.

For a finishing touch, I wrapped another piece of eyelet lace around the stems and added a bow made from several different lengths of ribbon in pretty shades of pink.

These sweet little nosegays would make wonderful gifts for Valentine's Day.

Plus, you can use the exact same technique to make a romantic bridal bouquet...

Have a great day!

:-)
Jessica

Target Tuesday: Flowered Heart Frame

I found this cute little heart-shaped Valentine's Day frame at Target over the weekend. I liked that it was white, making it the perfect blank canvas for some embellishing...

It's no secret that I am crazy for tiny, flocked paper forget-me not flowers.  I really can't get enough of them!  I collect the vintage ones, but often stock up of the reproduction variety as well.  You can find tons of them for sale on eBay and Etsy.

I thought they would be perfect for covering my heart frame, as they are small and dainty.

So, I got out my glue gun and got to work.  All I had to do was snip off the little flower heads and affix them to the frame in a pleasing pattern.  This took some time, but it was super easy.

I put a piece of flocked wrapping paper inside the frame to give you an idea of the finished project, but a personal photo would be even better.  I think this would make a sweet Valentine's Day gift for someone special!

Happy Tuesday!

:-)
Jessica

 

Pretty Parties: The Tea Party (One Lump or Two?)

Well, I can't quite believe it, but it's that time of year again.  The time when I have to start planning my daughters' birthday parties.  How could a whole year have gone by already???  Boy, I am getting old!  :-)  But, yes, it's that time again and we are busy making plans.  My older daughter is still trying to think of a way to top last year's Juicy party, but my younger daughter has decided on a tea party.  A "fancy tea party", to be exact.  I have done a great many tea parties over the years, so I am going to have to challenge myself to try to come up with some fresh, new ideas.  I will be sharing many of the party details with you here because I think tea parties make a perfect theme for everything from baby showers to weddings to birthday celebrations.

Despite the fact that there is unlikely to be any real "tea" at our tea party (I am thinking pink lemonade), we will be in need of some sugar cubes...some fancy sugar cubes!  I'm sure you've seen the kind I'm talking about. Places like Williams-Sonoma often carry them - sugar cubes decorated with royal icing bumble bees or little flowers.  Unfortunately, they are often only sold in very small quantities with fairly large price tags.  So, I decided to make my own.  Here's what you'll need to make some, too...

* sugar cubes (readily available in the supermarket)  

* icing

* fondant flowers (optional)

* gel food color in your choice of colors

* icing bag/couplers and small decorating tips of your choice

* wax or parchment paper

Begin by making your icing and tinting it to your desired shades with the gel food coloring.

If you are making your own royal icing, I would strongly suggest using powdered egg whites - especially if you will be serving these to young children or the elderly. Store your colored icing in small bowls and be sure to cover them with a damp towel, as the icing has a tendency to dry out quickly. Now the fun part - decorating the sugar cubes!

The sky is the limit here - I chose to make small flowers with dainty leaves, but you can do any design you like.

I like to pipe directly onto the cubes, but you can also make them on parchment paper first, allow them to dry, and then affix them to the cubes with a dot of royal icing. If you have never piped flowers before, I would suggest using the drop flower tip, as it is very easy to use and the results are quite pretty.  You can also use cut-out fondant flowers, such as my blue forget-me-nots.

Let your icing set up and then store the cubes in a single layer in a sealed container.  These sugar cubes are fun to make and quite a bargain.  You can buy a box of 198 Domino sugar cubes for under two dollars!  You can chose your icing colors to match your event decor.  And you could even box these up and give them as gifts or favors.

Now, will that be one lump or two?

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Floral Corsage Tank

Ever since Jenna Lyons took over as creative director at J.Crew in 2007, I have been completely obsessed with their clothing.  I love all their vintage-inspired details - from the ruffled edges on the cardigans to the organza petals fluttering about their t-shirts.  Whenever I go shopping at J.Crew with my girlfriends, they always tease me about the fact that I will pick up a flower-embellished garment and say "I can make that".  Well, maybe I could (maybe not!), but I never tried...until today.  

So, I headed over to Target in search of some basic tops that I could give a "J.Crew-esque" makeover.  I immediately found what I was looking for when I spotted this lavender-pink ribbed cotton tank.

At only $7.99, the price was right and I loved the color.  I decided it would look perfect embellished with a corsage of fabric flowers, so I gathered together the supplies that I needed:

*scraps of fabric in a variety of textures (velvet, organza, tulle, satin)

*sew-on velcro (not the sticky kind!)

*rhinestones or other embellishment

*needle and thread (in coordinating shade)

*scissors

*marking pencil

I began by making my fabric flowers.  There are a great many tutorials out there on how to do this, but I just kind of make mine up.  I start by cutting out a bunch of flower shapes in several sizes - and the great thing about this is that they can be very imperfect flower shapes.  In fact, the more funky the shapes are, the more interesting your flower will look.

I suggest using a variety of different textured and colored fabrics.  I chose tulle netting and several different satins in shades of cream, lavender, mauve, and pink.  Once you have a bunch of cut-out flowers, just stack them up and sew them together with a few stitches in the middle.  The number of flower layers is up to you - but the more layers, the more substantial and dramatic your flower will be.

If you gather up (scrunch!) the middle of each flower a bit, you will get more of a fluffy, 3-D effect.

When you are happy with your flowers, you can add some rhinestones or crystals to the centers.

If you use washable fabrics, you can sew your flowers directly onto the tank. Personally, I find that the flowers never quite look as good again after they are washed, so I prefer to attach them with velcro. Then I can simply just remove them before I toss them in the wash.  To do this, I just sew on some small pieces of velcro to both the back of my flowers and the tank itself.

Make sure to lay out where you want your flowers to go first so that you know exactly where to sew the velcro pieces onto the tank.

That's it! Now attach your flowers and you are good to go...a J. Crew-inspired floral corsage tank for about $10!

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica

"The Cabinet"

From the outside, it looks just like your typical, unassuming kitchen cabinet. Nothing particularly special. Nothing super exciting.  But my family knows better.  Oh, yes, they know full well what lies behind the closed doors of "The Cabinet".  They also know that it is strictly off limits to all and that any unauthorized raids of "The Cabinet" will not be tolerated.  :-) 

So, have I piqued your curiosity?  Do you want a little look inside?  O.K., I'll show you...

It's just my sprinkle and candy cabinet...

However, this is not the cabinet to come to if you are just looking for some jimmies for your ice cream cone or if you are in need of a quick chocolate fix.  No, no, this is my beloved collection of sprinkles, sugars, and candies from all over the world and they are reserved for only my most special of baking projects.

I have beautiful dragees and candied violets from France, sugared almonds from the UK, and teeny, tiny pastel candies from Italy.

Of course, you will find the basic sprinkles and sugars in there as well.

The contents of "The Cabinet" are always changing as I use up products, find new ones, and (sadly) discard outdated ones.

I really do love "The Cabinet" and I must confess that sometimes (when I hope no one is looking), I just open the doors and stare into it.

The sight of those colorful sprinkles and candies just make me smile!

Have a great Monday and I'll be back tomorrow with Target Tuesday...

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Organized: Vintage Ribbon Spools

As you may remember, one of my New Year's resolutions was to clean out my studio and turn it into an organized space that I can actually "work" in.  Right now my studio seems more like just a room filled with stuff - lots and lots of stuff!  So, clearing it all out, taking inventory, and putting it back in an organized (and pretty!) manner is going to be a BIG job.  So, today I decided that there was no time like the present and got to work.

I currently have many of my collections and supplies stored in plastic see-through tubs that I bought at the Container Store.  While this isn't the worst way to store stuff, I find that I still have to search through box after box to find what I am looking for.  Take my vintage ribbons, for example... 

So sad, right?  These beauties deserve better treatment than just being thrown into a box.  I was trying to think of a better way to store them when I came across a box of these...

They are vintage wooden spools from France.  I have been collecting them for years because I like how they look, but I never really thought to use them for their original purpose. :-)

So, I decided they would be perfect for my vintage ribbons...

I just wound each length of ribbon around a spool and secured it with a small silk pin.

I love the idea of putting the "vintage" ribbon on "vintage" spools.

I've only just begun this project and have a ton more spools to do, but I think this is a good storage solution - it tidies up the ribbons, protects them from getting crushed, and looks pretty at the same time!

***You can find inexpensive vintage spools at local flea markets and antique shops...or try Etsy or eBay.

:-)
Jessica