Such Pretty Things

Pretty Parties: Old Fashioned Candy Cups

These vintage-inspired candy cups are so much fun to make.  I am making a bunch to use as party favors for my daughter's birthday "tea party", but they would also make great little Easter baskets.

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

- 2 1/2" diameter paper candy cups (you can find these in the cake decorating aisle at the craft store)

-pipe cleaners cut into 8 1/2" pieces

-glue gun and glue sticks

-crepe paper streamers

-ribbons

-millinery flowers

-paper shred or cupcake liners

-yummy treats!

To begin, you need to "ruffle" the crepe paper steamers.  You can do this on a sewing machine, but I like to do mine by hand.  I just placed a horizontal line of glue around the outside middle of my candy cup and ruffled up (scrunched!) the streamers, pressing them down in the glue as I moved around the perimeter of the cup.



When you are done, it should look something like this...



Next, cinch the "waist" of your ruffle by securely tying a ribbon around it...



Now you are ready to add your handle.  Bend your pipe cleaner into a U-shape and attach it to the inside of the cup (on opposite sides) with a bit of hot glue.  Hold it in place for a few seconds until it is completely dry.



The final step is to embellish your candy cups.  I wrapped some ribbon around my handles, tucked in some tiny millinery flowers, and added a few ribbon bows.  The decorating possibilities and color combinations are endless!



I placed a white cupcake wrapper inside each cup and filled them with some pastel-colored jelly beans, but any treat or little toy would work beautifully.



The result is some very sweet, old fashioned party favors that everyone is sure to appreciate!



:-)
Jessica

Target Tuesday: French Bath Bins

How cute are these new bath storage bins from Target!  I found them in the bath accessories aisle. They come two to a set and have the French words  "Savon" (soap) and Bain" (bath) printed on them.

I love that the rims and interiors are a pale aqua blue...

These are perfect for storing small items in your bathroom - washcloths, lotions, soaps, etc...

I think these would also make such a great shower or house-warming gift - just fill one up with a few favorite toiletry items and wrap the whole thing up in some clear cellophane and a pretty bow.

BTW, I've keep meaning to tell you all about my favorite new nail polish for Spring...it's called "Mint Candy Apple" by Essie.

It's such a pretty pale minty-aqua color - doesn't it make you want to get out the flip-flops right now!

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

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

Mini Ice Cream Parlour Glasses

Well, I finally made it out to Target this past weekend.  And I'm glad I did, because I found these adorable mini ice cream parlour glasses!

They are so cute - only about 4 1/4 inches high and 3 inches wide. They are actually made out of a durable plastic and sell for $1.99 each.

I just love their miniature size and couldn't wait to make some mini sundaes!

With some pastel sprinkles, of course!

Happy Tuesday!

:-)
Jessica

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you all a very sweet...

...and Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXO

Jessica

Sugar Hearts

So, what does one do when there are three feet of snow outside, the roads are completely impassible, the cupboard is getting bare, and your bored kids are about to go crazy from watching too many back-to-back episodes of I Carly and Hannah Montana?  Why, you make sugar hearts of course!

The great thing about these sugar hearts is that they require only three or four ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry - sugar, water, food coloring and powdered egg whites (optional). 

To begin, mix two cups of granulated sugar with some food coloring of your choice.  You can use liquid or powdered, but just be sure to mix it in very well.  Next, mix in 4 teaspoons of water or 4 teaspoons of reconstituted powdered egg whites into your sugar.  Water works just fine, but your sugar hearts will be much stronger if you use the egg whites.

The mixture should resemble wet sand.

Now you are ready to make your sugar hearts.  If you have a candy mold, feel free to use it. None of my heart molds happened to be deep enough, so I just used regular cookie cutters.  Pour your sugar mixture out onto a smooth, non-stick surface (I used parchment paper on my counter top) and press it down firmly with your hands, a rolling pin, or the bottom of a plate.  The idea is to get the sugar as compacted as possible.  The thickness is somewhat determined by the depth of your cookie cutters, but I think about 1/2 an inch works quite well.  Now, press the cutters straight down into the sugar and carefully release the shapes onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you find that the sugar isn't holding it's shape well, try adding a bit more water or egg white - but just don't over-do it or you'll get sugar mush!  Now, you can obviously make these in any shape you like - we decided to make some flower shapes in addition to our hearts.

These need to harden before you use them.  You can either allow them to air dry for a day or two or you can speed up the process by placing them in a 200 degree oven for about ten minutes.  Once they cool, they will become super hard - just like sugar cubes. 

We had LOTS of time on our hands, so we made a whole bunch...

My girls love to eat these just like pieces candy...

...and they look really pretty packaged up in little cellophane bags tied with ribbon.  Perfect for a last minute Valentine's Day gift.

I also like to use them as decorations for cakes and cupcakes...

This is such a fun project and so simple and easy.  Ya really gotta try it!

Happy Thursday!

:-)

Jessica

Pretty Organized: Office Supplies

In my studio, I have lots of office supplies - scissors, pencils, paper clips, tapes, etc...

Since they are necessities for my everyday life, my supplies need to be readily available and easy to find. So, I like to keep them out on my desk. And I figure that if I am always looking at them, they might as well look as good as possible, right?  Therefore, I am always on the lookout for pretty containers to store them in.  I particularly like to use vintage china pieces - cups, mugs, vases, shallow bowls or dishes - all provide pretty and practical storage.

Taller vases and larger mugs work well for storing things like scissors and hole punches...

Medium sized cups are perfect for holding pens and pencils...

This sweet little china swan all decked out in roses is just the right size for my binder clips...

And a shallow floral dish is perfect for corralling my paper clips...

Don't my candy-colored tapes look even prettier when stored in my vintage forget-me-not covered vase?

I just can't get enough of those forget-me-nots. 

And if you're wondering how it is that all my office supplies just happen to be in all my favorite colors...it's no accident.  I go waaaaaay out of my way to chose products in my favorite colors. Silly?  Perhaps.  But kinda pretty, too.  :-)

Have a great day!

Jessica

Pretty Parties: Paper Lace Favors

What do you think of this pretty paper lace?

I made it with my favorite gadget from Martha Stewart Crafts...

It's a "doily lace" punch and I am totally and utterly in love with it!  I had bought some vintage paper lace a few years back from Andrea and I thought it was just the coolest thing.

But with this fabulous punch (the guidelines are built in for perfect alignment), I can make my own paper lace in any color or texture that I want.  For example, this pink lace is just punched from regular, old scrapbook paper from the craft store...

And the mint green lace shown below is punched from a textured wrapping paper.

This paper lace can obviously be used for a million different things, but I especially like to use it for simple party favors.  Just get some small solid colored boxes (jewelry-sized ones work great)...

...fill them with some yummy treats and then wrap a length of paper lace around the box and secure it neatly on the bottom with some double-sided tape.

That's it. This is literally one of the easiest projects to do, but the result is so pretty and romantic.  Try using different colored boxes and/or different colored paper laces to match your party decor.  These are perfect as an inexpensive DIY favor for a wedding, baby or bridal shower, and of course, Valentine's Day!

:-)
Jessica

Target Tuesday: Frou-frou Jewelry Box

I have this vintage candy box from the 1950's that I just love...

Although it has a rectangular shape, it is really very similar in style to my other vintage Valentine's Day candy boxes. It is so very romantic and pretty with all it's satin pleating, lace, bows, and millinery flowers.

Anyway, I only mention this box because I've always wanted to try making one just like it.  So, when I saw this pink jewelry box at Target last week - I thought it would make the perfect base for my project.

I know, it's not very exciting "as is", but it is a nice size, is made of a leather-like material, and even has a mirror inside.  Plus, it's functional! Not too bad for $9.99.  :-)

I decided to start my embellishing project by trimming out the jewelry box with this fabulous vintage box-pleated trim that I have been saving for the longest time.  It is made of a tulle-like material, but is very reminiscent of the satin trim found on the original vintage boxes...

All I did was carefully adhere my trim all along the sides and top of the box.

Then, I added some vintage braided trim to give it a bit more detail (just like the original).

Finally, I took some artistic license and decided to adorn the top with some minty green ribbon and these pretty millinery flowers...

The result: a shabby chic, frou-frou, vintage-inspired jewelry box...

A perfect gift for Valentine's Day - especially with a little something tucked inside.  

I also want to thank everyone for all the sweet comments about my daughter's jewelry-laden dress form!  She was absolutely thrilled at the response!  And for those of you who inquired as to where she got hers, it was actually from Pottery Barn Teen.  I don't think they carry that particular style anymore, but they do have others which you can find here.

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica