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I decided to take the girls strawberry-picking last week. It was a gloriously beautiful day and we had so much fun searching through the strawberry fields for the sweetest, reddest berries we could find.
It didn't take long to fill our baskets.
When we got home, I decided to make fresh strawberry shortcake.
I used Martha's recipe - it's simple to make and so delicious.
:-)
Jessica
O.K., here, as promised, are some of my fabulous finds (many of which may end up in my shop) from the Lucketts Spring Market yesterday...
I found stacks of pretty floral china...
And tons of vintage millinery-covered hats and flowers...
I love the pale pink and lavender color combination.
A sweet pink rose corsage pin...
This gorgeous Peony flower is actually made out of tissue paper!
The paper has faded over the years, making the petals look almost real.
This handmade, vintage duvet cover was perhaps my favorite find of the day.
In perfect condition and in all my favorite colors - all faded to perfection.
And finally, this vintage pastel wallpaper-covered hat box is so pretty...
Yes, the Market was really fabulous this year and now I can hardly wait until next year!
:-)
Jessica
We had a wonderful time at the Lucketts Spring Market today!
Held on the grounds of the historic Lucketts Community Center (right across the street from the famous Lucketts Store), this annual flea market is a favorite destination of mine.
They have over 100 vendors that come from all over the country to sell their shabby chic and vintage cottage wares.
The prices are generally really reasonable and I always manage to find some fabulous things. This year I specifically went with an eye on finding some goodies for my new shop, but I just couldn't pass up getting a "few" things for myself. :-) So, below are some photos of the things that caught my eye (and I'll show you some of what I actually bought tomorrow).
The Market has something for everyone. There is furniture everywhere! Some that is more romantic French - like this pretty settee..
...and these gorgeous chairs...
And some that has more of a "cottage" feel - like these painted dressers...
...and mirrors.
Since I wasn't really on the hunt for furniture this trip, I tended to focus my attention on all the little bits and baubles - like these lovely vintage beaded flowers.
I love the happy colors of these vintage tins...
And how pretty are these old door stops!
Vintage floral fabrics are always my favorite find, so I always love searching through the huge piles of them - hoping to find that perfect piece.
Stacks of vintage feed sacks and pillow ticking...
There were even original Rachel Ashwell "Shabby Chic" fabric samples for sale...although the prices were a tad outrageous.
There were fun, vintage fabric-covered lampshades, too.
And lots of vintage floral china - perfect for your next tea party!
I love this stack of white Ironstone plates and platters...
These sweet vintage blocks are great for spelling out your child's name...
And I had to photograph this jar full of candy-colored threads - the colors were so beautiful...
Since the Market is so popular, a lot of the other local antique shops (in and around Leesburg) also hold special sales this weekend - so you can really make a day trip out if it. And, if antiquing isn't really your thing, there are lots of food vendors and live music to keep you busy. So, if you get a chance check out the Luckett's Spring Market -they're open tomorrow, too!
:-)
Jessica
Today, I am starting a new feature here at Such Pretty Things - it's called the "Mini-Post". A Mini-Post will just be a shorter and simpler version of my regular posts. You see, they are many times when I make something, buy something, or see something that I really want to share with you all, but I just don't have time to do a long post with tons of photos. For example, I was shopping at Whole Foods yesterday and I found this beautiful rose-topped cupcake and I just had to show it to you...
Don't you love the swirls of pink buttercream?
And yes, it tasted as good as it looked...or so my daughters told me. :-)
Jessica
I found this super cute Happy Birthday banner in the party aisle at Target this week...
And I loved that it had the pretty pink grosgrain ribbon sewn across the top...
You could totally use this banner just the way it is, but a friend of mine had recently requested that I make her a banner for her daughter's preschool graduation, so I thought this would make the perfect base - it just needed a little make-over.
I began by gathering my supplies - a variety of pretty scrapbook papers (Amy Butler), colorful chipboard letters (also from Target), paper flowers, and rhinestones.
My friend wanted her daughter's banner to say "Congratulations", so I needed to cover-up the "Happy Birthday" flags with scrapbook paper. Luckily, the the banner came with 15 scalloped "flags", which allowed me just enough spaces to spell out C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S. I used the banner's flags as templates to cut out my own flags. I just lay one face down on a piece of scrapbook paper, traced it with a pencil, and then cut it out.
When I had the 15 flags I needed, I simply glued them on top of the existing banner flags.
Next, came the fun part - embellishing! I added my letters, paper flowers, and rhinestones.
I kept it fairly simple, but the sky's the limit when it comes to embellishing!
I also decided to use bright colors, but you could obviously customize this to match any decor or color palette.
So, now I have a customized banner for my friend's daughter...
...and it was so easy to make! I have to say that having the banner flags already sewn onto the ribbon really saved me a lot of time - I didn't have to drag out my sewing machine! :-)
Jessica
I had been on the hunt for a vintage wire bottle holder for the longest time. You see, I had a "vision" of using one to store all my smaller pieces and scraps of vintage wallpaper. But, sadly, I was never able to find one. Then, the other day, I walked into HomeGoods (my home away from home) and found the cutest "vintage-inspired" bottle holder.
And, while I would have preferred a true vintage one, I figured that beggars can't be choosers and scooped it right up! It was originally a dark gray metal, so I spray -painted it a nice shade of cottage white.
Then, I started tackling my vintage wallpaper scraps. I have lots of smaller sheets of wallpaper - pieces that are way too small for my large wallpaper tubes, but also too precious to just throw in the scrap bin.
So, I took these and loosely rolled each piece (being careful not to crack or damage the paper) and tied them with a thin piece of ribbon.
Then I just plopped them in the basket. The divided compartments are perfect for organizing the little rolls and the open wire sides make it so easy to see everything...
Now my papers are protected and organized and I won't have to sort through heaps of papers to find the exact one that I want to use.
Next, I have to find a way to neatly store all those little bits and pieces of vintage wallpaper that I just can't bear to part with...any ideas???
:-)
Jessica
Although I am not really much of a coffee drinker, I am surrounded by a serious bunch of coffee addicts. My husband, my parents, and it seems all of my closest friends, just can't get enough of the stuff. So, I guess you could say that I've had to become a "social-coffee-drinker". And, it is for this reason, that I often find myself at Starbucks on practically a daily basis. So, the other day, I was meeting a good friend of mine for a little coffee-talk and I happened to spy these little beauties in the pastry case...
Are they not the cutest, most adorable little doughnuts you have ever seen? And at Starbucks of all places! They are called Birthday Cake Mini-Doughnuts. Vanilla cake topped with the prettiest pale PINK icing and sprinkled with white non-pareils.
So pretty and so yummy!
I don't remember ever seeing them before, but I hope they will become a permanent fixture on the Starbuck's menu. They may even turn ME into a coffee-fanatic!
:-)
Jessica
I decided to have some fun with my Mother's Day gift wrapping. Have you seen these wonderful new paper and fabric flowers from Prima?
I am totally in love with them! The colors are so pretty and the detail is amazing! The fabric ones really remind me of vintage millinery flowers...
Anyway, I thought they would be the perfect thing for dressing up my Mother's Day packages. I began by wrapping my gifts with some pretty pink flocked paper. It's actually scrapbook paper, but it looks like vintage wallpaper!
I added some vintage seam binding ribbon...
Then I just started embellishing my gift boxes with the pretty Prima flowers.
This was so fun!
And I really like how they turned out.
I may have gone a little overboard...one simple flower would look lovely as well. And I could totally see using these to decorate a simple box of candy. What an easy way to make a gift a little more special!
Now, a few bits of news....
I must apologize for my lack of posting lately, but I have been super busy working away on my new on-line shop. I am really hoping to have it up and running early this summer, but there is still much to do. I plan to have lots of vintage finds, craft supplies, and pretty things for you and your home, so please stay tuned...
I also wanted to assure you all that I have not abandoned Target Tuesdays - it's just that I didn't find anything too spectacular in the store these last few weeks. But, Target Tuesday will definitely be back!
:-)
Jessica
