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Vintage Easter decorations make wonderful collectibles. And these old, honeycomb decorations are especially beautiful...
Their soft, pastel colors and delicate, faded tissue paper make them completely irresistible.
These little baskets, eggs, and bunny are just so lovely.
I rarely find them in such good condition, as they are usually rumpled and crushed after so many years.
So very pretty.
XOXO
Jessica
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you already know how excited I was to find Target's new collection of pretty pastel party supplies this past weekend.
There are a bunch of super cute garlands, lanterns, confetti, and honeycomb decorations, but my most favorite find was the tulle pom pom picks!
Aren't they pretty!
I just LOVE them! Perfect as cupcake toppers, cocktail picks, or even as a little bouquet!
Happy Tuesday!
:-)
Jessica
Hey, Punxsutawney Phil, didn't you say we were getting an early Spring this year? Yeah, you said it! O.K. maybe you didn't "say" it, but you implied it with all that shadow nonsense. And I really, really wanted to believe you. But guess what, Phil, the forecast calls for snow tonight. SNOW! Not cool, Phil. Not cool at all.
* pretty "spring-like" Ranunculus from Trader Joe's.
:-)
Jessica
Yay! We did it! Mini-mini-me managed to stay healthy this time around and the cake-decorating party (finally) went off without a hitch! I can honestly tell you that I have never been so happy to have a party behind me. But, it really was a great party and I promised to share, so here it is...
We had twelve girls attend the party. This was a manageable number, but I really wouldn't suggest going too much higher than that. Upon their arrival, we greeted the girls with one of the frilly no-sew tulle aprons that I showed you all previously. They seemed to go over pretty well - I mean, who doesn't like tulle and ruffles? After the girls washed their hands and put their hair back in ponytails, they got busy decorating their cakes. I had already set up the table with all the necessary cake decorating supplies and a two-layer cake was placed at each setting. Now, if you have the time and the desire, by all means, bake the cakes yourself. Sadly, I didn't have the time (or the desire), so I ordered them from a local bakery. ;-) I specifically requested that the cakes be "smoothly" iced with white icing and with no additional piping or decoration. This was important because I wanted the girls to have an opportunity to practice with the icing bags.
I had pre-filled 12 icing bags with six different colored (pastel!) icings and fitted them with a variety of tips.
I placed one bag at each place setting, but made sure to instruct the girls to take turns sharing colors and tips. I also set out plates of pretty sugar flowers that I bought from a cake supply shop...
...and lots and lots of butter-cream roses (which I had piped myself ahead of time)...
Of course, there were also a variety of colorful sprinkles and sugars...
Each girl also received a hunk of pink fondant with which to practice making their own roses and decorations. The girls took the task of decorating their cakes very, very seriously.
And, as you can see from the results, the cakes turned out just beautifully!
Some, like my daughter, took the opportunity to truly "gild the lily"...
While others showed a bit more restraint and went for a simpler design...
When everyone was finished decorating, the girls went off to sing, dance, and scream to Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, while I packed up the cakes and quickly switched the table over to party mode. Instead of paper plates and cups, I used these pretty pink and aqua plastic ones that I found at Target in the children's housewares aisle! They were such a great deal, too - about 50 cents a piece! And we can use them over and over again!
We had scheduled the party for mid-afternoon, so I was luckily able to avoid the whole pizza ordeal (not good when you have shabby chic white sofas!). Instead, we served cake (ordered from a favorite bakery, so as to not destroy any beautiful works of art)...
..and ice cream with confetti sprinkles. Beverages included pink paper-wrapped water bottles and pink lemonade. Served with lots of pastel striped straws!
And if that wasn't enough sugar, I also gave each girl one of the old-fashioned candy baskets that I showed you the other day...
When it was time to go home, the girls left with their beautiful cakes, a cake decorating kit, and their tulle aprons.
So, that's it. We did it! It was lots of fun and Mini-mini-me had a wonderful time, but next year I think I'll be doing my best to convince her to go bowling!
Don't worry - we'll make it pretty :-)
XOXO
Jessica
I made these little favors for Mini-mini-me's cake decorating birthday party...
I had actually intended for them to resemble old-fashioned candy (or nut) cups from the 1950's and 60's (LOVE that retro look!), but my friend, Michele, promptly informed me that they looked just like little Easter baskets! She's right, of course. But whether you use them as birthday party favors or Easter baskets (how timely!), they are easy peasy to make!
I simply used a bit of hot glue to attach a little sprig of forget-me-nots and a tiny pink bow to each basket.
Then I filled them with pretty pastel candies (O.K., Michele, those are speckled jelly bean eggs in there). :-)
Be back soon with all the party details!
XOXO
Jessica
Remember that cake-decorating birthday party that I was working on for Mini-mini-me? The one where I was making favors and tulle aprons, ordering a dozen cakes, and staying up until the very wee hours of the morning piping icing roses? Well, it didn't happen. The party was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. As of that Friday night, I was in pretty good shape. The house was actually clean, balloons were ordered, tables and chairs were rented, and the tissue pom poms were all fluffed and waiting to be hung. I must confess that I am usually putting the finishing touches on my parties right up until that very first guest rings the doorbell, so I was feeling pretty terrific. So organized and on top of everything. But then...
...Mini-mini-me woke up on Saturday morning with a fever of 101! As I stared at that silver strip of Mercury, my heart sank. I knew it was just a party, but I also knew that Mini-mini was going to be so very disappointed. And frankly, so was I. All that planning and hard work! And all those cakes! :-( Definitely not a big deal in the scheme of life, but disappointing nonetheless. We immediately reassured a tearful Mini-mini that we would reschedule the party for as soon as was humanly possible. Then, after I ensconced her on the sofa with the remote control and all the popsicles she could eat, my husband and I got busy canceling the party.
And now, I find myself getting ready to do it all over again! I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I am off to pipe some more icing roses...
:-)
Jessica
Braving the crowds at the famous Portobello Road Antique Market in London can be somewhat daunting.
Come Saturday morning, the street is jam-packed with shoppers hunting for that very special item or simply taking in the sights and sounds. It's a lot of fun, but also a little bit crazy at times - as my husband and I often find ourselves literally grasping onto the girls for fear of losing them in that sea of people!
Finding a clear path and making your way into an actual shop can require some pretty fancy footwork, but it's all totally worth it just as long as you find these waiting for you inside...
Aren't they gorgeous! The most perfect, delicately frayed, vintage millinery roses. Who could resist those linen and velvet petals? And that pink!
They are from France circa the 1940's and are truly exquisite. Now, this slightly smooshed, faded pastel bouquet dates to a bit earlier (probably the 1930's) and it is the true definition of shabby chic...
So very beautiful with it's pale pink and blue velvet blossoms and trailing crumpled ribbons. The craftsmanship in those days was just incredible - I mean, just look at the tiny floral buds and those silk-wrapped stems...
Yes, definitely worth getting your feet stepped on a few times. :-)
XOXO
Jessica
You can't possibly imagine how much I love the candy aisle during the springtime...
Well, maybe you can. :-)
All that pastel prettiness!
* Speckled jelly beans from the Easter aisle at Target.
XOXO
Jessica
I am aware that today is not Tuesday (and so very happy it is Friday!), but I found these pretty pastel, felted eggs at Target today and I just couldn't wait to share them with you!
Aren't they lovely! They come in a choice of two designs - one set has white designs squiggled onto the colored eggs and the other set has half-white, half-colored eggs. I love them both! Six dollars for a set of twelve and you can find them in the easter decor aisle.
I just adore that they look handmade! They come with little string hangers attached, but I chopped mine off. :-)
I like mine just simply piled up in a little dish, but the crafting possibilities are endless.
Happy Friday!
XOXO
Jessica
I was playing around with my Washi tapes and decided to dress-up my Smarties a bit...
I just wrapped each roll in some colored tissue paper and then wrapped them with Washi Tape.
So simple and fun...and you can make them to match any decor or color scheme!
:-)
Jessica
