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
OK, so I am a day later than promised with these, but I think you will forgive me when you see how cute and easy these no-sew aprons are to make! I was actually going to skip aprons for the cake decorating party this year. I just couldn't find any as nice as the ones I found for the last party and and I really didn't have the time to sew any myself. But.....I was walking though the girls' department at Target over the weekend and I found these adorable ruffled tulle skirts on CLEARANCE!
I instantly had an idea - why not turn them into aprons? The great thing about elastic and tulle is that they do not unravel easily - making them perfect for a no-sew project. So I grabbed a bunch and got to work. I began by carefully cutting each skirt down the side seems. The result: two apron panels per skirt! Then I used my iron and some Heat n Bond (available at craft and sewing shops) to attach a 4-foot length of pink ruffled ribbon to the elastic waistband of each apron.
As a finishing touch, I added some clip-on fabric flowers (H&M) that the girls can later wear in their hair.
So, for less than $5 a piece (and without any sewing!!!), I have a pile of pretty aprons! And they were so easy and quick to make - I was actually able to finish 12 aprons in just a few hours!
:-)
Jessica
Now that I am back from London, I am shifting into high gear for Mini-mini-me's cake-decorating birthday party! This past weekend we worked on the party favors - little cake-decorating kits for the girls to take home...
Each kit contains disposable icing bags, a coupler set, two wilton piping tips, and a variety of colorful sprinkles. I packaged up the sprinkles in cute little bags...
And the tips, too...
I then packed everything up into little boxes with clear tops and added a label.
Each girl will also take home a can of Wilton's Decorator Icing (the type specifically designed for piping roses, leaves, etc...). To pretty up the can, I covered the existing wrappers with scrapbook paper and added a label.
Tomorrow I will be back with the party aprons I made (hint, hint - lots of ruffles and tulle involved!).
XOXO
Jessica
Hello! Yes, I am alive (and thank you to all of you concerned readers who wrote to check up on me!). I didn't intend to take a month-long blog break. I truly didn't, I swear. But it somehow just crept up on me. :-) The Autumn is super busy in my household and it seems like we've been going non-stop ever since September. But I am back and have lots to share. In between carpools, dance classes, volleyball games, and homework, I have somehow managed to start thinking about (and shopping for) the upcoming holidays. I love to plan out my tables and color schemes way in advance and I am always on the lookout for pretty china or little treasures that will add just the right detail to my table setting. In the Fall, I like to incorporate my favorite pastels with the golds and coppery browns of the season. Case in point, here I've combined some of my pale aqua and gold china with brown toile prints.
Here are just a few simple ideas that I am considering using for Thanksgiving this year. The first one uses these lovely vintage walnut composition ornaments that I found on Etsy. They are quite old and I just love their patina. Paired with some vintage velvet ribbon, they make an elegant presentation.
You could use real walnuts or acorns as well - just paint them an antique gold color. I am also thinking about using mini-pumpkins. I bought these sweet little white ones...
...and sprayed them with some edible gold food coloring. Them I sprinkled on some edible gold glitter. We won't be eating these, but I like to use food-safe ingredients on fresh veggies and fruit.
My third option is to use these lovely vintage forget-me-not millinery flowers.
I was fortunate to find an old stash of these while antiquing recently and I thought that their faded pastel colors were true perfection.
So, what do you think? Which would you choose?
XOXO
Jessica
The girls will be going back to school tomorrow and it will probably not come as a major surprise to you that I love helping them decorate their lockers each Fall. Making our own customized magnets is super easy, quick, and fun. This year, we are putting on the bling.
I found these pretty rhinestone earrings at Forever 21 (yes, I am totally addicted to that place).
We just removed the earring backings...
...and used jewelry glue to adhere some heavy strength magnets to the backs.
That's all there is to it!
Not into rhinestones? Not a problem - you can turn almost any small object (think Lego's, fabric flowers, Japanese erasers, etc...) into a magnet - just make sure it's not too heavy and that the object is large enough to completely cover the magnet.
Happy Back-to-School!!!
:-)
Jessica
Here's a super quick, easy, and inexpensive centerpiece for your Easter table...
All you need are some glass votive holders, some colorful candy, and some fresh flowers. I found my votive holders at A.C. Moore (I chose them because of their "egg-like" shape...and because they were on sale for 3 for $1!). I just filled them with some pretty pastel candies. I am loving the sherbet shades of these speckled jelly beans!).
Then I trimmed my flower stems and placed a few blossoms in each votive holder.
If you do this right before your guests arrive, you won't even need to mess around with water. But, if you need them to last for a longer period of time, your stems can be placed in small water vials (found at any florist shop) and then placed in the candy.
I love these clustered in groups going down the center of a dining table, but they also look so sweet placed individually at each place setting. These are so easy - you have to try them!
I also want to say a huge thank you to the The Huffington Post's Stylist Home for featuring my Paper Flower Easter Eggs today! You can check out the full article here.
:-)
Jessica
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Parenting Magazine for including my Paper Flower Easter Eggs on their website. This was a project I actually did several years ago, but in case you missed it, you can find the complete tutorial here.
Jessica
"Mini-mini-me's" Ice Cream Social party isn't for a few more weeks (thank goodness!), but today is her day to celebrate her birthday at school. In addition to the requisite sprinkled cupcakes and juice boxes, I also needed something cute to give out to the kiddies. I was super short on time yesterday, so I had to come up with something really simple and quick. So, I ran over to Michael's and picked up some pretty pink polka dot treat bags (from Martha's Valentine's Day line) and some whimsical pink and green glittery butterflies.
I filled the bags with Hershey's Kisses, pink M & M's and pastel candies - then added a butterfly and bow.
I think the whole project took about 20 minutes to make all 15 bags! Anyway, I'm pleased with how they turned out - a little girly perhaps, but I doubt the boys will object to the sweets inside!
:-)
Jessica
I guess we just can't get enough sugar around here! These are some very simple and quick party favors that you can make inexpensively for almost any occasion. We made ours "pretty in pink" for Valentine's day...
To make some, you'll need some rock candy crystallized sugar sticks (I found mine at Party City, but most candy stores carry them in a rainbow of colors).
You'll also need "pretzel stick" bags (mine are from Wilton), coordinating ribbon (I used seam binding), and pretty millinery or favor flowers (shockingly, I used Forget-me-nots!).
Remove the unattractive printed-plastic bags that the sugar sticks are originally packaged in and slip them into the pretzel bags. Wind a small bunch of posies around the stick and secure with a ribbon bow. You will probably need to trim the bag to size. And there you go...
Super easy and so pretty!
XOXO
Jessica
Here's an easy and pretty way to dress up some simple candies for Valentine's Day. All you need is some colorful tissue or crepe paper, pretty ribbon in narrows widths, double-sided tape, and some round wrapped candies (I used Lindt chocolates).
Cut a rectangle of tissue that will completely encompass your chocolate when you wrap it (it should be slightly wider than your candy). Roll the candy (keeping it in the wrapper) in the paper, secure with a small piece of tape, and gently twist the ends. Secure each end with a small ribbon bow.
These are so simple, but look sooooo fancy!
Present them in a pretty dish or a small heart-shaped box with a millinery flower on top...
And these would make equally lovely favors for a wedding or party - just change out the colors to match your theme!
I am planning to do a Valentine shop update this weekend, so I'll let you know when it's ready to go!
XOXO
Jessica
