Here is a super easy Easter centerpiece idea!
Here's all you need: Mini cupcakes (make your own or buy plain iced ones from your favorite bakery), pastel sprinkles, pretty Easter candies. easter grass or paper shred, and a cake pedestal! I found the pretty sprinkle mix and cake pedestal at my local Homegoods.
Just place your cupcake on top of the Easter grass and fill in with the candies! So simple, but it makes quite an impact on your Easter table!
Happy Saturday!
xo
Jessica
Wishing you all a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday!
XOXO
Jessica
With the holidays fast approaching, I find myself dreaming about pretty table settings, linens, and centerpieces. I love to use cloth napkins on my table, but they are generally expensive and a major pain to keep clean and pressed. When I came across these simple, inexpensive cotton dishcloths at Target, I immediately envisioned them as delicate, pastel napkins...
At just $3.99 for a pack of four, the price was right! In just a few hours this past weekend, I managed to dye a ton of these beauties (it's so simple and very addicting!).
If you want to make some for your own holiday table, here's what you'll need:
-100% Cotton White Dish Cloths (Target's Flour Sack Kitchen Towels by Room Essentials)
-RIT Dye (I used the liquid, but the powder works just as well)
-a large plastic bucket
-table salt (approx. 1 cup per dye lot)
-rubber gloves (very important!)
Directions: Decide how many colors you want and divide up your cloths accordingly. I made at least four cloths in each color. I may have over-done it, but it was so much fun - I just couldn't stop! Fill your bucket with very hot water and stir in about a cup of salt (this will help "set" your dye). Instead of following the package instructions for the dye and water amounts, I just added a few drops of the liquid dye to my water. You can always add more, but to achieve the very pale, pastel tones, just add a little to start. Make sure to thoroughly wet your cloths first and then quickly submerge them in the dye bath and swish them around for a few seconds. The longer you leave them in, the darker they will be.
Now, if you want to make a darker shade of the same color (i.e., light pink and dark pink), just add a few more drops of the dye. Rinse the dyed cloths in cold water until the water runs clear. They can then be tossed in the washer and dryer according to the wash instructions. Tip: If you are dyeing different colors like I did, be sure to thoroughly rinse your bucket out in-between each color.
The best thing about these, is that for about $1 a piece, you can have a custom-colored napkin! And if they get really badly stained with lipstick and red wine, you can always toss them and make some more.
I am thinking of wrapping mine with some vintage millinery flowers...
Very simple and very pretty.
Happy Tuesday!
XOXO
Jessica
I think I've mentioned before that half-birthdays are a pretty big deal in our family. I guess we just love any excuse to celebrate...and eat cake! This year, I cheated a bit and bought a mini vanilla bundt cake at Whole Foods. It was so cute and just the perfect size for a "half" birthday. I whipped up some pink icing to drizzle over the top and decorated it with a variety of colorful sprinkles...
To add to the festive feel, I added some pastel confetti,
mini party hats,
and a sweet little birdie garland...
If you personally don't embrace the whole "half-birthday" thing (although you really should!), this mini party would be great for just a regular old birthday as well. :-)
XOXO
Jessica
A New Year's Eve party just wouldn't be complete without a fabulous bar cart, now would it? They are all the rage these days and you can find them everywhere - from true vintage ones sourced at the local flea market to great reproductions found at shops like West Elm. I just adore mine - it has two tiers for maximum storage and antique mirrored shelves!
Once you have procured the cart, the fun part begins - stocking and styling the bar! It probably won't surprise you to know that I often choose my selections based on how pretty the bottles are. :-) Of course, quality counts, too! In addition to the requisite wines, champagnes and alcohol, make sure to include some pretty bottles of water or lemonade. I like to incorporate vintage decanters and a chic shaker adds a glam touch. Don't forget fresh flowers, such as these lavender roses...
Pretty drinking straws (like these gold chevron ones) and colorful glassware are a must!
These gorgeous glittered coasters from Kate Spade are a new addition this year!
Not shown, but should be put out right before your guests arrive - fresh juice in pretty pitchers, bitters, mixers, olives, citrus garnish (lemon, lime & orange slices), and my personal favorite - Maraschino Cherries! Because who doesn't love a Shirley Temple???
XOXO
Jessica
I woke up really early this morning to start working on my flower arrangements for my Thanksgiving table. I decided on shades of pink roses this year, as I love how they look with my cream and brown transferware plates. They are arranged in mercury glass "vases" are from Target (this season).
They are actually candle and votive holders! The trick with these is to make sure to place a smaller glass inside each one to hold your water - otherwise all the "mercury" may wash away. :-) They are the perfect height for a table arrangement since they don't block anyone's view and they are small in size - so you can keep them on the table and still have room for all that stuffing and cranberry sauce.
I am hosting this year, but I am fortunate to have lots of help from my family - the husband makes the turkey and chocolate pecan pie. My Mom is famous for her sweet potatoes (with marshmallows) and my little sister is an excellent pie maker and always helps me with the made-from-scratch stuffing! And the girls are fabulous and creative table setters...especially if it means they will be rewarded with chocolate turkeys!
I wish you all a very, very Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for each and every one of you!
XOXO
Jessica
A few weeks ago, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful Autumn weather and hosted a little picnic in our favorite neighborhood park. I had fun putting together all the picnicy elements. From vintage crocheted blankets to lounge upon...
...to pretty vintage trays for holding food and drinks...
I kept the menu simple. Delicious sandwiches in combinations like Brie, turkey, & apple and roast beef & swiss...
Pretzels and potato chips were the perfect picnic accompaniments and were served in fun vintage tins (washed and lined first!)...
For beverages, I served jugs of fresh apple cider. An old Coca Cola crate corralled a selection of sodas in old-fashioned style glass bottles...
I used vintage floral sheets as tablecloths. For centerpieces, I put pretty Gerbera Daisies in blue mason jars. Colorful striped paper straws were also a must!
For dessert (sorry, I was too busy having fun to take photos!), I set out chocolate brownies, my s'mores bars, and chocolate chip cookies. And favors were more of those chocolate-caramel apples that I showed you last week...
The park setting was a great place to host a picnic. The kids were able to run around and play...and the adults got to chat. The food was yummy, the weather cooperated, and everyone had a wonderful time. A perfect Autumn picnic in the park!
:-)
Jessica
Wishing you all a very, very happy Mother's Day!
Just a few quick pics of my brunch table today. My parents are coming over soon and I still have so much to do. The weather is gorgeous today - sunny and breezy - and I have all the windows wide open. The girls helped me with selecting the flowers and table settings...
Hydrangeas, roses, pink glasses, vintage china and linens.
They know their mama so well. :-)
Enjoy your special day!
XOXO
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
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
