Such Pretty Things

Pretty Paper Flower Easter Eggs

A number of years ago I published a paper flower Easter egg tutorial, but I thought I would do another version for 2019!

This eggs are even simpler to make!  You will need some faux eggs( I chose wood ones from Target, but you could use plastic, foam, etc...), mini paper flowers (easily found on Etsy, Ebay or at your local craft shop), a scissors, and a glue gun.

You will need to cut off the flower heads in order to glue them to your eggs. Leave a bit if the stem so that the flower head can be securely attached.

Continue until the entire egg is covered with flowers...

I just love these - they are so easy to make and would look so pretty in a centerpiece or a very special Easter basket!

Happy Crafting!

xo

Jessica

 

I'm Back!!!!

Hello!!!  Yes, I know, it's been a while - a very long while. I honestly didn't mean for it to be so long, but sometimes life gets in the way.

So, where have I been all this time???  Well, really just busy with design work, home projects and, of course, my family. 

But I missed all of you so much and I am very excited to get back to business!  I have lots of new things planned - including a re-vamp of this blog!  While I am working on that, be sure to follow me over on Instagram

 So, if you are still out there, thank you for sticking with me! :-)

xoxo

Jessica

Target Tuesday: DIY Pastel Napkins

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

 

My PARCEL Treasures and a Wonderful Giveaway!

Since I showed you all a peek inside the fabulous shop, PARCEL, in my last blog post, I wanted to be sure to show you some of the treasures I found while shopping there.

While I would have liked to take everything home with me, I focused on some of Nancy's beautiful vintage florals and millinery.  These garlands of flowers are so bright and pretty!

I just love these delicate, pink tissue Peonies! They look like the real thing, but they will last forever!

I am a sucker for millinery fruits and these were just too sweet to pass up...

Nancy hand-makes these adorable pastel pinwheels...perfect for my next picnic or party!

Now, for the exciting news!  Remember these beautiful gift wraps that are part of Nancy's new paper line?

Well, Nancy is generously offering Such Pretty Things readers a few sheets of her beautiful new gift wrap FREE with any purchase over $25 from the PARCEL website -  from now until July 4th!  Just type "such pretty things" in the special instructions window. Thank you so much, Nancy!

XOXO

Jessica

Shabby Inspiration

The very first time I opened Rachel Ashwell's book, Shabby Chic, I seriously couldn't believe my eyes. Was it really possible? Could it be true? Was there really someone else out there who loved so many of the same pretty vintage things that I did? Those sparkly rhinestone brooches that I started buying as a child while shopping flea markets with my father - Rachel loved them! Those velvety millinery flowers and hats that my Nana had given me to dress up in - Rachel collected them! The vintage floral fabrics that I scooped up whenever and wherever I could - Rachel designed fabrics that look just like them! It was all so incredible to me.

Now, when I look around my home, I see all the ways in which Shabby Chic has inspired me over the years. I see it in the old, floral oil paintings that hang on my walls...

When I open a dresser drawer and see it lined with vintage wallpaper...

I see it in my piles of flowery vintage hats...

And in my tole tray collection...

I see it in my stacks and stacks of vintage fabrics...

And in my ever-growing collection of millinery flowers...

Yes, Shabby Chic has had a truly profound influence on my own design...and perhaps even more importantly, it has inspired me to incorporate my beloved (and sentimental) pretty things into my own decorating.

See you tomorrow...

XOXO

Jessica

Portobello Road Roses

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

Pretty London: VV Rouleaux

Sooooo, I apologize for the little blogging break, but I just got back from a week in London. The girls had a few extra days off surrounding the holiday weekend, so we figured we would get out of town for a bit. I am still fighting some serious jet-lag, but I wanted to show you some highlights from our trip. I've previously written about VV Rouleaux, but I never miss an opportunity to visit this gloriously beautiful haberdashery. The brainchild of Annabel Lewis, a former florist, VV Rouleaux is a ribbon and millinery lovers dream come true. The storefront window entices the eye like a candy shop.

Once inside, roll upon roll of pretty ribbon greets you...

There are antique crates filled with delicate millinery blossoms...

And even more crates...

Stunning hat-making supplies and feathers...

The shop comprises two levels...

The lower level is filled with tons of fancy trims, birds, butterflies, even more millinery flowers, etc...

Definitely a can't miss shop if you find yourself in London!

Back soon...

XOXO

Jessica

 

 

Meltdown at The Rose Bowl Flea

The Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, CA, is one of my favorite flea markets. It is only held on the second Sunday of each month, so I try to plan my CA vacations around it whenever possible. What makes it so fabulous?  Well, for one, it's HUGE! Typically over 2500 vendors! And regardless of what I am searching for, I can usually find it.  So, this trip, we (yes, I always drag the family along with me) set out super early in order to get the best stuff - armed with our floppy hats, sunscreen, and bottles of cold water.  We had good traffic from L.A. and managed to get there right when the gates opened.

I was so excited to hit those stalls. I was on the hunt for vintage millinery hats and flowers.  I can just never get enough of them - plus, they are small enough to fit in my suitcase. :-)

Well, the party was over pretty much before it even started - within five minutes we we absolutely melting!  MELTING!!! It was soooo hot! We are talking well over 100 degrees with the sun beating directly down on us.

We had barely made it down one row, when I realized that the girls had to get out of that sun ASAP. Luckily, the husband volunteered to take them back to the air-conditioned car while I forged on. I am such a trooper.  :-)

I was completely miserable - I have never experienced heat like that before. I think my face must have been the color of a ripe tomato and my tank top was sopping wet. A normal person would have probably left immediately, but I had come so far and I was determined to find those flowers! So I tried to walk quickly (if you can even walk quickly in that kind of heat) down row after row, my eyes scanning for anything remotely millinery-esque.

Nothing.

Lots of really cool stuff, but not a single hat. Not one petal to be found.

I was just about to give up (i.e., faint) when I finally spotted them. There they were - piled up all prettily on a table - my millinery flowers! I nearly cried.

I scooped them up and made a bee-line for that air-conditioned car. I love you, Rose Bowl, but next time I'll be checking the weather report first!

XOXO

Jessica

Pretty Resources: California Millinery Supply

If you live in the Los Angeles area or find yourself there for a visit, you must make the time to explore California Millinery Supply.

Located in downtown L.A., California Millinery is a jewel of a shop. It is one of those rare places that seems to be fixed in another time - a time when millinery flowers were hand-made petal by petal, where hats were decorated with exotic, colorful plumes of feathers, and vintage silk ribbons from France were a must for any garment.

This past visit, I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with the owner, Irene Arroyo. Irene is such a lovely, lovely person and she's an expert when it comes to her stock. Whether you are in need of some delicate veiling, a very specific color of vintage grosgrain ribbon, or a buckram hat frame, Irene is there with friendly help and advice.

The shop itself is incredible.  Just the sheer amount of inventory (much of it vintage) is not to be believed...

Digging through the treasure trove of boxes and bins will be rewarded with a bounty of beautiful velvet bows, tiny millinery fruits, and silk flowers.

There are fabrics and feathers and trims everywhere you look.

And you don't need to be a professional milliner to appreciate this shop. Anyone who loves vintage trims, fashion, costume design, or crafts will find something wonderful here. If you do get a chance to stop by California Millinery Supply, give yourself plenty of time to explore...after all, that's the best part. :-)

XO

Jessica

Thank You!!!

Thank you all so much for all your give-a-way entries!  I so appreciate you "liking me" and "following me" and for leaving all your sweet comments - I already feel so much more a part of the 21st century! :-)  I will be announcing the give-a-way winners here tomorrow, so stay tuned...

I also just returned from a lovely vacation out in California and have some wonderful things (flea markets, pretty macarons, vintage millinery, etc...) to share with you! Be back soon...

XOXO

Jessica