vintage millinery cupcake toppers

When I was re-doing my studio, I bought a garland from Chiara Alberetti Milott on Etsy. So it seemed like fate when a few days later she responded to my call for contributors! Chiara is an extremely talented mother to two boys, ages 2 and 4, living in Brooklyn, NY. When she’s not cajoling them to eat their vegetables or vacuuming up cleaning up Lego pieces, she loves to sew, paint, decorate, and generally get her craft on, while fighting her Pinterest addiction. She used to work at Martha Stewart, where she learned the fine art of fitted-sheet folding and creating the perfect place card. Chiara also blogs at Molasses Candy. She’ll be with us once a month to share easy decorating and party ideas! —Ellie

If you’re like me, you may have a box of beautiful little treasures tucked away in a closet. I’ve been saving a stash of vintage millinery flowers for ages. I finally decided to take them out of the box and put them to use.

I pulled them apart and tied them with a little green thread, or used the existing wire, to a toothpick – and voila – pretty little cupcake toppers. I like the way it looks like a little garden on top of the cupcakes. Perfect for a garden party, Mother’s Day brunch, or even a wedding or baby shower.

You can find these flowers on vintage hats, at flea markets, or from one of my favorite stores: Tinsel Trading in New York.  They have a huge selection and a good story behind their beginnings as a store.

Enjoy something sweet and pretty!

PS: To freshen up the flowers, I spritzed them with a mixture of lemon juice and white vinegar, and let them sit in the sun all day. I also would say – I can’t imagine these are food safe, so I made sure not to touch the frosting with the flowers.
—Chiara