Something New and Sparkly: The Good Kind of Mold

 Fabulous Felt Cherry Gelatin Mold Barrette

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: Boscov's
Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's
Bag: Nahui Ollin

I like to think of JELL-O as the jester of the dessert kingdom.  It's fun, light, and always there when cakes, pies, and and custards weigh too heavily.  Of course, there are those who regard the wiggly wonder as subpar compared to more elegant eats.  But I've always thought that there's something to be said for its unpretentious and down-home quality.  Evidently, so does cinema.  Consider this classic exchange between Julia Roberts's Julianne and Cameron Diaz's Kimmy in My Best Friend's Wedding:

Julianne: Okay, you're Michael, you're in a fancy French restaurant, you order . . . creme brulee for dessert, it's beautiful, it's sweet, it's irritatingly perfect.  Suddenly, Michael realizes he doesn't want creme brulee, he wants something else.

Kimmy: What does he want?

Julianne: JELL-O.

Kimmy: JELL-O?! Why does he want JELL-O?

Julianne: Because he's comfortable with JELL-O, JELL-O makes him . . . comfortable.  I realize, compared to creme brulee it's . . . JELL-O, but maybe that's what he needs.

Kimmy: I could be JELL-O.

Julianne: No! Creme brulee can never be JELL-O, you could never be JELL-O.

Kimmy: I have to be JELL-O.

Julianne: You're never gonna be JELL-O.

Now, that's a JELL-O triumph if ever I heard one.  (Never mind that Julia doesn't get the guy.  JELL-O packs more bite than brulee any day, and when all's said and done, isn't that what really matters?)  It was in this spirit that I whipped up the eight varieties of gelled dessert barrettes pictured above.  Getting the party started is the Fabulous Felt Cherry Gelatin Mold Barrette.  The piece de resistance in an outfit popping with primary colors, it's a treat that lasts long after the whipped cream has melted.

With seven more flavors to feature, the buffet is merely beginning.  So stay hungry :)