Apple and a Peach August 25, 2009

via icecreamsocial

When I read about this post on blog, icecreamsocial today, I had to share it! 

The designers and the couple getting married picked symbols that charmingly (is that a word?) represented where each person is from, New York (apple) and Georgia (peach).   I like witty humour in invitations.  Not something you see very often.  Clearly much thought and ideation went into creating the finished product.  I think any guest who received the apple + peach invitation would certainly stop, think and smile and look forward to the event!

If you are not familiar with Icecream Social, it is a visual communications design studio duo that produces beautiful paper inviations in New York.  They have a shop on etsy and a blog if you want to see more.

Sevva Hong Kong August 23, 2009

Look at this beautiful cake store in Hong Kong!  Only in Hong Kong can you find a dessert store so over the top in decor and design.  I am off to Hong Kong this week and have been doing a bit of research into spots I want to visit and this is one is high up on the list.

The shop that caught my attention is called Ms. B’s Sweets and it is part of Sevva (pronounced Savour)  the 13,000 sq ft space restaurant/club, located on the 25-floor penthouse of the Prince Building in Central in Hong Kong.  Sevva is divided into four areas including the  Bank Side, Harbour Side, Taste Bar and the Terrace and Ms. B is part of the complex.   

The picture below is the home of Ms. B’s Sweets where confections are decoratively displayed in glass display cases.  The most stunning part of the store is the huge chandelier, originally designed for the British embassy in Rome in the 1950s illuminates the chamber.

Ms. B’s owner, and the creator of Sevva, is  Bonnie Gokson.   If you are not familiar with this name, look her up.  Her CV boasts a long line of successful creative endeavours in the fashion and luxury goods industry including a stint as Chanel Asia Pacific’s former communications director which has certainly helped Sevva gain lots of attention not to mention her sister is Hong Kong fashion guru Joyce Ma, who brought European style to Asia when she founded the upmarket Joyce Boutiques in the 1970s.

via the cool hunter

Yugoslavia Supermarket Concept Store August 19, 2009

This is an interesting  piece of interior design for a concept store called Supermarket in Yugoslavia from Serbian based design studio reMiks.  The concept store event has a mani/pedi spot among its fashion, florals and other gadgets being sold.

via plastolux

 

via hellodesignhungary

 

 I found the pictures on Plastolux, my go to site for international interior design and furniture ideas.  For more shots and a breakdown of the design, you can check out design blog, Hello Design Hungary here.

Teacup Invitations August 19, 2009

This photo from a recent brial shower has been all the rage today (from what I can see).

The talented stationery designer Mimi Woo, behind Mika 78, hosted a bridal shower for a close friend only to demonstrate how creative and fantastic she is as a designer.   After this tea, who knows, maybe Mimi will have to add “slash event designer” behind her name!  The caligraphy was done by Papertastebuds

What caught my eye from her event are the invitations she made out of old tea cups and a gold marker.  These tea cups are such a creative and beautiful way to make people feel special at a bridal tea.  There are more pictures from the bridal shower event on 100 layer cake that you can see here. 

via 100 layer cake

Pillows August 12, 2009

via plastolux

These pillows styled by Sweden based, Mikael Beckman made me smile this morning!  More pictures from Mikael here.

The Wedding Cake Shoppe August 11, 2009

Toronto’s only wedding cake shop, according to the website, looks like it has potential. Potential is an understatement if you see how talented the two girls are behind the Wedding Cake Shoppe which opened in the Spring of 2009. 

via blogto.com

Stacked with credentials (George Brown, Bonnie Gordon), full of imagination and backed by talent, sisters Cindy and Sarah Coelho are fabulous wedding cake designers in the city. 

via the wedding cake shoppe

 It was my mother who alerted me to this company when she went for dinner at a restaurant in the College and Ossington street area last week. She ran right home to tell me that she passed the most beautiful storefront that caught her attention and when she took a closer look figured out it was a topic right up my alley to blog about.  I can’t wait to pay them a visit in the next two weeks to try the goods for myself.  Best of luck in the city girls with your new venture.

via blogto.com

  I think these three shots show how diverse their decorating talent is:

via wedding cake shoppe

via wedding cake shoppe

via the wedding cake shoppe

I Love Cuppacakes August 11, 2009

There is some serious cupcake designs and baking going on in Malaysia these days and I am happy to have stumbled across this company.

Since 2006, six graphic designers passionate about cupcakes banded their artistic talents and discerning tastes together to form Cuppacakes.  Over the past few years their home based business grew into the real deal in Petaling Jaya (PJ), a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur in Selangor state.  It shows in the website and product design that graphic designers are behind this operation.

Since I found Cuppacakes, I have been obsessed with how creative and talented this team of bakers/designers are and had a really tough time choosing which pictures to showcase to promote their work!

Here are my top six but really, one batch is prettier than the next.  I don’t know how people order and eat the cupcakes because seeing the entire order together is like looking at a work of art that you don’t want to destroy.  So if you are planning a wedding or event in Malaysia any time soon, cross your fingers that they deliver!

via I love Cuppacakes

via I Love Cuppacakes

via I Love Cuppacakes

via I Love Cuppacakes

via I Love Cuppacakes

via I Love Cuppacakes

J+D Wedding August 10, 2009

I attended the beautiful wedding of two friends last night.  With a lot of thought and love put into the affair, it had the right components and made for a warm, fun, entertaining evening at Vaughan Estates in Toronto. The colour palettewas a combination of pale colours that were depicted in small floral arrangements around the tables and in the bridesmaid bouquets.  The bridesmaids all wore different combinations of black and white which I thought looked pretty cool.

The food was great- hors d’oeuvres were a true international feast ranging from a Thai chicken skewers, to bruchetta, mini hamburgers, Vietnamese fresh rolls and a baguette with brie and pear.  Dinner was a simple three course meal with a goat cheese and caramelized onion salad, chicken and asparagus with potatoes and a trio of mousse, creme brule and biscotti for dessert.  Following dessert the couple put out a great spread of cakes, mini gelatto frescos, squares, fruit and candy.  I think everyone was stuffed by the end of the evening.  I didn’t get the name of the caterer but when I do, I will update this post.

The band played a mix of Motown, top 40 and romantic ballads and all the speeches were really well thought out and delivered.  I heard comments from people saying it was one of the best weddings they had been to in a while.  It’s simplicity and authenticity made it truly enjoyable- a reflection of the happy couple.

Monaluna Design + Textiles August 6, 2009

I came across this beautiful DIY blog today written by an Oakland, CA based textile designer, titled “Mona Luna Design”.  I am not one to ooh and ahh over textiles but after spending some time on her site reading and viewing what she posted, I am hooked.  The blog is filled with beautiful quilts, paintings, prints and lots of textures and patterns.   Quite inspirational for events and table design if you think about it.  I think I also secretly want to learn how to make a quilt and match material together so I found her blog to be intriguing.

 Here is a series of paintings that the blogger painted herself after an inspiring walk during the month of May.  I really like how the flowers were deconstructed and clustered in different colours and angles.

 

via monaluna

 

via monaluna

via mona luna

via mona luna

via mona luna

MPREIS the Coolest Grocery Store August 5, 2009

I love grocery shopping.  There is something so satisfying about going down the aisles and looking at fresh produce and products. 

Grocery shopping is even more enjoyable in a nice atmosphere.   I just found this company in Austria called, MPREIS.  It is a grocery store chain and it looks like each outlet is designed by a different architect.  All talented in the design of modern, minimalist structures, these architects just brought grocery shopping and retail to a new level.  How much fun would it be to shop in a store like this?  It’s my heaven!  Please expand to Toronto.

via mpreis

via mpreis

via mpreis

via mpreis

via mpreis

via mpreis