Crafty Gift Bags December 24, 2009

I wanted to blog about this craft project last week but I was so busy baking and working that I don’t know what happened.  Better late than never I suppose.

So I wrote about stationery store, Stamping Bella this past year, recap- Owners, Emily + Ryan have a  fabulous paper, stamp and everything else you could want to scrapbook your heart out store in Thornhill, Toronto.  Stamping Bella also offers workshops and I decided to try out their holiday gift bag workshop.

It was a three hour workshop led by an instructor, but after the instructions were done it was a holiday gift bag and decorating free-for-all.  I would totally go to another one of their workshops.  Aside from walking out with fun gifts for friends and family you get to meet other people who are really into crafts and creative things and are great conversationalist and teachers if you happen to be a beginner such as myself.

Here is what I put together at the workshop:

 

 

Babble Candy Tower December 24, 2009

Happy Holidays + Christmas Eve Day.

I have made two of these hostess gifts with more on the way and received rave reviews so I wanted to share my hostess idea with you incase you have more gifts to assemble/buy in the weeks to come.  My inspiration for the babble candy tower started this week when I went to buy my family friend a house-warming gift at my favourite home accessories/gift store in Toronto, Dana Jordan at Bayview Village.  I would provide you with a website for Dana Jordan but sadly the store has not embraced technology and is a traditional brick and mortar store sans website/ecommerce (nudge nudge hint hint, Dana we would love to buy more from you if you made our life easier and offered an ecommerce site). 

Back to my story, I am a fan of the Koziol Babble fruit stand (see pic).  Koziol is a German home accessories design brand and another company called, Seven Hints worked with Koziol to design the popular Babble.   

koziol fruit tray

 So I went and bought five Bablbes (they come in small/large) and dressed them up holiday style.  Please don’t mind my amateur pictures.  I think I have to go take a photography course in the new year!

First you take your Bable

Then You Choose Your Favourite Candy

Assemble

Wrap in Cellophane and Ribbons

You can find Koziol products at gift and home stores that tend to carry modern, contemporary products or when in doubt, just google it.  What is great about this present is that after all the candy has been eaten, the host/hostess is left over with a great, stylish, home accessory that can be reused for entertaining in the future.

Pink Tree December 16, 2009

I love this pink tree that I saw on Making it Lovely.  It is non-traditional, pink goodness!  There is something quite peaceful about the way the pink branches and ornaments work together. 

via making it lovely

Sweet Flour Bake Shop November 30, 2009

My friend and I ventured out to explore the Bloor West Village area in Toronto yesterday morning.  For someone living on the opposite side of the city, Bloor West Village is a bit of a hike but well worth the drive.  What prompted our sporadic trip, was a visit to Sweet Flour Bake Shop, a store in Toronto that “pays tribute to the cookie.”  The concept is simple.  People like the taste of fresh baked cookies.  People like to customize things.  So  Kim Gans, entrepreneur/MBA/ex-General Mills, put some innovation, imagination and fresh all natural ingredients together, the end result is a fun hot-out-of-the-oven fresh baked cookie concept. 

 

The option to customize both delights and entertains adults adn children alike.  On our expedition,we choose an oatmeal cookie base (three bases to choose from) with dark chocolate bits and walnuts.  After choosing our personalized combination, we watched in awe as the mixing and molding of our cookie began to bring our snack into shape.  2 minutes in a hot oven, we devoured a the cookie in our take away bag.   Upon paying I got a kick out of being asked “would you like a glass of milk with that?”  Of course they would ask that (the milk is organic) they are serving cookies afterall.  They also offer muffin tops (think Seinfeld) and granola that can be customized to your wildest imagination.  It is definitely worth the trip for a fresh baked cookie.  Sweet Flour Bake Shop also does gifts and catering options if you are thinking of edible gifts for this holiday season or an upcoming event.

 

via blogto.com

 

 

Sash and Bustle November 30, 2009

There is a new bridal boutique in Toronto called Sash and Bustle and I had the priviledge of attending the opening party for the store this past week.   Cynthia Martin, veteran Toronto event planner of Cynthia Martin Events, is behind this sweet little spot in the city and in my opinion, a bridal boutique of this caliber is much-needed. 

Her years of experience and her own great taste, has resulted in a store filled with bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and all the accessories - read- purses, head pieces, jewelry…. a girl would ever need to adorn her and her girls.  Sash and Bustle is located in Leslieville in on Carlaw just north of Queen and really adds some light to the rather industrial looking strip. 

I took some pictures while I was at the event to give you a peak at what you can expect when you go down to visit Cynthia’s store.  I will add a couple more pictures this week.

Will Broome for Wedgwood November 23, 2009

I love the cartoon tea set that UK illustrator, Will Broome, designed for Wedgwood.  His cartoons give the tea set somewhat of a dark, Coraline (the movie) esque vibe, contrast to everything light, fluffy, social and artistic about tea.  Check out more from Will Broome on his site here or a great interview between Dazed Digital magazine and Will here.

via carrie lewis

via frill design

william broome for wedgwood via wedgwoodusa

 

 

idea paint November 17, 2009

This post is completely selfish in focus.

I hope to be house hunting in the near future and I keep my eyes and ears open for interesting interior decor techniques/products at all times.   I was blown away by this product when I saw it and I plan to order some to test it out when the time comes.  It’s called idea paint and it is a paint that you can put on any surface (walls, tables etc) which turns the surface into one big dry erase white board.   In other words,  you can draw and erase anything you’d like  on the surface once the paint is rolled on and dry (7 days).  Think of all the fun you could have around the house in the kitchen jotting down recipes or a grocery list on the wall, in a home office to brainstorm, in the washroom….. I freakin love this idea.  The ultimate creative product for the neat freak who hates chalk dust.

Look at some of the applications:

via reliable remodler

 

via contract magazine

via once upon a venture

via out blush

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

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.

Rainbow Colour Board July 26, 2009

Southern Weddings Magazine is a go-to, never fail resource when looking for some colour inspiration for an event.  I found the ultimate colour board today that isone big board featuring every colour split up into sections.  It’s for the “I need to see all the choices laid out in front of me in one shot” type person!  (aka me)

I love this magazine so much.  

Enjoy the weekend.  I am off to go join a friend for dumplings downtown.

via southern wedding magazine