Ladybug Labels

I love this etsy store, LadybugLabels. Such a great way to personalize your favours.

Bastian + Skoog Decor

Another post featuring the beautiful creations of Bastian + Skoog.

I've always loved the theme of red & turquoise!

This melon palette is gorgeous!

A modern twist on the famous Martha Stewart rose stacked cake.

I love the idea of presenting the cake floating in an acrylic tray filled with flowers and candles.

Bastian + Skoog Bouquets

I love the fresh design approach by floral team Bastian + Skoog. I will post more of their flowers in a bit. Their flowers are elegant and polished with a tropical twist.

Swiss Raclette (Fondue's Cousin)

Speaking of comfort foods, there's nothing like a sharing a delicious fondue on a cold winter's day with your closest family and friends. I'm also going nuts about this Swissmar Raclette grill. Traditionally a delicious apres-ski snack in the Alpines, the original idea is to put a wheel of raclette cheese on a hot grill and scrape bits of cheese as it melts, eating it with cornichons, sausages, etc. Williams Sonoma has a modern raclette grill (pictured below). It's a great way to entertain!

Design Trends 2009

What a year 2008 was! Now that we're in the new year, I decided to write down my thoughts about what I think 2009 will look like in terms of design trends.

Comfort Foods, Comfortable Events
When things are uncertain, people tend to lean towards what's comfortable. In other words, I think people will be cooking a lot more of the comfort foods, decorating their homes with fabrics and patterns that are less trendy, and toning down the extravagant events that we've been used to seeing.

DIY
While Do-it-Yourself projects have always been getting more and more popular, more brides and party throwers are definitely going to want to take the time to take on more. The best tip is to start early and break down your list of projects. If anything can be done months in advance, do it! My fiance and I started making things for our wedding more than a year before it actually happened. The result? A stress-free jog to the "finish line"!

Vintage
A slow economy will force people to go deal hunting this year. The design result? An eclectic mix of goods in homes, and events. People will be scouring flea markets and antique sales like never before.

Recycling
On that same thought, with the real estate values dropping, people will be more inclined to stay in their homes and invest in deco details. We'll also see a lot of re-uphostering, so take a second look at that couch you were going to throw away!

Organic
While the slowing economy may have people thinking twice about investing in certain things, all things organic are still on peoples radars. Why? This economic climate has forced people to adjust their attitudes towards the "disposable/ consumerism" based lifestyle they've been living, pushing people to desire a taste of the "self-sustainable lifestyle".

Saipua Flowers

I love these organic floral designs from Saipua Flowers:
Gorgeous boutonnieres!

Fresh and new palette of lavender roses, orange berries, deep purple hues and crisp white flowers.

Love this all white bouquet! It's so pure without looking boring.

I loved the idea of tucking in these little oranges in the bouquet to tie in the orange place holders (below).

This gorgeous centerpiece looks it's straight from someone's cottage window sill.

Again, I love the idea of mixing peachy pastels with the deep purples.

Bobbette & Belle

I stumbled upon this company, Bobbette & Belle, that makes the most adorable macaroon favours. Just had to share!
Hand painted monogram can be added to the macaroons!

Really Organic Arrangements

I know i've mentioned this before, but I just love the way fruits and vegetables can make such a fresh visual impact. Here are a few examples:
Love this picture of London Restaurant, La Petite Maison. I got the photo from Gwenyth Paltrow's blog, GOOP. There's nothing simpler and cleaner than stacking up fruits and vegetables in big vases.

Forget the grocery bought veggie & dip platters. You can easily arrange veggies in a "bouquet" like manner in a basket just by bunching veggies together. The dip is nicely presented in a scooped out red pepper. Photo from LA based caterer, Joan's on Third.

I like the idea of bringing the arrangement outside the bowl. Check out how Joan's on Third catering used the blood orange peels sto create a flower.

Homemade Gift Ideas

I've always loved the idea of giving homemade gifts and cards for Christmas, because I think that thoughtfulness should always be the biggest part of the gift. I've found these great homemade gift ideas from Martha Stewart and picked some of my favourites. Not only do they make great Christmas gifts, they're great party favours.
How much do you adore these Candle tea cups?! This would be a great favour idea for a tea-themed bridal shower. Homemade scented salt scrubs

A box of cookies wrapped in kraft boxes, decorated with Christmas cards.

Personalize gift cards by putting them in these cute card holders.

I love this spiced coffee idea- take whole beans and mix them with cinnamon and nutmeg spices, or vanilla bean seeds.

You can also make small bundles of mulling spices. Be sure to include a recipe and use natural cheesecloth and non-dyed twine (unlike the picture shown). Jams, preserves, marinated olives and nut topics (shown) also look completely elegant, especially when you dress up the jar with fabric and/or spoons.

A totally cute yet simple bonbonniere- paper cones filled with goodies such as caramels. The trick to making homemade items pro-using nice script fonts like "edwardian script" and my favourite "Windsong".

Centerpieces Under $20

In this day and age, budget is the word, and unfortunately there's no easier way to blow your budget than using fresh floral centerpieces. On the bright side it forces us to become a little more creative when it comes to setting the table. Pictures from The Knot.com and a British wedding mag.

Centerpiece Money Saving Tips:

- Up the romance and save money by filling the table with inexpensive tealight candles. I usually get large packs of tealights from Ikea for around $2/bag. I think groupings of 3 look best, especially on round tables.

- Consider purchasing the containers (ie vases, urn, etc) instead of renting from your florist. You can get really nice glass vases from some places like Ikea. Providing your own vases can definitely save tons of money (depending on the ones you pick of course). We saved about $30 off the price of each of our centerpieces by getting copper urns on sale from Michaels.

- Use flowers that are in season

- Consider inexpensive fillers that are still elegant like hypercium berries and galex leaves.

- Stay away from labour intensive floral arrangements. For example small pomanders (round balls covered with flowers can cost $75 or more. If you love the pomander look, try using a less expensive flower like carnations, or mums.

- Pile up your favours in the middle of your table on a cake plate instead of purchasing a centerpiece

- If you're looking for visual impact, renting table linens can sometimes do a lot more for the room than the actual centerpiece. You can find nice linens starting from $15 per table.

Here are some centerpiece ideas under $20:

You can get a lovely pot of orchids from Costco for $14.99. Personally i'd recommend to wrap the base in a strip of shantung silk, or pretty paper to get an even bigger impact. Using inexpensive potted herbs, or grass with one or two blossoms of gerbera daisies is a charming and fresh centerpiece.

Try to find centerpiece vases or troughs that can be a part of the statement, so you dont have to spend as much on flowers.Another example of that is this cute tea tin as the vase. There's no better way to add charm and personality to the table than taking the usual and making it unusual.

Isn't this teacup and saucer an adorable centerpiece for a shower!?

Taking small bunches of flowers and putting them in fabric wrapped cans (even washed tin cans) can make it seem as though you have more flowers on the table.

I love fruit centerpieces because there's so much colourful impact, yet you can buy them cheaply by case from your local grocery store or chinatown. Bonus- these can be done ahead of time, or easily by helpers on site.

I love this arrangement! What a deliciously fresh mix of peaches, apricots, cherries and leaves.