party pick: Baskin Robbins 31 cent Scoop Night

Photo Credit: Eric E Yang

Tomorrow [Wednesday April 29th 2009] is 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins and Baskin Robbins Canada. Bring your friends and family in to your local Baskin Robbins location and enjoy a scoop of your favourite BR ice cream for only 31 cents plus tax. Baskin Robbins Canada is donating $10,000 to the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation in celebration of this annual event. Since the boy is a firefighter, it is a cause that I personally find important, so I encourage you to get out there and get some ice cream!You can also make an individual donation to CFFF at your Baskin Robbins location. Baskin Robbins in the US will be making a $100,000 donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council National Junior Firefighter Program.

So head over to Baskin Robbins tomorrow night between 5pm and 10pm. There may even be a firetruck at your location and firemen on hand to serve your scoops! You can RSVP to the Canadian event on Facebook here. Follow the American event page here. For more information, visit the Baskin Robbins 31 cent Scoop Night home pages here and here.

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2009 Spring wedding trends: invitations

Photo Credit: Cynthia

According to my newsletter from The Knot, here are some trendy but classic ideas for your wedding invitations:

Vintage Flair
When it comes to invitation design, think Parisian soap label art, Givenchy couture, and swirl or damask patterns. To extend the design's shelf life, give your cake baker a copy of your invitation and ask him or her to decorate the cake using a similar design.

Modern Monograms
Monograms are becoming more thematic via stylistic elements, like elaborate ampersands. Rather than a simple font, consider using intertwined initials for an updated look.

Couture Envelopes
Invitation envelopes are your guests' first glimpse at your wedding style, so don't skimp on them. Beautiful liners in coordinating colors and patterns make this otherwise ordinary packaging a memorable wedding detail.

Says Cynthia from Bella Figura, here are some more trends from the wedding stationery front.

• Embellishments
• Bold colours
• Jewel Tones
• Green
• Nautical combinations

Hope that's enough to get you inspired for now!

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free greeting cards

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sitting down with... ZEELICIOUS Confectionary Delights

Photo Credit: Zainab Saleem

I found Zainab of ZEELICIOUS Confectionary Delights through an ad she had posted on kijiji. I visited her Facebook page and browsed through her photos and suddenly I was seeing stars! I had to message her right away and ask her about her business. As a planner, I like to hear perspective from other people in the industry and I was so interested in ZEELICIOUS that Zainab and I began to message back and forth, learning about each other. I asked her the other day if she would give us a little glimpse into what goes into her cake and confectionery business.

How did you start your business?
Frankly, to tell you the truth, a friend was the one who inspired me to get into this. I have no formal training as a pastry chef, [but] I do have a Bachelors Degree in Design. I ordered my sons first birthday cake from my friend who has been in the business for about five years now. I looked at the cake and I thought 'I can do this. It's a little bit of sculpture, a little bit of design with some painting, a little architecture and boom , you have a piece of art.'
As far as baking itself was concerned, I started that really young, inspired by my mom's love of fresh loaves of bread and decadent desserts. A lot of the recipes she had were actually created by my grandmother and my mom together, so you could say they are a bit of a family secret :).

How would you describe your work?
The best way to describe my work would be 'art' I would like to think of myself as an artist rather than a pastry chef or baker. That is how I see every cake project: a piece of art. I put a lot of heart and love into [each cake] so that every single cake is its very own masterpiece; not just great to look at, but equally great to taste.


Who are your main customers?
I cant really say my work caters to one particular kind of customer . Lately I have been doing a lot of children's cakes, but I have wedding orders lined up for the summer. For me, each and every customer is important, be it a large order or small.

What information from your customers helps you best envision what they are looking for?
In terms of design, if it's a child's cake I would ask what the child's favourite cartoon character is? Favourite toy? Is there a theme to the party that the customer would like me to work with?
For weddings, again the theme is important. Colour scheme is another consideration and for brides that like it very customized, I like to incorporate the design or bead work on their dresses into the cake [design].


Describe your typical day.

I’m a stay at home mom, so my typical day revolves around my four-year-old daughter and my very energetic two-year-old son. And, during the somewhat chaotic day-to-day life that any stay at home mom has, I manage to attend a few phone calls and jot down a few emails to my clients.

What is the most difficult part of running your business?
The challenging part of running a business from home is trying to juggle your day-to-day life with all the little extras of running a business. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful support system of family, especially my husband, around me who look after my little darlings when mommy is "working". And, since my cakes are almost always due on weekends, it helps me to be a regular stay at home mom with a weekend job.

What is the most rewarding part of running your business?
The most rewarding part of my business would be when the clients actually see their cakes. I remember there was one time when a mom came to pick up her 2-year-old daughter's cake and stood there in front of the cake, just staring at it. I was very unsure as to what she thought because she just stood there for what seemed to me was a long time, until I finally asked her what she thought. She gave me the biggest smile and a big hug, [and] needless to say she loved her cake. But its always rewarding when a client really appreciates the time and effort and all the hard work you have put into their order.

Zainab donates a percentage of profit from every ZEELICIOUS order to SickKids Foundation.
Visit the ZEELICIOUS Confectionary Delights Facebook page for more information.

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Navigating the Tablescape: Earth Day

How amazing would this be for Earth Day? Or any other day for that matter? You could do something similar with carrots and it would also look really cute.

Thank you to CasaSugar for pointing me to Re-Nest

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everyone loves cupcakes!

What's hiding under this lovely plain cupcake-y exterior?

Pscyhedelic rainbow goodness!! Hooray for rainbow cupcakes! I called my cakes 'Psychedelicakes'. I had been reading about rainbow cakes all over the place for the past few weeks, originally here and since I generally prefer cupcakes [nothing against cake, I will gladly mow down on cake, cupcakes are just easier to handle] I decided I was going to turn my desire to make a rainbow cake into some delicious handheld treats. The occasion was a class 'party' to mark the final class of my Event Theory and Practice course. Here's how it turned out for me.

I started by preparing the batter in my mixer. I separated it into four bowls for each of the colours I was using in the cupcakes. I left a little bit in the mixer bowl in case I needed extra of a certain colour.
I used blue, yellow, red and green food colouring to colour the batter. I used about 8-12 drops of each and stirred it in with a whisk.Here's how the batter looked as I was spooning it into the cups. Some of them I started with red on the bottom and some with blue.
I was quick to wash out my bowls, spoons and whisks so that the coloured batter didn't stick to them.
Here they are just out of the oven and on the cooling rack. Aren't they trippy even on the outside?
I iced them pretty thick so that the colour didn't show through. I hate icing so I ate one before I smeared the plain white icing on them. I think I did a pretty good job of concealing their secret!

Here's the boy holding a cupcake. Psychedelic!!

I also made little toothpick toppers for each one, but sadly I have no pictures. It was two embossed foil balloon confettis and a foil squiggly confetti glued on a toothpick.

Here is the table card I made for my treats.

Visit this site to get the full tutorial.

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party phD: Earth Day

Photo Credit: Earth Day Canada

Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is a 39-year-old day of celebration for the Earth. The focus of Earth Day is on conservation, preservation, education, awareness and appreciation. The importance of ecology and Earth education had become a prominent topic in the 1960's and so in 1970, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson constructed an 'environmental teach-in' to be held on April 22. Over 20 million people participated that year, and Earth Day is now observed each year on April 22 by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries.

Photo Credit: Biographical Directory of United States Congress

The significance of April 22 has long been debated, but the truth seems to be that Sen. Nelson chose this date because he felt it would maximize participation on college campuses. Other theories surrounding the date of Earth Day include the birthday of Julius Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day, the birthday of John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club and the birthday of Vladmir Lenin [suspected by those who suggested the event was a Communist trick].

In many places, Earth Day has expanded to Earth Week and, in some cases, Earth Month. Events of every kind happen during Earth Day/Week/Month from galas to grassroots garbage clean ups. If you are looking to find an event in your area, click here for Earth Day Network listed events. Or, use this funky widget to find a Canadian event near you.

If you are around the GTA, I suggest this event. Alternatively, check out Disney's amazing new film, out today, called Earth. View the trailer below.

How will you be celebrating Earth Day?

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2009 Spring wedding trends

Photo Credit: Conny Liegl

Anyone can claim that something is going to be a trend. People predict trends based on numerous factors, both research based and non-research based. There are sites all over the interwebs listing trends for Spring 2009 weddings and I'm going to round up what I feel are the best of the best.

Small luxurious weddings: a no-brainer here, really. We may be in a recession, but that doesn't mean people aren't still getting married! They are just doing it with less guests to trim costs since the average [American] wedding budget is down over 33% from 2007. Less guests means more intimacy and more creative license to really get the details you are lusting after without the price tag that comes attached to your 150 count guestlist.

Photo Credit: Diva by Design

Empire Waist Goddess Gowns: how gorgeous and effortlessly elegant is this gown? an empire waist dress will flatter many different figures. you can show your collarbone and shoulders and camouflage flaws underneath the full bodice. very feminine and super-appropriate for Spring!

Photo Credit: Iampeth

Black Flowers and Accessories: well, maybe not black flowers, that is a little too Goth for a Springtime wedding, but definitely black accessories! I'm thinking black table runners, black chargers, black vases or black calligraphic accents on the menu like the one above.

Photo Credit: Portobello

Vintage Fashion and Fascinators: Etsy is all the rage, especially with hip, in-the-know brides [there is so much Etsy love out there it's crazy!]. Etsy is an Ebay-like marketplace for people all over the world to buy and sell handmade goods. There are so many amazing pieces on Etsy for fashion forward [or backward? we are talking vintage here] brides-to-be. Combs, flowers, fascinators, birdcages, pillbox hats... the list goes on. Unique, one-of-a-kind items that are instant heirloom pieces are what's in for Spring.

Do you agree? What do you think the biggest trends are for weddings this season?

Source, Source

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party pick: ELLE Fashion and Beauty Event

If you live in or around Toronto, the place to be on Saturday is The Carlu which will be playing host to the annual ELLE Fashion and Beauty Event.

The ELLE Show will feature clinics and seminars boasting the colors, tips and trends for the upcoming spring/summer season. Lunch and a gift bag are included with price of admission. The daytime event will run from 10:30am to 5:oopm. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased here.

The evening is a benefit/fundraiser for the Toronto Fashion Incubator, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing young business entrepreneurs. Guests have the opportunity of purchasing V.I.P. Cocktail/Dinner/Silent Auction & Show tickets [$255] or General Admission Cocktail/Silent Auction & Show tickets [$55]. The evening is dedicated to the Toronto Fashion Incubator New Labels Competition. After a rigorous six-month design competition, the runway show will unveil the four finalists from the competition: Faren, Jody Leigh, Gushueswim and Thieves, as they compete for an ELLE Canada prize package valued at over $25,000. Anne-Marie Mediwake of Global News will be the event emcee.

Will you be attending the ELLE show?

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finding inspiration: best entertaining websites

Photo Credit: Sergio

My list of websites and blogs to visit daily is about a mile long and consists mainly of entertaining, lifestyle, design and recipe sites. I love sites that are beautiful to look at and have quality content. I get so much inspiration from these blogs and websites everyday. When my boyfriend asks what I'm doing on the computer, my response is often 'checking my daily sites'.

Here are the all-stars in my bookmark tab:

YumSugar I started frequenting the Sugar Network a number of years ago and I've watched it blossom into one of the best online communities for women. I visit YumSugar everyday to get filled in on food and drink trends, party planning, recipes and food news from around the globe. For more inspiration on the Sugar Network, I also like to check out CasaSugar, their home décor blog, from time to time.

Hostess with the Mostess and Hostess Blog I actually prefer the Hostess Blog to the main Hostess site [the blog could easily stand alone as the main attraction] but together they are a duo of drool-worthy online pleasures for partygeeks like me!. The Hostess Blog is an invaluable resource for party planning inspiration. Jenn Sbranti, the founder of HWTM, pulls from all of her favourite blogs as well as her own experiences in the party planning world and reader submissions to churn out one of the most visually appealing and content-rich entertaining blogs around.

WeddingBee I don't remember how I stumbled upon WeddingBee, nor do I remember how I lived without it. Actually, I think I may have found it through a Google search of some random wedding term where I happened upon this wedding blog of a girl who was simultaneously blogging her wedding planning experience on WeddingBee. The bloggers on WeddingBee are brides-to-be from all over the US [and sometimes other places... like Canada!] who write about the process of planning their wedding and they are a veritable pantheon of wedding and party inspiration. Whenever I am at my computer I am checking WeddingBee for updates. They also have a 'Pro' website featuring wedding vendors and their own daily exploits which is inspirational to me in two ways: creatively and as a 'vendor' myself I can glimpse into the lives of other people who are in the industry. I also follow some of my favourite 'pros' on their personal blogs.

Roundup
I also frequent the following websites and blogs on a less-than-daily basis, but would like to send some love to them.
Etsy.com
Mix Mingle Glow
Alison Events
Cookie Mondays
Ready2Spark
Tastefully Entertaining
Totally Tabletops
100 Layer Cake


What websites inspire you to create what you do?

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