Vere Chocolate

I am a sucker for great packaging.  Especially when it is colourful and well thought out because it is easier to incorporate products such as these in event design.

Vere Chocolate, from NYC fits the bill.  Both its truffles and the chocolate bars are nicely presented and packaged.

What’s cool is that the company had a full chocolate factory in the city on West 27th street where owner, Kathy Moskal used to hold factory days and wine events for consumers to come and try the product but it looks like the last one was held in March according to the company website.  Hopefully they will resurface again- sounds like a fun event to attend.

In the mean time, it looks like these sweet treats have a solid distribution around NYC so the chocolates can still be purchased if you know where to find them.

via style will save us

via kaboodle

via new york serious eats

Setting the Table Emily Post Style

Ever find yourself scratching your head when setting up for a dinner party which side the fork and the spoon go on?Well if you know as much that forks and spoons never go together on the same side of the plate- you are doing alright.   

However, from time to time it is nice to have a visual refresher to reference for those important entertaining moments we have in our lives.  So, for all your entertaining needs, I have found three diagrams that will take you from a casual dinner with friends, to dinner with the in-laws and royalty from the Emily Post Institute, aka the ultimate reference for anything to do with etiquette.

Pre-dating Kate Spade’s books on Manners came Emily Post’s 1922 book titled Etiquette in Society, Business, Politics and Home  which can be found on Amazon.com here.  Emily Post, originally from Baltimore, married and moved to New York in the early 1900s where she developed her voice and career writing about architecture, interior design, and etiquette.  Wildly popular, her book Etiquette became and authority on how to behave in society like a lady.  Ms. Post’s work continues today post mortem via the Emily Post Institute by her great grandson’s wife, Peggy Post.

Back to table setting-keep these handy and you’ll never go wrong:

(via emily post institute)

Informal Table Setting (via Emily Post Institute)

Formal Table Setting (for Royalty/In-laws) via Emily Post

Hand written letterpress

Linda & Harriet Letterpress (via the sprague lab)

I feel like a lot of cool letterpress work comes out of Brooklyn.  Every time I look for new and different examples of letterpress, I end up back in New York!  Here is another great example of the talent coming out of Brooklyn: Linda & Harriet.   I was drawn to this company’s stationery for its very cool handwritten letter press card.  I think it looks pretty impressive and I am happy to have stumbled across the find on the Sprague Lab blog. 

Here is a quick look at some of the other letterpress designs from Linda & Harriet

Thumb Greeting Thank You Hearts (via Linda & Harriet)

Look at these orange pigs!

Orange Piggies Note Cards (via Linda & Harriet)

Save the Date Card (via Linda & Harriet)

Eco Invites: Smock Paper

If you are going the hard copy route when it comes to invitations and feel guilty about all the trees that will have to suffer in the process to make your event and invitations look beautiful, here is a company based out of Syracuse, New York that will put some of your guilt at bay.  Smock Paper is the print shop in the US to print on luxury bamboo paper which they developed in-house in conjunction with a European paper mill. 

In addition to using bamboo paper, Smock Paper is also a member of 1% For the Planet, a non profit organization that allows companies to donate 1% of sales to a network of 1699 environmental organizations to give back and keep the earth in business.

If my first two points don’t win you over, then take a look at some of the impressively detailed and stylish letterpress greeting cards and invitations they develop on their eco-friendly lined envelopes. (more pics to come soon)  You can check out more from Smock paper on Etsy.com

Smock happy birthday C418T (photo courtesy of Etsy.com)

Smock Happy Birthday C404T1 (image courtesy of Etsy.com)

Smock Congratulations C445T1 (image courtesy of Etsy.com)

If you are reading the post and are living in Toronto you can purchase Smock Paper wedding invitations at RSVP Studio 533 Eglinton Ave West, Toronto 416-785-1761

Corporate Events in Style (NYC)

Corporate Event Venues- Those sometimes tacky, sterile or derelict spaces we have to choose from to organize corporate events just got a bit more stylish thanks to MEET AT THE APARTMENT in New York.  Close your eyes and picture your favourite boutique hotel interior design aesthetic and now picture where you conduct your corporate events.  If you can mesh these two visions together you get Meet at the Apartment; except more beautiful.  This newly launched space is equipped to promote creative thought as soon as you enter the doors thanks to its decor, library full of art, design and reference books, kitchen pantry to feed hungry brain cells and all the technology one could need when hosting a meeting.  Should you find yourself scratching your head or googling where to hold your next corporate meeting in New York, look no further.  You won’t regret it.  To read other reviews on Meet at the Apartment check out the Springwise.com report or PSFK.com.