Cookie Bar: The new dessert

I think you could put the name of a food and the word “bar” after it and make it sound fun, interactive and stylish.  Top of mind comes oyster bar, candy bar, vodka bar and now apparently, the newest food to join the list is the cookie bar according to Notes on a Party. 

For the cookie purist, this idea may be your heaven at an event.  No cake, no, pastries, no sweets, just cookies. 

To others, the cookie bar is a host’s lazy attempt at serving dessert.  However, to me, it is another way to take something so simple and turn it into the focal point of an event.  ,Think of all the empty platters and serving pieces you’ve collected over the years as blank canvases ready for you to fill with different types of cookies to awe guests.  If you do not know where to begin, just flip back to your holiday cookie recipes/guides/websites and start there. There are a plethora of cookie recipes published around November/December each year so you might as well put them to use on the off season.  In addition to baking some mouthwatering cookies, throw in some vintage serving pieces in the presentation mix and voila, a cool way to add pizazz to cookies and dessert.

Here are a couple of examples of different cookie bar presentations:

Milk and Cookie Bar (photo from brilliant ice sculpture.com)

Cookie Bar created by Dawn Casale of One Girl Cookie (via notesonaparty.com)

Pink and Purple- Bravo

When I write, I try to find local Toronto sources of inspiration for event posts but most days I have to cast my net a bit wider and go south of the border or internationally to Brazil, France, Australia and Asia.

One area in the US that does not fail to pull off colourful, classy, extremely detail oriented events is the Southern US particularly the parties featured in Southern Weddings Magazine. 

For some reason, this pink and purple event stood out to me today- I think it is because I am excited for warm weather and bright spring colours that will pop in Toronto. 

I am an advocate of colour, especially bright colour injected into table settings, food or overall background aesthetics of an event.  However when using pink + something, there should be caution exercised to avoid producing something that is overly girly (unless it’s a bridal shower or girly reflects someone’s personality) or circus (unless it is a circus themed birthday party). 

(photo via Southern Weddings Magazine)

I think this event embodies everything that I like about a fun backdrop: square tables, lots of colour (monochromatic/complementary), use of coloured glasses to accent a table, clusters of flowers in different containers, even the lanterns are fitting. 

The event team: Kendall Brown (Eclatante Design), Donna O’Brien (Beautiful Blooms), Max Hanson (Max Hanson), and Marie Labbancz (photographer – more pink/purple event photos HERE) truly knocked this one out of the park! Bravo.

Aussie Design: Dinosaur Designs

Great colour, great design, great materials is how I would personify Dinosaur Designs, an Australian design success story.  Started by three  students from Sydney, Australia’s, City Art Institute, back in the 80s. The team of three have been going strong with their resin designs and have expanded their stores internationally.   

In my humble opinion, Dinosaur Design plates and candle holders would look great on anybody’s table, if your budget can afford the price.

Calder Plates (via dinosaur designs)

Brunch with Dinosaur Designs (via dinosaur designs)

Orange Vase Dinosaur Designs (via Dinosaur Designs)

Book Launch: Following the Goods

Author signing the book (photo credit Kate Larue)

I did a book launch a couple weeks ago for a friend of mine who wrote a book on personal financial management for young adults called “Following the Goods: Financial Management for The Young and Ambitious.” 

The venue, Kultura, provided the perfect raw, artsy, cool space my author was looking for in downtown Toronto for his cocktail party/book signing.

Food was a mix of hors d’oeuvres and a massive sweet table replete with two kinds of brownies, pecan squares, mini cupcakes, mini chocolate cheesecake bars, butternut crunch bars, and chocolate white chocolate chip cookies.  There was also green candy scattered around in various glass containers to highlight the green theme.

Here are some shots of the evening courtesy of our fabulous Toronto based up and coming photographer, Kate Larue:

Theme: green for money!

Kultura Book Launch (photo credit Kate Larue)

Following the Goods (FTG) Cookies (photo credit Kate Larue)

Candy (Green apple flavour!)

Green Jelly Beans in Martini Glass

Author at Kultura Restaurant

Creative Containers

I am in the process of working with a friend to help plan her cocktail party wedding reception.  The topic of flowers has come up several times in the past couple weeks and specifically about how to add colour to a room if you want to work with white or green flowers against a white backdrop. 

This prompted me to think of containers- a great and underutilized means to inject colour and draw attention to a focal point.  It is quite common to go for a clear glass container, a silver container or white porcelain. 

How about these alternatives I have found; everything from antique tins, to tea cups, coloured glass goblets to textured material:

Moss and Rose Centerpieces (photo credit marthastewartweddings)

Tea cup vase (photo credit Domino Magazine via Duet Weddings)

Antique Tin Vases (photo credit Domino via Duet Weddings)

Antique Tin's Martha Style (courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings)

Tinted Shot Glasses (via Duet Weddings)

Floral Centerpiece (via countryliving.com)

Bamboo containers (via style at home magazine)

Transatlantic Floral: UK company Mcqueens

My goal is to keep this blog as international as possible by featuring people who excel at creating beautiful events around the world. 

Today I would like to highlight UK based flower designer/company: Mcqueens.  Kally Ellis set up the company in 1991 with a mission to provide clients with simple, stylish flowers.  Not only has she more than accomplished her goal for the Clerkenwell-based shop  run with the Italian-born florist Ercole Marconi, Mcqueens has a global following, and provides arrangements for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Vanity Fair and the Tribeca Film Festival.  She has also expanded the company to offer an education component, Mcqueens Floristry School, stores, Mcqueens Flower Shop and the ever so lovely candles, McQ.

I find Mcqueens floral designs to be modern, bursting full of colour and elegant.  If you are lucky enough to reside in London, England and are in need of a florist- Mcqueens should definitately make your short list.

Enjoy some pictures:

Mcqueens Flower Shop (photo credit Mcqueens)

Mcqueens Focal Grouping of Flowers (photo credit Mcqueens)

Mcqueens Pink Hydraengea

Mcqueens Red Calla Lily and Rose Table (photo credit Mcqueens)

Mcqueens White Calla Lily Vase

Mcqueens Candle (photo credit Mcqueens)