I feel like having a party

For some reason, I got home from teaching today and I felt like dressing up and having an afternoon party. I don’t know if it’s the warm weather, my excitement over my party clothes shipment from Asos.com or the fact that I am looking forward to baking 30 lemon cupcakes for the weekend.  Something says it is time to entertain.  In my fantasy entertaining world, if I was to dream up my afternoon party I would make sure to fill my table and home with the following items.

1. Flowers from Saipua in Brooklyn.  I like how the fuscia stands out from the pack.

via saipua

2. Invitations, hand done by Plurabelle Calligraphy. I like the look of the calligraphy on the chalk boards below.

via plurabelle calligraphy

3. This ombre cake by Apt2B Baking Co. first because I love ombre, second because the cake is almond, another fav.

via apt 2b baking co

4. Chocolate pumps for my guests from Jordino in Amsterdam. I swear these things call out to you when you walk by the window.  I want to crunch on a chocolate shoe with sprinkles.

via foursquare

5. Finally, a fun mix of colourful and interesting table top items to accessorise the food and drink. Yes, I threw in two bright clutches, not as a table top accessory but more as a thought of what my guests would be holding to brighten up their outfits.

Tea Bar + Weekend Round-Up

Boy do I love this idea for an event: Aake your own tea bar.  I am in the process of brainstorming my own catering plans for the wedding that will take place later this summer.  We have already talked about an espresso bar for my darling, coffee snob groom, but this is the year 2012, and now that I’ve opened my eyes to possibility,  I think equal rights for beverage drinkers should apply.  If the coffee snob groom gets special coffee, then the tea snob bride should get her own canisters filled with her favourite blends.  What’s fair is fair right?!?  I may have to look into this further and do some investigation on how to make it happen.

Rubber Stamps

I am in the market for some rubber stamps to use with my wedding invitations but don’t know which to choose! There are so many exciting designs, shapes, patterns and colours, I am not sure how I am going to make a choice.

I love that stamps have gotten so creative.  There are as many stamps as stationery choices.  Mind boggling really.  Fortunately Etsy makes it super easy to find someone to work with!!

Photos via Etsy 1, 2, 3, 4

Monday, Monday

The weekend flew by in a flash and for those of you reading in North America, you’re lucky that you are still enjoying your long weekend today!  My weekend was great.  I went to see my first concert in Prague that was quite the unforgettable experience.  I tasted my first dessert with quark, (tvaroh in Czech), a fresh cheese that tastes like ricotta, cream cheese and sour cream mixed together.  Quark is a new discovery for this Canadian living in Prague, but quite popular around Central and Eastern Europe (it goes by different names depending on the country).  I am looking for recipes to test out a dessert in my kitchen some time soon, so stay tuned.  Made a delicious lamb tagine with rasins, almonds and honey from an Epicurious recipe, and tested out the Rose Bakery’s banana bread recipe.

Finally, I caught up on reading through my favourite blogs.  Last week was so hectic with work, my eyes and brain could not bare to be in front of the computer for one more instant, but I am back and recharged after a nice weekend.

First up, I love this cake.  It is covered in, what looks like to me, M&M’s without the m’s.  You could apply this technique to the outside of a cake with any candy really, like Skittles, or Smarties, but as far as I am concerned, this is a bit of monochromatic cake heaven.

via act on inspiration

Next up, as I was catching up on my blog reading this weekend, I stumbled upon some terrific new sites from around that world that I am loving right now.

Etsy:  Just Believe by Belinda Bracelets, DNTX Handlebar Bag in Blue and White Stripe and Just Potters porcelain tabletop platters and dishes

Blogs:

Paul and Paula’s adorable finds for kids.  I know when I return to Toronto in May there will be at least three new babies in the world and I am already scoping out potential gifts!  Have I mentioned how fabulous kids clothing is in Europe? Particularly Berlin?  Trust me, this is coming from someone without kids and I’m already melting looking at the stuff.

via Paul and Paula (noe & zoe line)

79 Ideas, a fellow Prague based blogger, has some beautiful photography and a great line up of home accessories and tabletop ideas on her site.

Get in touch with your inner Italian baker with Pane, Burro e Marmellata.  It’s going to take me a while to comb through this site of stunning food photography and baked goods, but I am determined to give one of the recipes a shot!

Anything and everything from Paper Eskimo, a stationery and partyware company from Australia, whose colour accessories are certain to liven up any party.

via Paper Eskimo

Finally, if vintage is your thing, I think you’ll really like Shabby Style, an online store and blog from Germany that carries charming accent pieces for the home.

Chinese New Year Treats

via the smiling baker

Qkies + Cookies

For my birthday, my mother bought me a subscription to one of my favourite food magazines, Bon Appetit, and had it sent to Prague.  I just got my first copy two weeks ago and decided to try out their Almond-Cranberry Quinoa cookie recipe in the January 2012 issue.

a little of this

to make these

small taste test

While the recipe was only so-so, not enough flavour (a tad bland) and crunch for my taste, I wanted to post about a funny cookie idea that I read about on The Urban Grocer and Springwise called, Qkies. Qkies is a company based in Germany that was created by Juchem Gruppe and DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (not your typical baker combination) and makes QR code cookies.

In this new level of technology-meets-cookie, customers can order a box of Qkie mix, bake it in their own kitchen and apply the edible QR codes that come programmed to the website of their choice, which can then be scanned by the end “eaters” by using a smartphone.  The educational video on the Qkies website shows a girl using the Qkies as invitations to a big party she is hosting.  Unique? Yes.  Quite the unique way to invite guests? Absolutely! Now, do I think I would feel a bit funny and uncomfortable “eating” technology like that?  Yes.  While I am sure it is safe to eat, there is something about the idea of eating a barcode that turns me off.  That being said, is eating royal icing dyed with food colouring any better system? In my ideal world, I would like to think so.  What will a little red and yellow dye do to you?

via iurban

via cnet

via trendhunter

Something like Byrd’s, seems much more appealing to me.  A one pound cookie jar of homemade cookies.  Just like the convenience of Qkies, you can even order cookies online from Gilt Taste.

via nic108