a big baking session

I got engaged a month ago today and recently hosted an improptu get together with close friends and family.  As per usual, I made the most out of this entertaining opportunity and put my hand to the mixer and eyes to the cookbooks and produced six items for the party.  I wanted to create a sweet table where people could grab small items without the need of a fork and knife and planned my menu accordingly. 

To set the festive mood, fresh tulips were used on the table and I made six orange and yellow tissue paper poofs to adorn the walls.  My fiancee and I had an awesome time visiting with everyone and loved the opportunity to express our gratitude by baking up a storm, yes he helped too. 

I also want to give a shout out to the baker behind the most delicious date squares I’ve ever tasted, my best friend as well as to everyone else who was kind enough to bring food and drinks to the house. Looks like this year will be full of material on Out of the Event as I prepare for a November wedding and attend three of my good friends’ weddings.

apple carrot cake

chocolate chip cookies

Mexican wedding cookies

brownies (not mine but still delicious)

cupcakes (not mine but still delicious)

rocky road squares

peanut butter and jam squares

My menu:

1. peanutbutter and jam bars recipe here

2. mexican wedding cookies recipe here

3. rocky road squares

4. chocolate chip cookies recipe here

5. strawberry mascarpone squares

6. apple carrot cake with goat cheese icing recipe here

moovboots

March in Toronto is always unpredictable.  Sometimes it snows, sometimes it rains, sometimes it’s nice and over the past couple weeks, we’ve had all of the above.  In light of the recent cold spell and snow storm this week, I started thinking about my feet and how important good footwear is for every occasion (read: weather situation).  I have two pair of winter boots, a pair of Sorel’s which are amazing for trekking through deep snow and slush, but that are heavy to wear.   I also have a pair of UGG-esque boots in aesthetic from Denmark that are supposed to be warm and waterproof but are neither which brings me to the topic of my post.  Next week I’m getting a pair of Moovboots, think rubberboot meets the warmest, thickest, wooliest inside, with style.  Moovboots are from Australia and are created for style, fit, warmth and durability.  I tried a pair on from one of my colleagues at work and I was sold.  There is no denying they are a dense, heavy duty, quality boot.  Fortunately Moovboots has a Canadian distributor located in Toronto and the can be found at a bunch of stores around the city.  Mine aren’t in the pictures below but if you go on the website, mine are the “Le Signature” tall in gun-metal grey.  Sooo excited for warm, dry feet. My luck, we’ll have a heat wave next week and i’ll have to wait for next year.

via moovculture

via moovculture

urge studio

Etsy is always great for inspiration especially for the home.  One of my favourite vintage home accessory/furniture vendors is Urge Studio out of Pittsburgh.  My favourite is the second picture below. 

via etsy.com - urge studio

via etsy.com (urge studio)

via etsy.com (urge studio)

Pounding Mill Press + Ming Makes Cupcakes

I am getting ready to go out tonight and waiting for my friend to finish dinner.  What better to do than blog?  I just found two cute sites by the same person that I thought I would share.

The first is Ming Makes Cupcakes, a website dedicated to cupcake, cookie and savoury recipes. The site is laid out in a minimalist style with nice photography of the desserts and a corresponding recipe on the right side of the page.  Ming Makes Cupcakes no longer is updating its content but the information on the site is terrific.

via ming makes cupcakes

The second site linked to Ming Makes Cupcakes is Pounding Mill Press, an Oakland, California based paper goods company.  Pounding Mill Press does ready-made and custom-made cards, invitations and several other cute gifts/paper accessories.

via pounding mill press

via pounding mill press

via pounding mill press

Letterpress in Toronto @ Snap + Tumble

A couple weeks ago my friend and I spent a creative couple of hours together on a Saturday at a letterpress workshop run by Tanya Roberts of Snap + Tumble.  We got to work with two different letterpress machines, learn how to set up a print, and made our way through 150 pieces of cardstock each! 

It was a lot of fun and nice to make something with your hands and see the finished product.  I found Tanya’s letterpress class especially rewarding since I spend a considerable amount of time blogging about beautiful letterpress stationery.  Now I can write from experience that I know how time-consuming, intricate and detail oriented the process is to get a good-looking end product.  I am happy with my thank you cards and personal stationery but it doesn’t come close to some of the professional items you see on the market.  If you are interested in a fun couple of hours, have an interest in learning about letterpress or want to make your own stationery, I would totally recommend the experience.  To see more of Tanya’s stuff, check out her blog here.

pussy willows

I love the simplicity of pussy willows in a tabletop arrangement.  They are simple, elegant and clean and are a good transition between winter and spring. 

via Kuidaore

via decor mama

via the martha blog

via rinne allen

artist: hong hao

When I left China the end of 2007, I could not help but notice the growing contemporary art scene.  Beijing’s 798 and Shanghai’s Moganshan Lu offer a glimpse into China’s art scene as both districts are made up of studios and galleries with dedicated art space for artists.

Hong Hao is a Beijing born artist who graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and has made a name for himself in the China contemporary art scene. He is a conceptual photographer known for his series called “My Things,”(below) where he used everyday objects that he (obsessively?) collected to depict life through art.  The objects are shown in life-size gathered through the artists life.  His work provides a glimpse into consumer culture in China into his laser scanned pictures.  I think his pieces are fantastic and love the repetition of pattern and the colour that each object brings to the shot.  For more info on contemporary art in China, Art Scene Beijing is a decent site to start with as well as ArtZine China.

via grayluckett.com

via chngyaohong.com

via fabrik magazine

via lost at e minor

artist: jacob hashimoto

Jacob Hashimoto is another artist whose work I am in love.  Born in Colorado, Jacob works with paper to create the most magnificent wall hangings and sculptures. The detail and texture in his work is impressive and is what draws me to his pieces.  For a list of his exhibitions, please click here.

via design boom

via design boom

via the Saatchi Gallery

via gigantico

via artnet.com