Liz Shim, owner and head designer of Eat Cake, Be Merry in New York, couldn’t have chose a better name for her custom bake shop. Spotted on Something Old, Something New, these detailed edible works of art immediately caught my attention. Everything from colour, pattern, and texture is fabulous! ……fabulously delicious too, I’m sure.

{images from Eat Cake, Be Merry}

More gorgeous dresses! It’s dresses like these that make me feel like if I weren’t doing graphic design, I would have to be dedicating myself to fashion. I’m not kidding you, these beauties actually tug on my heart strings a little bit. Swan Lake anyone?

Check out the MLH online shop for party dresses, accessories and more stunning looks. I just wish I had an event to go to for all of them. Thanks to this Creature Comforts post for introducing me to such a lovely collection!

{images from the Maria Lucia Hohan online luxury shop}

The Cake Sale is a band featuring an expansive collective of talented musicians and writers who have combined to create a 9-song CD of the same name on Oxfam Records. Artists include Damien Rice, Emm Gryner, and Glen Hansard, among others. All profits will go to support Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign and their overseas programme work. Quite a delicious cause, I would say! So treat your ears to this track from Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol and Lisa Hannigan, then head over to The Cake Sale website for some yummy fair trade recipes. I want to try that banocha smoothie!

The Cake Sale - Some Surprise

Another friend recently got engaged – whoo hoo! Congrats Lila! She asked for a little dress help so for the next few weeks I’m going to be featuring the work of some of my favourite dress designers, starting with Monique Lhuillier’s 2011 Spring line.

I’m usually not a sucker for bead work, but these pieces are gla-mor-ous! This spring collection brings everything to the table: elegance, romance, and drama. I wish I was daring enough to wear that short little ‘Vegas-style’ number below. Browse through the entire collection at moniquelhuillier.com to find something that suits you.

{all images from moniquelhuillier.com}

Melissa and Mark travelled to the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic for their spring-time nuptials. Having Dominican blood and a lot of family there, it is a place Melissa has always held close to her heart. The couple also saw it as a good opportunity to have a small wedding with their guests being close friends and family. The planning of a wedding abroad is never the easiest task, but luckily for the couple, Melissa’s cousin Juan Carlos  is the events manager at the resort and helped to ensure everything ran smoothly and allowed all of their ideas and wishes to come to form for the big day. Almost everything was their idea, from flowers to colour scheme, location to music, the only thing they did not plan were the surprises that day. The planning began as soon as they were engaged on June 13th 2009. Almost a year in the making, they finally wed on the Beach Gazebo at Melia Caribe Tropical, Punta Cana.

Melissa arrived in a horse and carriage (a little surprise from her cousin), and after the ceremony itself they had a three piece meringue band play during the post-ceremony cocktail hour right on the beach front. Following this, they took to the beach for photographs and then headed to the outdoor amphitheatre for the evening reception. The amphitheatre itself was lined with tiki torches and candles from the walkway to the entrance, and all along the inside. A few more surprises came from Melissa’s cousin, including a very touching speech about the families coming together, a contemporary dance piece performance (for Melissa’s love of dance), a three piece vocal group for the arrival and during the meal, as well as some pyrotechnics during the first dance. The couple expressed that entire day was beyond perfect and more than they could have ever wished for. Mark concluded: “Having a destination wedding so close to our hearts made everything much more special and being able to do everything as traditional as we wanted it and also as original as we wanted, made for a day that neither of us will ever forget”.

{photos taken by Kara for Arrecife Studio; dress by Maggie Sottero; headdress: the Acacia 2 by Jenny Packham; text provided by Mark Hayton, edited by Samantha Dubeau}

These tiny serving trees by Stéphanie Marin are the perfect idea for table decorations at a summer party :) So cute!

{found via swiss miss}

The Strokes - I'll Try Anything Once

I’ll Try Anything Once is an early demo version of the more recognized You Only Live Once by The Strokes. While incredibly tender and acoustic in nature, this version has some serious sentimental value to me. It was perhaps one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time (or possibly ever): the night I went to the Julian Casablancas concert in Toronto this spring with my boyfriend and two best friends. I’ve never been one for double dates before… but I suppose when you find another awesome couple to hang out with, it makes all the difference. I melted over this track that Julian surprised us all with. It’s also featured in the trailer for Sofia Coppola’s new film, Somewhere.

Enjoy.

{photo swiped from my friend Sana’s Facebook page. Sorry girl, your photos aren’t safe from my blogging! …not when they’re this adorable.}

I wanted to take a moment to talk about one of my favourite companies: LUSH.

Although you may find their products to be a bit pricier than some drugstore beauty products, there’s good reason for it, and no doubt – you’re worth it!

To begin with, LUSH products are made from fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, fine essential oils and safe synthetics. They also make them all fresh by hand using little or no preservative or packaging, using only vegetarian ingredients, and with indication of when the products were made. Testing on animals is also a big no-no for them.

So I picked out a few of my faves for you:

1. Ocean Salt. Why I like it: Like? No, LOVE. Because it’s the best scrub I’ve ever encountered, with vodka infused lime, grapefruit and sea salt, balanced with moisturizing fresh avocado butter and coconut fat. Leaves me smelling like a delicious summer drink and an afternoon on the beach.
2. Mange Too Massage Bar. Why I like it: Mouth-watering white chocolate, honey, banana, and subtle peppermint. What more can I say? I’ve been slightly tempted at times to take a bite from this bar, but better to start with a massage first. Then who knows? You might end up tasting a bit for yourself later… if you get what I’m saying. ;) So if you’re looking to spruce things up a bit – this is the ticket.
3. Think Pink Bath Bomb. Why I like it: This what I like to call “girls night in”… but for one. A hot, fizzing, pink bath makes me feel relaxed and feminine. And the money for these pretties goes towards fighting Breast Cancer. So you can feel really good about taking a bath with this bomb… except don’t eat the little flower candies. They’re just for fun.

{images from MAZE blog, LUSH and TheBeauty2U}

Father’s day is fast approaching. And I don’t know about you but I’ve always had a hard time finding gifts for my Dad. I hopped on Etsy today though and actually found the search to be super easy this time around. There were tons options for every type of dad.

1. For the sport-lovin’ dad: Vintage-style Lemon Ball™ baseball at $25
2. For the well-groomed dad: Herben Lifestyle Man Grooming Gift Set at $55
3. For the techie dad: Daisy Tie Fighter Concrete Ipod Dock at $55
4. For the history buff dad: Vintage 1900s Century Book of Facts at $18
5. For the organized dad: Multipurpose Caddy at $32
6. For the barbecuin’ dad: Gourmet Spice Rub and Barbecue Kit at $16
7. For the old timey, beer drinking dad: Mustache Beer Mugs at $26

{images from linked sellers on Etsy}

A teacher from University sent me a link to this book quite some time ago. It seemed interesting, but it was not until I stumbled upon it in a little paper shop here in Toronto that I feel in love. Maybe it’s the tangibility of books that really pulls me in. The moment I lay my hands on one and start flipping through it’s pages, a voice from somewhere whispers “must have”.

The Paper Bride is brought to you by the Purgatory Pie Press and by letterpress artist, designer, and once-bride Esther K. Smith, who inspires one-of-a-kind invitations, albums, guest books, and more. It includes unique projects and guides, like the Paper Bride Handwriting Practice Sheet that can be downloaded here to help you achieve that perfect cursive.

The beautiful imagery. The impeccable typography – both stylized and traditional. It just screams to be taken home, admired, and cherished for years to come. Did I buy that book that day? No. Mostly because I was on an important paper run and I couldn’t let a fantastic book distract me from the task at hand,… but of course it did because I stood there flipping through it for a good 10 minutes or so.

My point is… it’s on my ‘to buy’ list and it should be on yours too if you’re at all interested in taking the DIY approach for your wedding. It had some pretty amazing/quirky ideas in there for fun and budget-conscious couples.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I love building my own personal book collection. I want my own organized mini library one day in my at-home studio. The Paper Bride is guaranteed to be in it.

Aside from this book, Purgatory Pie Press produces some other really cool projects, including custom wedding invitations. Read more about them here and here. I’m really digging their 50s vibe.

{image from Purgatory Pie Press}