I had tea with a girlfriend today at a lovely new tea store in Toronto near our place. I was very impressed with the presentation of all the little cakes. I don’t really have a sweet tooth, so mousse is usually my favourite for a light dessert. I had the strawberry champagne today and it was delicious! Can’t wait for an excuse to custom order a cake…

Ruelo Patisserie also makes wedding cakes, warm souffles and all sorts of baked goodness (including baked bread and high tea!) They had many customers come in to order during our stay, it is seems this new store has earned a bit of a reputation in our area :)

{images from Ruelo Patisserie}

This jazzy little vintage-inspired number from Canadian singer Meaghan Smith puts my heart into full swing. On her website bio she explains that this song was made almost entirely from a Mellotron sample, and her dad even contributed the whistling solo. How sweet! Take a listen and see if your heart doesn’t start pitter-pattering.

{image from corduraenlokecida on Flickr}

This is a wee bit overdue, but here is part deux to It’s Tea Time!

Now that you are aware of some of the benefits of drinking tea, you may want to incorporate it into a special event.  When it comes to planning your event, whether it’s a wedding or a house-warming, it is the details that will make the occasion memorable for everyone. So instead of leaving the entire menu up to a hotel, restaurant, or caterers, see if you can personalize it by including a few items of your own. Your menu choices should reflect your personality and/or the theme of your event, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In addition to serving traditional drinks, such as wine, spirits and soda, why not try something natural and refreshing – like tea? Depending on the time of year, tea can be served hot or iced, and the possibilities for flavours are endless. And because it can be served in so many delicious ways, the time of day doesn’t really determine whether it is appropriate or not. It all comes down to whether it suits you and your event.

For those of you who are budget-conscious, cutting alcohol cost will go a long way, so just remember that tea can be included as both a non-alcoholic and an alcoholic option. There are plenty of recipes out there for tea punches, teatinis and tea-cocktails, whether they are virgin or… not so virgin. Keep drinks interesting by serving options like The Vanilla Sky recommended by The Ivy Keep, or a warm, sweet blend like Fireside Punch recommended by ThatsTheSpirit.com.

You may also want to consider making tea your party/wedding favour, especially if you found a special blend that perfectly suits your event or you as a couple. Tea is best stored in solid metal tins so that light and temperature won’t damage the flavour, but glass jars are a beautiful option too since you get to admire the colourful leaves and ingredients inside. Assuming your guests will use the tea within a couple months of your event, the loss of flavour shouldn’t be an issue when choosing a packaging option. They’re sure to be delighted to be taking such a delicious part of the event back home with them.

Do more research online, look for local tea shops to visit, and have fun smelling and tasting the wonderful array of teas and tisanes available. You may be surprised by what you find. Happy brewing!

{images from the rice scott empire, kathy beymer, praesentire and The Galt Museum on Flickr}

Has your sweet tooth crept back in yet? Sweet and Saucy Shop definitely has me tempted.

Melody Brandon, Owner and head Pastry Chef, graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu program at the California School of Culinary Arts. According to her website she started Sweet & Saucy Shop with the desire to create gorgeous, delicious, modern looking desserts. The shop has been featured in The Knot and in Style Me Pretty’s 2009 Little Black Book. Check out all the beautiful treats here.

{images from SweetandSaucyShop.com}

I am in love with the wide selection of modern and fashionable fine jewelery on Kabiri! The pieces are by many UK designers and there are many styles and price ranges to choose from :)

If you want a unique piece with character, this site will have something for you!

{images from Kabiri}

{image by Pomme Chan}

Moving on to a more sour note…

Just when you thought you had picked the perfect jewel-embellished corset/tutu-inspired wedding dress to match your black satin/hot pink colour scheme, April Winchell from the hilarious and often R-rated site Regretsy will be stepping in to shed light on those awful wedding faux pas, and in no doubt a hilariously manner as usual. April’s comments are considered by some to be cruel, but when you view the items up for scrutiny, you’ll have to agree that the harshness is completely called for. Do these crafters and artists really think people will buy this sh*t? Oh wait – that’s right! People actually DO! (but not because they are of great technical and aesthetic quality, but because they are unbelievable pieces of sh*t and are now appealing just for this reason). April posted recently on Regretsy about her involvement with the wedding industry:

Starting next month (or as soon as I finish the book), I will be writing a column for Brides.com. Basically, I’ll be snarking on wedding trends and bad bridal fashion.

There really is a world of sh*t out there that people try to pawn off on women who are already way out of control emotionally, and totally overcome with unrealistic expectations. It’s kind of like what a funeral home does to you when you come in to bury someone, and everything seems like a justifiable expense. You only die once!

Isn’t this fantastic? A whole new world to make fun of. I can hardly wait to ruin your wedding!

Are you excited? I sure am! If you can’t hold out for April’s column, check out the following links in the meantime. I know I wasted countless hours just scrolling and laughing, and then suffering from gut ache, but it was totally worth it! Use these as a guide of what NOT to do at your wedding, and you’ll be fine: TackyWeddings.com and Esquire’s guide of inappropriate wedding attire. Just a hint: if your dress lives by the same rules as a mullet (“business in the front, party in the back”) or you in anyway resemble Christina Aguilera in the Lady Marmalade video, this is not acceptable.

{images from TackyWeddings.com}

This blew me away :) You’ll have to see it yourself…

Derick Childress proposed to his girlfriend using light and a long exposure. The final image is beautiful, and it’s extra awesome that the video is accompanied with the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack! I love the creativity, and I’m sure his fiancee, Emily, did too :)

{photo and video from Derick and Emily}

You may wonder how an absurdly bright photo with an unproportional bed and peculiar bed dressing may inspire such a cute and fun colour template. As I drew the colours from the photos, it was obvious that these were bubbly and childish colours…and that is because, this photo comes directly from the drawing of a child!

Yeondoo Jung has a series of Wonderland photography, inspired by real drawings by real children. Sometimes the subjects are silly, sometimes impossible but they are always imaginative. A child’s creativity is not restricted, and therefore a great inspiration for adults like us that are often have ideas that are stiff, repetitive or mundane :) Children are really the richest source of inspiration!

Yeondoo does a great job of translating these innocent scribbles and drawings into believable worlds, showing us the possibilities from a child’s perspective. I absolutely love this project, as it shows inspiration can be drawn from anywhere.

{images from Yeondee Jung}

It’s been a long while since we featured some his and hers items (like these and these!) that are practical and not too cheesy. Here are some simple hand-made stoneware and pottery items from Arizona artist, Christine Tenenholtz. Matching mugs seem to be the best way to share a warm drink during the winter.

I love the shade of red used for the heart-shaped bowls and would like a set of those to share dessert with a loved one :) The robin egg blue Love Bird vase is also a beauty! Such sweet gifts for a pair of lovers ;)

{images from Red Hot Pottery}