housewarming party

Cute yellow + white themed housewarming party from everyday obsession.

spring shower

You'll want to check out this sweet spring baby shower Miranda threw for her friend, Sonya. I love the crafty flower pins guests created and the cheddar quiche in the shape of flowers is precious! Check out all of the details right here.

eye candy

Mexican Clau's eye candy blog is loaded with just that... it is a feast for the eyes! Clau let us know of her recent favorites- a vintage party and a candy buffet. The vintage party looks like it is right out of a periodical or cookbook from the '50's. For more, check it out right here!

cherry blossom first birthday

Lots of cute details in this asian-inspired 'cherry blossom' first birthday from life frosting. Check out the 'sushi'- all made of candy and sweet things (rice crispy treats, swedish fish, fruit rope, etc). Mom Chelsea went to extraordinary lengths to get all the details just right- including a cherry blossom adorned shirt. Check it out right here.

french eye candy

I'm feeling like a bit of a party pooper this evening. My 'big gift' for the holiday was a couple of evenings with a night nurse who would take our sweet but colicky baby for 8 hours while I blissfully slept through the night. I had everything prepared and my Ambien in hand when she knocked on the door to say she couldn't stay- she felt like she was coming down with the flu. Such a bummer!

Alas- back to work and the night shift. In the meantime, I am procrastinating by perusing yet another beautiful French blog. Check out all of the gorgeous images right here (and if your high school French is better then mine, you just might be able to try out the recipes at home).

all images from cakes in the city

j'adore...

Who can resist these super sweet ideas from Parisian Amelie? Reading her blog - or at least, attempting to - definitely puts my high school French to the test, but no translation is needed for many of these great DIY ideas (including the pattern adorned paper plates). Much more loveliness to check out here and here.

red balloon follow-up

It's rare that I get to see the parties that are queried about in our reader question of the week. That's why I was thrilled when Rachel sent me pictures from her 'red balloon' party (see her original question right here). Apparently one of you lovely readers gave her the idea for these 'red balloon' finger sandwiches (= tomatoes on a toothpick) - brilliant! For more of Rachel's party, check out her blog.

and more...

Vintage paper straws from still lifestyle on etsy.

kid-sized buffet

I'm still planning to one day replicate the kid-sized buffet in this back issue of Blueprint (pictured in the bottom far right). The 'buffet' appears to be composed of three LACK tables from IKEA (cheap enough to buy just for a party at $8/table) scooted together. How fun would it be to have a kid-sized 'favor buffet' or have small snacks set out their level? Or perhaps an Amy Atlas-inspired mini treat table? It would definitely have to be for the 3+ year old crowd (I can't imagine my almost two year old being able to control himself with a small table of treats), but perhaps something I will contemplate for his next birthday.

LOVE!

I couldn't resist posting this gem from Creature Comforts. Pink + yellow are so my colors right now!

she's done it again

The 'celebration candle kid' from Small Object is too cute. The $30 price tag seems reasonable- and doable- when compared to her custom wedding toppers!

toothpick idea

I love these cute toothpicks from just the little things. For the how-to and more inspiration, click here.

popcorn cones

I love this idea from Martha Stewart. They suggest using a paper-wrapped aluminum foil box for display (so clever!)...for the full run-down, check it out here.

packaging by louise

You won't find much on my DVR. But I always have Nightline taped... it's the best compressed 30 minutes of news I have found, and it's usually how I wind down the day. They have a number of interesting pieces, including the occasional 'Plate List', where they interview a famous chef about their favorite dishes and their life experiences-all condensed into 3 minutes or so. 

The other evening Nightline had a piece on Good Housekeeping's seal of approval. I've never paid much attention to Good Housekeeping, nor did I realize how high its circulation is (10 million!), but the news clip was really interesting (I promise I'm going somewhere with this). The thing that struck me the most was how beautiful the GH seal of approval was! It would be an addition to any packaging, as far as I was concerned. 

Today I found a link to Louise Fili's new blog, and discovered she was the one who designed the seal. Of course! We studied this woman's packaging in design school as if it were designed by a god. The attention to detail is outstanding- the typography is museum-worthy. Pretty much everything she touches is gold.

Perhaps the 'lesson' I learned the most from Ms. Fili was how great packaging can really elevate a product. The example that was often used was in reference to her packaging of margarita salt for El Paso Chile Company. The product inside the beautiful packaging is worth mere pennies, but the container sells for $7! That's a huge markup- all because someone wants to have that container sitting on their countertop (or in their cupboard). 

She's changed the way I look at food packaging forever.

tim james

I love the evocative photography of Australian newcomer Tim James. Design Files has a very interesting interview with him...inspiring for anyone thinking of starting a new career at a later stage in life!

popcorn holder

I believe MS popularized the idea of a cone holder for popcorn and such, and Nathalie has 'done good', as some Southerners might say, with this idea. I love the monochromatic colors of the popcorn and stripes. 

drooling, drooling...beatrice peltre

No words needed to describe the work of food stylist and photographer Béatrice Peltre, aka, La Tartine Gourmande. Yum-azing.

easy goat cheese roll

A great idea from Better Homes & Gardens (August 2008). Simply press mint leaves into a log of goat cheese to dress it up for guests. I even love the presentation- on kraft paper with a vintage bakelite-looking spreader. So easy and beautiful!