Paloma Trunk Show - Toronto

via Palma Blanca

WHEN?
Friday, November 13 to Saturday, November 21

WHERE?
Ritche Bridal

1662 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario
M5M 3Y1
www.ritchebridal.com
416.789.4378
Call to make an appointment.

To see more dresses visit www.palomablanca.com

I love Sunday Mornings.

I made poached eggs for the first time this morning....not bad! Next time, I'll try making the Hollandaise sauce! Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. Don't forget, the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway ENDS TONIGHT at 11:59EST!!!

Psssst....

Did you enter the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway yet?

via Barbara Kua Calligraphy

A Niagara-on-the-Lake Wedding on SMP!

Go check it out on Style Me Pretty!

Frugal Friday - The Calligraphy Edition

Thank you, thank you for the entering the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway! Barbara and I are so blown away by the response. If you haven't entered yet, go enter now!! Contest closes Sunday at 11:59pm EST.

I'm also thrilled to announce that Barbara is extending a 10% discount on her services and products (including personalized rubber stamps!) to all my readers! Offer ends November 30, 2009. Just mention the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway contest or my blog when you place your order. Please visit Barbara Kua Calligraphy on learn more about Barbara's calligraphy products and services.

Here are some of my favourites of Barbara's past work:


Remember, Barbara's services are not limited to weddings. She can help bring flair to any special event. Also, for those of you looking to spruce up your personal stationary or business stationary/cards, Barbara can help you come up with something unique!

Non-calligraphy Frugal Friday Items

JCrew

Banana Republic (US stores and Online only)

East meets West

The BF and I recently attended a Hindu wedding ceremony. Neither of us had ever been. Timing is everything in the Hindu religion. Based on the bride's and groom's horoscopes, a Hindu priest will determine which dates and times are most auspicious for the couple. The Hindu priest presiding over the ceremony we attended determined a 10am start on a Sunday morning was the most auspicious for our bride and groom. Did I mention I'm not a morning person? Luckily, there was so much colourful eye candy (and the Indian food lunch buffet!) to make the early wake-up call totally worth it.






The reception was held in the Distillery District, at the Broiler House. I love the industrial and modern feel of the Broiler House. Plus, they serve some tasty food!

(The above pictures are from the Broiler House - gives you an idea of the space.)

In lieu of favours, the couple made a donation to Oxfam.

The couple asked their guests to upload their photos to a Flickr account established specifically for the wedding.

The wedding cake was made by a friend of the couple's.

The BF and I had a great time. Since the ceremony and reception were so different (i.e. East meets West), we felt like we went to two different weddings. Are you planning to have a ceremony and reception which are not related in 'theme'?

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway sponsored by Barbara Kua Calligraphy.

Project Condo - The Big Reveal

It occurred to me that I never shared photos of le condo with you. Bad blogger. Without further adieu, let me take you on a tour.

1) Living Room

BEFORE

AFTER

Both the BEFORE and AFTER photos are taken from our bedroom on the 2nd floor (we have a 16 foot tall ceiling).

AFTER

As you may recall, the coffee table and rug are from West Elm. We found the Barcelona chair on Craigslist. The lamp is from Urban Barn.

AFTER

Here's my baby - my 40 inch Sony Bravia. And yes, size does matter.

2) Balcony

BEFORE

AFTER

No drastic changes to the balcony. We added in our own patio furniture plus bought a barbecue.

3) Kitchen/Dining Area

Unfortunately, I do not have any good photos of the kitchen before we moved in. We didn't change the area too much. We did buy a new dining set from Ikea, hang new drapes and who can forget the drama that accompanied those cabinet handles?

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

There you have it. Le Condo! (Well I didn't show you the upstairs b/c frankly it will never be tidy enough to photograph.) It's still a work in progress. Many people have told me that I'll never be done with Project Condo. Is it true? Does one ever really finish home improvement?

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway sponsored by Barbara Kua Calligraphy.

Grilled Cheese.

First off, thank you for entering my Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway. I'm completely blown away by the number of entries already! If you haven't entered yet, go now!

This past weekend, my friend Sheila, who is a huge fan of grilled cheese, and I checked out The Grilled Cheese in Toronto's Kensington Market. Serving up about 10 different types of grilled cheese sandwiches, The Grilled Cheese has a sandwich for any discerning palette. While I went for the Grill Works (Swiss, provolone and Monterey Jack with roasted peppers and portabello mushrooms), Sheila decided to test The Grilled Cheese on their Classic grilled cheese. After all, if they can't get that right, what's the point? The verdict? YUMMY. Below is the Classic, paired with a Cranberry Ginger Ale (first time I tried it!). Total Cost for the sandwich and a drink = $9.

by Sheila

I know so many people who are grilled cheese lovers. In fact, my friend Erin's husband (remember her Toronto Island wedding?) insisted on grilled cheese for a late night snack at their wedding. Good call Mark! I had two portions myself that night!

It seems that lately, comfort foods or 'favourite foods' are making the rounds at weddings, either as a late night offering or as part of the dinner fare. When the BF allows me to indulge about fantasizing about our wedding, I think about the food. (I'm such a foodie!). I envision a bunch of food stations filled with our favourite foods.

For example, how yummy would a French Fry station be? Complete with dipping sauces?

by Stephanie Diani via The NY Times

This is the BEST.IDEA.EVER. Why not hire a In-N-Out Burger truck to serve up your guests famished from dancing the night away?

by Joe Latter via Green Wedding Shoes

For my fellow LA bloggers, how about having The Grilled Cheese Truck at your wedding? (Has anyone tried this yet?)

A lobster bake would be awesome for those of you who hail from New England or the East Coast of Canada.
via Toast and Tables

For dessert, guests could indulge on candied apples.
via Estancia La Jolla

Krispy Kreme anyone?

by Daniel Kiyoi via Snippet & Ink

Satisfy your guests' sweet teeth by treating them to Pinkberry.

by Caroline Tran

An absolute must in my fantasy wedding menu? POUTINE!

via The Globe and Mail

What comfort/favourite food do you plan on serving at your wedding?

Stamp Yourself Happy Giveaway

Happy Monday! I am super stoked (yes, stoked, love that word for some reason) to host my first giveaway, sponsored by Barbara Kua Calligraphy!

I've featured Barbara's amazing calligraphy before, and most recently I've wrote about my wonderful personalized calligraphy stamp that I purchased from Barbara. I love my address stamp. I just recently used it for my cousin's baby shower invitation envelopes. It saved me from writing out my address on 25 envelopes plus Barbara's calligraphy gave the invites a touch of elegance.


Lucky for you, we're giving away ONE customized calligraphy rubber stamp to one of my blog followers. Consider it a thanks for reading my blog and encouraging me to keep writing!!

Giveaway Details
1) Visit Barbara Kua Calligraphy, and leave a comment here, on my blog, letting me know which one of Barbara's calligraphy styles you like best.

2) For an additional entry, either blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway. Be sure to leave the relevant link to your blog, Tweet or Facebook.

3) Maximum 2 entries per person. Contest ends Sunday, November 8 at 11:59PM EST.

4) I'll announce the winner on the following Tuesday. The winner will receive one customized address rubber stamp (4 lines) in the calligraphy style of the winner's choice. Approx. value is CDN $40.

5) Open to anyone in the world as Barbara will ship to anywhere!

Barbara's customized address stamps would make perfect gifts (Christmas is just around the corner!). Or why not treat yourself? A personalized stamp would make the Christmas card writing (or invitation writing) a lot more fun!

For those of you who can't wait and must simply get your stamp now, email Barbara Kua Calligraphy at info@barbarakua.com.

Don't forget to visit Barbara's blog to see how calligraphy can bring a little charm to your event.

Showering with Tea

Did you enjoy your extra hour of sleep?!!? I did!

My cousin D. is expecting a baby boy in February. We (her family and her friends) are going to be showering her and her first child in a few weeks in a tea room in Pasadena. I love non-home showers for a few reasons - 1) No cooking and cleaning for the hostess; and 2) A chance to do something different and/or new (like have afternoon tea!).

As you know, I'm not very creative (I can barely draw stick figures) but I knew I wanted a baby in a teacup graphic on the invitations. Lucky for me, I have friends in artsy places. The BF's business partner whipped up this adorable graphic.


Too cute non? I use the above to send out a 'save the date' since quite a few guests are from out of state (and to buy me some more time to make the invites).

Then, I had the BF shrink the graphic to fit my invites. Ta-dah!!!!

I just want to give huge props to my corner rounder and my paper cutter. Oh, of course to the BF and his business partner!

I'm looking forward to having afternoon tea. The little sandwiches and the fresh scones are my favourite. Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing D and her belly!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! P.S. Stop by tomorrow for a SURPRISE!!