So That I Can Walk Home

Looking at shoes with bows this week! Enjoy :)






God Bless Christian Louboutin :)





And my favourites ...

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New York State of Mind

Since purchasing my ticket to NYC the other day, I've relentlessly been thinking of places to visit and things to do. In my surfing, I came across some incredible pictures of NYC photographer, Jason Groupp. Check out his .: over here :. In the meantime, here are some of the images that caught my eye ...

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Flour Confections featured in BRIDES magazine!

We are excited to announce that the new issue of BRIDES magazine has now hit the stands - it features some incredibly stunning cakes, including one by none other than Flour Confections!
Be sure to pick up a copy of the March/April 09 issue of BRIDES magazine or visit their website http://www.brides.com/brides/ (that's our cake on the feature page)

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I Went For A Walk ...

It's a gray today today so in an attempt to feel warmer virtually, let's explore Etsy in FELT! :)

I'll start with something wedding related to keep the brides-to-be happy ...

This cake topper by .: emiliefriday :. oozes cute and whimsy!


For those on the crafty side, .: buggabugs :. sells patterns to make these wonderful pieces of food art. Be sure to check out all the designs!


.: stitchella :. knows the value of a warm cup of java ... as well as protecting our hands from the cup.


How cool is this?! Send .: whispylove :. a photo of a pet and in turn you'll receive a felt re-creation!


It looks like a pretty little package and it's actually soap. Contact .: ArtemisArtemis :. for more details (all the way in New Zealand ... one of my favourite places!).


These shoes are just a quick glance into the shop .: sugarplumbtree :. Make sure you look at all of the wonderful goodies for the little ones in your life.


In dreary winter times, it's nice to spruce up a jacket with a little fun. This brooch by .: starzselection :. will do just that!


Now a bit of a necklace theme ...

This one by .: mariagotijoyas :. is just awesome. I can't wrap my head around how she comes up with the designs!


.: rosetutu :. takes a bit of more flowery approach to its designs :)


And for my dear photographer friend, Jessica, a Holga necklace by .: bikimiki :.


But my pick of the week? Something extra soft! This pillow by .: thelittlestitch :. Love it!!!!

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This Call to Arms Means Hold to It and Hold Tight

Just a quick bulletin to all of you incredible readers. I'm volunteering my time until and including March 26th to Epilepsy Durham Region to put together a cocktail reception and silent art auction for them.

Here's where you come in ...

We're looking for artists! If any of you have a flair or know someone who does, please keep reading for a very important call to action ...

A Dream Inspired
Cocktail Reception and Art Auction

CALLING ALL ARTISTS

On Thursday, March 26th, 2009 Epilepsy Durham Region will host the first annual ‘A Dream Inspired’ Reception and Art Auction.

All artists are invited to submit an item of their choice which represents, hope, inspiration and courage. Artwork must be presented in either a frame with matting or presented on a proper canvas frame, include shades of purple and must be original. Artists will supply easels and model displays to showcase their piece. The deadline for submissions is March 25th, 2009 and must be delivered to the event's venue in Pickering.

Each item will be auctioned to the highest bidder. Proceeds will be shared 50/50 with the agency and the artist. Art and artists will be featured on Epilepsy Durham Region website.

Background:
On March 26, 2009 Epilepsy Durham Region will host Purple Day events, which are dedicated to promoting epilepsy awareness worldwide. The campaign founded in 2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, who had a dream to create an event where she and other children living with epilepsy could relate to one another. Remove stigma, mystery and fear of the unknown that surrounds epilepsy continues to be her dream.
Epilepsy Durham Region along with epilepsy agencies coast to coast have joined Cassidy to ensure that her dream is continued, ‘not another moment lost to seizures’. The Dream Inspired campaign endeavors to heighten awareness locally about epilepsy and to raise funds to ensure that a sustainable future is in fact possible to carry forth Cassidy’s dream. All funds raised throughout the campaign support local community programming and family support.
For detailed information about the event, please visit, www.purpleday.org and www.epilepsydurham.com.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT CONTACT BY FEBRUARY 12TH, 2009
Melissa McBride, Event Co-ordinator
Epilepsy Durham Region
850 King Street West, Unit 20
Oshawa, ON L1N 8N5

Tel: (905)571-2099
Email: epilepsy3@epilepsydurham.com

www.epilepsydurham.com

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Tips For Saving Your Top Tier

Since a cake by Flour Confections contains real butter, it is at it’s best when eaten at room temperature. Therefore you should remove your cakes from the refrigerator at least 60-90 minutes before you plan to eat it. If you are going to keep a cut cake, make sure you have plastic wrap up against the exposed cake, keep it refrigerated, and consume within 2-3 days.

Saving the top tier:If you want to keep to tradition and save your wedding cake for your 1st anniversary, you need to follow a few simple instructions in order to ensure that you will be eating the best tasting cake possible. You can store your wedding cake’s top tier or a slice in your freezer, and keep it for up to 1 year.

1. After the wedding reception is over, remove any fresh flowers or gumpaste keepsakes, and place the top tier of your wedding cake in the fridge overnight.
2. The following day, tightly wrap two layers of plastic wrap around it. Then place it in a zip top bag, label it, and put it in the freezer. Keep it in a box if possible to avoid any damage.
3. Be happy – you married your true love!
4. A day before the anniversary date, take the cake package from the freezer and place in the fridge to thaw 12-24 hours.
5. The following day, un-wrap the cake and place on the counter. Allow 2-4 hours for the cake to come to room temperature.

Have a Sweet Anniversary!

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Periwinkle's top tips for where to save on your floral budget

Jess- In these trying times of financial gloom and doom, many brides are feeling they need to tighten the budget somewhere. So with that in mind, here are Periwinkle’s top tips for where to save – yes, you can still have the wedding flowers of your dreams, just with a few minor adjustments!

Tip #1-Cut the number of bridesmaids you plan on having (obviously you can't do this if you already asked the girls, don’t want to cause any friendship rifts here, so see tip two!). The bouquets are second only to the centerpieces in how much of the final budget they take up if you have a large bridal party. Having only a maid of honour stand with you means only two bouquets as opposed to the seven or more it may take to cover all your dearest girlfriends, sisters and future sisters in law.

Tip #2- Alright, so you already asked your Friday night party girls to be there with you. Change your vision of what this gaggle will carry! Paring down can still be elegant, and works well with a larger number because of the repetition effect. Instead of a full bouquet for each girl, try doing a staggered cluster of three flowers, or even a single huge headed bloom such as a rose or peony with some gorgeous ribbon in a contrasting colour. See-that cut the budget and no one got hurt!


Tip #3- Consider not decorating the ceremony area. If you are getting married outside, you don’t really need anything anyway- you can’t beat Mother Nature for background. If you are in a large church or synagogue again, the scope of the building and the architecture may be able to hold its own without any adornment. You need to remember that the typical ceremony is only about an hour long and everyone will be watching you the entire time (don’t get nervous now!) so they are unlikely to notice that you don’t have any florals here. Most florists are also charging you for the delivery, set up and transferal of these pieces, so you will see some savings elsewhere too.

Tip #4-Going back to the number of bridesmaids you have- if you are having more than a couple, use their bouquets to decorate the head table. Periwinkle sets up a line of short simple vases filled with a simple tropical leaf (partly so they look cool before the reception begins but also so no one mistakes them for drinking glasses and chugs the floral water down!) and the bridesmaids just set their bouquets in them as they arrive- instant décor!

Tip #5- Find containers yourself for the centerpieces- scour the dollar stores (seriously!) and large stores such as IKEA that can buy in bulk and offer discounts deeper than a regular florist can. The only very important thing here is that you have to choose a vase that isn’t going to take a fortune to fill- the larger the vases opening the more it will take to fill, so try to find something unusual in shape or structure with a smaller opening. We usually ask our brides to bring one in first before they buy 50 of the wrong thing.

Tip #6- You don’t have to have a full arrangement on the table. If you go with a more unusual design you can often get away with less. Let’s say you can find three glass vases of different heights- you could submerge a different flower in each and space them out on the table for the same visual effect as a full arrangement, but with a nice modern edge to it. Or how about a low ceramic tray you can easily pick up in china town for pennies- have your florist fill it with a “carpet “ effect of deep green moss with a diagonal line of three large rich toned open roses, gerberas or peonies flush with the moss- unusual, but dramatic.




So you see, there are ways to get around a tight budget if you are prepared to change your vision a little, without settling for anything less stylish!

Now of course once this “massive world financial crisis” is over I’m going to post again urging you all to fill the ceremony with swagged garlands of orchids and such, so be prepared, but for now there is still style to be found in a recession!

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Simply The Best!

Congratulations Flour Confections!!!

I'm proud to add to Lisa's thunder. I received notification that I had been selected for the Wedding Wire Award in the Consultant Category and our very own decorator extraordinaire, Vivian from Vivian's Décor & Design, has been as well!

You know you're reading a blog with the very best of vendors when you see this happening. It also goes to reiterate when your time is finished with a vendor, please make sure you give them a review and testimonial. One never knows what kind praise will come along and it really does further our businesses ... not to mention it makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside ;)

And again, if you have used any of our services in the past, please head over to .: Wedding Wire :. and help us out. Almost all of the guest authors on this blog have a profile!

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2009 Bride's Choice Award for Flour Confections

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Flour Confections has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US.
That means Flour Confections is one of the very best Wedding Cake Vendors. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews. “We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Flour Confections would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! Your continued support is always appreciated, if you would like to write your review, be sure to go to WeddingWire

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Have A Cuppa Tea

Today’s question comes from a meeting I had yesterday. They are two of my favourite current clients … incredibly sweet couple.

Since the meeting was informal and the question wasn’t sent in, this is more of a recollection than anything else. It’s a query I’ve received many times though so I thought it would be a great topic.


Michelle and Jay are getting married later this summer. The wedding is looking to be a classic and elegant affair and they’re genuinely excited about it (as am I!). Yesterday their question stemmed from being a bit surprised that their families are asking to have a Chinese Tea Ceremony included in the day. As they’re both young and haven’t been through one before, they’re a bit nervous. Hopefully I put their minds at ease though because the tradition is not only beautiful to watch but very simple. For those who don’t know what it entails, here’s Wikipedia’s definition …

"To express thanks to your elders on one's wedding day: In the traditional Chinese marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom kneel in front of their parents and serve them tea. That is a way to express their gratitude. In front of their parents, it is a practice for the married couple to say, "Thanks for bringing us up. Now we are getting married. We owe it all to you." The parents will usually drink a small portion of the tea and then give them a red envelope, which symbolizes good luck. Another variance is for the to-be daughter-in-law to serve tea to her to-be parents-in-law, symbolizing that she is to become a part of the latter's family.”

And …

“To connect large families on wedding days: The tea ceremony during weddings also serves as a means for both parties in the wedding to meet with members of the other family. As Chinese families can be rather extended, one or two hundred people, it is entirely possible during a courtship to not have been introduced to someone. This was particularly true in older generations where the patriarch may have had more than one wife and not all family members were always on good terms. As such, during the tea ceremony, the couple would serve tea to all family members and call them by their official title. Drinking the tea symbolized acceptance into the family. Refusal to drink would symbolize opposition to the wedding and is quite unheard of since it would result in a loss of "face". Older relations so introduced would give a red envelope to the matrimonial couple while the couple would be expected to give a red envelope to younger, unmarried relations.”

These days the latter is celebrated a bit less. The average groups during tea ceremonies I’ve been a part of are around twenty people and honestly run like clockwork (no nerves needed!). The women in the bridal party will usually be asked to collect the cups, pour the tea and then hand it to the couple. The couple is generally kneeling in front of the elders in the family (although not always) and they pass the tea over to them. Elders drink the tea, red envelopes are exchanged, the teacups go back to the bridal party and then the cycle starts again. If it lasts more than a half hour, it’s a long ceremony ☺

Don’t let my simple rundown discourage you from taking part though. If you have any cultural traditions in your background whatsoever, please embrace them. Not only does a tea ceremony (and other traditions) make for beautiful pictures but the memories are priceless. It really is a stunning thing to watch.

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And All The Stars Shine

Um, love.

Love. Love. Love. Friday Footwear is incredible today. I seriously have the winter blues after looking at these gems.

To find out more and drool all day long, head over to .: Dikuza :. They are the creators and you know what? Not outrageously priced!

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She's in Love With the Boy

Valentine's Day is approaching! Stuck on what to get this year? Start cruising places like Etsy for ideas. Here are some gems that I found ...


Is your loved one a poker fan? .: crimsonking :. have these wonderful aces up their sleeves!


Possibly frivolous but what man doesn't partake in the odd beer or two? The perfect carrying solution is brought to you by .: RobertoSand :.


.: dahlhartlane :. can make you a little something to remind your beau you want to grow old with him.


iLove courtesy of .: blytheking :.


.: solidio :. knows belt buckles are back!


Love love LOVE this journal by .: greentrikepress :. It's made from a leather couch!


Music and money fan? Maybe he just likes to keep things in order. This clip by .: sudlow :. is groovy.


Beautiful claddagh engraved olive pen by .: WoodenPenWorks :.


This is something that's perfect for the man in your life that takes pride in looking his best! They are engraved shirt stiffeners by .: chrisparry :.


And what man wouldn't think this is the coolest?! .: 8milecreekdesigns :. has put together a clock made from the hubcap of a 1969/70 Mustang!!!

Whatever you chose, remember to have fun with it this year :)

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Skin Care Part 3 - Serums & Eyecare

Now that we're all familiar with cleansing, toning and moisturizing, the next step to acheiving great skin is the use of Serums & Eyecare. Here's where things get interesting and overwhelming, but of no less importance than your first two steps.

Serums are boosters, typically used in conjunction with a day or night cream. A few drops gently patted on the face before your moisturizer is the normal application process. However, it's always best to check with the individual line representative first. Serums will increase water, regulate oil, clarify, nourish, repair, firm, tighten and tone. There's a serum addressing every issue we have. They are effective for their repairing and boosting qualities, plus are an additional layer of protection to the face. An ideal item for your winter regime.


When treating eyes, always remember that they are a separate entity to your skin and must be indulged with products formulated for the area itself. There are creams, gels, cream/gels, or roll-ons.....designed to lighten, smooth, de- puff, de-stress, and again firm, tighten, or tone. Whatever formula you select, eye care is best applied in teeny tiny amounts placed on your ring finger and gently patted in a circular motion around the entire eye. Think of tapping the product right on the bone, above and below.

Before shopping for serums and eye care, take a real close look at all areas of your face. Use glasses, magnifyers, or 250 watts if you need to. Study your eyes, lips, cheeks, and nose thoroughly, in order to set achievable goals for areas you would like to improve. Be honest but realistic about the performance you expect from your skincare line. Remember....it's just a jar of cream.....not plastic surgery!


For those that see crowsfeet or creppiness, maybe a lack of firmess in the mirror, focus your solution with ingredients like hyaluronic acid to feed and bind the cells with water. Plumping the cells shrinks the length and depth of fine lines. Vitamins A, C and E will fight the ageing process by neutralizing free radicals making this skin appear more firm, youthful and bright. And calibrated fruit acids (AHA's) will smooth the skin by maintaining its own natural renewal process. AHA's repair cellular damage while easing fine lines and improving the overall clarity of the skin.

If lines are not whay you see but darkening of the skin is, then your solutions must reflect. Hyperpigmention, dark undereye circles, age and liver spots, uneven tone and sun damage......are all conditions that can be effectively treated with committment and dedication. The most important thing to remember is that once you start a mission to even out a skin tone, you must continue as it is a progressive lightening process. Eye creams or serums that contain horse chestnut, bilberry extract, AHA's, hydroquinone, and vitamins A & C are ingredients that assist with fading uneven tone. Products of this nature must be used faithfully, usually twice a day for best results.

What if you see broken capillaries.......those little red "spidery" veins frequently found around the nose and cheeks. They are the result when blood no longer pumps through the tiny capillaries. This weakens the capillary walls which causes a loss of elasticity, with a final collapse into what we see as a broken blood vessel. The primary causes are environmental damage, lfestyle choices, age and hormones.


With this condition, an ounce of prevention certainly is worth a pound of cure by using sunscreen and making healthy lifestyle choices to begin with. But cosmetically speaking, you can treat broken capillaries with serums containing anti- flammatories like chamomile, horse chestnut, lavender and zinc. All of these components will help reduce the redness and visibility of broken capillaries.

Regardless of what your skins challenges are when you look in the mirror, rest assured there's something on the market for every woe you face. Look at your skin frequently and thoroughly, know how it functions at it's optimal, and use items that will treat your concerns specifically. And if you'd like an opinion or some guidance, book a 30 minute no charge consultation to get you on the road to healthy, beautiful skin.

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