indigo baby shower featured on 100 layer cakelet

I'm really excited to finally share this baby shower I planned and hosted for my good friend, Jody and her family. It was recently featured on one of my favorite party planning blogs, 100 Layer Cakelet. 

When Jody first told us that she was expecting, Gary and I knew we wanted to throw them a shower especially since it is going to be a boy and their first is a sweet little girl named Olive. When we first started planning the party, Jody asked if she could design the invitations and chose a shibori inspired theme. I took it to heart and started to dye everything indigo blue in my house. It was so much fun making all the decor: lanterns, garlands, pillow covers, and table runners. 

As for the menu, I wanted to do some brunch finger foods. I put together some silver dollar pancake stacks, bite-size chicken and waffles, smokies with tater tots, and mini donuts. We had a lot of kids on the guest list, so a charcuterie spread is always a favorite with the little ones (and the big ones too). 

The cake was made by our amazingly talented friend, Sheila. 

The rope bowl favors are handmade by friend, Yoon Mi. And of course, Jody did the calligraphy on the note pads. 

It really was an honor to host this celebration for our friends. We love you guys so much. 

Photos by Sadaf Murad Photography

Read more on 100 Layer Cakelet here. 

friends are the family you chose

Friends are the family you chose.

It's funny how you become such good friends with certain people, so close that you feel like they're your own sister (or brother). Earlier this month, one such friend of mine got married halfway around the world in Hong Kong. I was pretty devastated that I wasn't able to make it to that milestone day. So, when she asked me about the ring pillow I made for my own wedding. I jumped on the opportunity to make her one. Even though I wasn't physically there for the wedding, I was there in spirit... as a pillow. How special is that?

happy wedding goers

We are invited to 10 weddings this year. So far, we are 5 for 10. All of these weddings are of friends or family that are very dear to either my, Gary's, or both our hearts. The plan is 10 for 10 if there are no emergencies or what not.

People often are amazed that we actually make it to most of the weddings we are invited to. Between the time and expense, it's just easier to "decline with regrets." But we usually don't, even though all the weddings require flying or a long drive. I have to admit, we did have to skip a few last year when we were pregnant with Austin. We were very sad to miss those, but at the same time we were awaiting our own bundle of joy. So, why do we actually go to most of these weddings we are invited to? There are many reasons why, but I'm just going to talk about a few major ones.

First and foremost, Gary and I LOVE weddings. We just love them. We loved every single one that we have attended. How could you not? You get to witness either one (or sometimes two) of your friends experience one of the most important milestones in their life. On top of that, there's champagne and CAKE!

Secondly, it takes us back to the root of what marriage is about and why we are married. Every wedding has its own style and message, but they all give us that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. We fall in love over and over again after each wedding. As an added bonus, I read once that to be happy in your life, you must fill it with happy events, such as weddings.

I'll just keep it short, so lastly, I see it as a movie (usually a romantic comedy) starring my friends. I've watched them go through ex-boy/girlfriends and then single life searching for the one. I've listened to all their stories and played wingman once or twice. I've even been there as the substitute girlfriend. And finally they are at the altar, the happy ending to the story.

{Handstamped cards from made by melis, Placecards and calligraphy from made by melis. Photos by made by melis & Clean Plate Pictures}

wine poached dates with bacon

A couple of months ago, I attended my first kitchen shower in NYC to celebrate the prenuptial of one of my best friends and college roommate. The bridesmaids wanted to do something that reflected the bride’s passion for baking and that’s where the idea stemmed from.



Home Cooking New York guided us through several different recipes, including wine poached figs with prosciutto. Yum! I have to admit I don’t eat much pork but I could not stop popping those little savory, sweet delights in my mouth. Instead of using figs and prosciutto, I used dates and bacon when I remade them at home; the result was just as delicious. These are the perfect snacks for summer get-togethers.

congrats, bonnie & kevin

Wedding season has began and we are kicking it off with two of my best friends are getting married. There are no words that can describe how excited and happy I am for them. They both have had such a huge impact in my life. I would not be where I am or who I am if it weren't for either of them. I feel so blessed to call them my friends. And now, the two are joining together in marriage. It's every girl's (who plays matchmaker) dream come true. Except I don't take credit for them getting together even though the spark was lit on Gary and my wedding day.  There were many parts that came into play, including Bonnie's maid of honor speech that charmed Kevin and a little too much time at the bar that emboldened Kevin to approach Bonnie. All I can say is that with a leap of faith and an open-heart, that is where we all find our happy endings. 

In the mist of their wedding planning, Bonnie asked me for help with their wedding paper goods. I was more than honored. They were looking for a floral design with the colors teal and orange. I was basically free to design something based one those few criteria. My favorite favorite thing are the placecards, which I was able to use my Silhouette cameo to create.

Congratulations, Bonnie & Kevin. I love you guys. 

You can now buy these placecards at my Etsy store. 

thanks for the memories

Here's a first peek at what I've been putting together for Austin's first birthday party. I can't believe our little boy is turning one in less than 2 months. Time really flies. To celebrate, we're planning a small get-together with some family and friends in our courtyard. Hopefully the weather doesn't get too hot; it's hard to predict in May.

We didn't have a theme in mind when we first started planning his party. And now that we're further along the planning process, we still don't have one. Coming from design backgrounds, both Gary and I are obsessed with typography, colors and composition, so we decided to use those as our guiding elements.

For favors, we have something special for the kiddos which is a secret for now. For the adults, we're giving out my favorite organic lollipops from Yummy Earth. To give these a special touch, I designed a cute, typography iron-on (which you can find them here) to be applied to some handmade muslin bags. I hope our guests like them.

december birthday cards

For the December babies, I made some hand-stamped birthday cards to send via snail mail. There were so simple to make. All the supplies can be found at Michaels.

What you'll need:
Rubber stamps of different sizes
Ink pads
Cardstock
Envelopes

First just draw some guidelines on the cardstock to space out the numbers and letters evenly. Ink your stamps and stamp away. Easy as pie.

dessert reception : cupcake galore

As my previous post mentioned, I had the privilege to be a part of my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend. After rehearsal dinner, the couple had a dessert reception to welcome all their out-of-town guests. Here is a round up of the cupcakes.

Per the bride's request, the spread included red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. (You can find the recipe here.)

Peanut butter and jelly cupcakes are always a favorite. (You can find the recipe here.) I think its because it reminds us all of our childhood. So comforting. I made little flags from some pieces of cardstock, toothpicks, and ribbon. I then hand stamped the monogram and cupcake flavors on either side. 

Surprisingly, this was my favorite one. I'm actually not a big fan of chocolate cake, but it wouldn't be a cupcake spread without one. I've been holding on to this recipe from Gourmet for a while now and super excited that I finally had the opportunity to make it. This cake is moist and light but not sweet at all, so that it pairs perfectly with the chocolate ganache. I topped it off with some whipped cream and a pirouette.

chocolate cupcakes
recipe from Gourmet 1999
 
cake ingredients

• 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

ganache ingredients

• 1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• pirouettes
• whipped cream

directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line cupcake pan.
2. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
3. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter into liners and bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes.
4. Cool cupcakes on racks. The cupcakes may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
5. To make the ganache, finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
6. Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
7. Spread frosting over cupcakes, top with some whipped cream and a pirouette.

I realized I've yet to post a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting on this blog. But be assured I've made many dozens in the past. I used a recipe from Billy's Bakery from NYC, which is my favorite cupcake place. Hands down! 

vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream
adapted from billy's bakery

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com

cake ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour
•  2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

buttercream ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•  6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste

directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled.
5. To make the buttercream, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.
6. Use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Serve at room temperature.

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Billy's Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcakes and more delicious recipes, smart cooking tips, and video demonstrations on marthastewart.com

The centerpiece : Brown Bear

Even brown bear had a cupcake! Congratulations Henry and Phoebe!

groom's cake : brown bear

the ingredients

Congratulations to my brother-in-law and now my sister-in-law!!!  They got married this past weekend in Atlanta, Georgia! Yay! Such a cute couple and beautiful wedding!

So, from the very beginning, my brother-in-law knew he wanted a groom's cake. After inquiring with their caterer and a little other research, they realized it was going to be a bit of an extra to get one and serve it. In the end, a groom's cake is unnecessary yet it does add a special touch to every wedding. So, not wanting to see the groom disappointed nor have the couple trim their budget, I offered to make them a groom's cake.

To make a long story short, the bride and groom has a teddy bear called Brown Bear, that is dear to their hearts. So I thought it would be most appropriate to make a cake that resembles him. First off, I found a really useful cake pan from Wilton that helped me achieve the shape. I'm not talented like the Cake Boss or those at Charmed City Cakes. Anyways, I quickly learned that with a pan, the job isn't that must easier! You must follow the instructions very preciously, as I had learned after my trial run. So most of you know, I am not one to use cake mixes from the store, so with my first try at this cake, I was brave enough to make the batter from scratch. Bad idea! Although the flavors and texture was great, the whole bear collapsed. FAIL!

the naked bear

Extremely disappointed, I attempted it again by following the directions exactly as printed using a box of pound cake mix and a box of vanilla cake mix (as shown in the image above). I even made the icing from the recipe that came with the pan. I wasn't too excited about that but hey, there is always a next time for exploration. The icing worked beautifully for "dressing" him in fur. Voila! Meet Brown Bear!

 

 Brown Bear Groom's Cake

vanilla decorated with peanut butter frosting and chocolate icing

water bottle labels

 

 

My husband and I have been helping out with my brother-in-law's wedding lately. This is our latest project: custom water bottle labels. Since the majority of their guests are coming from out of town, the bride's mother wanted to welcome everyone with a little gift bag for all the guests staying at the designated wedding hotel. Most of the contents in this bag is a mystery to me but I do know there will be bottles of water.  The bride had asked me to design and make some custom labels for the water bottles. I was really happy with how these came out. They were not only easy to make but going to add a special touch to the welcome bags.

 

To do these yourself. You will need an image editing software (I used adobe photoshop), a color printer, 8.5x11 paper, water bottles, scissors, and glue stick. First measure out the size of the existing label of your water bottles, then use these dimensions to put together a layout on photoshop.Once you have the labels designed, printed, and cropped. Remove existing labels and adhere new ones with a little dab of glue.  

Check back in for the welcome bag booklets!

a pink bridal shower

 bridal shower invitation with pink cupcakes and pink pretzels

My brother-in-law is getting married in August! Yay! I have the wonderful privilege to be a part of their wedding as a bridesmaid. As some of you may already know, I love weddings and what I love most about weddings are the paper goods. For the bridal shower, the bride picked out a cute invitation from weddingpaperdivas, who were a pleasure to work with. The turnaround for the proof and the actual invites was so quick and seamless.

recipe card

For the shower, the bridesmaids wanted to do a recipe box for the bride. Since I was in charge of sending out the invites, I wanted to send these cards with the invitation so that the guests would be able to fill them out before the shower. First, I scanned the invite pattern to create the cards (with photoshop), so that it would match the invitation. I found a cute recipe box from Hallmark so that it would be convenient for the bride to take home.

recipe box for the bride

Other than sending out the invitations, I was also put in charge of some of the games. For one of the games, I took the same invite pattern and made blank cards for the "who am I?" game. When the guests arrived, they were instructed to write out a memory they have shared with the bride without including their name. Later on, we had the bride read the cards aloud and guess who each was written by. Imagine the nostalgic atmosphere it created. The cards made a lovely keepsake for the bride.

cards for "who am I?"

Another game we played was the buzz word game. To begin, choose a "buzz word" such as bride, groom, wedding, etc. To go along with the invitation pattern, I made flowers out of felt and put them on bobby pins to use for this game. When each guest comes into the party, we handed them a felt flower. Then, if someone hears another person saying any of the "buzz words," they get to take that person's flower. The person with the most flowers at the end of the party wins.

 felt flowers on bobby pins

ring ring ring.... pillow

Patty and Tim's ring pillow

My good friend, Patty is getting married in just a few short weeks in San Francisco. I really wanted to do something special for her and Tim's wedding. A ring pillow was one of the first things I had in mind but didn't really know where to start. Luckily for me, one of Patty's bridesmaids saved the material left over from hemming her dress, which ended being the roses on the pillows. With the scrap material, I was able to find a satin material to match the same color of the dresses.

Mel and Gary's ring pillow

For our wedding, I wasn't so lucky to have extra scrap material from the bridesmaids dresses. I tried best I can to match the iridescent green but opted for a lighter green and iridescent as well. It ended up working out and compliments the dresses well. I absolutely love it!

welcome home

To welcome my parents back from their trip to Asia, I made a bouquet of tissue paper flowers.

pretty in pink

red velvet cupcake with pink frosting

Congrats to my good friend Patty!! She's getting married!! This past weekend, her sister's threw her the cutest bridal shower at one of their apartments. I wanted to make some sweets for the shower. Her sister was originally going to pick up some red velvet cupcakes from Billie's Bakery. I've been dying to make cupcakes so it was perfect. The theme colors were pink and red, so with the red velvet cupcakes I made a pink cream cheese frosting which I piped into flower petals. I decided to do more than cupcakes, so for favors, I made cheesecake lollipops with a white chocolate coating sprinkled with almonds and pink sugar crystals.

cheesecake lollipops

stop and smell the roses

This past weekend was all about flowers. Since the NY Botanical Gardens have an exclusive list of florists, it wasn't hard to know where to start. After visiting the florists, which are mostly in Westchester, we understood what flowers were in season for the summer as well as which flowers worked for each element.

We were pretty surprised by how much flower arrangements can cost. So, I decided to explore making some on my own. Gary and I ventured out to the flower district on 28th Street and picked some a few variety of flowers we've been talking about with the florists. I had to resist getting the beautiful, romantic peonies and ranunculuses, which are spring flowers. Those won't be available come August. So sad. Along with the flowers, I invested in some green floral tape and green wire.

So above is a bouquet made with 18 roses and 6 mini Calla lilies, about $25. If I were to make my actual bridal bouquet, I would use some more flowers and add some greenery around the bottom for a skirt to make it a bit fuller.

After the bouquet, I put together some simple boutonnieres for practice. The groom would have a mini Calla lily. Here I used the leaves from the roses and a mini Calla lily, about $2. The single roses are about $1 or so all together since I used the leaves from the roses. Again if I were to make the actual boutonnieres, I would invest in some small accent flowers and some different greenery.

pencil us in

I was asked what our "theme" was for our wedding. Gary and I don't really have a theme. At the end of the day, we just want people to say that the wedding reflected who we are. So, I guess the theme is us!

The first impression of our wedding is the save the date. Both Gary and I come from architecture backgrounds. So with that in mind, we thought to send out pencils but not just regular pencils, carpeneter pencils! They were fun and simple (also inexpensive).

roses for mother's day

For Mother's Day this year I decided to make flowers instead of buying them. Truthfully, two hours into cutting petals, 80 to exact, I was thinking buying flowers would have been a less painful experience. These paper crepe flowers are from a handy kit from the Martha Stewart craft line. However, don't be fooled, although it is a kit from Martha, it doesn't mean it is going to be easy. It took me about 6 hours or so to complete these 6 roses. It was worth every second when I gave it to my mom. She couldn't believe it was paper at first, also it will last throughout the year.