For those of you who know this tune (Fergalicious) and just how catchy it is, I apologize for getting it in your head-probably for the rest of the day-but I couldn't resist a Fergie reference, plus it seemed a fitting title for this post.
I strolled into work this morning without my routine cup of coffee (read: crabby) and as I waited for the pot to finish brewing I lethargically signed into my email. Now, some of you may not know this (actually, why would you, unless you stalk me), but I am currently in the process of getting my yoga teacher certification and so have been discussing the possibility of opening a studio with a friend of mine who teaches pilates. We have been bouncing ideas off of each other for while now, but her latest idea is pure genuis, nbd. In an email to me she described her plans to market a class for brides to be that will focus on toning, specifically the arms, buns and back (see, I told you-genius). Now, we all want to look our best, but sometimes we need that extra motivation, a little extra something to get us off the couch and into the gym. What better motivation than the thought of being gawked at by hundreds of people, photographed, and posed for pictures that will last a lifetime; aka, your wedding day?
Kristen is still "working out" the kinks of the program, as well as the specifics (dates, etc.), but I will make sure to keep you all posted. I think that this is a great opportunity to get firmed up, have fun and maybe meet some friends, share ideas, network (the possibilities are endless!). Plus, bikini season is just around the corner (God help us). So come back soon, registration details to follow.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
love is in the air
On a recent trip to my favorite salon, to see my favorite aesthetician (Jen at Juut Downtown MPLS-the woman can wax!), I was going through my normal routine; browse, wax, browse, sample, check out--when the service coordinator behind the counter offered me a cupcake. Yep, you read that right, she offered me a cupcake. Being that it was shortly after the New Year and resolutions were still fresh in my mind, I grimaced, wanting the sweet treat, but knowing that I probably shouldn't indulge...but I did anyway. Boy, was I happy that I did!
The cupcake was from Cocoa and Fig, a local confectionary which, up until that point, had conducted most of their business online and at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Minneapolis; but, as of this week, will now occupy a small space next to Juut Salon in Gaviidae Common (how convenient for me!)
I recently checked out the Cocoa and Fig website and was thrilled to discover that they also offer a wide variety of catering options, with a wide variety of display designs; I am instantly in love.
Owners Laurie Pyle and Joe Lin are partnering with St. Louis Park-based Bull Run Roasting Co. for drip coffees at their new storefront (no espresso, since nearby Caribou Coffee has a mallwide non-compete) and plan to serve quiche and breakfast pastries, including muffins, scones and their fabulous cream cheese-Nutella brioche in addition to some fabulously sweet treats and cakes. Coffee and dessert-look out for me.
My "discovery" of Cocoa and Fig came at an ever-so-opportune time. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I decided to check out their V-Day specials, and whoa! was I delighted. I have always been more of a fan of candy and chocolate than flowers anyway-after all, what is it they say? "flowers say 'I'm sorry' and chocolate says 'I love you'" No matter what you plan to get your valentine this year, make sure to check out Cocoa and Fig for special occasions, events, as a gift or just because; it's definitely worth the
trip.
The cupcake was from Cocoa and Fig, a local confectionary which, up until that point, had conducted most of their business online and at the Farmer's Market in Downtown Minneapolis; but, as of this week, will now occupy a small space next to Juut Salon in Gaviidae Common (how convenient for me!)
I recently checked out the Cocoa and Fig website and was thrilled to discover that they also offer a wide variety of catering options, with a wide variety of display designs; I am instantly in love.
Owners Laurie Pyle and Joe Lin are partnering with St. Louis Park-based Bull Run Roasting Co. for drip coffees at their new storefront (no espresso, since nearby Caribou Coffee has a mallwide non-compete) and plan to serve quiche and breakfast pastries, including muffins, scones and their fabulous cream cheese-Nutella brioche in addition to some fabulously sweet treats and cakes. Coffee and dessert-look out for me.
My "discovery" of Cocoa and Fig came at an ever-so-opportune time. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I decided to check out their V-Day specials, and whoa! was I delighted. I have always been more of a fan of candy and chocolate than flowers anyway-after all, what is it they say? "flowers say 'I'm sorry' and chocolate says 'I love you'" No matter what you plan to get your valentine this year, make sure to check out Cocoa and Fig for special occasions, events, as a gift or just because; it's definitely worth the
trip.
"feast" your eyes on these:
Black Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing (and red heart)
Lemon Coconut (with pink coconut!)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
pictures! finally
So, after 106 days of anxiously waiting, the pictures are here! I could barely believe my eyes yesterday when I saw the notification email. I spent a good hour and a half looking through them, as there are a ton, and I have to say that I am satisfied. I am not sure that anyone should have to wait as long as Kristen and Dan did, but I am glad to see that the photos exist-because, let's be honest, for a minute there, I feared something terrible had happened.
I maintain what I said earlier about this experience with Studio Blue. There were a lot of great shots, but to some degree, I was expecting...more. The pictures are posted in progression, and I must say, that those in the salon and of us ladies getting ready captured some very intimate and special moments. I was less impressed however, with those of the wedding party as a group and was disappointed by a lack of pictures of only Kristen and Dan.
Ultimately, I was thrilled to see the shots, and to be able to relive that very special day through them, but was extremely disappointed in the length of time that it took. I would venture to say that hand painted portraits would be ready in less time.
Overall, I give Studio Blue 2.5 stars (out of 5).
I maintain what I said earlier about this experience with Studio Blue. There were a lot of great shots, but to some degree, I was expecting...more. The pictures are posted in progression, and I must say, that those in the salon and of us ladies getting ready captured some very intimate and special moments. I was less impressed however, with those of the wedding party as a group and was disappointed by a lack of pictures of only Kristen and Dan.
Ultimately, I was thrilled to see the shots, and to be able to relive that very special day through them, but was extremely disappointed in the length of time that it took. I would venture to say that hand painted portraits would be ready in less time.
Overall, I give Studio Blue 2.5 stars (out of 5).
roses are re...wait!
Whew! What a weekend! As per usual it went too fast. I am exhausted and sore (from 8 racquetball losses yesterday!), but happy to be able to share the details of a wedding that I helped with this past weekend. Ever since my best friend's wedding last October, I have been keeping a close eye on many things, but flowers are my current obsession (in case you haven't noticed). I was particularly impressed with the flowers at said friend's wedding-maybe even more so now that I have seen how much flowers can add or detract from the overall theme, and I have been itching to get some hands-on experience with florals. Thus, I decided to reach out to Sadie of Sadie's Fine Floral Design, the studio who provided for Kristen's wedding, to see if she would let me shadow her for a day. Luckily, she had a bigger wedding on tap and so invited me to spend the day with her crew this past Saturday at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, MN.
I arrived at their new studio space-which they share with Fete Perfection-and was immediately in love. Even though it is an older, warehouse-type building, I was enamored with the space, particularly the garage door-style loading dock that doubles as a wall of windows, the fanciful embellishments to the 'lounge' area, and the intoxicating aroma of various blooms. I learned quickly that I really never knew quite what went into the prep for a wedding-I can only imagine what kind of activity would surround two events on one day...
This wedding in particular was a bit unique in that the ceremony, dinner and reception were all held at Interlachen Country Club (a gorgeous, but adequately pricey venue)-with the ceremony and reception in the same room, so during the cocktail hour, the entire arrangement had to be changed out-something that Sadie had not yet done before-but planned and executed perfectly. We arrived with all the supplies, ready to conquer the otherwise, fairly 'blah' space, and within a few hours, the club was transformed. My favorite part of the entire design were the enormous arrangements at the head of the aisle, constructed of spanish moss, white roses, amaryllis, lillies, hyacinth and curly wood. If and when I figure out how to get photos from my phone to the computer, I will post them here...stand by.
The aisles were lined by 8-3 1/2-foot tall glass cylinders, filled with water, orchids and topped with an illuminated floating candle. Each window bay was decorated with smaller glass cylinders of varying heights also filled with water and a floating candle; all in all, over 100 cylinders were filled and arranged throughout the room. After the room flip, the taller cylinders were placed atop every other table, and large arrangements, similar to those at the head of the aisle, were fixed atop (precarious, and anxiety-inducing, but gorgeous). The 'odd' tables-were topped with a nine piece arrangement, consisting of three smaller vases, filled with water and smaller arrangements, staggered and surrounded by cylinders with water and floating candles. The head table was adorned with a beautiful, 6 foot long arrangement in the center, which helped to create a harvest table, at which the wedding party sat on all four sides. (Damn me not being able to transfer those photos...but make sure to visit the gallery on Sadie's website to see more of her amazing designs).
The mix of flowers and candlelight was so dreamy and romantic. And to be honest, I was also thoroughly impressed with the Interlachen staff. They were helpful and hard working-without them, a well-executed flip would have been impossible. One note of caution: when hanging votives from flamable materials, like... say, curlywood, be careful to allow enough space between the flame and the material so as to avoid a fire. The banquet manager at the Club nearly had a heart attack when he thought that he saw smoke just before the ceremony was about to begin.
Needless to say, by 6:30 PM I was exhausted. Not only was there an enormous amount of prep, but a similiarly significant amount of physical labor-probably part of the reason that Sadie and her staff are in such incredible shape (I wouldn't lie). As I drove through the Edina neighborhoods on my way home though, I couldn't help but recount the day's events and marvel at the creativity and workmanship that goes into the smallest of details. I was truly impressed with and proud to have been part of this event and I thank Sadie and her staff for not only allowing me to tag along, but for so graciously showing me the ropes.
I arrived at their new studio space-which they share with Fete Perfection-and was immediately in love. Even though it is an older, warehouse-type building, I was enamored with the space, particularly the garage door-style loading dock that doubles as a wall of windows, the fanciful embellishments to the 'lounge' area, and the intoxicating aroma of various blooms. I learned quickly that I really never knew quite what went into the prep for a wedding-I can only imagine what kind of activity would surround two events on one day...
This wedding in particular was a bit unique in that the ceremony, dinner and reception were all held at Interlachen Country Club (a gorgeous, but adequately pricey venue)-with the ceremony and reception in the same room, so during the cocktail hour, the entire arrangement had to be changed out-something that Sadie had not yet done before-but planned and executed perfectly. We arrived with all the supplies, ready to conquer the otherwise, fairly 'blah' space, and within a few hours, the club was transformed. My favorite part of the entire design were the enormous arrangements at the head of the aisle, constructed of spanish moss, white roses, amaryllis, lillies, hyacinth and curly wood. If and when I figure out how to get photos from my phone to the computer, I will post them here...stand by.
The aisles were lined by 8-3 1/2-foot tall glass cylinders, filled with water, orchids and topped with an illuminated floating candle. Each window bay was decorated with smaller glass cylinders of varying heights also filled with water and a floating candle; all in all, over 100 cylinders were filled and arranged throughout the room. After the room flip, the taller cylinders were placed atop every other table, and large arrangements, similar to those at the head of the aisle, were fixed atop (precarious, and anxiety-inducing, but gorgeous). The 'odd' tables-were topped with a nine piece arrangement, consisting of three smaller vases, filled with water and smaller arrangements, staggered and surrounded by cylinders with water and floating candles. The head table was adorned with a beautiful, 6 foot long arrangement in the center, which helped to create a harvest table, at which the wedding party sat on all four sides. (Damn me not being able to transfer those photos...but make sure to visit the gallery on Sadie's website to see more of her amazing designs).
The mix of flowers and candlelight was so dreamy and romantic. And to be honest, I was also thoroughly impressed with the Interlachen staff. They were helpful and hard working-without them, a well-executed flip would have been impossible. One note of caution: when hanging votives from flamable materials, like... say, curlywood, be careful to allow enough space between the flame and the material so as to avoid a fire. The banquet manager at the Club nearly had a heart attack when he thought that he saw smoke just before the ceremony was about to begin.
Needless to say, by 6:30 PM I was exhausted. Not only was there an enormous amount of prep, but a similiarly significant amount of physical labor-probably part of the reason that Sadie and her staff are in such incredible shape (I wouldn't lie). As I drove through the Edina neighborhoods on my way home though, I couldn't help but recount the day's events and marvel at the creativity and workmanship that goes into the smallest of details. I was truly impressed with and proud to have been part of this event and I thank Sadie and her staff for not only allowing me to tag along, but for so graciously showing me the ropes.
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