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gasp! oh boy i have been doing that a lot lately. but really, i am completely gobsmacked at the fact that my little munchkin has turned four. i am not sure what it is about the number four or if it’s just leaving the “three’s” but it seems like that whole year older makes my little girl so grown up. she was still a toddler at three in my eyes. these days, she makes it very clear to me that she is far from a baby. her vocabulary is far beyond her years and she can give you looks i wouldn’t expect from my adult friends. alas, not much has changed, she is still my warrior princess with a little mind of her own and a heart full of gold.
she also has her mommies passion for all things creative and fun so when i asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday she responded so diligently with i want my girlfriends at my house and i want cake and fun! well, that we would deliver for her. naturally, i made it a little more interesting than just that with a sweet little red and white themed party. lots of cute stripes, pops of gold and red glitter even on the cookies.
the girls got crafty and made hand painted ornaments for their families and even a mini gingerbread house. it was such a joy to see them interact with each other, laugh so hard their bellies hurt and naturally take a little time to get wild!
i loved creating this event for the girl in my life who will forever be the most important, the most beautiful and the most carefree, genuine little being.
all images by meg
x, m
inspired beyond a thousand words by the work of maria del mar sacasa. from someone who knows how difficult it can be to style, i must say that maria has a true talent. the biggest challenge with styling is knowing when to stop, knowing when there is something missing and quite frankly deciding to completely flip the scene. colours, textures and balance are critical to the shot and if you are styling editorial like maria, your pressure for perfection becomes increasingly prevalent.
for me, planning is the most critical part of styling. you must have a vision on paper! its not an option to wing it. propping is such an important part of the style shoot that if you don’t plan, you are likely to miss something. your colour scheme needs to work together, they should be complimentary and if you are styling food, make sure that it is always the focal point. don’t let the props take away from what you are trying to achieve in your food romancing. simple is always best, less is most certainly more and lighting is your best friend!
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x, m
i made a comment on twitter last week that apparently a whole bundle of design friends can relate to. i mentioned the fact that i made blueberry muffins at 6:30 in the morning on a weekday and sloane asked me if they were for real or for show. i had to giggle, since she has clearly picked up on the baking and cooking that i do for style shoots and the baking and cooking i do for my family! sounds like the latter is not as frequent these days :(
anyway, good news is that i did share the goodies from a recent shoot this weekend. piles of chocolate cookies landed in the kitchen after a few snaps. sloane of course was thrilled!
hope everyone is having a great week so far.
x, m
my beautiful girlfriend Stephanie has been blessed with the upcoming arrival of her handsome baby boy. with only about a month to go, Steph and her husband Scott are over the moon with excitement. Stephanie shares a very special birthday with Sloane and is the kind of girl that I would be proud to call my own. I see so many amazing traits in Sloane that I have always seen in Steph. Not to mention an incredible sense of humor, tremendous dedication and a creative, spirited soul.
a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated this little man who will soon join us, with a beautiful shower hosted by Natalie, Caroline and Kari. The girls did such a beautiful job pulling everything together. a grey and mint themed party, everything looked simple and classy.
caroline and her fiance have a beautiful home in the city and she did a great job with all the little details in her presentation. her table ( gorgeous in and of itself ) was well placed with vintage bottles, mason jars and shades of mint cake plates. her collection in candy certainly impressed me with tasty treats that were also beautiful.
i am so grateful for my friends and for our time together. thank you ladies for hosting a lovely afternoon, one i am sure Steph will remember forever!
these pretty images were snapped by Ms. Jani Blake who is a budding little photographer and quite frankly a beauty to look at herself!
x, m
hip hip hooray! it’s the weekend and a new month. well hello June. and while we are at it, it is also national donut day so please promise me you will go out and indulge in a little glazed treat.
21 days from today marks the big 3.0 i am still dedicated to my 30 to 30, just not sharing all of them :) some are little goals just for me! you know like staying committed to always matching your bra’s and undies. my mom says this must always be a girls goal. she’s pretty spectacular i tell ya. anyway, less of that and more of day 8 goal which is to have my site updated by my birthday. yep! looking to make some subtle changes to M&C as we enter in to the anniversary of year 1! i am depending on others for some support here- hopefully they like me enough to meet my goal with me :)
happy weekend sweet people!
x, m
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┬áwho doesn’t love a warm, flaky blueberry scone! de-lish right? sloane and i love baking together. she is such a great little helper and of course all smiles in the process. i popped over to martha stewart online and found this recipe. it was easy peasy and the end result was this perfect mix of sweet and tart!
i paired my scone with a dollop of coconut yogurt. to.die.for!
images, meg’s iPhone VSCO
x, m
i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! this adorable ice cream social party curated by Jeni of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and collected on Better Homes and Garden’s is a fabulous and fun idea!
i love that it is casual yet every little detail was included. the decor is bright and playful. think about having your next summer gathering as an ice cream social. be sure to include all of these amazing toppings, tasty sweets and champagne.
x, m
who doesn’t love a little mid week treat! i am such a strawberry fan, but then again who isn’t right? the perfect combination of sweet and tart is oh so divine. mix it up in to a cake and hello, sign me up! side note- i went gluten free a few weeks ago and this cake is made with millet flour which is a great gluten free alternative.
this delicious number courtesy of the talented Bea over at La Tartine Gourmande seems easy enough to concoct and even easier to indulge. for the full recipe, check it out here.
x, m
today marked a very big day for sweet designer extraordinaire, Amy Atlas. Amy’s book Sweet Designs launched today and i am anxious to dive in to the beauty, tips and tricks that Amy has to offer. Amy is a huge inspiration in the world of event and sweet table design. a big ol’ congrats Amy!
x, m
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┬ádon’t you absolutely love fine china? the daintier the better! I often have people ask what they should make to entertain friends and family and I find myself suggesting brunch or sweet little lunches since they are always light and simple. More often than not they are also more cost effective since the amount of alcohol required is usually less.
lunch fetes and brunches are also very easy to prepare for ahead of time. you can bake all your sweets, prepare tea sandwiches, quiche and salads and the pressure is officially off on the day your guests arrive.
dress up your nibblies with sweet tags, bunting and be sure to place them on your prettiest serving ware. The attention to detail goes a long way and your guests will be sure to notice.
x, m
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