Classic NYC: black and white cookies

We've talked about our affinity with black and white cookies before, and how we think they are the perfect favor/pillow gift for a NYC event. We taste-tested a whole bunch of these perfectly balanced little treats (that are actually more cake-like than of the cookie family) to find the best cookie in the big apple. The verdict has been passed down and our "traditional" favorites are from William Greenberg (a New York institution in and of itself!) but we also have a baker that will do custom colors, as well as heart-shaped. Our research was hard work, but well worth the effort -- and the extra LB's.

We worked with Loulie Walker Events on a 50th birthday celebration for a black and white cookie lover. We topped these 5" in diameter sweets with a custom tag; giving them a personal touch, and playing off the yin and yang / black and white.

Check out the matching oversized black and white cookie CAKE they had made for the event. A true masterpiece by Confetti Cakes!

Personalized Spa Robes

We are loving this idea of a "girls weekend" at a swanky hotel for a 50th birthday. A weekend of pampering; starting with a lush waffle-weave robe embroidered with each guests initials, paired with a matching cosmetic bag with the same. What a personal way to welcome each guest and treat them to a memento they will use afterwards.

We just wish we were on the list!

On that same note, we also embroidered robes for a wedding this weekend. Each of the bridesmaids received our super soft robes embroidered with their names in a luscious pink. And something new - hooded robes for the littlest girls. You can't forget the wee ones - junior bridesmaids, flower girls, or daughters!

Blogging Bootcamp

In an effort to keep this blog fresh and interesting, Heather is attending an all-day Blogging Bootcamp in the city. We are constantly trying to better ourselves, be exposed to new ideas, and be at the top of our game! Which is sometimes exhausting, but well worth it.

Plus, if she doesn't deliver more dynamic content afterwards we are going to make her drop and give us 20!

-Susan

Choose Joy

We had the great pleasure of visiting with floral and event designer Claire Bean at her chic (and lived-in) farmhouse in the Hamptons a month ago. Claire is one of those people who is an inspiration through-and-through; as a professional artist, mother and entrepeneur.

We'll be featuring our interview with Claire (and an upcoming wedding in July that we are collaborating on) soon. But in the meantime, we thought we would share a "gift" she shared with us, and one we created in return.

When we asked Claire what was the best gift she had received, she unequivocally said her "surprise Christmas gift from her family, a red Mini Cooper". What made it even more special was the personalized plate her boys had made for her the following valentine's day, saying her personal slogan, "Choose Joy". One of the wonderful things about Claire is that she surrounds herself with beautiful quotes (like "Let the beauty you love be what you do..") and also lives by them.

We loved "Choose joy" and had a set of soaps engraved for Claire and her family. We individually wrapped them in handpainted mulberry and found a great "Hamptons" hand towel to present it in. A token of our affection!

Simply inspired!

Inspiration can really come from anywhere. I'm always inspired by food packaging, especially when it's rustic. Here (top and bottom left) I couldn't resist this fabulous cheese packaging from a local dairy and our "takeout" paninis. They were so perfect (in their imperfection) that it was difficult to unwrap them, but we did! I feel a wraphia renaissance coming on...

Of course, the children are an inspiration all their own. Mika perched his meringue in a little nest (and has waited for it to hatch ever since) and we found Benny in a Trader Joe's bag (always great design) the other night. I love the unexpected way they style food and themselves!

Where do you find inspiration? What do you do once you find it?

-Heather

Sneak Peak

We're up to our eyeballs in cool projects right now, and we can't wait to blog about the end results! Here's what we've got in the works for the next week: a collection of items for a Bermuda wedding, printed lobster bibs and other nautical treats for a cruise, embroidered robes and cosmetic bags for a spa party, black and white cookies, a "green" mini herb garden favor, and hangover kits.

We'll post as soon as we're done! Here's a sneak peak at golf tees we did for a shotgun tournament for the Bermuda wedding...

Style-maker Spotlight: Wanwisa Posner

We were lucky when Wanwisa Posner stumbled upon us a little bit ago and featured our work several times on her fabulous blog, Modern Vintage Designs. So we were thrilled when she agreed to meet us for lunch in the city recently.

We love her design aesthetic, her passion for what she does, and her fresh take on ordinary items. The fact that she obsesses over fonts like we do - that's just the icing on the cake.

And what's more - she came to our lunch bearing gifts. A sleeve of these heavenly little Macarons from Bouchon. Could we love her more?

Click here to read our interview with Wanwisa and we bet you'll agree with us!

Stationery show

Trade shows can be boring, monotonous, and long. But when you're spending the day shopping with your best friend, it can be really fun. Add a photo booth and what more could you ask for?

We walked the Stationery show yesterday in NYC and found some great new items; Norwegian twine in scrumptious color palettes, cool patterned packing tape, and custom screen-printed journals, to name a few. Besides finding new goodies, the show is great for spotting trends and giving us an outlet for brainstorming and creating new ideas.

Oh, and here we are, taking time out to be goofy in a photobooth, in the midst of all the brainstorming. Check back tomorrow for our Stylemaker Spotlight: Wanwisa Posner.

Style-maker Spotlight: Holly Bimba

Ah, I'm still basking in the sweet glow of Mother's Day; breakfast in bed (scrambled egg-whites and fruit) and lovely heart tokens from my boys. Mika made me a precious pin and presented it to me at his "Mother's day" program and Benjamin "selected" this pendant designed by our friend Holly and created by Cat of Polarity. It came with a cool adjustable chain and modular images that fit on the face of the pendant. Mika took an immediate shine to it, so I hope that I'll get a chance to wear it!

Which leads into my introduction of Holly, a.k.a. Golly Bard. She danced in to my studio (with jazz hands, no less!) back in college and we've been friends ever since. Nathan and I have always been big fans of her work, in fact, the first thing we ever purchased as a couple was a handprinted quilt she created in her senior year. It is still one of the most amazing things we own! Holly is an enigma; her work can be dark and delicate, funny and poignant. It is consistent in that it is always executed in the most beautiful way. We are smitten with her intricate patterns, luscious color palette and captivating line drawings.

We have turned to Holly for custom paper bobble-heads, created in the likeness of each guest for a pirate-themed celebration. And we are currently collaborating with her on a quirky hand-drawn map of D.C. for a destination wedding. As one of our style mavens, we asked her to take part in our interview series and lucky us, she accepted!

Click here to read our full interview with Holly, and get inspired!

-Heather

Introducing "Style-maker Spotlight"

One of the great perks of doing what we do is that we're constantly meeting style-making movers and shakers. We generally ask them to pick a favorite spot to meet, a couple of weeks ago it was NYC Cafe Cluny for lunch and Craftbar for cocktails & snacks (I know, rough lives, right?). Let us tell you, a couple of intense hours spent over a trio of sorbets or chick pea frites are enough to keep our batteries charged through the rest of the week. We leave full of inspiration and gratitude that our work includes spending time with such incredible people.

We are intent on sharing what we think makes these people so interesting, what trends they see, what they think makes a great gift, and where they go for inspiration. So we've started a new feature, "Style-maker Spotlight", so that hopefully you can get a bit of inspiration from these gurus we're lucky to collaborate with.

First up, Holly Bimba, a.k.a Golly Bard, tomorrow! That's one of her watercolors above.

Oh, and check out our fabulous feature on Modern Vintage Designs.

Book of love

We are thrilled to share our new catalog/look book. Twenty-four colorful pages of our hard work; all a labor of love.

We've captured our greatest hits; welcome gifts, etched wine bottles, custom cookies, printed candy, event collages, fire-branded boxes, object place cards, and hangover kits... all for your viewing pleasure. For a mere $15 (that will go towards your order), you can check out our vast array of work in print. So go ahead, ogle away.

Email us to get your hands on one.

Custom Cufflinks

A few weeks before we were married, I gave my husband a pair of cufflinks with our College teams' mascot tastefully (a little bit of an oxymoron, but I knew he'd like them!) engraved on them. I wrapped it up and wrote on the note, "For the big day". Clearly, I should have spelled it out, because his response was, "I don't think I'll be wearing cufflinks to the game." It's that whole Mars / Venus thing.

Heather gave her husband cufflinks with "Every day I write the book" (a favorite Elvis Costello song) engraved in each for their fifth anniversary. So, you see, we are quite smitten with personalized cufflinks and since a groom usually wears them on his wedding day anyway, why not make them really special?

Erin, who's getting married this weekend, was looking for a really personal gift for her fiance and came to us to find unique cufflinks that could be a canvas for an element from his family crest. We took the three acorns from the crest and had them engraved onto Titanium rectangular cufflinks, which was no easy feat, since Titanium is stronger than steel.

Congrats, Erin! We hope he loves them!

-Susan

Vintage Beach Tin

As you know, we're gaga for our fire-branded wooden boxes. But our eyes have wandered. To sleek silver tins adorned custom printed magnets. To "green"-inspired kraft gable boxes. To totes printed with custom maps. Yes, we're four-timing.

So now you can pick from: wood, tin, kraft, or fabric for your container and we'll personalize it (fire-brand, magnet, printed paper band, or silk-screen) with our custom designs. With all the shapes and sizes available, the possibilities are limitless.



We introduced our first tin last week, the NYC lunchbox, and are thrilled to show you a variation on our Hampton box - in a tin this time. This vintage motif was inspired by travel postcards and incorporates a fresh palette that reminds us of a late-summer sunset (pardon the cheesiness, we're thrilled it's finally summer).

• Reusable two-piece tin with a full color custom magnet (what a great keepsake!)


• Coconut-scented candle in travel tin with, "Relax" on the label.


• "Hampton-style" Parmesan Kettlecorn says, "Snack". (also available in fabulous other flavors including "s'mores"!)
  
• Peach Bellini mixer and clear plastic shaker, held in a printed muslin cinch-sack and labeled, "Mix". Sweet peach label on top of shaker.
  

Piñatas for Cinco de Mayo

Ah, Cinco de Mayo. It reminds me of two things, the Liz Phair song that I will be singing all day, and piñatas. Our family loves piñatas. In fact I don't think we have ever had a birthday celebration for our kids without one. Kids and adults alike love to pummel a piñata until it rains sweet treats!

Generally, we prefer piñatas fashioned after inanimate objects rather than animals or people since it is strange to club a penguin until it succumbs, even if it is just paper. For Benny's birthday we opted for a new-fangled version that didn't require a bat at all, just some strategic ribbon pulling (so penguin remained intact, lei and all). For Kasey's first birthday, a simple hot pepper (to go with the "Kasey-dilla" theme) drove the kids wild! Susan filled it with non-edibles; mini-toys, planes, etc. For our Sukkot party last fall, Mika and Nathan made a "beehive" piñata (inspired by the kid's favorite Winnie the Pooh movie) which we hung from our pergola and hit for what seemed like eternity. Note to self: never use a clear coat on exterior that is made of plastic (or fill with easily breakable or heat-sensitive candies)!

These days we are delegating our piñata-making to the experts. We found a fabulous resource that will make artistic, custom-made piñatas to our designs. We are already starting one for Kasey's birthday and will keep you posted. We also love the idea of one mini piñata per guest- a fun take-home gift!

-Heather

Escort / Place Card Series: Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Dragonflies

Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Dragonflies... Oh, my! We created these paper "clips" as escort cards for a wedding last summer. The paper was painted to match the couple's palette and the cards were designed to match the style of the wrought iron entry gates of their home. Perched in a cluster of blooming hydrangea bushes, they were plucked and enjoyed... (we love that many guests ended up wearing them!)

Calligraphy by Nancyhowell.com

Wedding Swag: Simply Elegant

We just created a suite of gifts with Judith Ness for Erica and Jeff's wedding next weekend, and it reminds us that you don't have to gild the lily! Just a few carefully chosen elements executed beautifully are like a mint julep on Derby Day, just right. The spring green, paired with a beautiful calligraphic script & stylized monogram (both designed by Judith) gives it a fresh twist on traditional. It's a perfect spring look that's modern and minty fresh!

Pictured here: Water bottle labels, Hangover Kits, custom printed cookies, and a hang tag for the welcome kit.

Crushworthy: Marshmallow Pops

Here's a dirty little secret: Susan and I can eat toasted marshmellows until we are sick. We love a bonfire anyway (Susan's wedding on the Eastern Shore ended with one in the wee morning hours), but add a stick and some fluffy, sugary goodness and all self-control seems to slip away. I like them burnt and Susan takes her's lightly toasted, if you must know.

So when we originally saw customized marshmellow pops, we were delighted at the possibility. We knew that the perfect presentation of our bejeweled little darlings is on sticks! They can be sprinkled in almost any color or any style decor, which changes the look dramatically. Dipped in white chocolate, printed with our design, and glammed up with some luster-dusted dragées, these shower treats arrived today and we are infatuated. They are way too chic to set ablaze!

These would be perfect for:
• pillow gifts
• an addition to a dessert buffet / candy table
• welcome or departure gifts
• guest gifts at each placesetting

-Heather