Holiday Baking: Snowball Cookies

Perfect timing!  My mom just sent me her “secret” holiday snowball cookie recipe and now I can compare with the research Cake Spy just provided on their blog. Check out all the variations they tested here … I noticed that mom’s recipe is slightly different too {adding vanilla & pecans, which reads more like the Russian Teacakes} oh well, I’m excited to start baking…I hope you find a cookie you love too, happy holiday’s!

 

Eco-Beautiful Weddings Online Magazine

The Winter 2010, Eco-Beautiful Weddings E-zine is live:
We are the first and only eco-friendly and eco-couture international online wedding magazine. Take a look at our premiere issue filled with hundreds of ideas, beautiful weddings and celebrities! —the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Blog

So yes, I’m all about having an actual printed magazine to hold & flip through {especially since my design background has been, and still is, within the publishing business}…but I must admit, it was fun to hear the pages swish when I clicked on the corners. The content is creative & all the images are bright & colorful. Plus, it’s so easy to select a product description or advertiser and instantly be redirected to their website.  Being that I’m also in the invitation/stationery biz, the wedding E-zine is definitely helping me think first by offering more recycled paper solutions when starting a project with my brides. Thanks!

* below is a quick glance showing a few of my favorite online spreads…and as a fellow art director, the layouts look fabulous!  Have fun clicking through the pages…

 

Your Personalized Wedding Map

It’s been another fun year working closely with all my brides, not only on their custom invitations but on their personalized Wedding maps too!

Most clients request that I also design & print their enclosure cards with their custom Wedding Invitation package that I create, but this year I began assisting a few DIY brides who either created their own invitation -or- chose an invite from another website, but didn’t have the time or option to include a map. Therefore, I started designing personalized Wedding maps based on an invite design. Once the map is finalized, I provide a printable digital map via email. Each gal can then print on their own paper or upload to an online printer of choice.
This process has worked out great & I love adding that extra unique style to each stationery package {my brides also seem very excited too}!  Check out a few of the Wedding maps I designed this year, which show how we incorporated each gal’s theme onto their map: adding personalized info & locations, colors, fonts & any design details/or monogram {plus each are custom sized to fit an invite package or welcome bag}.

We had two successful Enclosure Card contests this year with Amy Jean at The Relentless Bride Blog and recently at The Weddzilla Blog. I’m currently working with the 2 winners on their designs, but I love hearing from all the brides who entered + new inquires too. Please let me know if you need any assistance creating your personalized Wedding Map.
{fyi: papercake can also print your map if needed}.

 

Real Wedding: Lynn + Ed = Fiji Water Love

I discovered wedding photos from a fun couple I recently worked with, Lynn & Ed, over on the Duke Photography Blog. AND wow… what a beautiful event that not only showcased a group of very talented vendors, but a very stylish couple too!  Uyen at Sassy Girl Weddings created an amazing outdoor setting to complement the gorgeous Rancho Las Lomas venue in Silverado {southern California}.

I love that we hung the customized escort tags, which seated each guest to their table, on the mini fiji water bottles. We used the same brown elastic thread that was used around their diagonal booklet invitation {invite shown below}.

I’m also super excited that their chic Wedding Cake matches their custom invitation & address labels, which we personalized just for the couple using orange, brown + a unique swirl design!

{closer more detailed shot showing all their reception stationery; table/menu table tents}

>>see more engagement & wedding images @ Dukes Blog.

Photographer > Duke Photography
Wedding Coordinator > Sassy Girl Weddings & Events
Cake >  Great Dane Bakery Florist > Commerce Flowers
> 24 Carrots Catering >  Fusion Linens

 

Real Wedding Preview: cake & stationery

Viani, a recent client of mine, sent a few sneak peek images from her Wedding Reception in San Francisco’s Presidio…these are such a tease!  I cannot wait to see the photographer’s final shots. Her Wedding cake / cupcake dessert table is so simple & colorful {+ that custom cake topper is so darn cute, I’m still trying to find out who made it?}.

We worked together to create her personalized ceremony & reception stationery {shown below}. I hope her guests loved the custom layered, tea-length ceremony program with twine headband. The textured paper we used throughout is a perfect match for the events location.

I promise I will post more wedding & reception images as soon as I can get a hold of them! ;}

location >  Presidio of San Francisco Log Cabin
cupcakes >  That Takes The Cake {fyi: I stopped by their shop for a taste; “bunny bites” carrot cake + “lemon drops” lemon filled were both scrumptious!}
cake >  friend & baker, Adelina Wong

 

Anyone else craving Cupcakes?

Yes, I’ve been craving cupcakes lately and I have no idea why. It must be the holiday season! I also want to plan a fun cocktail list to try at this year’s family get-together {that shall be a separate post}.

Anyway, back to my cupcake craving, my local fave in the San Francisco Bay Area is Kara’s Cupcakes, i love that they sell mini cupcakes + their cake is super moist.  I would really like to try Sibby’s Cupcakery in San Mateo, but they are an appointment/order only bakery {I need to host a party soon so I can order the Sibby’s Sampler}.

{once upon a time…my old biz-partner, karin, made these cupcakes shown above. maybe she remembers the flavors, but oh how I want one now!}

Honestly, I should really find time to bake my own cupcakes, but which recipe do I choose? Frostings too? help!

Ok, maybe I’ll make a stop today to get my quick fix at the  Vanilla Moon Bakery in San Carlos {after I meet my client to drop off her ceremony programs of course} …wait, come to think of it, the dessert table for her San Francisco Presidio wedding this weekend will be set with cupcakes from That Takes The Cake {check out the creative cupcake names + their Cocktail Cupcakes}!   I have not been to this bakery yet, so that’s that, I’m definitely stopping by this turkey weekend since we’ll be hanging out downtown in the Marina /Union Street area! Done.

>> below are a few cupcake blogs with helpful info on finding a local cupcake shop along with some unique recipes too. Please let me know {& the bloggers} if you have a favorite local shop that is not listed. You should give those mom-n-pop shops a shout-out so everyone near by can stop by to relieve their cupcake craving too!

*cupcakes take the cake

*cupcake activist

*cake spy

*cupcake project

Ah-ha! I just found this post over at San Francisco Style Unveiled, it lists the Top 10 cup-cakeries in the SF Bay Area! {they also have a few more city’s to check out here}

 

Sharon’s Lavender Wedding Invitation {update}

We completed Sharon & Roger’s wedding invitation package & below is the final result {also shown is Nhaman & Jeremy’s package, which this invite design was based on}.

Can you pick out the custom changes between these two booklet designs?

Sharon

Nhaman

Sharon & Roger designed their own monogram and incorporated their wedding colors of lavender, silver & ivory into the paper & ink {we even added a darker purple paper for more contrast}. They changed the font and finally slipped in a lavender embellishment to their 3-layer belly-band.  It’s amazing how different these invites now look after changing a few personal touches.

Read more about the early stages of their design process here.

 

Stationery Giveaway Update

Congrats to Tiffany from Atlanta, who won PaperCake Designs “Awesome Invitation Giveaway” at the Relentless Bride Blog!  Amy Jean {aka the relentless bride} announced the random winner for FREE enclosures cards & outer envelopes, to accompany their favorite invite design. I can’t wait to work with Tiffany on her personalized invitation suite, but I would also love to chat with everyone else who entered, so please contact me when you’re ready to start the invite process … PLUS…

MORE BIG NEWS… we’re doing another giveaway at the Weddzilla Blog! Check out their post here and make sure to enter asap!

{below are some of the most popular invitation designs from the past giveaway, all can be customized to each couples theme & event details}

FROM TOP, LEFT to RIGHT kendra, kelly, nhaman, krysta, andrea, cara, alexis, darlene

 

Cuppie is a Cake Spy…

I’ve recently been introduced to a super adorable illustration of “cuppie” at the Cake Spy Blog & Shop {via the Bella Cupcake Couture Blog > where you’ll find chic cupcake wrappers to adorn your dessert table for any event; see photo below}.

Anywho, I’m so happy to report that this Dessert Detective Agency not only has creative & unique recipes, but some fun stories hidden throughout {my personal favorite would be the history of the Pop-Tart}.  Enjoy… and please tell me what recipe you want to try & how it goes, or if you find a funny story you like, I may have missed it!

 

Memorable & stylish portrait photography

My friend Rose of Rosaura Sandoval Photography is an SF Bay Area Wedding & Portrait photographer…and I’m loving the color & vibrance of her images. She is shooting some amazing engagement, wedding & trash-the-dress photos for her clients, so I had to post a preview below! Give her a ring & tell her papercake gal sent you.  ;)

{ABOVE  what an awesome save-the-date card idea, especially since that’s where they met!}

{Rose helped me shoot my invitation line for my new website design… I so appreciated her support and style advice, thx rosie!}