Loft Lovely

I don't know where I found this picture, but I love this cafe..  The vibe is totally low key, creative, with just a hint of the industrial loft feel.  Love it!

Happy Friday

Just an interesting perspective to think about over the weekend.  Happy Friday!
 

What I Want Wednesday: A Summer in Paris

Dreaming of a summer in Paris...

where I would eat these...

while drinking this...

after admiring this...

 

and waking up here...

 I can't wait!

Packaging Crush: Theurel & Thomas

 I bring to you today one of my biggest design crushes ever.  Theurel & Thomas is a french macaroon company that has done for macaroons what I am doing with spices: created a new, clean, elegant, and modern design for an old world treat.

Macaroons are a classic french meringue cookie, enjoyed by many today but coveted by the French kings and queens for centuries.  Similar to my homeland's amaretti cookies, macaroons are made using mostly whipped egg-whites and coconut or ground almonds.  Today, the colorful cookies have made a resurgence in popularity within bakeries across the world.

While I was perusing some pictures of these sweet treats online the other day, I came across Identity Designed,  a forum for creatives involved in the design of brand identities.  That's where I learned about Theurel & Thomas.  This company is impressive, and their products absolutely gorgeous.

The design is smart and keeps the elegant heritage of the macaroon in mind.  From one of the designers at Anagrama:

"For this project it was very important to create an imposing brand that would emphasize the unique value, elegance and detail of this delicate dessert."

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"White was our primary tool for design. As a result of this, the attention was fully oriented to the colourful macarons. We placed two lines in our design in cyan and magenta, as a relation with a modern French flag to inject a vanguard vision to the identity. We selected Didot (created by Firmin and Pierre Didot), a French typography that would present the brand with sophistication."

 I'm not a creative, but I admire the designer's commitment to keeping the design simple so the colorful macaroons could take center stage.

 And the storefront (in Mexico!) is just as beautiful:

 {all images via Theurel & Thomas}

Mari's of New York

One of the things that I'm most looking forward to when I actually have the storefront is the opportunity to customize basket and gift orders for my clients.  I'm excited to put together packages for clients looking to stock a new bride's first spice cabinet with the essential basic spices, for the athletic clients looking to boost their metabolism while eating low calorie/high flavor meals, for a man or woman who loves to barbecue and wants to create their own spice blends, and to the aspiring chef who wants a million different salts and spice infused sugars, to name just a few.  Wedding favors, however, will be one of the most fun for me to create, and hopefully one of the best customized products to sell!

I was inspired to write about favors after I read about Mari's of New York customized brownie favors.  Personally speaking, I think these are one of the classiest and thoughtful (because who doesn't love a brownie?) wedding favors I've seen in a while.

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And here are a few other of my favorite favors! 

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Check out c(oi)n:purse's homemade vanilla extract here!

You Had Me at Bourbon Vanilla

As you may already know, I've been a hawk the past few months when it comes to the packaging and design of different products.  Typically I find myself drawn to the Jo Malone, Chanel, Peony, Trish McEvoy designs with super simple lines devoid of any strong color.  Well, be still my heart, I have a new packaging crush on a line of gourment brownies!

If you haven't heard of Mari's of New York, I'm happy to make your first introduction.  This packaging is the perfect blend of the simple and classic design  that I love with at more whimsical twist.

www.marisny.com

These brownies are absolutely delicious, and the blend of exotic spices and salts has me smitten.  Check out her classic and seasonal flavors:

Signature:

Classic

Classic with Nuts

Caramel Sea Salt

Coconut

Thai Coffee

Heat

Blonde Bombshell

Seasonal:

Love is in the Air

Mighty Mint

Holiday Cheer

L'Orange

Meet Mari and her NYC brownie shop:

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  More about her brownies from www.marisny.com:

Baked entirely from scratch, our brownies are made with only the finest and freshest ingredients like premium dark chocolate, Grade AA butter and Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract. No artificial flavors or preservatives. Each brownie is individually wrapped to preserve freshness and flavor. Packed in our beautiful, signature baton box, Mari's brownies are a gift to be savored, whether shared or hoarded. We think they are "Simply Marvelous" and we hope you do too.

Surrender Who You Are for What You Could Become

I'm back into the swing of things in a new year here at the SLP.  I hope this blog post finds you all happy and healthy, hopefully still glowing from the time you spent with family and friends for the holiday.

2010 was a very significant year for me, one that brought me to a place of great professional fulfillment, spiritual growth, creativity, gratitude, and passion. It was, however, also a year filled with a number of unexpected challenges, painful emotional growth spurts, and tests of my fortitude that at times, I admit, made me feel like I had been kicked in the stomach.

I'm typically not one for resolutions, but I have made a new list of intentions for 2011.  The first intention I'm setting this year it is to embrace change more often.  I find myself staring change straight in the face, often times afraid of what it brings.  I'd like to change that this year.  I was inspired by this quote over the holiday, and I think my first post in the new year is the perfect place to share it.  I hope you find the same inspiration in it as I do.