I promised that I would keep my eyes open for inspiration while I was on holiday, and I had the chance to do another shop tour and snap some photos to share with you. Babybling, established in 2007 by Camelia Mohebi, is the cutest shop I have ever seen!

As you step into the store, you enter a baby heaven decorated in a soft palette of blues and pinks, sparkly accessories and adorable touches for boy and girl. This one-stop shop has anything and everything you can think of when it comes to babies. My favorite spot in the shop had to be the charming little candy bar, with sweets placed in different sized bottles and tubes hanging from above, that is so suited for any occasion and makes a great focus point in the space.

Carrying a wide range of baby gifts and services for newborn babies and parents to be, at Babybling you can find beautiful ready made as well as customized, do-it-yourself hampers, baby room accessories, hampers, funky clothing, jewelry and trinkets that would all make excellent gifts. They also offer party services that cover all aspects of baby related occasions like baby showers, delivery parties and birthday parties as well.

Babybling is currently displaying their Ramadan collection of little onesies. The Arabic writing is a term for gift giving that is done during the Eid holiday, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan. As well as stocking various lines from emerging designers around the world, Babybling carries their own line of clothing, manufacturing a lot of the clothes and jewelry themselves with cute little messages and icons like the Hand of Fatima, the evil eye, and ‘Lock up your daughters’ for adorable boys!

What is best about all of this is that you don’t have to be based in Dubai to enjoy all this, because Babybling ships internationally, so all you have to do is visit their website and place an order.  Babybling also has a Community page where mothers and mothers to be can get information, gain expert advice and talk to one another.

(images: babybling, samia kallidis for burrs & berries)

Confetti System is the result of a collaboration between artists, stylists, designers and friends Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho, who have a shared love of communal celebration and craft-making.

Confetti System art directs and creates stunning installations and sets for the fashion and music industry. Bright, fun and colorful – confetti system transforms simple and mundane materials like tissue paper, cardboard and silk into interactive objects, creating a focal point “where memories are made and a spontaneous collaboration with the viewer is sparked. Confetti System’s creations occupy the space between the ephemeral and the permanent, evoking a sense of nostalgia and lighthearted fun.” Doesn’t that sound divine? I am sold!

You can even buy your own products from Confetti System from their shop, and better yet, order a custom design! Their line of jewelry and festive objects are sold through Opening Ceremony, Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Bergdorf Goodman, and have been exhibited in art galleries and museums in New York, LA, Miami and Holland.

Who says you have to wait for an occasion to order some festive decorations? Confetti System’s multicolored tassel garlands would look adorable for a backyard party, barbecue, or in the home for the summer, be it in the living room, kitchen or hallway, they’d liven up any room or space! Would you put these up in your home? What other ways could you think of using these lovely products?

(images: confetti system)

Happy Canada Day! I recently came across the most adorable boutique I have ever seen. My Little Day is a kids party shop in France, where you can find beautifully designed and packaged treasures like party hats, balloons, confetti, even invitation cards, plates and napkins! And could the name be any cuter?

Mothers and owners Dorothée Monestier and Gabriella Toscan were nice enough to share some photos from their photoshoot with their own children having a blast! Styled with all the treasures you can find at their shop, the set looks so fun and festive, adorned with little details and bright colors, looking like a scene from the circus.

My Little Day is a celebration of life, reminding us to have fun and let loose every once in a while. We often get carried away with other things in life, and forget to celebrate the little things. Dorothée and Gabriella laugh, dance, jump and play with their children. My Little Day explores children’s imagination and creativity, and celebrates the most special day of the year, and what child doesn’t love celebrating their birthday! I could see a fabulously decorated party with all the items from this shop in a cute backyard on a summer day.

(images: my little day)

I have been wanting to write about fairly new online Nonpareil Magazine for a while now because it’s just full of gorgeous budget and accessible wedding and event planning and inspiration, do-it-yourself projects and lovely photography.

Nonpareil Magazine is a collaboration between Maddy Hague and Kristen Magee, packed with do-it-yourself inspiration, craft tutorials and projects, printables, templates and tips mainly for weddings. They also have a downloads section where you can find printables and templates from all their issues!

I briefly introduced Nonpareil here a couple of months ago when I contributed to the second issue. But if you haven’t had the chance to explore it yet, head on over to the site and enjoy their fourth issue!

(images: nonpareil magazine)

It’s finally Friday! So let’s start the weekend on a light note with some gorgeous floral design to inspire you and brighten up your day.

Designer Janie Medley trained in New York CIty  and is constantly exploring distinctive flower markets and specialty shops in order to stay fresh and creative. It’s evident in her work, as Janey Medley Flora Design creates sensational floral arrangements that are full, colorful and eclectic with many different types of flowers. I find it most interesting when bouquets and arrangements are made up of a selection of flowers and stems with a variety of colors, rather than ones that stick to one hue.

(images: janey medley flora design)

Ooh, have I got some floral inspiration that will brighten up your day! Poppies & Posies is a boutique floral and event design firm based in New York City co-founded by Sierra Yaun and Juliet Totten.

Partners Juliet and Sierra met when they both moved to the city just in 2007, and decided to combine their love for design, flowers and parties – and voila! Poppies and Posies was born. Sierra and Juliet create the most gorgeous, colorful and lively arrangements, inspired by the organic movement and composition of the country gardens where they both spent summer days as children.

It seems so easy to mix and match florals to create a lovely little bouquet, but when I  actually get to the flower shop I have no idea where to start! It’s one of these things that appear to be easier than they really are. Hopefully if I keep practicing, I will eventually start to create pretty arrangements that will fit in my home. I love how floral designers combine such distinct stems and flowers that may look uninteresting or plain by themselves, but combined with others, create such beautiful, exotic arrangements.

Do you create floral arrangements for your home? Perhaps you have a favorite flower?

(images: poppies & posies)

Event planner and designer David Stark just recently released his new book David Stark Design earlier this week on April 27th. So if you’re looking for a little party decor inspiration, look no further than David’s new book that highlights his design philosophies, conceptual process and breadth of work. David was so kind to answer a few questions for burrs & berries readers, and also included his decorating tips for you! So let’s get started!

How do you begin your process of planning a new event?

Because I create events for real people, with real likes and dislikes, desires, and specific goals and occasions, my first and foremost goal is to jump inside my client’s heads and hearts.  I really want to know what makes them tick, what they love, what they hate, an and what is inspiring to them.  The events are so custom that I really need to fall in love with each and every one of our clients so that I can understand WHO we are creating for. It’s so custom and the individual personality of each client is what drives variation and instills the great breadth in what we do!

What was your inspiration for pulling the book together?

Events are so ephemeral.  They last for five or six hours and then they are just a memory.  The book allows me the priviledge to collect a whole bunch of memories in one place and share them with others that could not be at the parties.  I suppose a painter has paintings to document his or her creative act.  In many ways, I think of the book as that kind of record for me since my creative work is so short-lived.

What are your 5 tips for summer entertaining?

• Bring back Games:  Horseshoes, croquet, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Scrabble, cards – don’t just talk, drink, and eat, play stuff together!  Games break the ice for guests that are new to your usual gang and provide a stylistic framework for other aspects of the evening.  An invitation created with Scrabble letter tiles and cookies decorated to look like Scrabble tiles are the kinds of details that help make a regular gathering of friends memorable and special.

• Shop your Hood:  Look to your own backyard to find unique food ideas.  My neighborhood in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn is well known for it’s terrific culinary treats, and I don’t need to look far for what to serve at a party especially when I am short on time!  Local pickles, olive oil, cured meats and cheeses, baked goods – all are uniquely from around the corner and not available from chain supermarkets.  Not only am I giving my guests a window into the local tastes, but I am supporting my community and neighborhood businesses.  It’s all good.

• Avoid Disposables:  A cloth napkin is NOT for just a special occasion or holiday.  In fact, you are good enough to “treat” yourself to one everyday, and in doing so, you are helping the environment to cut down on unnecessary waste and helping your wallet in the process.  Go that extra mile and wash your plates instead of using paperplates.  An outdoor picnic is so much more glam when using real china.

• Turn it out for your hostess:  Instead of that perfunctory bottle of wine, curate thematic gifts.  I often give a favorite cookbook of foods from some far off land alongside a selection of essential ingredients that are key to the recipes inside.  My other default is a set of linen napkins with my napkin folding primer NAPKINS WITH A TWIST, picking napkins that speak to my host’s taste.   Going that extra mile is ALWAYS appreciated (and you will always be invited back!).

• Delight that Inner kid:   I like to take the seriousness down a notch, using materials that harken back to childhood to decorate summer backyard parties, infusing them with surprise details.  Giant blow up pool toys, crazy straws with boyant paper fruits that turn cocktails into journeys, water guns, and silly sunglasses – adults want the same thing as kids:  a little fun!

Thank you so much David for your insights and for your fabulous summer entertaining tips!

(images: david stark)

Friday has crept up on us, and I say let’s start this weekend off on a bright and fresh note! Shall we? These gorgeous photos from Merriment Events showcasing the Riot of Spring will be sure to liven up your day!

Courtney Spencer is an event planner and stylist in Virginia, and the owner of Merriment Events, who teamed up with photographer Leo Patrone and floral designer Janie Medley of JM Flora to create this absolutely stunning Spring inspired tablescape.

What a serene and harmonious exhibition of color and textures, it speaks romance and elegance in all subtlety without an haute air to it. Love, love, love! And it’s all in the details, if you look close enough you will appreciate the vintage elements, in the antique glass plates, the found chairs, and silverware. And the flowers! I don’t think I can say enough, I feel like they make and complete the arrangement. The bouquets are so rich in color with slight variations creating a beautiful discreet palette, and the texture that is created as they are put together is perfect.

Do you love this tablescape as much as I do?

(images: merriment events, leo patrone)

I would like to pass along this message to you this Valentine’s Day. To love yourself first and foremost, and love others. Anyone who has listened to any of Michael Jackson’s songs knows that he is full of love and such a great example I feel we all could follow. He used his music to promote what he believes in, to love your neighbors, be good, help those who are less fortunate, and come together as one. And he is such a huge inspiration to me.

This photograph perfectly sums up my message to you. Love everyone, and love fully with all your heart. Valentines Day is for everyone, not only couples but family, neighbors, children, friends so I truly hope you don’t resent this holiday if you are single but enjoy it and spend it with the ones you love. Our world is not exactly perfect, so appreciate this day dedicated to love, and hopefully someday everyone around the world can turn the other 364 days to follow suit.

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” Michael Jackson

“Over the past ten years, Sharon Hayes has been engaged in an art practice that moves between multiple mediums–video, performance, installation–in an ongoing artistic investigation into the relations of history, politics and speech to the process of individual and collective subject formation. To this aim, she employs conceptual and methodological approaches borrowed from artistic and academic practices such as theater, film, anthropology, linguistics, and journalism.”

‘Everything Else Has Failed! Don’t You Think Its Time For Love?’ I don’t think Sharon Hayes could have said it any better. I leave you with this message, have a wonderful love-filled weekend and Happy Valentines Day. I can’t wait to get together for another great week of burrs & berries on Monday!

(images: sources listed above)

I promised you some goodies from the bridal show I went to this past Sunday, and I managed to find some really great things! There was a lot of tackiness ranging from the party stripper pole limos to overflowing bejeweled centerpieces, but there were definitely some awesome treats and ideas as well that I wanted to share with you!

Today I’d like to point you in the direction of the mouthwatering Bruce County Nut + Fudge Co. Not only do their Gourmet Caramel Apples look scrumptious, they taste even better! They are all dipped in home made caramel and then dipped a second time in Belgian chocolate and different toppings. And nothing sounds better to me right now than homemade fudge. mmm.

Bruce County Nut + Fudge Co. was started by sisters Yvonne, Melissa and Tanya. Each one of them contribute from designing the candied apples, to creating new flavors and making sure customers indulge in the delish treats. How do you choose between maple, cappuccino or cookie dough flavours of fudge, coconut cashews, Chilly Dark Bark… ? And the list goes on!

Can you get any cuter than these bride and groom candied apples? Here you can get monogrammed candied apples or add a design to match the icing on your wedding cake! You can  also get custom made and dressed up goodies!

Even better? You don’t have to be getting married to get in on the action! Order candied apples, fudge, gourmet nuts, or even gift baskets for any occasion! Next occasion? I say so. Check out their selection here.

(images: bruce county nut + fudge co.)