"big sugar" is beyond sweet

my best friend is getting married in november, and today we stopped at our favorite california sweet spot, big sugar bakeshop, to get some cupcakes and to place an order for her wedding.

for anyone who hasn't jumped on the gourmet cupcake craze of the last three years, big sugar is probably the best cupcake i have ever tasted, and this includes the famed magnolia bakery in manhattan, at which i once ate six in one day.

the best thing about big sugar is that their cakes are not actually that sugary, unlike other cakes spots in los angeles that treat their cake as an excuse for their toothache-inducing icing.

big sugar cupcakes are light and creamy — like sweet little clouds. you can have half a dozen and not even feel it. red velvet is moist and heavenly, peanut butter and chocolate is addictive, and the simple vanilla cupcake makes me want to get married all over again just for the excuse to eat an entire plate of them.

if you're planning your own wedding and want to add a fresh, modern, casual twist to your dessert table, you might consider a a few tiers of these uncommonly delicate little gems.

mmm, i think i need another half dozen...

pink cake box

okay, brides and planners. take note:

if you live in the new york metropolitan area and are getting married — or you're having a fabulous event of any other kind — consider pink cake box for your sweet offerings.

anne heap of pink cake box is young, hip, fashionable, friendly, and makes absoutely stunning cakes that taste like a million bucks (that metaphor is all wrong, but you get the point).

my sister got married a little over two years ago in cape may, new jersey, and i hired anne to create a beach-themed, sugar-seashell-and-fondant-covered cake for the over-the-top bridal shower i was planning. i searched high and low, and without question, pink cake box stood out as the baker to beat.

how was the overall experience? gorgeous. easy. delicious.

to this day, those are the first three things that come to mind when i think back to that cake. i've come across anne's company again recently, as she has been gaining fame and success in the years since i first met her.

like paper olive, pink cake box was chosen as a 2008 pick in the knot weddings magazine 2008 best of weddings issue. it must be kismet.

elegant bride, modern bride, instyle weddings, new jersey bride... i was impressed by her two years ago and i'm glad to see that so many others have discovered her charm and genius.

congrats, anne. :o)

loving letterpress

even for someone like me, who eschews tradition and covets all things fresh, vibrant and modern, there is something tactile and wondrous about the 19th century art of letterpress. what is letterpress, you ask?

letterpress is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse. the result is something remarkable — timeless, vintage, and rich-looking to say the least.

what i love is using this old-world craft with contemporary designs, because the result is eye-catching and often surprisingly beautiful. i have a ton of designs with delicate lines and details that would look wonderful pressed, so i've been wanting to offer some of my current designs in letterpress form.


the tricky thing is, because letterpress is such an antique of a craft, there aren't many machines around to work with, and those that do exist are heavy, inky, oily beasts. so, it has taken me quite a while to find a good solution for my needs — but now that i have, i'm really exicted.

over the next few months, i will be adding a new collection to my website, completely dedicated to the art of letterpress. the papers, colors and designs will all be original and created specifically for this artistic medium, taking full advantage of the palpable process. i can't wait.

honestly, the more i do this, the more i dream up to do, and the less i sleep. is that a bad thing?

mmm, maybe. but a better habit than booze or chocolate, i suppose. speaking of which, i need a martini. :o)

first post...first show

i first got the big idea for an invitation design company a year ago, when the knot magazine decided to publish a photo of the ceremony programs i designed for my wedding, which had been submitted by my photographer, god love him. i had been mulling around the idea of making a go as a designer when bam, the phone rang. the knot. quite serendipitously, they wanted to publish my program photo in their 2008 best of weddings issue and they needed the designer's name. "paper olive!" i exclaimed, in astonishment.

so, here i am a year later with a website, a slew of wedding invitations and designs, paper cuts and ink-stained fingers, a mad obsession with dupioni silk and embroidered vinyl, and a thousand other crazy ideas that won't let me sleep at night. i'm a designer now, committed and determined, and loving every opportunity to do something drastically new.

a blog seemed like a good idea, especially since my invitation designs are pulled anywhere from runway fashion to the food i eat, as well as everthing in between. i come across some seriously cool stuff in my endless adventures to push the envelope (no pun intended), so i might as well share, yes?

for my first blog post, it seems fitting to highlight my first bridal show, held at the famous queen mary hotel in long beach, california. it was a whirlwind and utterly exhausting, but it was also a blast.

i've included some of the glorious pictures supplied by art p suwansang, whose booth was right next to mine. art is a friendly, really talented photographer. you might want to give him a look if you're in the market. thanks again, art.


by far, the most popular invitation at the show was my peacock invitation, which i put together after a late-night project runway marathon. i can't even remember what season it was, but there were feathers, heidi looked sensational, and someone was crying. isn't someone always crying?

anyway, inspired by color and lack of sleep, i pulled this one together in just a day, specifically for the expo. i can't wait for someone to order it so i can make more. i think it might be my favorite.

it's been a lot of fun watching the additional flurry of traffic on my site since the show, which is still amazing to me. i am thrilled to see so many brides out there who think outside the box. each new client surprises me. i love it.

i have another show coming up on november 16, at the pasadena hilton, and i'm looking forward to seeing the response from that set of brides. i think i'm going to have to whip something up to beat my peacock invite, which shouldn't be tough with the incredible red silk i just found.

more next time, folks. signing off for a cool martini. straight up, three olives, of course.