Sweet Layers!

Hey guys! Just a quick post.

The sweet savor of a flaky skin,

Dough in layers, 

Layers of beauty within,

The caramelized coat on the lushes fruits,

All in one bite as it taste so good.

Small and petite,

For everyone's treat,

Never to fail,

To to tell a tale.

For a small sweet savor,

Blast with loads of flavors,

Telling one a true story,

Of a man from the bakery.

Stood the passionate baker,

14 hours straight!

Who rolled, fold, baked and made.

With love of course, for God's sake! 

(Hehehehehehe! Bon Appetit!)

Art Deco-ly Chanel?

I know this was like so "2000 & late", but, I told myself I need to write about this. I'm sure you guys watched Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky directed by Jan Kounen, a Frech film back in 2009. I loved it so much as it's a well-acted and a beautiful filmed. And yes, the passion and the brief love affair is dramatically directed in this period drama film.

Anyways, I'm not here to talk about the film nor about the affair, but I feel in love with their used for Interior and Architecture. In particular, it has to be the scenes shot in The Villa "Bel Respiro" in Garches. I am not sure if the interior was designed in the original state, but I think they might tweak it a bit from the 2002 novel written by Chris Greenhalgh. But they sure used the famous black & white theme. 

Igor Stravinsky: A Creative Spring : Russia and France 1882-1934, By Stephen Walsh (Page, 318)

I mean, Coco Chanel herself invented a fashion vocabulary :- white camellias, the little black dress (LBD), the double-C logo, the elongated octagon shape of the Chanel No. 5 perfume, checkered, simple lines, etc. Her designs are minimalist, elegant and forever green. So I assume, the interior designed in the film was somehow related to her fashion. Interior-ly fashionable, I shall say. :)

Gabrielle "Coco" Bonheur Chanel herself, looking elegant, stylish and grace. Form Follows Function.

So much elegance and class. The little black dress, the tweed suit, the quilted leather handbag, and the first-ever designer perfume, Chanel No.5.

It was in the year 1920's, French revolution time, the time where Art Deco was introduced to the ID & Architectural world, expressionism and surrealism in paintings, sculptures, coloured films, dance and of course fashion. Thanks to you, Coco Chanel. 

"...French speakers called it the "années folles" ("Crazy Years"), emphasizing the era's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism..." 

 - Roaring Twenties, Wikipedia 

Art Deco is one of my favourite era for designed. Back in Uni, this was the best subject I ever was introduced. Hehehehe! Oh, uni days. All young, crazy and motto was "C'est la vie". Nothing to worry but assignments and getting them pocket money to party! Ooook, back to reality! (Sorry for the 'Out-of-Topic' moment.)

Art Deco is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized & described by such rich colors, bold and bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation. Loads of octagon, streamlines, squares, forms, zig zags and many more. I mean, if you were to look at it in depth, there are few categories involved. You can get those really crazy BOLD and screams  of  LOUD style, or, you can get the clean modern streamline, simple with a class, in which my opinion, is what Chanel brings the best of fashion.

Inspired much? Well, I sure do. After watching the film and falling for the interior, I couldn't help but to do my research and get my hands on all them B&W's. But not just a simple B&W space, I was looking for the style and theme from the year where Chanel started her career, hence the Art Deco era. In the film, the set designed was fantastically monochromatic and yes, black & white it was. Just look at the photos them below. :D

Taken from Coco Chanel & Igor film scene. Lines, lines and lines. Loving them black pipping borders. Concept of modern twist of Art Deco.

Here's what I got from the film. Besides strips of black lines, there were some ornamental shapes used. It's like the set was an art of Chanel. Her taste and style. There was a scene where Igor's wife Katarina Stravinskaya asked, "Don't you like color?", and Coco replied, "As long as it's black." Everything in Chanel's world is black and white. That should be a warning., If the walls could speak, it will says, "I am Chanel!" LOL!

Bring those Art Deco into your home. I hope the images I posted help you guys get inspired. Get creative, but remember, BLACK & WHITE as main! It's Chanel! hehehehehehe!

A modern Art Deco style. Mostly geometric shapes used. Such contrast against the white.

Some of the interior images found online (thank you to those who posted them)

“..Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony...”

- Coco Chanel 

The Wonders of Online!

Don't you just love the online Internet world. Everything on your fingertips. Everything and anything. These are some of my faves. And most of them are food! Hehehehe! Sweet tooth anyone? I sure have one!

This ain't no Willy Wonka, but when I saw Tumbador Chocolate on TV and the host get to do and eat the chocolate bar that they make, I was going all goo-goo ga-ga! Gosh, how I wish I'm in NY now! Took this from Tumbador Chocolate's website. 

" Jean-François Bonnet, Executive Pastry Chef (formerly of New York's renowned restaurant Daniel) selects only the world's finest ingredients for Tumbador® Chocolate today. In 2003, world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud notes that Bonnet "has the technique of an artisan and the creativity of an artist. He combines it with simplicity and respect for delicate flavors and textures..."

Next, I've always love the ideas of desserts in a jar. It's so convenient and easy to use. You don't waste papers or cups as it's pretty much environmental friendly. You eat whats in the jar and wash it to reuse it. Here's some pretty delicious online website to check out! 

1. Banana Appeal





























2. Wicked Good Cupcakes

3. All Jarred Up

This is cool. Pies in a jar, anyone?






























4. Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery

Another cool and creative idea. Take and Bake Molten Chocolate cake to take home. You be the baker. How cool is that! I've always dream of doing this, and so great to know that it's out there!

Wow! That sure makes me wanna do some jar-ring baking! While you lucky fellas get to grab some of the goodies above, I can only sit and watch and browse. We got some back in my hometown, but it's just not "there" yet. Maybe one day. 

So the online browsing continues. If you guys are looking for baking with a "vintage" style of supplies, I found a cool website. I must say, they have a lot of edible accessories for your baking needs. May I say pretty yummy too.

Layer Cake Shop brings you to a Vintage Inspired baking supplies. They have from Baking cups to Candy making tools to Decorating sprinkles and more. How interesting!

Phew! I'm just tired looking at all those yummy websites! Used all my sugar and gotten hyped up just browsing through! Jealous I am that those who are anywhere near the shop gets to grab a bite. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this page as much as I was just browsing. 

Have a great Saturday! Till the next blog post. Goodnight!

ps: To the owners of each and every website page we enter, I'm sorry if we have taken your website photos without your permission. But our intention are good. We hope to help you guys get good feedback after the readers reads our blog. But do tell us, if you do not want us to post the photos on our blog, we would remove it instantly. :)

Addicted to Ombre?

I was wondering what was this "Ombre" all about till I did some research online. When I typed "Ombre" the first thing that popped out was from Wikipedia:- 

For them Spanish, it means, 

om·bre /ˈämbər/

Noun

A trick-taking card game for three people using a pack of forty cards, popular in Europe in the 17th–18th centuries

And I was like, "Eh..", that makes no sense. Kept looking for answers and found this While for them French, Merriam Webster explained as:-

om·bré adjective \ˈäm-ˌbrā\

having colors or tones that shade into each other —used especially of fabrics in which the color is graduated from light to dark

shade, shadow
darkness
ghost

So I guess, people understood the French's "Ombre" compare to the "card-game-for-three-people-using-a pack-of-forty-cards" Spanish's Ombre. Si? hehehehe.

I read online that it all started with the "Hair". It was a hair trend for the Hollywood fashionista celebrities. And it had gone viral. But read in Cosmopolitan that :- 

"...For the last year, it seemed like every starlet in Hollywood was rocking ombré hair—that half brown, half blonde look. While the style is sexy in an edgy way, it also feels kind of lazy (like, "do you just really need to touch up your roots?")..." 

- Cosmopolitan

Hey, but how about this? Vogue Magazine Online said differently..?

This hair trend was introduced like way back in 2008! It's yours to verdict. Whether you like it or not. I think them girls down here, looks good. Maybe its more like, if you can pull-it-off kinda thing. You guys got guts!

 Ombre Fashion Hair Trend.

That doesn't stop the "other" trend, though. Like I said, it went viral, that it not only hit the hair stylist, but this Ombre thingy hit them design, food & of course fashion itself. And it's like bye-bye red velvet cake, hello coloured ombre velvet cake, bye bye natural monotonous interior, hello shaded of ombre hues! Bye bye colour block, hello shaded ombre wheels of wonders!

 

Ombre Interior Trend

Ombre Clothing Trend

Ombre Dessert Trend

Gosh, it's so colourful that I can do this all day. I love the colours used! So vibrant and gradient and pretty. Aren't we very fortunate enough to live in a world full of colours!

Fresh from Mr. Baker's Oven.

It may sound bias (or just because I am the wife of a baker), but I've got to say, my partner make good breads. I've never in my life understand the art of making or eating bread, but after much learning and being taught (to see, smell & taste) by the baker himself, I am now addicted to bread. (lol)

In our younger days, we only know of white loaf breads or croissants, which, by the way, taste and feels like soft roll, yes, soft rolls too, and maybe once or twice, we eat baguettes (only when my parents bring us to have a buffet brunch in a hotel). So artisan bread was like an occasion for us. Unlike in the States or European country, it is the total opposite.

I'm not here to blabber about, just that I am proud of my partner for making this beautiful and delicious breads/danishes. Enjoy! :)

Peninsula Hotel, Shanghai.

So my partner and I love living a nomad life [LOL]. Following him around the world gets us to see so many things and experience what we both love & passionate about; bread and interior. So, after much settling down to where we are right now, we decided to start back our hobby of - I call it - "R&D breakfast go-see go-taste" at different hotels in every country that we live & lived.

 

For the month of May 2013, we picked The Peninsula Hotel Shanghai. So here's what we got for you. :) Oh, mind you, that all photos are taken unprofessionally (cause non of us own any fancy branded name cameras or have any background on photography) but yet we take what we see the way we see it. And we just love the invention of Instagram! It makes all them photos beautiful and awesomely cool. Hahahahahah! Thank heavens! *phew* Enjoy!