Mandy's

 I went to Montréal (again) and fell in love...with this restaurant. Mandy's. I've never been in a restaurant that is as close to an embodiment of my own personal style as this place, both in terms of stunning décor and gourmet allergy-friendly food which is incredibly rare! It's like the creators crawled inside my brain and lounged on a sofa in there for a while, soaking up the details. It was like walking into my Creatively Graceful Boutique design realized as a restaurant, with a dash of tropical paradise thrown in for originality. Can I just point out that pink and gold semicircular channel back banquet?!

Sewing machine table, picket fence, sunlit patio

Crisp black paned doors, topiaries, black and white stripe scalloped awnings

 Chippy turquoise door, greenery

 You can create your own salad! Delish choices! Well priced!

 Black and white checkerboard floor, ornate ticking stripe chair

 A ready-to-eat boutique section, complete with foodie décor items

Soaring ceilings, architectural fixtures

 Can I just get the whole place to go, pretty please?

A bar of pure cheer

Thonet chairs, gold globe pendants, cane stools

 Wildflowers, mason jars, marble bistro tables, gold flatware

Oh, it is! It IS!

I even stumbled upon a Mandy's truck dans le Vieux Port! A glossy pink beacon of bliss!

Icing

My Icing design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Gingerbread challenge!

Cabbage

My Cabbage design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Farm to Tea Towel challenge!

To Market

My To Market design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Illustrated Maps challenge!

Pretzel

My Pretzel design is up for voting in Spoonflower's Big Top Treats challenge!

Global Talent Search 2016 Prep

As seen on Facebook, I had enormous fun following the quirky prompts in preparation for the Global Talent Search, which starts next week! Eeeee! My answer to the Day 1 prompt is simply "water."

The Day 2 prompt made me hopeful for the future of seeing the golden Creatively Graceful logo silhouette on pretty products in creative stores!

Day 3 prompted one of those artist moments in which your fingers produce something that baffles your brain. 

The Day 4 prompt made me remember the beauty of the colours I often overlook.

Finally, the Day 5 prompt concluded the week with sweet pastel cheer, metaphors, and diverse typography!

Back in Time for Dinner

Historians, decorators, costumers, and foodies unite! This documentary, Back in Time for Dinner is mind-blowing! It is the journey of a family in Britain living one year per day through the 1950s to the 1990s, behaving and eating according to the era. Their meals are based on the National Food Survey, a survey completed by households once a year from 1940 to 2000 in which participants documented all the food they bought and ate in a week. It is fascinating to see how societal events and technological advances altered food habits. 

The 1950s--A real contrast of the austere '50s in Britain to the prosperous '50s in North America!

The 1960s--"You get a fridge and then you burn your bra."

The 1970s--This epidsode made me want to eat hummus.

 The 1980s--Because marmite really gives a whole microwaved chicken the "golden" look.

The 1990s--Variety is key.

...and beyond!

Heart-Shaped Joy

Pastry and a rose--how lovely yesterday started off right!

Summer Surface Pattern: Harvest

Here comes a boatload of additions to my surface pattern design shop in this series of Summer Surface Pattern posts! Now in my shop as fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap: Vine Ripened

Souper

The Artisan Pickle

Omnomnom

I have come to a conclusion: creating food-related surface pattern designs is ridiculously satisfying. My Omnomnom design is in Spoonflower's After School Snacks challenge of the week.

The Artisan Pickle

My The Artisan Pickle fabric is in Spoonflower's Pickles design challenge of the week!