Happy Chinese New Year. Full of Laughs & Best of Health!!
Happy Chinese Tiger Year!!
Published: February 14th, 2010Posted in: random dots
random dots
Congratulations, Mom-to-be!!
Published: February 4th, 2010Posted in: random dots
We are so happy to hear that few of our previous brides are going to be a mom soon =) Congratulations, we can’t wait to meet the little pumpkins!!
Wedding 360
Published: August 21st, 2009Posted in: Featured, random dots
Two of the Bay Area’s top Wedding Planners, Jubilee Lau and Jean Marks, launch a new concept in wedding education, Wedding 360, LLC. They will produce 2 major educational SF Bay Area events in 2010. For more information, please visit their website at www.wedding360llc.com
p.s. Congratulations, Jean & Jubilee!!
Tasting at Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch
Published: June 5th, 2009Posted in: Featured, Featured Vendors, Foodelicious, I stumble upon..., Wedding Planning, dot's wedding journal, random dots
Wil and I had our tasting at Citronelle at the Carmel Valley Ranch yesterday and it was an amazing experience. Last time we had a mini-lunch in the relaxing lounge area by the fireplace and we really liked the salad and the petite baquette, and this time we had a 4+ course meal and OMG! the food was soooo delicious! Now I am very very much looking forward to our big day coz we have so many foodies coming and they won’t be disappointed for sure!
From room design to tasting, food presentation to service, everything was beyond 5 stars! First of all, the room is contemporary and spacious with a nice view of the nature. Our waiters were very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, gave us detailed descriptions on every dish, which is a great assurance as I want my guests to have the best dining experience! Last but not least, the food was excellent and was a work of art! Every single one was executed so well that we just started stuffing things into our mouths and totally forgot to take pictures! hahaha… and we were not even hungry! We actually did our cake tasting at Layers right before the dinner and hahaha I hope they didn’t think we were such a pig! =P At first, we didn’t plan to add dessert to our menu as we already have a wedding cake plus a dessert table, which will be designed by L’ Atelier Vi. We even planned to take the desserts to go since we were really full after the 3rd course!! but we got busted by Chef Anthony Keene, who came out to say Hi and insisted we should try the “Kit Kat” chocolate bar and the Napoleon cream brulee. And I bet it was his trick to get us hooked coz after the first bite, we were determine to add these to our menu as well. Citronelle is really the best of the best!
BTW, do you know that President Obama recently took his wife for a special dinner at Citronelle in Washington DC?
~Hors d’oeuvres~
Wild Mushroom Bouchee
Shrimp Cocktail
Charred Yellowfin Tuna, Jasmine Rice Cake, Mango
Crab Cigar
Charred Beef Tri-Tip Miniature Sandwich
~Starters~
Tuna
olives, chorizo, crispy potato
Sea Scallop
duck foie gras, carrot ginger sauce
~Entrees~
Pacific Salmon
dungeness crab risotto vanilla bean
Sea Bass
paella style
Roasted Filet Mignon “Au Poivre”
potato gratin, shallot confit, peppercorn sauce
~ Dessert ~
Behind the scene: Help and you will be helped
Published: June 4th, 2009Posted in: News, random dots
About a month ago, I had a chance to attend the Professional BusinessWomen of California (PBWC) 20th anniversary conference, with featured speakers included Meg Whitman and Congresswoman Jackie Speier. It’s really a pleasure to meet and be inspired by female role models. One of the sessions I attended was about turning your passion into business and this is one of the most frequently asked questions I got from friends and clients. I, honestly, do not think I am the best example. But if I have to give you one tip and one only, it would be “help and you will be helped.”
When we first started, we were lucky to have Lisi Su, a renowned designer, as our mentor. She graduated from Lyon Formafleur (France) and was the Chairman of World Flower Council Asia Pacific Mini Summit 2006, the honored advisor of Evergreen Elderly Centre Trust of Australia, the art consultant of British Vacation Village Development Co.,Ltd, and the list goes on and on. We never thought she would give us a chance as we were a newbie in the floral design industry. Yet, she gave us advices, shared tips and encouraged us to explore the unknown.
The hand holding experience is invaluable. In return, we learned to help others to get into the wedding industry. In 2007, one of our interns started her own company and it is a thrill to us!! I still remembered we brought her to the flower mart in San Francisco, showed her how to make her first bouquet and the smile she wore on her face when she saw the final product. And we shared our experience, struggles, design and tips, hoping she would have an easy start. You probably think this is crazy to share business information, but it is way more silly not to share. Creativity can only be grown if we exchange ideas. We can only be better if we learn from others’ mistakes and successes.
So for those who are interested in finding out more about the wedding/ floral industry, check out the workshop by Nancy Liu Chin, who is the most sought after wedding designer in the Bay Area. Don’t let a great opportunity pass you by.
“Helping others reach their business goals through coaching, mentoring, and sharing my secrets is a dream that I’ve had for a long time. What I hope to accomplish is to entry level wedding floral designers grasp solid business ideas along with exceptional floral skills. ”
Nancy Liu Chin
Wedding Floral Academy: Design & Business Development Workshops
Date: November 7 -10, 2009
Location: San Francisco, California
Space is limited.
Investment: $1250 for 3 day course.
Including materials, lunch, snacks, takeaway binders, & tote.
Details:
{ Design Modern Classic Table top Arrangements }
{ Design Hand tied Bouquets, Flower Girl Accessories, Groom’s Boutonnieres }
{ Learn Nancy’s inside Floral tips and tricks }
{ Develop a Proposal }
{ Learn the benefits of Marketing – Website, Sponsoring Events, Advertising}
{ Discuss the importance of Branding}
{ Find out how to get your work Published }
{ Learn how to Create Meaningful Websites and Blogs }
{ Learn tips on Building a Strong Portfolio by taking your own photos}
{ Create a Picture Perfect Wedding – More than just Flower Design }
{ Visit San Francisco Flower Market to see what is available}
Inspiration Boards: Charlyn Koo
Published: May 22nd, 2009Posted in: Featured, Inspirations, Mints Picks, News, random dots
This year Charlyn Koo didn’t attend National Stationery Show as my life has been a little bit frantic with two businesses, many on-going projects, and a wedding to plan, and though I stand by my decision that I should only attend the show if I could give it my best, I do miss new York and being a part of the creative circle. We debut our first collection last year and we met many talented designers, such as Elum Designs and Red Cap Cards and our personalized collection is now available exclusively at Neiman Marcus. As a newbie in the industry, we did a pretty good job and I was really looking forward to launch more designs but oh well…
This is our idea board and work for last year show and the good news is we have already started our new inspiration boards with many new products coming in 2010! New york, we will be back soon. =)
Steal Our Ideas!!
Published: May 20th, 2009Posted in: random dots
All images from stealourideas.com by Art director Jon Kubik and copywriter Adam Noel.
25 Random things about the Mints sisters
Published: May 16th, 2009Posted in: random dots
1. We are about the same height and size and that’s why I always steal clothes and shoes from Canna and Mei.
2. We all learned to play classical piano and even got the certifications from Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), but we haven’t touched a key since 1992 and this tells you how much we love it!
3. My very first job – Dishwasher at a local Chinese restaurant. Till this day, I still think this is the coolest thing I have ever done.
4. I love watching TV. I once skipped work a week just to finish a Korean drama. If there’s a television/ movie marathon, I would be the first to sign up.
5. Mei is the shortest among us but she is taller than our mom and she is very proud of it.
6. We love spongebob and icarly. I guess we never really grow up.
7. We sponsor 10 kids through world vision.
8. We have 29 cousins.
9. I used to wear a pair of big plastic glasses and people thought I looked like keroppi, the Sanrio green frog.
10. Mei always says “I know I know” and sometimes I wonder if she realllllly knows.
11. I am a procrastinator but Mei likes to finish everything a month earlier. That’s why we are in this business together.
12. If we fight, Canna will win for sure. It’s been proven since we were kids.
13. Canna once imitated a TV character stabbing herself in the chest with a fabric scissor and yet she survived. Thanks god! or who would do the bouquets!
14. Canna also got hit by a Taxi once but she just pretended nothing had happened, stood up and walked straight to school. We were too scared to tell our parents. This is one of our secrets for a very long time.
15. Once I forgot to bring our apartment key and Canna climbed out from our neighbor’s window, crawled across the little rack loosely hanging between the windows, which were about 3-4 ft apart and entered our house. We were living on the 17th floor! I guess she learned the stunt from Jacky Chan.
16. Mei is a sweet girl for sure and that’s why she always get stung by bees and badly bitten by mosquitoes.
17. We love to listen to music and sing (mostly out of tune) while we work on wedding flowers. That’s my favorite part of working at Mints.
18. All images on our website and on our blog are taken by Gary, Canna’s husband. He is the most detail-oriented person I have ever known. He read the rules before signing up for the United Mileage Plus Program, and I think this is why he is a good photographer because he can pay attention to all the tiny details I missed.
19. We love to tease our parents and we love them even more for letting us tease them and for sharing our sense of humor.
20. All shelves and the fish pond at Mints are built by my dad. All the fishes we have in the pond are with us since day 1. wow, it means they are all about 4 years old.
21. Our favorite customer is Peter, who used to go to Alameda High School and has been our loyal fan since the first week we opened.
22. We love peonies, hydrangea, ranunculus, and orchids. And we also love all these odd things, which we don’t even know their names. Yea, we are all very bad with names.
23. I can remembers birthdays, phone numbers, even my college ID card number but I can’t remember 4 times 8 equal 36 (oops…! I know is 32!!).
24. Canna’s daughters are Charlyn and Charene. I just think their names are all very pretty.
25. Canna and I are allergic to many flowers and greens!! and we are in the flower business. wahahahaha.
