Finest Expressions On Flickr.com

Check out Finest Expressions On Flickr to view pictures and details of our beautiful gifts. Our gallery includes pictures of our latest diaper cakes even before we have them up on our website, wedding/party favours we have designed for our clients and much more!

First Firkin Friday!

  Tapping our second cask in the Melange series this Friday! Melange #2 is a blend of Autumn Maple and six week old Lambic, we're calling it Yambic! 

Creating the perfect blend for the cask, doesn't work just suck sometimes?

Morning

Isaiah 50:4-5: "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back."

After reading Isaiah 50:4-5, I began to ponder if I might be missing something. Does the LORD give us supernatural ability to hear Him in the morning? Does time spent with God first thing in the morning provide direction and/or corrections to our day that we would otherwise miss? I confess to being a morning person in most areas, but not in my prayer/devotional time. I'm blessed when I can squeeze in 15-20 minutes. In fact, I prefer long evening sessions of prayer, worship, & devotion. It's my bedtime routine and one I'm not likely to abandon anytime soon. It's my "cup of warm milk" and it gives me restful sleep. And yet, I wonder if God is leading me down this morning path; a path fresh with the morning dew. I purpose today to try an experiment and see where He takes me.

Today's prayer: "God, you are my morning and my evening and everything in between. I want to yield to your voice and follow it wherever it takes me, so I say YES, please lead me there and I will follow. Shake up my routine and help me explore new heights and new depths in YOU."

Lindor & Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Bouquet

Fifty delicious Lindt Lindor and Ferrero Rocher chocolate petals make this delectable chocolate bouquet. Its a perfect treat for any occasion including wedding, baby shower or bridal shower. Give it as a corporate or holiday gift as well!

Rebuke

Matthew 16:23 "But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men."

This scripture came to me last night and I couldn't help but wonder how often many of us (me included) have played the role of "stumbling block" -- not minding the things of God, but the things of men. Jesus rebukes Peter in front of the disciples, probably because they also needed to hear it. But notice, that in Jesus' rebuking of Peter he does not say, "I'm done with you" or "I don't love or value you." Jesus rebuked the "spirit" speaking through Peter and not Peter himself. I'm convinced it was in love and with complete restoration in mind. Jesus was in relationship with Peter and had poured much encouragement into him (i.e. he had first paved the road with love).

Today's prayer: "God, forgive me for the times I've been a stumbling block. Keep my eyes on the things of God and off the things of men. Send others to rubuke me, in love, whenever it is necessary. Lead me to good, solid, accountability relationships; relationships that exhort and encourage and come along beside me. And, yes, I'll take the rebuking too, especially if the road has first been paved with love."

Gifts for Men Under $15!

Gifts for Father's Day for Under $15; Some under $10!
Review of 10 great budget gifts for dad, grandpa, big brother, uncle or male friend! Under $15 Birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, anytime! Great gifts for teachers, ministers, priests, scout leaders, Big Brothers and more! quality gifts for Father's Day for under $15.
View more »

Intercession

Habakkuk 3:1-2 "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known..."

Habakkuk 3 is entitled a prayer of Habakkuk. It is a meditation with himself, an intercession for the church. Prophets were praying men; this prophet was so (He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, Gen. 20:7); and sometimes they prayed for even those whom they prophesied against. Those that were intimately acquainted with the mind of God concerning future events knew better than others how to order their prayers, and what to pray for, and, in the foresight of troublesome times, could lay up a stock of prayers that might then receive a gracious answer, and so be serving the church by their prayers when their prophesying was over (excerpt from Matthew Henry Complete Commentary).

Today's prayer: "God, I have heard of your fame. I have seen it declared. Your glory invades the earth. Today I intercede for your church, your bride. I call upon the One who sits enthroned above the earth and ask you to renew your works in our day; and in our time make them known. Come quickly to our aid; defend us against our foes; bring hope to your people."

This unique favour was created for a wonderful client of ours that was using a lavender colour theme for her wedding. The heart shaped pouched looked like a little basket filled with chocolates and candy. We accented it with silk ribbons and flowers to give it that special touch.

Size: 25/8 x 5/8

Finest Expressions

Boldness

Acts 4:13-14 "The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since the man who had been healed was standing right there among them, the council had nothing to say."

Today's prayer: "God, I pray for boldness in the midst of persecution. Though I am an ordinary woman and have no special training, I ask for a great boldness that comes as a result of spending time with you. And when (not if) the people are healed, the "council" will be silenced. Yes, Lord, let it be unto me as you have said. Amen."

Wedding Services

Wedding favours are little tokens of appreciation that you can give to your guests for sharing your special day with you. We offer exquisitely handcrafted and custom designed wedding favours to make your wedding day perfect. We carry everything from traditional truffle boxes to unique mini-chocolate bouquets. Here are some of our wedding specific services:

Custom Favours: We work with you to create one-of-a-kind favours that will suit your wedding theme and budget. For your convenience, we offer free consultations Monday to Saturday, days and/or evenings.

DIY Favour Kits: If you'd like to design your own favours, we offer a wonderful collection of favour supplies that will surely take your breath away! Our DIY Favour Kits come with different styles of favour containers and pre-cut ribbons so its incredibly easy to put your favours together yourself.

Gifts for the wedding party & Out-of-towners: We help you show your gratitude and appreciation for those special people that are part of the wedding party and those that have traveled from afar to share this special day with you. We offer pre-packaged gift baskets and bags filled to the brim with delectable gourmet or spa products.

Chocolate & candy bouquet centerpieces: Choose these gorgeous and unique bouquets as centerpieces for the wedding instead of the usual flowers. We have many charming designs that you can choose from or we will work with you to design the perfect centerpiece.

We are continuously working on getting you the latest and greatest in wedding favours, so do make frequent visits to our website to view our wedding gallery.

Finest Expressions

Our New Logo & Other News

For the last little while, we have been working with OneUp Design Inc on creating a new logo that would reflect our company's brand and image.

Our new logo is fun, trendy and adorable! Take a look and let us know what you think.

On another note... due to the fast growing pace of our baby and wedding gifts line, we have decided to discontinue our gourmet and spa gift baskets. We want to focus our full and undivided attention on our baby diaper cakes and gift baskets along with our wedding and party favour products.

We are still designing custom gourmet, spa and other occasion gift baskets for our existing loyal clientele. If you'd like to order a custom gift basket for a particular occasion, just give us a shout and we'll be happy to help you out.

Lastly, our blog will also be going through some changes over the next couple of weeks. The content change will include posts on wedding reception and wedding showers ideas. We thought of creating a separate blog for our wedding line but between managing the business and our existing blog, it didn't seem like a feasible idea at this time. We are also excited about making changes to our blog layout which you will get to see in the following weeks.

That's all for now...Hope you had a wonderful weekend and are rejuvenated to take on the new week!

Finest Expressions

Tasting Room Update: 9/18/08

Thanks to those of you who have visited The Bruery's tasting room.  Our opening weekend on September 5th was a great success.  Here's a heads up on what's going on this weekend at our tasting room-

Logistics (aka boring stuff that you should probably know)...

Credit Card Payments- You can go back to saving those dollar bills for the gentleman's club- we now accept debit and credit cards.

Growlers- We still haven't gotten our new growlers yet, so please continue to bring your own in to be "rebranded" and filled with our draft beers.

Sports Addicts- You don't have to miss your Friday and Saturday sports watching to come and visit us.  We have a large projection tv and are more than happy to put on whatever sports are on the boob tube.  We accept all sports and team affiliations, as long as you let us beat you at darts.

Now to Wet Your Appetite...

Humulus Bruin Draft Discount- due to overwhelming response, we are continuing our special on Humulus Bruin growler fills, at just $8 a fill.  Come take some home on Saturday for that Sunday Football!!  We will also have a special Frogs Breath cheese accompaniment to try with this beer.

Imperial Orchard White (IOW)- What's better than a glass of cool, crisp, Orchard White, the #1 rated wit beer on Ratebeer.com?  How about one with more alcohol and a bit more malt?  Well we thought it sounded pretty damn good, so we created Imperial Orchard White.  IOW packs a pretty good punch, at 7.7% abv.  And since 7 is a lucky number, we predict that this beer will bring only good to those who drink it (or those football or baseball team picks, or stock market listings).  So replace that lucky rabbit's foot with a glass of this beer, and let the good times roll!  Only $12 a growler!

Autumn Maple Sneak Preview- What? Say it again yam?!?  We have a sneak preview of our Autumn Maple on draft.  Coming in at over 10% abv, Autumn Maple is quite malty with the spice background of pumpkin pie (yet not overdone like many other "pumpkin" beers). We won't be able to hide this beer for long.  Come by and try some off the tap, and see what 440 lbs of yams can do for a beer.  The bottles aren't ready yet, but we will keep you posted as soon as a release date is determined.

So hire the babysitter, feed the dog, and clean your growlers.  Then get your butt over to our Tasting Room!

Hours

Fridays- 2pm-8pm

Saturdays- noon-6pm

Cheers,

Rachel

Full-time Chief Style Officer / Owner

The Heart

"Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address."

I came across this quote recently and it struck me how our flesh can be so clever. When old habits continually knock on our door we need to step back and find out the "root" cause. David penned the following, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." [Psalm 139:23]

The only way to deal with the flesh is to kill it and if there is still pain there, then it isn't dead.

Today's prayer: "God, search my heart. Expose the deepest parts. Bring to the surface anything lurking there that needs to die. For only in dying to my flesh will I truly live."

Go Mompreneurs!

This is an older article published in the Star titled, Mompreneurs Boom but an extremely interesting read.

Candy Bouquet Centre pieces

Candy or chocolate bouquets make delicious centre pieces for baby showers or even kids birthday parties. We design ours to look like real bouquets in actual flower pots. The Baby Bliss pictured above has a combination of milk chocolates and hard candy. It accented with baby sock petals, flowers and leaves. We even included an adorable plush toy for the little bundle of joy.

We have also custom designed Candy Bouquets to be sent to moms-to-be at the hospital as a delectable treat and at home when she is prescribed bed rest. Add-on a sibling gift to make it extra special and the whole family will enjoy the candy bouquet!

Finest Expressions

Gifts for Senior Citizens and Homebound

Top 10 Gift Ideas for Senior Citizens -Especially the Homebound
Large variety and price selection of gifts for those senior citizens. Special focus on home-bound, visually or hearing impaired. Elderly people have special needs. Here are some unique and appropriate gifts for seniors!
View more »

Priorities

Deuteronomy 6:5: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

I've always heard the statement: God first, family second, and everything else third. Recently, I heard someone break it down further: God first, spouse second, children third, church family fourth, and your personal ministry fifth. This has caused me to reexamine my priorities. God obviously comes first: Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." If all one’s heart, soul, and strength is committed to loving God, He is the number one priority. If you are married, your spouse comes next after God. A married man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Christ’s first priority—after obeying and glorifying the Father—was the Church. Here is an example husbands should follow: God first, then his wife. In the same way, wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). We can draw from this the principle that her husband is second only to God in her priorities. If husbands and wives are second only to God in our priorities, and being that a husband and wife are one flesh (Ephesians 5:31), it stands to reason that the result of the marriage relationship—children—should be the next priority. Parents are to raise godly children who will be the next generation of those who love the Lord with all their hearts (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4), showing once again that God is first in our priorities and all other relationships should reflect that. Deuteronomy 5:16 tells us to honor our parents so that we may live long and things will go well with us. No age limit is specified, which leads us to believe that as long as our parents are alive, we should honor them. We can conclude from this that parents are next in the list of priorities after God, our spouses, and our children. After parents comes the rest of one's family (1 Timothy 5:8), then fellow believers. Romans 14 tells us not judge or look down upon our brothers (v. 10), nor to do anything to cause a fellow Christian to “stumble” or fall spiritually. Much of the book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s instructions on how the Church should live together in harmony, loving one another. Other exhortations referring to our brothers and sisters in Christ are: “…serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13); “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32); “…encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). Finally comes the rest of the world (Matthew 28:19), to whom we should go and bring the Gospel, making disciples of Christ among them. In conclusion, the scriptural order of priorities is God, spouse, children, parents, extended family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and the rest of the world.

Today's prayer: "God, you are my number one priority. Your face will I seek. You know my heart beats for ministry, but how often has my family taken back seat to my personal ministry and volunteer time? Forgive me and help me find balance in all things. Teach me your ways so that I will be wise and have the understanding that comes from you. Thank you for words from others that challenge my 'status quo' "

Refuge

"Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place..." Psalm 91:9

The hiding place of God's protection is the mountain of holiness; just as He hid Moses in the mountain, so shall He also hide me.

Today's prayer: "God, hide me away. Today, I need to be hidden. The enemy bears down, but I know he won't follow me up the mountain. Step by step I climb .... until all I see is your face. No need to look back; the enemy can't breathe at this altitude. I've crossed the 'snake line' -- victory is now assured."

Resurrection Power

Mark 16:17-18 "These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them."

My heart's cry is to be involved in something that's impossible, to have signs and wonders accompany those who believe. A normal Christian life should be supernatural. That's how we know we've tasted of the resurrection power of Jesus that abides and dwells in us as born-again believers.

Today's prayer: "God, saturate me with your presence. Let me walk in your resurrection power, casting out demons, speaking new languages, handling Satan, the lying snake, with safety, receiving no harm from the venom of serpents and poisons, and placing hands on the sick and watching them recover. Give me so much of you that everywhere I go, I cannot help but drip with over-saturation. Your presence is like honey. Honey is golden like your glory; it is thick like your presence; it is sticky enough to get "stuck" on others; pure honey lasts a long time; and it tastes sweet, just like your Word."

Reputation

Mark 8:34-35 "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

I heard a speaker at a conference this weekend say that when we start walking in the glory, many will drop us like a hot potato. Jesus made himself of no reputation and we are called to do the same.
Today's prayer: "God, I give to you my reputation. Help me not to care what others think of me. Help me not to even ponder it in my heart. Help me to not have an opinion of another's opinion of me. I have to follow hard after you. Where else would I go Lord? I can never go back. I must only go forward."

Revival

Revival is not born out of mass movements but out of a series of solitary decisions.
Today's prayer: "God, I want to be a history maker! Shake everything that can be shaken in me. I don't want a religious routine, I rather want the high adventures of being a radical forerunner who will gladly give up all for You. Fill me with Your glory to touch this world for Jesus!"

Orchard White Clams

We might not be doing a great job at posting recipes to go with our beers (we're working on that, I promise), but Phil over at My Life as a Foodie is making up for it!  Phil featured Orchard White on his most recent episode, and used it as the base broth for cooking clams.  Now I know Orchard White goes with shellfish-- sounds good to me!  If you haven't listened to this Podcast, you really should.  It's funny, informative, and inspires me to try new recipes when I cook.  Thanks Phil!

LA Times Blog Mention

Dana Parsons, a columnist for the LA Times - Orange County edition, wrote a piece on first year law students at Chapman University School of Law, my alma mater.  Joan, my Mom-in-Law, read Dana's article and wrote to him saying I went to Chapman, started homebrewing while in law school, and recently opened a brewery.  Dana interviewed me and wrote a nice piece on an LA Times blog "Down the coast with Dana Parsons."  

Thanks for helping to spread the word, Dana!

Choosing Your Baby Shower Theme

When planning a Baby Shower, one of the first things you need to do is pick a theme. This is not only a fun and exciting part of the planning process, but also a very important decision to make. There are many factors you should consider when making this decision and take advice from mom-to-be if it’s not a surprise shower.

If you know the sex of the baby then it makes things a little easier. You could go with the traditional blue for boy and pink for girl theme. However, this pick doesn’t need to be at all redundant. Work with trendy shades of pinks and blues instead of the traditional baby blue/baby pink. Try to use contrasting colors to add a creative flare such as tiffany blue and white or hot pink with hues of orange and yellow.

Its crucial to keep the mom-to-be’s personality, style and preferences in mind. You want the chief guest to be awed and delighted as she enters her baby shower. If she is into simple pleasures, try a shapes theme. You could design your decorations with different shapes and colours. For example, choose a few shapes such as square, circle, triangle and rectangle. Incorporate them by mix and matching square and round plates, rectangular food platters and triangular table centerpieces. You can get creative and craft your own decorations which will be fun and inexpensive.

If mom-to-be likes glitz and glamour, try a Hollywood/movie themed baby shower. Complete with bling and charm, this baby shower theme is tonnes of fun and easy to plan. Start with choosing an invitation that would go with the theme such as star shape card or movie theatre stubs. Use stick-on rhinestones to decorate plate settings, favours and centerpieces. To make it even more fun, you can have a short movie of interviews with grandparents, family members and friends sharing their special thoughts with the parents-to-be. End it with a slide show of the parents’ childhood to adulthood milestones. Make your own movie booklet with casting, movie synopsis and credits. Roll out the red carpet and enjoy a premier featuring the guest of honour(s) and their adventures that lead up to the upcoming birth of the little star.

Finest Expressions

Personalized Gift Baskets

Top 10 Gift Baskets: Design Your Own Personalized Goodie Baskets!
Recipe for inexpensive baskets of treats! Personalize. Create baskets especially for loved ones. Give it your own special touch!
View more »

Tasting Room Opening Tomorrow!

We are very excited to be opening our tasting room tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 5th) for the first time! We'll have tastings, tours, beer to go, an amazing cask blend of very special beers, and nice people around who love beer as much as you do. There are a few details that you might like to know if you're planning on swinging by.

The big one: Cash Only! We don't yet have our credit card transaction equipment, so please stop by an ATM before coming by. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we'll be able to accept credit cards soon!

Hours / Days of Tasting Room Operation:

Friday: 2 pm - 8 pm (Tour at 6 pm)
Saturday: 12 pm - 6 pm (Tour at 4 pm)
or by appointment.

We plan to be closed on holidays and may be open on alternate days in the event of a holiday, but we'll let you know as these dates come closer.

Growler Fills:

For the first few weeks, we ask you to bring your own growler! Our own growlers aren't in yet, and we don't want to deprive you of fresh Bruery draft beer at home. We have stickers made which cover all the bases (legally speaking), and while it's not pretty, you won't have to pay for a growler for the time being. Not to say you won't want a Bruery growler, they're going to be pretty cool.

To celebrate our Gold Medals at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition, Humulus Bruin and Black Orchard will be only $8 for a growler fill!

Beers Available for Growler Fills:

Orchard White: $12
Black Orchard: $12 (Current special of $8)
Humulus Bruin: $12 (Current special of $8)
Hottenroth Berliner Weisse: $12

Beer Prices @ The Bruery:

Tasting Flight: 8 tasters for $6 ($6 of tasters can be applied towards a to-go purchase on the date of tasting)
Cask Serving: $5 (.4L)
Draft Beers (Orchard White/Black Orchard/Humulus Bruin/Hottenroth Berliner Weisse): $4 (.4L)
Keep the Glass: $8

Bottles To Go:

Orchard White: $8
Black Orchard: $8
Saison Rue: $12
Trade Winds Tripel: $9.5
Batch No. 1 - Levud's: $15

Merchandise:

- T-Shirts (Black or Grey): $15 (M-2XL), $20 (3XL - 5XL)
- Ladies Bamboo T-Shirts (Blue, Green, Brown, Magenta): $20 (S-XL)
- Rastal Glassware: $5 per glass, $8 filled with draft beer

First Firkin Fridays & Our Mélange Series (Written by Tyler):

Start the first weekend of the month off right, every month, with the tapping of a new firkin (cask conditioned) at The Bruery. The first Friday of each month will commemorate the tapping of a "Bruery special" cask conditioned ale. To celebrate the opening of our tasting bar, Patrick and I created a special blend of Russian Imperial Stout and Flemish Red to kick off our Mélange Series of beers. The Mélange series (Mélange meaning blend) consists of the brewers' most prized blend and don't worry, we will be sure to keep it interesting for you! I'm really excited about this, as a brewer there is nothing more fun than sitting down with a couple of beers and creating something new, an art form in itself. Make sure you come out this weekend; this is an in-house only beer and who knows when we're going to see it again! No growler fills of cask beer, unfortunately.

We're at 715 Dunn Way in Placentia, CA, right off of the 57 Freeway at Orangethorpe. Click this link to get directions via Google Maps. Give us a call if you get lost (714-996-6258). Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Making Payments For Your Baby Gifts

At Finest Expressions we thrive to make your gift shopping experience fun and easy. For your convinience we have added a 'Payments' Section to our website that gives step-by-step instructions to assist you in making your online purchase smoothly.

Located on the top menu bar, the 'Payments' Section outlines important information such as where to input the recipients information, when to put in your gift card message and how to pay using any of your major credit cards or your PayPal account.

As always, if you require assistance in making your purchase, just contact us and we'll be happy to help you.

Happy Shopping!

Finest Expressions

Product Of The Month - September 2008

The stunning Froggy Deluxe Diaper Cake is September's product of the month. This spectacular themed diaper cake comes with 70 brand name diapers, bath set, toys and of course the 30" inch Froggy pillow. An adorably unique gift for an amazing price!

Contents:

• 70 Pampers Diapers – Size 1
• 2 Wash Cloths
• Froggy Bath Sponge
• Soft Rattle
• Soft Picture Frame
• Height Chart
• Bath Towel
• Froggy Pillow (30” Inches)