Finest Expressions – How a dream become a beautiful reality

A month after my son was born, my sister and I opened our online store called Finest Expressions – Designer Gifts & Gift Baskets. It seemed like I had given birth to one baby but ended up with twins! We wanted to design gifts that were not only beautiful to look at but were practical for the recipients. It was then that we set out to channel our creativity through designing unique baby and wedding gifts for the North American market.

We started by offering beautiful and trendy gifts such as our baby diaper cakes, clothing bouquets, sock bouquets and gift baskets. We initially started with three designs of diaper cakes and a lot of the other items. However, within a couple of months we realized that our diaper cakes were our bestsellers. We were also getting quite a few requests for custom designs. So we started focusing more on our diaper cakes and adding to the category on regular basis.

We decided to start our wedding favours line when a stressed bride asked us to design distinctive favours for her wedding. We created our now signature product, the mini-chocolate bouquets. Since then we have designed a beautiful line of wedding favours along with DIY kits that make it fast and easy for brides to put together their own favours.

We understand that gift giving is an important and special part of life. Our goal is to create baby & wedding gifts that are not only useful today but also remembered for many years to come. We also custom design gifts to suit our clients’ theme selection and budget. We absolutely love what we do and enjoy everyday we spend creating exceptionally beautiful and useful gifts for our clients.

Last month was our first year anniversary and above is a picture of our very first baby gift basket. We wanted to share it with you and thank you for making our dream a reality. :)

Thank you,

Zakia

Co-founder, Finest Expressions – Designer Gifts & Gift Baskets

Bridal Shower Basics

Bridal showers have become an important part of wedding traditions. Initially the concept of bridal showers started when women chose to marry men who were for whatever reason deemed ‘unsuitable’ as partners by their families. For this reason the families decided to hold back their dowries. This is when the engaged couples’ friends got together to give them household items that helped to set-up their new home. What a wonderful way to support the new couple as they start their lives together!

Usually the bridesmaids throw the bridal shower with the maid of honour taking the lead in planning the event. Traditionally, it’s frowned upon for the bride’s immediate family to throw the bridal shower. However, in situations where the bride doesn’t have anyone else who can throw her the shower, family members can step in to be the host.

Bridal showers are usually held 1-2 months before the wedding. Besides the family and friends of the bride, some family members of the groom are also invited. Of course there is no one in particular that should not be invited to the shower. However, anyone who is invited should be invited to the wedding as well.

Bridal showers are usually an afternoon event. The menu can be snacks, finger foods and other simple appetizers. Light lunch menus could include small sandwiches, pastries or simple salads.

As a hostess of a bridal shower, you should keep the following tips in mind:

Set a budget: It is very easy to get carried away when organizing such a fun event but you have to keep a budget in mind. Setting the budget from the start will be incredible helpful in deciding who to invite, choosing the venue and selecting the menu items.

Involve the bride-to-be: If it is not a surprise shower, always involve the bride-to-be in finalizing the guest list and even choosing the theme. It is her special day, so you want to make sure that you have all the important people in her life present.

Keep a checklist: Prepare a checklist to plan the shower so you don’t miss any steps. There are loads of checklists on the web that you can use as a template and customize it according to your preference.

Get help: Involve the other bridesmaids and enlist their help. The honour of becoming bridesmaids comes with its set of responsibilities. Helping with the bridal shower is one of them!

Don’t forget the bridal shower favours to give to your guests as a thank you for being part of your event.

The most important rule is for the bride, the guests and yourself to enjoy this celebration of the upcoming wedding. So plan, be organized and have fun!

Halloween Trick-or-Treat Candy Alternatives

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Finest Expressions Gift Tag

One-Up Design (our favorite design team!) have created these beautiful gift tags for us to include with our baby gifts. They are adorable and have ample space to include your loving messages to the recipients.

How cute!

Autumn Maple & Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch No. 1 - Levud's

Thank you all for being so patient with us on both Autumn Maple (in the bottles) and the rest of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch No. 1.  We're finally releasing both at the tasting room this weekend, and the Autumn Maple will be on store shelves and the finest of restaurants starting next week.  We anticipate high demand for the Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch No. 1 this weekend, so we're limiting each person to 4 bottles.  

We'll start selling both on Friday at 2 PM.  Autumn Maple will be $11 per bottle, and Bourbon Barrel Aged Batch No. 1 will be $20 per bottle.

Now that we have bottles of Autumn Maple, we won't be filling growlers of Autumn Maple anymore as we only have a few kegs left and want to keep it on tap for tastings.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Also, don't forget about the Beer Geek Show-and-Tell on Saturday!  Sorry for those who get offended by the term beer geek.  I call myself one if it helps.

New Diaper Cakes Added!

We have added some beautiful designs to our diaper cakes selection so do check it out!

The selection includes different designs for single tier and 4 tier cakes as well as new designs for Jungle Safari and Princess diaper cakes.

There is also a new addition to the Baby Blossoms family – introducing Sweet Baby Blossom!

Photographs also available with tags detailing the contents on Flickr.com.

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Special Delivery- The Bruery Growlers

Stop all the presses- our growlers have arrived!

Growler price- $10 (not including fill cost)

If you bought a blank growler off of us, you can redeem it for a $5 credit on the new growler.

The bad news- we can no longer fill blank or other brewery's growlers.  Our new growlers are so pretty that you will be tempted to just display them on your fireplace shelf.

The good news- you don't have to deal with those pesky growler stickers any more.  No separate caps- hooray!

Tasting Room Update: 10/15/08

Starting this weekend, there will be many exciting/delicious events in our tasting room.  Here's the DL-

OktoBRUEfest- this Saturday, October 18th

Break out those lederhosen or practice your Sprockets dance- we are bringing Bavaria to you!  Come this Saturday for The Bruery's take on Oktoberfest.  Snack on some delicious Bruery inspired German food prepared by The Bruery Chef Anthony Latteri.  We will be tapping our LAST keg of Hottenroth Berliner Weisse which will go down faster than the Dow Jones!  It will be uber (read: ooh-beer) cool.

Beer Geek Show-and-Tell Saturday, October 25th

We are no dummies- we know The Bruery's beer isn't the only beer you drink.   As much as we love our beer, we do enjoy partaking in the fruits of other brewery's labor as well.  Here at The Bruery, we strive to remind those of the principles and values expounded to us in grammar school, such as "sharing is caring."  Thus was the creation of Beer Geek Show-and-Tell.  On this day, if you are so inclined, please bring one bomber/750ml/ 2-12oz bottles of special craft/exceptional home brewed beer to share.  By the way sharing equals having the beer served by the tasting room staff- please don't just bring it for everyone just to look at and drool, that's not nice.   This is also a lesson in quid pro quo= only those who bring beer can partake in the sharing.  Don't worry, we will be bringing something special as well.

Halloween Night @ The Bruery- Friday, October 31st

Why should kids have all the fun trick-or-treating on Halloween night?  Come to The Bruery to get your treats on Old Hallow's Eve.  We will open at 2 like normal, for those of you who like to cut out early from work on Fridays.  However, the Beer-witching hours will be from 6-11pm that evening.  During that time, those who show up in costumes will receive 1 free pint of Imperial Orchard White.  Sorry- dressing up as a Bruery employee does not count.  

We may not put pumpkin in our beer, but we do put beer in our pumpkin.  At 6pm, we will tap a special pumpkin cask of the Autumn Maple.  A costume contest will occur at 8pm (you have to be there to win), with prizes for the winner.  There will be many more spooky surprises that evening, so be sure to make it!

First Firkin Friday (aka F cubed)- Friday, November 7th

Hopefully by now you have experienced F-cubed, and look forward to the first friday of every month like children do for Santa Claus.  Our next tapping in the series will be on Friday, November 7th.  The beer de jour?  Our Humulus Gold- a hoppy golden strong ale.  Yep, that's a new beer, so you better be the first to try it so you can be the cool kid and tell all your friends!

AHA Rally- Saturday, November 15th

I know this one is 1 month (or approc. 100 beers in beer-time) away, but this one is a biggie.  We will be hosting a crazy awesome rally for AHA- American Homebrewer's Association.  More info definitely to come on this one.  For now, just start the count down, OK?

Cheers!

Rachel

Chief Style Officer / Owner

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Hello from the GABF!

Blogging from my phone is no fun, so I'll keep it short. We're having
a great time at our first GABF, and people seem to be digging the
beers. The awards are this afternoon, so our fingers are tightly
crossed (I think mine are bleeding and blue at this point).
Categories that we thought would be low in entries actually have many
entries, so it'll take quite a bit of luck to bring home a medal.

Tasting room is open today-- please be gentle with Pete and Kevin, our
bartenders for today.

What are Diaper Cakes?

Diaper cakes are a fairly new concept in North America so we often get asked the question – What are diaper cakes?

Diaper cakes are the newest rage at baby showers and are quickly topping the ‘favorite new baby gifts’ list. They are non-edible cakes made out of diapers in 1,2, 3 or more tiers. They are then decorated with baby products such as clothing, receiving blankets, wash clothes, plush toys and bath products. Simple designs are also available where the plain cake is decorated with flowers and ribbons. This makes an excellent gift for moms who already have children since they probably have most of the baby items.

The uniqueness of presenting a couple with a diaper cake is that it can be a beautiful part of your baby shower décor and a gift the parents can enjoy after the baby is born. If you don’t want to pick a pre-designed diaper cake, you can customize them using your theme, color, size and budget.

Be sure to view our diaper cake section for more information.

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Brokenness

John 12:24-25: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.

Most of us would rather live without any seasons of pain. I know I would. Brokenness hurts! Yet during such times, the Lord often does His greatest work in our lives, reshaping and realigning us for His divine purposes. Jesus beautifully explains the principle of brokenness in John 12:24-25, where He compares our life to a single grain of wheat. If we hold a kernel in our hands, nothing will happen. If we carefully place it in a jar or on a shelf for safekeeping, it will just sit there indefinitely. In its safety, the grain will essentially be useless. However, if that kernel is placed in the soil where its protective layer is stripped away, something amazing happens. Before long, a little sprout will emerge from the earth and start to grow into something different, useful, and beautiful. Moreover, that new stalk will produce more grains that can be planted, and the stalks they produce will do the same. It's an amazing cycle of life, wherein a single kernel can lead to countless stalks of wheat. But it has to start with the brokenness of one grain.

Today's prayer: "God, I don't want to sit on a shelf in a jar being "safe." I want to be put in the ground and have my protective layer stripped away so that I can sprout wings and soar like an eagle for you! So, I say, plant me in your soil, water me with your rain, and shine your SON on me. Go ahead. This single grain of wheat cries out for multiplication."

Comfort Zone

Genesis 12:1-2 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing."

I love the KJV rendering of God's command to Abram, "Get thee out of thy country." God tells Abram to leave his country and his family and his father's household and go to a land that He will show him. God calls us to obedience in the same way, and often times He will say "Get thee out of thy comfort zone." Some of God's biggest blessings (and challenges!) come when we step out into the unknown, leaving behind everything familiar to us, to walk in faith. Abraham must have felt like an alien. I've known that feeling. God calls us to something new and we're "out there" all alone saying, "Wait, surely this is not what God said." Feeling like an alien is usually the first indication that we're in the right place with God. I've learned that stepping out into the unknown is where God does some of His best work. It's a place where blessing (and testing) flow hand in hand.

Today's prayer: "God, I'm out here. Yes, it's a strange land -- not much familiar in sight. Must be the right place, and though I don't see any road signs I sense your presence; your confirmation; your urging. If I strain my eyes I can still see "my comfort zone" -- way back there where I left it. Just a few more steps and it will disappear completely, dropping below the horizon."

Fear

Joshua 1:9 "I command you – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

If God has "commanded" -- called and commissioned us to do something, then He is sure to go with us. Where does our fear come from? I think Beth Moore hit on this. To some degree, we are all afraid of failing. We're afraid of letting God, ourselves, and others down. We somehow want to hide our "humanness." We may not speak our fears out loud, but Satan watches our actions. He can read us like a book. Satan sets the trap -- the very thing we're afraid of doing; the very thing we're afraid of becoming, and the very area in which we're afraid we might fall -- he sets up the circumstances to try and trip us up. But praise GOD -- He tells us to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid. We scream, "I can't. I won't. God, what if I fail you?" And, He lovingly echoes back, "I am the potter and you are the clay and I WILL NEVER FAIL YOU!"

Today's prayer: "God, in what areas am I most afraid of failing? Help me submit to the potter's hand. Help me press through the fear of man and the fear of failure. You've already accounted for my failure in your plan. You've even accounted for my stupidity. And yet, you still say, I will never fail you. This lump of clay can only respond with thank you, thank you, thank you."

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The Golden Collection - Wedding Favours

Our Golden Collection is an amazing array of wedding favours in warm gold, burgundy and brown shades. It’s a classic choice for a fall or winter wedding. Choose from a variety of styles including satin sachets, bombonieres and delectable chocolate bouquets.

Finest Expressions

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Embedded Impurities

One of my favorite Bible teachers, Beth Moore, says that we all have embedded impurities, things from our past, areas of sin, temptation, or weakness, that even though we may not have "acted" on them in years, they're still there. Part of God's sifting or purification is to shake those things loose, to bring them to the surface one by one so that they can be purged. At any one point in our life, something can happen to shake one of them loose and it rears it's ugly head. Woe be unto us if we're not prepared to deal with it. You can just bet that the timing won't be the ideal time for us -- e.g. we may be at the "height" of our ministry and bam, out of nowhere we get hit. It is to our benefit to work with God to get those things out in private time with HIM before they are exposed in public time, all because we didn't deal with them. God will often allow private time for correction first and if we don't take heed, public correction is sure to follow.

Today's prayer: "Oh God, it scares me sometimes to think what hidden things are still embedded within me. And yet, I want them out! When someone "bumps" me I want only YOU to spill out. I submit to your purging -- go after those things that are embedded; show them to me; and help rid me of them once and for all."

Sifting

Luke 22:31-32: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

In this passage, the first use of the word "you" is plural, meaning all of us; and the second use is singular, referring just to Peter. Like others, I have been through some seasons of sifting in my life. We can be sure that if we're being sifted then there is something in us that NEEDS sifting. But, Praise God! While we're being sifted, Jesus is praying for us. If anyone is going to pray for me, let it be Jesus. I know his prayers are heard and answered. Notice the scripture says "and WHEN you have turned back" -- this gives me courage because it doesn't say "IF you turn back." After our season of sifting we are strengthened (that is, able to make use of our bitter experience for the fortifying of others) and in turn, can strengthen our brothers.

Today's prayer: "God, the seasons of sifting are unpleasant, but more bearable knowing that Jesus is praying for me. I have places I want to "go" in you -- so what must "go" in me in order for that to happen? It scares me to even ask, but ask I must because an unrefined life is not much of a life. Sift away; oh, but please do it quickly. I promise to cooperate."