With the Raya festivities drawing near, have you already planned out how you want to redecorate your house or perhaps create an interesting celebration theme for break-fasting? If you have not, then consider these creative inspirations from Ikea.

Lo Bjurulf, who is represented by Agent Bauer, is a Swedish interior stylist and set designer. Once you click on the site, you’ll be spending hours just looking through all the amazing work of photographers, illustrators, set stylists, make up artists and more. But for today, let’s just focus on the work of Lo Bjurulf for Ikea.

This has got to be my favourite style set of all. Almost like a fusion of middle eastern theme in a  rustic Scandinavian barnyard. I love the colourful intensity of the set with the eclectic burst of elements from everyday household items. Simply brilliant!

It’s like bringing high street to the table, that even the budget-conscious can turn their living space – designer!

This next set is so raw, simple and tastefully done. It does take great skills to turn something so ordinary into something beautiful. It looks environmentally sustainable too, and the best part is, you can easily take a piece of this home simply by hopping over to Ikea (well, except for the paper crafts!).

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• Styleboard: Lo Bjurulf for Ikea

Last November, we had a blast organising a corporate party themed 70’s Retro Rewind. The guests were by far the most sporting, fanatical party people we’ve ever met and it is always a pleasure to know that everyone had a great time.

Apart from resurrecting ‘Michael Jackson’ for an impactful opening gambit, ‘Elvis Presley’ serenaded the crowd with some of his greatest hits with the likes of Heartbreak Hotel, Suspicious Minds, A Little Less Conversation and then so much more.

I just managed to view the photos taken by Exes – Studio and here’s a short peek into the event.

‘Santana’ and ‘Johnny Cash’ rocked the show during the battle of the bands while ‘Austin Chase’, ‘ABBA’, ‘Elton John’, the gypsies and so many more ‘celebrities’ graced the event with their colourful charisma and fanfare.

The 70’s truly is the best era of all time!!

Contact The Peak Xperience for more details!

Suitable for fun birthday parties and whimsical bridal showers.

On Halloween’s Day, The Peak Xperience launched its new consultancy studio at The Strand, Kota Damansara with a cocktail party themed “Twilight Love – Vampires Rule, Cinderellas Drool” with Alter Ego as the dress code.

As the hostess of the party, I certainly had a fun time conceptualizing all the bizarre settings together with our dessert sponsor, Anizah of Truly Scrumptious!.

As we themed the evening’s event Twilight Love, expect to see our version of the modern-day Cinderella – one who wants something different and is not afraid to take the road less traveled as she plans for her wedding to Prince Charming. Whilst we do not expect potential clients to come to us for a vampire-ish wedding theme, we certainly hope the cozy space we had transformed managed to showcase a sneak peek at what we can do as wedding and party planners – and that is, to create memorable experiences that are unique, creative and fun.

In this renewed interpretation of modern fairy-tale love story, we added our own twist as we showcased thematic table settings -  Oriental Autumn Twilight, Twilight in Spring and Gothic Winter to suit every bride’s every whim and fancy. In a way, it is a romantic interpretation on our part of what was once thought of as a scary nightmare.

To further add to the event’s flavour, we unveiled our new brand, Sugar & Spice and together with Truly Scrumptious! as our dessert sponsor, guests had the opportunity to sample specially concocted desserts with intriguing names such as Till Death Do Us Part, Vampire’s Kiss, Forbidden Fruits *Poison Apples*, Tru Blood, Blood Beer, Sugared Blood, Happy Pills and many more sinful temptations that proved to be a hit with the guests.

We are thankful to our corporate partners and friends such as That Special Occasion for showcasing their beautiful gowns, Jewel Avenue for displaying accessories that are sure to set every bride’s heart aflutter and of course, Truly Scrumptious! for preparing the heavenly dessert samplings.

Patrick Low of Budget Brides emerged as the best dressed winner of the night. Pumpkins from top left to right: Creations of Louisa Michael of That Special Occasion, Bernie of That Special Occasion and Kris Wong of Weddings Malaysia.

All in all, it was a great Halloween Night! The only disappointment of the night was that Robert Pattinson (who plays Edward Cullen in the famed “Twilight Love” movie) was nowhere in sight…

For more photos, check out our Facebook album.

Here are our top picks for this year’s Christmas treats!

Rich miniature fruit cakes @ Delectables by Su-Yin

Expect nothing less from our resident Kitchen Goddess. Melt-in-your-mouth delectably rich fruit cakes topped with cute little penguins bringing you a message of hope, love and peace. For details, check out her blog at www.cookingismypassion.blogspot.com

Traditional favourites @ Colus Cakes

Based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Colus Cakes offers quick and convenient online order service for all your party cakes. Flavours for Christmas cakes are limited to two options – the Chocolate Mud cake or Carrot Cheesecake. For details, visit their website at www.coluscakes.com

Cupcakes @ Bijoux Food Company

Snow White Sparkle collection for Christmas or the Countdown Box for New Year’s eve. A great affordable gift for friends and an even better gift for yourself! Pre-order these cupcakes at 03-2697 0131 or visit their outlets at:

Bisou, 58 Jalan Doraisamy, Asian Heritage Row.

Bijou, Ground Floor, Damai Sari Mont Kiara, Damai No. 3, Jalan Kiara 2, Mont Kiara.

Bianco, Tropics Shopping Centre, Damansara Perdana.

Snowflake Cookies @ Dolce Cupcakes

The internet is a wide and twisted web with hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Eunice of Dolce.SwayMyWay.com started from a little blog into a growing home business specialising in cupcakes. Get these pretty snowflake cookies at only RM12 per pack of three.

Novelty Christmas Cakes @ Choffles Cake Studio

Choffles Cake Studio specialises in producing dummy wedding cake, sugar showpiece, novelty cakes for all occasions, corporate gifts and more. Established in 2001, Choffles has since become one of the most preferred Cake Studio within the Klang Valley for its affordable novelty creations. Their outlets are located at:

PJ Branch: 17-1, Jalan PJU 8/5A, Bandar Damansara Perdana.

Sunway Branch: 23-G, Ground floor, Jalan 11 / 28B, Sunway Metro, Bandar Sunway

The beauty of having a Christmas tree is in the time spent with the family to set it up. It need not be expensive or grand to create an impression. Think outside the box, express your individuality through your Christmas tree and bond with your family during this special season.

Aren’t you bored of the traditional round ornaments, tinsel stars and  angel toppers? It’s time to get rid of the old ornaments recycled year after year. Let’s spice up this year’s Christmas tree with a unique theme.

To get started, here are a few things you might want to consider in your quest for a brand new look!

stripes & polka dot ornaments from Tang's

Why do we give in to the traditional style when our personal space spells funky chic or uber-modern?

While it is not necessary to decorate your Christmas tree to match the interior of your house, you may want your tree to look like it belongs in your home and not an object that looks entirely out of place. So, if you are an out-going fun-loving party girl, bring it on with a tree that’s ‘loud’ and stylish.

Once you have defined the look and style you want for your tree, it’s time to decide on a theme. Do you have a special interest you are very passionate about? Or a hobby you enjoy doing with your loved ones? Choices are abundant at shops and departmental stores but if you can’t find what you are looking for, there is always the alternative DIY.

Westin Hotel's Wild Wild West Xmas Tree Using Cutleries & Cowboy Hats

Idea 1: Kitchen Goddess

Are you a Kitchen Goddess? Do you love spending time baking or cooking, and coming up with creative dishes for your friends and family? Then, let’s take your interest one step further and put your cooking flair (and ingredients) onto the tree.

Instead of the living room, you can place a mini tree on your kitchen counter top and organise a pre-Christmas baking party with friends of similar interest.

Decorate the tree with:

• Colourful Recipe Cards
• Mini wreaths made from crushed cinnamon sticks glazed with stardust glue
• Cookie Cutters in various shapes and sizes
• Anise dipped in stardust and tied with velvet ribbons
• Sugar dough in pretty colours and shapes
• Starbuck’s cute little coffee cup ornaments

Idea 2: Model Collectors

This is the easiest yet! No worries about spending that extra Ringgit on those silly ornaments. Just tie your collectibles with ribbons or fish rods and hang them onto your trees. Finish off with fairy lights.

Idea 3: Child-Friendly

If you have young children, the decorations have to be non-choking hazards. Do away with tiny ornaments and decorate the tree with soft toys and polaroid pictures of your children. If they are old enough to write, get them to write for mommy and daddy little Christmas love notes with crayons and colour pencils, then hang them onto the tree.

Idea 4: Fashionistas

Play with soft fabrics and blings. Decorate the trees with:

• Polka dot ribbons or lace
• Baroque-themed fabrics
• Miniature shoes
• Gold, silver beaded strings
• Mini mirror balls
• DIY embellishments

Pretty ornaments from Parkson

Sometimes, colour scheme comes before deciding on the theme. Sometimes, it’s the other way around depending on the options there are in the market,  since most shops often carry common colours that are popular and in-demand such as white, gold, bronze, silver and red. It is also important to co-ordinate the colour scheme of your tree to either complement your space or stand out from a monotoned room.

Candy-colour-themed tree ornaments available at Tang's, KL Pavillion

Finally, it’s time to take to the streets for your Christmas tree shopping. Be wary of your total budget and keep in mind that larger trees will require larger ornaments and more decorations. The size of your tree should also complement the size of the space where you want to place your tree. A small tree will look oddly ‘retarded’ in a large living room with high ceilings.

Before purchasing a tree, it is also best to plan your storage space and decide on where you will keep your tree and the decorations after Christmas. The best storage space is one that will not interfere with your daily house chores because the tree and the boxes of ornaments will take up one full year until the next Christmas.

For the best place and value for last minute artificial Christmas tree shopping, head over to Petaling Street.

The beauty of having a Christmas tree is in the time spent with the family to set it up. It need not be expensive or grand to create an impression.  More importantly, let us not forget the true spirit of Christmas.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!