10 Best Ideas of the Week: Doughnuts on Sticks, TED's Brain-Wave Recliners, Tables Wearing Tutus

At a 2011 fund-raiser in Boston, the Catered Affair set up a doughnut-on-a-stick bar, where guests could top their own treats with colored sugar, candy, and more.

At the TED conference in Long Beach, California, Target hosted a social area that had seating inspired by brain waves. The reactive space changed colors as guests interacted with it, and it had a live Twitter stream that showcased real-time tweets from conference attendees. The event took place February 25 to March 1.

The Palm Springs area's La Quinta Resort & Club hosted TED's official simulcast, known as TEDActive. A picnic lunch Wednesday offered picnic baskets for groups of seven—so each person had to meet six new folks with whom to chat and chow.

Anya Hindmarch, an English accessories designer, showcased her new bags in a sea of colorful, cascading dominoes for her presentation at London Fashion Week on February 19. Watch the whimsical show here.

"Midnight in Paris" was the theme of the Lyric Opera of Chicago's "Fantasy of the Opera" gala on February 9. In a lower-level lounge, guests had cocktails and sweets at highboy tables wearing diaphanous pink linens. Designed in house by Event Creative, the flouncy table covers were inspired by the costumes of the Moulin Rouge dancers.

H&M had its Paris Fashion Week runway debut February 27. Held at the iconic Musée Rodin, the event saw a 20,000-square-foot "Maison H&M" built on the museum's grounds. Models clad in French maid uniforms occupied a library and parlor room, where light furnishings and period books were used as props to recreate a posh environment.

Designer Mathieu Mirano sent out a memorable invitation to his February New York fashion show: a petri dish that appeared to contain bacteria. The attention-grabbing invitation was designed by Alpine Creative Group and employed screen-printing in gold and black.

Ferllen Winery teamed up with the Amigos Near Foundation for an arty event in Miami February 16. Held at Paramount Bay, the party offered the chance to check out artwork in a rather unusual setting—the swimming pool. On the deck upstairs, mounted pieces from photographer Tomas Loewy floated on the turquoise water.

The February 7 benefit, which took place at the Coral Gables Country Club in Miami, went beyond the basic silent auction by enlisting a group of hunky male volunteers to showcase auction items. The event ended up selling $50,000 in goods that day from the auction and a fashion marketplace, resulting in a fund-raising total of $450,000.