{Chocolate and Silver Alphabet Letters for Saint Nicholas}

In the Dutch tradition, today is THE DAY!

Saint Nicholas is being celebrated in my home country. Poems are written and surprise gifts are being made for a family member. Names are drawn before, and it's a lot of fun creating all this. One custom from The Netherlands I've integrated into the American life and all our American family and friends LOVE it.

Chocolate Alphabet letters! ←click it. Yummy...
Available here in the US too; click on the above hyperlink.
Also available in Canada at The Dutch Market Ltd.
Silver alphabet angels from Tuscany, Italy by Giovanni Raspini ,
available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique:
Spectrenoir ←click it.

Have also a look at Madelief's blog Snowfakes and Crystals, she did describe so well  the time leading to the finale... when Sinterklaas finally delivers the goods. Saint Nicholas is thus Sinterklaas in Dutch. In my opinion, the Dutch way is far better and more pure, family oriented than the 'way too commercial' Christmas celebration here in the USA with Santa Claus. Christmas is a religious holiday and in The Netherlands it lasts TWO days! It is not as abruptly being amputated...
Let me show you our chocolate letters for friends; even if they will be given at Christmas time...
Most people do prefer milk chocolate and very few like the dark chocolate.
In my family it was only my Dad and me that preferred the dark...

You see also the silver alphabet angel letters together with the chocolate letters. Below I will be showing the additional silver alphabet angel letters that I have added. As with the chocolate letters, not all are available for purchase... You can always check with me if a certain letter is not shown, maybe I can obtain it for you.
For the photo session I dropped the box with my dark chocolate M and it broke; Murphy's law...

Pieter's P in milk chocolate... with the Giovanni Raspini silver alphabet angels from Italy. 

Since 1896, indeed a very old Dutch tradition!
And a younger Italian tradition with the silver letters...

 There are two sizes: 135 g and 65 g. Sometimes you have no choice...

This is how you order them, click on the image to enlarge.

Above you see some typical Dutch Sinterklaas treats from Chocolaterie Pierre.

Now I want to add some of the silver Giovanni Raspini letters that are available at: Spectrenoir.

Sorry the letter C is sol out...

The letter G is Sold out...

Sorry the letter S is Sold out...

The letter T is Sold out...

Sorry the letter V is Sold out...

SaveSave

{Camellia Debutante & Chocolate}

What do you think about our three gorgeously pink Camellia Japonica Debutante?

They look so romantic against the beautiful table linens from Cottimaryanne, Firenze. 

Made of 100% Egyptian cotton damask in Florence, Italy. 

A scalloped treasure from the time that we lived and worked in Italy!

Camellias and chocolates...

 Almost rose like... and that for this time of the year!

 Displayed in my favorite silver ROSE vase...
Johanna, from the blog: Silber+Rosen loves this silver rose; no wonder she wrote the book: Rosen-Bestecke (Rose-Flatware) about it!

Teamed up with the romantic Royal Albert Princess Anne China in which I placed some hand made chocolates. Learn from Mariette.

Just click the following link to a post where I mad chocolate Angels and Roses:

{STIR UP ANGELIC TEA FOR TWO} Also Hearts I made... This is my second trial of angels and roses, click on the enlarged hyperlink to see the other ones. Now I've made them with Splenda so they're sugar free!

Also I tried my own heart shaped version of Amaretti di Saronno cookies.

In the summer I had no time doing that but now is the season to make them again. Perfect as a gift too.

Would you like me to make a cup of coffee or do you prefer tea?

Just eat your heart out...

{Today I turned 17!}

On this day in 1993 I got my United States Citizenship!
So this is my 17th birthday... as a proud American.

We got up very early at 4:15 AM that day and left after breakfast by 5:30 AM to be in time for the ceremony in Atlanta at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building. At 8:30 AM the ceremony started for 257 people from 60 nations. By 9:55 AM it was over and we rushed back, to make it to Rotary lunch. Pieter introduced me as his guest with the following words: 'May I introduce my NEW American wife...'  That was well received, with laughter and happiness!

This is a picture of some of the poinsettia plants and flowers I received.

My Dublin Mom has passed away on June 25, 2009. She did adopt me as her daughter when I came here in 1983; very sweet and she's been such a help over the years whenever I faced something new or unknown.

Dear friends!

This photo was taken on December 31 of 1993 by photographer Lee Wilson. That was during an interview for Threads of Life: International Women's Textile Art by Deborah A. Duchon of Georgia State University.

For that program I had donated several of my hand made lace pieces.

This is an excerpt from my LinkedIn profile.