Chocolate Seals

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Waxed paper

Cup filled with crushed ice

Metal wax seal stamps

1) First, gently heat the chocolate chips in the microwave at 30-second intervals; be careful to not overheat. Stir until smooth.

  

2) Transfer the melted chocolate to a clean bowl and let it stand for 3-5 minutes or until it's barely warm to the touch.  The chocolate mustn't be too hot when you make an impression with the stamp. The heat from the chocolate will automatically warm the metal stamp, which in turn will cause the chocolate to smear.

3) Meanwhile, place the metal wax seal stamps in the cup filled with crushed ice.  The stamp bottoms need to be thoroughly chilled, so the chocolate doesn't stick to the stamp.

4) Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop dime-size amounts of chocolate onto the waxed paper with a spoon. Remove a stamp from the ice and quickly wipe it free of water droplets with a paper towel. Place the stamp onto a mound of chocolate, press down gently, then release. Let the stamp stand pressed in the chocolate for 3-5 seconds. Press down again very gently but firmly once more before you lift the stamp. You should be left with a clear impression on the chocolate. Replace that metal wax stamp into the crushed ice until it is thoroughly chilled and repeat with remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate the finished chocolate seals until firm.

5) I frosted the gingerbread cupcakes as I usually do. Then using a spatula, transfer the seals onto the cupcake tops; press gently to adhere.

Another year, another holiday season, but does anyone really need another gadget from Sharper Image? I mean, there are things we might like to have, even fancy stuff that we generally don't buy for ourselves, but in this vast wasteland of consumerism, it's time to practice mindfulness even when it comes to gift-giving. Remember, it's the thought that counts.

I combed the internet and compiled a list of thoughtful, practical, unique, and experience-focused ideas rather than adding to the accumulation of more superfluous stuff. So here is my Best 2019 Holiday Gift Guide to spark some plans for the special folks in your life.

1) For the Kitchen Maven
Savoring memories to keep them in hand is just a click away. Turn any handwritten or typewritten family recipe into a kitchen towel. Canvastry will print it on a 100% cotton flour-sack tea or kitchen towel in a 28"x 28" size for solid towels and 18"x 28" for striped towels. Because these are hand-sewn, there may be a slight variation. Safe to machine wash, dry, and iron, these are useful and a real conversation starter, especially when family and guests congregate in the kitchen like they usually do.

 2) For a Year-Round Gardener
Plants add more life to your surroundings, so why not share a little green love with those you love? Bloomscape agrees and thinks everyone should live with a bit more green. Plants make life better, and Bloomscape makes buying easy by delivering healthy, ready-to-go plants to your door and setting you up with tips and tricks needed to help your plants thrive. This ponytail palm is fun, distinct, and hardy. Search the website for the right criteria to find a suitable fit, whether you are looking for low-maintenance, adaptability, or a pet-friendly sprout.

3) For the Perpetual Student
It is an excellent thing to always learn something new, for it keeps the mind active and encourages youth. Want to watch legendary chef Gordon Ramsay prepare thirteen restaurant-inspired recipes redesigned to cook at home? Gift someone special on your list with a  MasterClass given by some of the best in the business. Whether it's about cooking, music, painting, drama, any of the arts, or on any other occasion, big-name celebrities teach the skills to be developed. Learn about documentary filmmaking with Ken Burns, see how Margaret Atwood teaches creative writing, or watch Usher teach about the art of performance.

4) For Your Favorite Artist
At Mii Creative, you create your own personalized art and have the time of your life painting whatever you want or recreating your favorite moments on canvas. They can convert any of your photographs or memories into the perfect paint-by-number art, all you have to do is upload your own photo. With custom paint by numbers, you can get portraits, wedding photos, pets’ pictures, or any other photo you want to be converted into a canvas for a painting. 

5) For the Savy Subscriber
There is an Amazing Club for just about any gourmet favorite you have! With the most extensive selection, recipients will love their award-winning Coffee, Beer, and Wine of the Month Clubs. But that's just the beginning. How about chocolate? Or some ice cream? Or maybe jam and jellies, lobster, or flowers? Whatever their passion, they've got the club they'll love month after month. Plus, they offer free shipping.

6) For a Homebody at Heart
This is an excellent gift for any friends and family who have just moved into a new home, or who are celebrating a special occasion uniquely related to their homes. From WallTonicArts on Etsy, choose from a different variety of art styles for a new home portrait. Printed on ultra-premium luster photo paper that is fingerprint-resistant, choose from Watercolor, Pasty, Modernum (a watercolor variation), Ink, Archie, or Da Vinci. Select from over twenty-five different fonts and even add a unique message that is entirely personalized.

7) For Your Favorite Foodie
Isn't everything better with a little drizzle? This is our absolute favorite olive oil and vinegar. We keep it stocked in our pantry, but it goes so fast I am ordering every other month. Tubby Olive offers a wide selection of the freshest, healthiest extra virgin olive oils, most flavorful infused specialty olive oils, and a large selection of barrel-aged and naturally flavored balsamic vinegar. Enhance your daily cooking from breakfast to dinner. Fruit and herb-infused olive oils like Tuscan Herb and artisanal Black and White Truffle Olive Oil are authentically produced and certified in Modena Italy. The exceptional flavor is a marvelous gift for that hard-to-buy-for foodie.

8) For the World Traveler
Just grab a coin and start scratching off all the places you have been lucky enough to visit, creating your own personalized and continually changing world map! Scratch the World map print from Maps International is an excellent gift for the voyager. Destinations visited to reveal a beautifully styled, up-to-date map underneath is the perfect gift for travel enthusiasts. They can completely personalize the map to tell their unique travel story. With high-quality cartography, this is the most detailed scratch-off concept map print you will find. In addition to countries, the map also features cities on the top layer and the world map underneath, allowing for more detailed scratching.

9) For the Adventurer
Give the gift of experience. Partnered with over 600 "Best in Class" experience providers to create an unparalleled portfolio consisting of more than 2,100 experiences in 55 regions, Cloud 9 Living is an experience gift company that offers unique and memorable moments. Founded in 2005, they believe that giving a gift should be more meaningful than just fulfilling an obligation; it should be about showing your recipient that you took time to find something they will truly love and remember for years. As a small company filled with passionate people, they take it upon themselves to make sure you and your recipient have the best gifting experience possible. With trips ranging from thrilling and adventurous to relaxing and cultural, they genuinely have something for every taste and every budget.

10) For the Memory Keeper
And last but not least, only the best way to preserve a past is by presenting a Legacybox. Keep memories alive and timeless by digitizing those old home movies and pictures. Building on the mail-in model first seen by Kodak, a recipient is sent a Legacybox kit to be filled with tapes, film, photos, and audio recordings. They partnered with UPS to handle the shipping. Upon delivery, they do the rest, digitizing your moments onto a thumb drive, the cloud, or DVD. They provide state-of-the-art tracking, barcoding, and real-time updates throughout digitizing. They combined the experience of the past with the technology of today to make it easy and safe.

My wish is that this list opens your creative mind to new possibilities for the holiday season. Happy shopping! xoxo-Sonya

A little something® nestled atop a rustic stripe of Deux-coupage™ on natural mother of pearl is three exquisite, handcrafted flowers of metallic lampwork glass. The Tuscan Sun statement piece in radiant earth, parmesan, vitrified ivory with silver, and chartreuse sun swirl to create color-rich one of kind jewels collected for this asymmetric eighteen-inch necklace.

One side has two rows of handmade glass beads laced on leather while the other links multiple strands of antique silver chains. The reverse of the large pendant is a tiger stripe. With such attention to detail, this is a jewelry lover’s treasure. The necklace is secure at the back with a gunmetal magnetic closure for ease of wear. With the extra charm of additional handmade lampwork, the set is completed by matching earrings and bracelet.

Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave. ~ Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

Like fanning through a deck of cards, my mind flashes on the thousand chances, trivial to profound, that converged to re-create this place. Any arbitrary turning along the way and I would be elsewhere; I would be different. Where did the expression "a place in the sun" first come from? My rational thought process cling always to the idea of free will, random event; my blood, however, streams easily along a current of fate. ~ Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

My idea of heaven still is to drive the gravel farm roads of Umbria and Tuscany, very pleasantly lost. ~ Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun

Tuscan Sun necklace and earrings are available in the online boutique... xoxo-Sonya

A short car ride away in Morristown, New Jersey, is a selection of women’s and men’s costumes and accessories that illustrate the eclectic and individualistic nature of steampunk fashion today. The Morris Museum's Steampunk Fashion exhibit on view until November 17th is a concise look at this profound aesthetic. The word "steampunk" conjures up numerous images of antiquity, industry, science, wonder, and grandeur. And while steampunk's origins in literature with plentiful portrayals in art and film, the most iconic manifestations are en vogue. Retro-futurism on full display.

Though many equate steampunk with corsets, top hats, and goggles, it is really a world embodying the spirit of a past that might have been but never was. That is, until now. Time travel back to the Victorian era and pair futuristic imagination with fantastic ideas conjured from science-fiction then package it with a vintage view. What's old is new again, and how it is assembled is left to the craft of the fantasy. Captured above is a men's character ensemble as a Scottish Highlander, a collaboration between Amber O'Boyle Kulp (costume) and Colleen O'Neill (accessories), with mechanical wings, once used onstage by steampunk duo Eternal Frontier.

For the six costume ensembles in the exhibit, 19th-century Victorian Era clothing, and accessories from the Morris Museum’s permanent collection have been interspersed into the displays providing historical context. Each element from paintings to trinkets to shoes highlight the design connections and deconstructions that frequently push the limits of inspiration.

"The steampunk subculture draws fashion inspiration from archetypical characters, science fiction, and technology of the past, and its fashion is based on repurposing old items in a modern and imaginative way," states guest curator Kathy Francis.

"Nineteenth-century clothing recreations are mixed with gears, moving parts, and attitude, conveying a message of practicality, romanticism, adventure, and self-reliance. Thus the fashion becomes not only art but an artistic outlet for self-expression and creativity." ~ Kathy Francis

"For me, as an artist, the most important thing is a willingness to experiment and explore. To me, steampunk is all-encompassing. You go to any steampunk convention, and you will not only see costumes based on Victorian fashion. You will also see a lot of art from other subgenres. Steampunk is a really inclusive community." ~ Amber O'Boyle Kulp

Display of 19th-century women's undergarments, deconstructed to show the various layers from the inside out, including bloomers, underpetticoat, hoop skirt, petticoat, corset, and corset cover, any of which steampunk costumers may use as an outer layer.

So many fascinating trinkets pepper this exhibit. This Magic Lantern, circa the 1800s, is comprised of colored glass slides made from drawings or paintings held up in the device lit up by lantern or candlelight and then projected on a wall. The resulting projections were often accompanied by music as a form of entertainment or for educational purposes.

Men's fashion in the nineteenth century were proper and dignified. Today's gents wear aviator, and military-style jackets, waistcoats, tails, vests, top hats, bowler hats, goggles, medals, and pocket watches, to just name a few. The influence of fully charged futuristic weapons and sounds of yesteryear creates a rich beauty when combining both.

"I hope that this exhibition can inspire people to use their imaginations and create their own things. It doesn’t have to be professional or perfect. You just have to put your heart into it and do it because it’s something you love." ~ designer Colleen O’Neill

Steampunk fashion continues to gain steam... xoxo-Sonya

After removing the armrest pads, I collected the few scraps of fabric to test some colors. I ultimately decided to paint the tapestry over with a Dye-Na-Flow black fabric dye I had from my silk painting stash. It would provide excellent coverage, and I had a lot of it to use up.

A little at a time, slow and steady, I used a smaller brush for better control as I stippled the dye into the fabric. Dye-Na-Flow is a permanent dye used for any porous or semi-porous surface, including natural and synthetic materials, and can be set once dry with a bit of heat from an iron. I also read that you can simply leave the furniture piece in the sunshine for a total heat-set.

Here, you can see the three different paints and colors I tried before settling on the black dye at the top. The middle swatch is actually the cafe cream color I tested since I had seen so many chair redos on Pinterest using Anne Sloane paints. I thought it was too dirty looking and made the fabric very stiff. The bottom swatch is also Dye-Na-Flow dye in a brown color.

I am satisfied with the black. It was definitely the way to go.

Once the fabric dried, I was able to lightly sand and paint the wood. I used a small brush once again for more control and gave each chair two coats of cafe cream. Once those coats of paint dried, I used fine steel wool to smooth out the surfaces and rub-off the color in the raised areas giving it a weathered look. To further the shabby antique touch, I grabbed my dark and light waxes to accent the carvings on the back, front seat, and legs of the chairs. The brass tacks were easy to avoid with paint and wipe if I got a bit sloppy at any point. 

Voila! Two new dining room chairs!

With a little bit of paint and wax, we'll be sitting pretty for the next feast in the dining room...

xoxo-Sonya

I remember the abundance of glossy fliers filled with kilim carpets, printed skirts, bone china florals, and crewelwork pillows for sale cramming the mailbox at my childhood home. The patterns fascinated and excited me when I was in high school. Though I didn't buy anything at the time, flipping through the colorful pages opened my eyes to a seemingly endless supply of delightful items available worldwide through the mail. Even in our dot-com era, my mother maintains the title Queen of Catalogs by the mail carriers on the neighborhood route.

I began to tear sheets from the discarded booklets, saving them not for gift ideas as my mother did but for the pure pleasure of keeping ones I adored. It pained me to see so many pretty pictures thrown away, and this habit continued when I subscribed to periodicals as an adult.

Scrapped postcards, pre-owned datebook pages, cuttings of previous year calendars and out-of-date magazines eventually added to my growing collection. A born organizer, I gleefully began the task of formulating library binders according to various categories: floral, geometric, acanthus, conversational, animal print.

But I still had no other use for this extensive library than reference and aiding mood boards I created for my career as a knitwear designer. That is until I started tinkering with handmade jewelry on the side. My excitement ignited upon discovering an inventive way to renew traditional craft with a contemporary spirit by experimenting with the transfer medium, Omni-Gel. The beautiful result changed everything.

As a play on words of the European craft découpage, I like to call this technique Deux-coupage™. In French, Deux means two; coupage is to cut. With classic découpage, images begin as paper cut-outs and are glued onto items then sealed with multiple coats of varnish. Deux-coupage™ boasts two sides, one of the captured images carefully transferred by hand, the reverse reflecting natural elements of the base with the addition of a complementary motif in metallic dry-transfer.

My library of recycled paper embraces artful purpose now. Chosen pictures are first brushed with several layers of the Omni-Gel medium to seal it. Once completely dry, the clipping is soaked in lukewarm water to soften the back layer of paper so it can be removed gently revealing a semi-transparent image. The image skin is dried again, then applied to the material of choice with the same adhesive and later sealed with multiple coats to secure the finished piece. Many of my pendants are mother of pearl, natural seashell, semi-precious stone, and metal in an array of size and shape. This process is time-consuming, but the result resembles fine painting or inlay work, a glorious example of true decorative art-to-wear. Earrings dance in pretty patterns and necklaces frame the wearer with truly distinctive looks that beautify and bestow a lasting impression.

Pursuing my artisan journey of jewelry design for almost ten years and continually refining my skills, I learned to lampwork the glass beads as well. I instinctively adapted to the art of flameworking glass. Now the adornments take on further meaning for one-of-a-kind. While many times I begin with a finished Deux-coupage™ pendant to match in handmade glass, my curious spirit and exploratory nature produce delightful baubles I couple afterward with images from the library. However it happens, the process always feels new. My favorite piece is still the one just finished.

Life can be colorful and complicated or soft and subdued. I believe jewelry is like life, all about balance. It is an ongoing lesson, discovering new combinations that work effortlessly, others requiring time and patience to get just right. I aim to blur the distinction between current and classic, to keep my work fresh and on-trend, wearable, and artfully combined.

Revisiting period craft with a modern twist spawns a new age of art-to-wear — a little something created with paper, purpose, and pendants.