I am a chocoholic creating chocolate themed jewellery as I explore Canadian chocolate one bar and bonbon at a time

Bonbon with cacao bean in it next to a bronze cacao bean necklace.

Recent blogs

New Adventures – The Chocolate Notebook

This year I was fortunate to be asked to join the team of The Chocolate Notebook, a notebook/calendar/agenda/journal. I had a first edition of The Chocolate Notebook and used it throughout 2020. I was surprised and excited when Anelisa Lauri and Lauren Heineck, the minds behind the creation of The Chocolate Notebook, invited me toContinue reading “New Adventures – The Chocolate Notebook”

by canadianchocoholic January 8, 2021January 9, 2021

Wreath made using Chocolate Bar Wrappers

Make this stunning wreath out of chocolate bar wrappers to add fun, whimsy, and chocolate flair to your Christmas decor. A DIY paper Christmas craft.

by canadianchocoholic December 21, 2020December 21, 2020

Chocolate Bar Garland

DIY Paper garland using chocolate bar wrappers. Great for upcycling old chocolate packaging and creating decorations and ornaments for Christmas.

by canadianchocoholic December 17, 2020

canadianchocoholic

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate makes me dream…. Does it do

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🍫 Chocolate makes me dream…. Does it do the same for you?⁠
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🙂 Do you dare to dream big dreams? I dream about sharing chocolate with the whole world, letting people explore new flavours and tastes and memories in just a bite of chocolate. I dream of a world where all chocolate is ethically and sustainably grown and harvested. I dream of bites of chocolate, of baking with craft chocolate, of writing about chocolate, of exploring through chocolate. I dream of creating more delicate and detailed pieces of jewellery. Of drawing more chocolatey graphics. ⁠
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🌏 I dream of learning more about this wonderful world of cacao and traveling to learn and grow more.⁠
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🎨 I once dreamed that I would work from home again, creating art and working with chocolate. Here I am with a dream come true. So dream all your dreams, and see where those dreams lead you!⁠
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🧡 PS - It is my 2 year Jewel-ivesary today and I'm giving away one of these sterling silver cacao pods that I make to celebrate. Check my last post to enter!🎁
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❔ What do you dream?⁠
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#tttt_d #tttt_2021 #tttt #dream #chocolatedreams #idreaminchocolate #dreamsofchocolate #daydreams #chocolatecommunity #womeninchocolate #sharechocolate #learnaboutchocolate #chocolateeducator #chocolatetastings #canadianchocoholic #createdreams #dreambig #createart #artistdreams #keepdreaming #headintheclouds #sterlingsilvercacaopod #explorecacao #cacaopod #cacaobean #smallbatch #craftchocolate #davao #darkchocolate ⁠

.⁠ 🎂 It's my jewel-iversary! #canadianchocoho

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🎂 It's my jewel-iversary! #canadianchocoholicjewellery is officially 2 today!⁠
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🧡 To show my love for all of you for supporting me and my art work I am having a giveaway.⁠
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🍫This sterling silver cacao pod was the first piece I launched in my jewellery line and I am giving one away!⁠
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🎨 Each of these is one-of-a-kind, making it my absolute favourite piece to date. I use a jewellers’ saw to hand saw (without much for a guide) the shape of each pod, then I drill holes for each cacao bean, the line beside it that illustrates the shell of the cacao pod, and the hole where the link goes to hang it onto the chain. Then I make those drilled holes bigger to resemble the beans, or longer to create a line for the shell. Then I file, sand, polish, and polish again before adding a chain and voila, a sterling silver cacao pod! ⁠
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👩‍🏭 By voila, I mean a lot of time, energy and attention to details and process. Plus added love.⁠
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📷 If you want to see more of my jewellery you can check out #canadianchocoholicjewellery to see more posts with my jewellery in them. You can also visit my blog to see my full line, there is a link in my bio. You can also visit my blog to read about how some of the pieces are made and see process photos.⁠
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🎁 Now how to enter the giveaway!⁠
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1️⃣ Like this post and be sure you are following @canadianchocoholic⁠
2️⃣ Tag ONE friend & COMMENT about what your favourite piece of jewellery I make is.⁠
3️⃣ Bonus entry if you share in your stories (be sure to tag me so I see it).⁠
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ONE ENTRY per person, to keep it fair and fun! If you want to share with friends please use the share button or post in your stories. We will draw a name tomorrow, so be sure to like, tag, comment and share by noon EST on January 27th, 2021. Open worldwide! ⁠
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PS - It's our second birthday so I am also giving away one piece to a newsletter subscriber, so sign up if you aren't already on that list.⁠
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This giveaway is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram.⁠

#chocolate #cacaopod #goldsmith #sterlingsilver #jewellery #chocolateaccessories #metalsmith #2years #ilovechocolate #handmadejewellery #cacao #cocoapod #cacaopods

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate stash pouches!⁠ .⁠ ❤ Do

.⁠ 🍫📓📆 Here is a peek into my copy of T

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🍫📓📆 Here is a peek into my copy of The Chocolate Notebook. Have you figured out how it works best for you?⁠
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🖊 I scribble all sorts of notes in it. It’s not super tidy, but it does keep track of all the chocolate things I am up to. The first photo is of this past week, and the next photo is of my coming week. I use the themed pages for journaling any chocolate thoughts, doodling new ideas for jewellery, and documenting any important facts, ideas or discoveries.⁠
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🍫 I jot down the chocolate and drinking chocolate as I enjoy it, but sometimes miss a few bites here and there. ⁠
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🧡 I also use the 8th square that is empty as a to do list, because running a business means having a never-ending to do list!⁠
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🎨 Also, my artist eye loves to colour code things. Brown is chocolate, Orange is IG, Red is The Chocolate Notebook, and Pink is business. That way I can easily see what I did for what when I look back at the end of the month or year. Perhaps I am a bit too detailed?⁠
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🙂 I hope you are enjoying your copy of The Chocolate Notebook.⁠
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#chocolatenotebook #thechocolatenotebook #Bookmark #chocolatelover #chocolateaccessory #chocolatejournal #chocolatejourney #eatbetterchocolate #eatgoodchocolate #craftchocolate #ilovechocolate #cacaopod #colourcodedcalendar #artist #documentyourchocolatejourney #instachocolate #peekinside #mycalendar #thisweek #agenda #journal #creative #fun #share #lookinside #peace #chocolate

.⁠ 🍫 @curatedcacao sent me this box featuring

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🍫 @curatedcacao sent me this box featuring 4 different bean to bar chocolate makers in Alberta.⁠
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💌 You all know how I love snail mail, but chocolate in the mail is always fun and exciting.⁠
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🇨🇦 Before receiving this box I hadn't tried @tendegreeschocolate and @auchocolatmac so was excited to dive into those bars. I have previously had both @kinpodchocolate and @goldiechocolate and was happy to enjoy them again, and taste some new to me bars of theirs.⁠
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🙂 You can tell which bar I opened first! When I asked in my stories which bar you would open first the winner was clearly the Goldie Guatemala bar!
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⁠💌 You can grab this box from @curatedcacao she ships to Canada and the USA.
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#gifted #canadianchocolate #beantobarchocolate #madeinalberta #subscriptionbox #canadianchocolatemakers #craftchocolate #artisanchocolate #alberta #canada #chocolat #chocolatetasting #explorecraftchocolate #eatgoodchocolate #ethicallysourced #simpleingredients #cacao #sharechocolate #chocolatesubscriptionbox #calgary #edmonton #whitechocolate #darkchocolate #peace

.⁠ 📷 On the weekend I was all dressed up for

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📷 On the weekend I was all dressed up for some zoom calls, clearly they were all about chocolate, and I asked hubby to snap a few photos.⁠
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🙂 Hello, I'm Cyndi! I spend a lot of my time tasting and learning about chocolate.⁠
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🍫 I am a Certified Chocolate Taster. Yes that is really a thing! I took some very cool and intensive courses from @ecolechocolat (in 2013 online and Canadian) and the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting (in 2019 I took level 1 & 2 in person in Toronto, they are based in London, and now offer online classes as well). I had hoped to take level 3 in 2020, but that will wait until traveling is again an option.⁠
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🎨 I am also an artist! My hands love creating and my mind is always thinking about my next project.⁠
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👩‍🏭 I trained for two years as a goldsmith, forever ago, and design a line of jewellery inspired by chocolate #canadianchocoholicjewellery.⁠
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✏ In 2020 I branched out of my comfort zone and illustrated The Chocolate Notebook, an atypical calendar, journal, agenda, notebook that is perfect for anyone who loves chocolate.⁠
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👩‍🏫 I also am a chocolate educator and teach about chocolate as well as lead chocolate tastings, currently online.⁠
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📷 I'm wearing a bronze cacao pod necklace and sterling silver cacao bean earrings in this photo, with an art piece I made on the wall behind me that is made from upcycled foil and papers wrappers from chocolate bars.⁠
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❔ Now I want to know a bit about you! How did you find me here on Instagram and what do you love seeing in my posts?⁠
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#chocolate #chocolatetaster #ecolechocolatgrad #ecolechocolat #canadian #chocolatetastings #canadianchocolate #certifiedchocolatetaster #eatgoodchocolate #beantobarchocolate #craftchocolate #artisanchocolate #chocolateeducator #chocolateeducation #chocoholic #instachocolate #ilovechocolate #dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo #chocolateislife #sharechocolate #ottawachocolatetastings #onlinechocolatetastings #chocolatetastingsonline #upcycle #sparkle #create

.⁠ 📷 A year ago, I posted a photo just like t

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate can cause creativity.⁠ .⁠

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🍫 Chocolate can cause creativity.⁠
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🙂 Create seemed the right word for me to use when thinking about a C word that makes me think of Chocolate (another C word). I love to be creative, and I often combine chocolate, craft, creativity, and colour.⁠
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🌏 Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes, there are so many ways to create! A chocolate bar is created from cacao beans, a book is created from content, a painting created from colours, a cake is created by cooking, a smile can be created from kind words, comfort can be created by listening, coziness can be created with a blanket, a community of chocolate lovers can be/is/was created from a hashtag #tttt - the possibilities are endless, be creative, however you choose.⁠
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❔ What do you create?⁠
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#tttt_c #tttt_2021 #create #chocolate #creativity #colour #chocolatebar #ilovechocolate #canadianchocolate #chocolatecommunity #beantobarchocolate #craftchocolate #artisanchocolate #createsmiles #createjoy #createcommunity #create #cacaopods #cacaobeans #createcomfort #community #fortheloveofchocolate #instachocolate #createwithcanadianchocoholic #make #bake #do #share #peace⁠

. 💌 Mail always makes me happy! . ❤️ Last w

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💌 Mail always makes me happy!
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❤️ Last week these three packages arrived on the same day!
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🍫 Obviously they all had some kind of chocolate connection.
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🎨 One was a @tastewithcolour map, via @dessert.geek, another was a box of @vakachocolate I had ordered, and the third held delayed Christmas gifts from mom (they came back in one of my envelopes with cacao pods screen printed on it).
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🙂 Do you like snail mail? I have always been a sender of snail mail, so it really is no surprise that I enjoy packing up parcels to send things to others.
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💌 Thanks for shopping my site and giving me even more reasons to ship parcels of joy! Did you know I ship worldwide? 🗺️
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❔Are you a fan of snail mail?

. 🍫 This piece in the front, that is the only b

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🍫 This piece in the front, that is the only bite of chocolate I ate today.
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❤ Yes I love chocolate. Yes I eat it almost everyday!
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🧡 Most days I eat 2-3 pieces of chocolate this size or smaller, plus have a morning #drinkingchocolate. Yesterday I had more chocolate than usual, so today didn't feel like much.
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🙂 I may have gone the whole day without chocolate if I hadn't been looking for a #chocolatebarwrapper to make something with.
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📷 Check out my stories to see what was going on.
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🎥 Join Lauren and I tomorrow at 11:30 am EST/6:30pm CET here and over on the @chocolatenotebook to watch and join us as we create an easy DIY.
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#chocolate #thechocolatenotebook @laurenonthewknd @chocolatedriven @welltemperedmedia #chocolateaccessory #chocolatenotebook #artandchocolate #upcycle #create #art #diy #eatbetterchocolate #cacao #craft #bookmark #chocolatebook #fun #community #peace

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate online? Yes!⁠ .⁠ ❤ Virtu

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🍫 Chocolate online? Yes!⁠
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❤ Virtual meetups are totally a thing, and I am grateful that over the last year I have gotten to meet many people in the chocolate community from around the world.⁠
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🍫 Wednesday night I joined the @pnwchocolatesociety for a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bar) tasting and had such a fun time! Thanks!⁠
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🙂 Is there a better way to spend an evening than eating chocolate with people who sometimes get geeky about it?⁠
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❤ I really enjoyed how we all brought a bar from the same origin - Madagascar. Madagascar might be my favourite chocolate origin.⁠
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❔ Do you have a favourite origin?

.⁠ 🔶 I've been spending some time here lately

. 🍫 Chocolate and light! . ❤ Long shadows and

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🍫 Chocolate and light!
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❤ Long shadows and cooler days have me wanting to snack on chocolate a little bit more than usual lately.
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🙂 The other day I ate chocolate from @vakachocolate, each chocolate bar containing maple.
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🍁 Maple is something that cheers me up and makes me feel all warm and cozy. It's a winter flavour for me. Poured on pancakes, maple taffy on a stick at festivals, visits to sugar shacks, it all makes me think of something warm on chilly days.
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🍫 Chocolate and maple together? So good. A sure fire way to get me to buy a bar.
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❔ Do you like maple with your chocolate?
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#chocolate #maple #maplesyrup #maplesugar #maplechocolate #canadianchocolate #craftchocolate #sugarshack #mapletaffy #pancakes #delicious #instafood #ottawafoodie #ottawa #canadianwinter #613 #flavours #exploreflavour #chocolateeducator #chocolatetasting #peace

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate can make you believe that anyt

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🍫 Chocolate can make you believe that anything is possible, that dreams can come true.⁠
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🙂 It can make you believe that art and food should always coexist, that chocolate isn’t just brown, that the sky is the limit and that anything is possible. If a little bean that grows in a football sized cacao pod on a tree near the equator can be changed into so many different forms and flavours - anything is certainly possible.⁠
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🌏 We just need the world to believe together, then imagine all the things that could change.⁠
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🧡 I believed I could combine my passion for chocolate and my goldsmithing talents to create something beautiful, from a cacao bean came the inspiration for the sterling silver pendant in the last photo.⁠
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❔ Does chocolate make you believe anything is possible? What do you believe?⁠
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#tttt_b #tttt_2021 #chocolate #tttt #chocoholic #ilovechocolate #believe #anythingispossible #art #artandchocolate #chocolateandart #believeitispossible #bethechange #artist #create #arteveryday #goldsmith #silverbean #sterlingsilvercacaobean #cacaobean #cacaobeans #chocolatejewellery #chocolatejewelry #silvercacaobean #bc #bcchocolate #canadianchocolate #beantobarchocolate #whitechocolate #peace⁠

.⁠ 🍫 Sometimes worlds align when we least exp

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🍫 Sometimes worlds align when we least expect it.⁠
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🕯 Lauren @laurenonthewknd wrote today’s post for @chocolatenotebook, about a candle. When I read it, minutes after she had posted it, I sent this photo to her. Not staged at all, but of the candle burning on my desk at that exact moment. ⁠
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💻 There have been some changes lately in my life, and stepping away from my job as a dental assistant in the dental world is one of them. So today is my first day, at my desk, in my office, working away without the saftey net of a regular pay cheque. I wanted to make working from home a bit more special than usual, so I lit a candle. I have been doing some work from home for years, but this wasn't really planned, so it is a leap of faith.⁠
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🧡 Not only was that serendipitous, this morning for my #365ChocolateSquaresCC project I opened up a bar of chocolate, fully expecting to cut a square out of this beautiful paper, only to find instructions on how to make a heart. So thank you Margaret @cocoarochocolate for adding this to your stunning new packaging which I have finally just opened. It was a beautiful start to the day! I still have to figure out today’s square for my 365 project, but I can not bring myself to unfold this wonderful heart.⁠
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☮ Wishing you all peace!⁠ Also this 100% made me think of @meowcacao
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❔ Has anything aligned for you lately that you weren't expecting, but just felt so right?⁠
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#chocolatework #candle #align #heart #origami #singleoriginchocolate #canadianchocolate #madeinbc #create #love #serendipity #lightacandle #change #new #newyear #newstart #chocolateadventure #2021 #thechocolatenotebook #create #art #light #peace

.⁠ 🍫 Spark of Joy!⁠ .⁠ ❤ I have so much

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🍫 Spark of Joy!⁠
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❤ I have so much to love for this bar from Soma, and it certainly brings me much joy. The caramel chocolate with roasted pear and crunchy walnuts tastes amazing.⁠
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📷 Plus it is so beautiful, I wanted to keep taking photos all evening as it was so photogenic.⁠
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🙂 I will admit to finally breaking off a piece and enjoying it, okay, maybe half the bar the first time I tasted it.⁠
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☮ It says I should send this out to my peeps, luckily I bought more than one so I could do just that!⁠
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❔ What brings you joy?⁠
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#chocolate #sparkofjoy #sparkjoy #pears #beauty #love #share #artandchocolate #enjoychocolate #eatmorechocolate #beautifulchocolate #flavours #tastingchocolate #foilcanvas @somachocolatemaker #peace

.⁠ 🍫📓📆 The Chocolate Notebook was so mu

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🍫📓📆 The Chocolate Notebook was so much fun to create and be a part of making.⁠
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📷 Here is a little peek into the first part of my week. @laurenonthewknd, @chocolatedriven and I were so excited to see it arriving all around the world, and I put that in here so I can remember it a year from now.⁠
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🔗 There’s a new blog up today that tells you a bit more of my side of illustrating it.⁠
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🖊 I talk about drawing a little. How it is not my strongest artistic talent.⁠
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☁ I talk about dreaming up the new layout this edition took.⁠
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🌏 I talk about how it can be used by anyone, to document anything, though really, we kind of expect it will be focused somehow around 🍫.⁠
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🌳 Plus I talk about how it will encourage your chocolate journey, how it will make you think more about chocolate as you move through the year.⁠
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.⁠ Drinking Chocolate⁠ .⁠ 🍫 The first thi

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Drinking Chocolate⁠
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🍫 The first thing I eat each day is usually chocolate. Occasionally I have a glass of water as I’m making drinking chocolate, but does that really count?⁠
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☕ Preparing a mug of drinking chocolate is something that is a habit, a morning routine, the way I ease into my day. It’s just something I do. I grab a mug from the kitchen, wander to my office, choose a chocolate that ‘feels right’ each day and then wander back to the kitchen and transform the chocolate into a beverage. Some days I begin with some ready made hot chocolate. Some days I start with a piece of a single chocolate bar. Some days I put a few different pieces of chocolate in a mug together. Some days I use milk, almond milk, oat milk, others I use hot water. While it is a routine, I am always mindful of my choices and make decisions on how I want to enjoy chocolate at that moment. ⁠
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☺ It really is a mindful practice making it. When I drink it I sit, sip and savour. Enjoying its flavours, its aromas, its warmth.⁠
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📷 Pictured is a piece of Dick Taylor Chocolate before it was melted to create a morning memory. I may have taken a bit before I broke it into little pieces to melt better.⁠
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❔ What is your favourite way to prepare drinking chocolate?⁠
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🔨 How many hammers do you have?⁠
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🍫 In my line of chocolate inspired jewellery I use different techniques and tools to create different pieces.⁠
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🛠 I have a whole library card catalogue full of tools. Plus tools that live other places too. That's a lot of drawers full of tiny tools that let me create my tiny works of art.⁠
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📷Here are 4 of the many hammers I have, seriously, there are 3 drawers of hammers. Each hammer has a specific job and purpose, and is really only used for that specific job.⁠
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The 3rd photo shows a rawhide mallet. I have 3 different sizes of rawhide hammers. This hammer lets me hammer metal without marking it. Sometimes a piece may have a curve to it, and you just need to hammer it flat, this will do the trick without ruining the details.⁠
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The 4th photo shows a ball pein hammer, and I have 3 different sizes and weights of this one. (I also have two brass ones as well for hammering yellow metals) I use it to hammer texture into a piece, or to hammer something flat.⁠
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The 5th photo shows a riveting hammer, and its small pointy end is used to flatten the head of a piece of metal to form a bit of a pin head, to hold things into place.⁠
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The 6th photo is just a regular everyday hammer. I use it to hit my awl when I need a mark to drill a hole, or to hammer my bench pin into my desk when I turn it over. It hangs on the side of my workbench at arm's length as it is the hammer I use the most often.⁠
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👩‍🏭 Every tool I own has a purpose, it has taken me years to acquire my tools, and there are still so many on the wish list that will allow me to expand what I am able to offer.⁠

.⁠ 🍫 Chocolate can be an Adventure. An adven

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🍫 Chocolate can be an Adventure. An adventure in flavour. An Adventure to a far off place. An Adventure in taste.⁠
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🙂 I invite you to join me on my chocolate Adventure, and to go on one of your own this year.⁠
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🍫 My adventure is for sure going to include some art mixed with chocolate in so many ways.⁠
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🌏 Chocolate lovers all around the world are sharing their chocolate Adventures with the #tttt_2021 hashtag, with a different letter of the alphabet being featured each week, starting at A and ending at Z. So on Tuesdays, we share for Tangential Tasting Twin Tuesday. JOIN US, anyone can, we would love to see your chocolate adventures, or have you tangent or twin from ours. It is such fun to join others around the globe who share love for chocolate: chocolate lovers, chocolate makers, chocolate educators, chocolatiers, and chocoholics. Join us in 2021.⁠
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📷 Swipe to see the second photo of the chocolate in the photo. Do you know the connection each one has to the letter A?⁠
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❔Do you have questions about #tttt? Want to know more? Ask me below or send me a DM.⁠
❔ How does chocolate take you on an Adventure?⁠
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☮ #peace⁠
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#chocolateadventure #adventure #chocolate #chocolatecommunity #tttt_a #tttt_2021 #chocolateart #artandchocolate #sharingchocolate #enjoychocolate #instaart #instachocolate #peace⁠

.⁠ 🌳 I wish I was in the forest, but I'm in m

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🌳 I wish I was in the forest, but I'm in my bathroom 🤣⁠
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🍫 2021 is likely to be full of many things, and I am so happy you choose to follow me on this chocolate journey.⁠
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🌏 I thought I'd say hi, Happy New Year. I wish the earth and all that live on it a year full of peace, joy, understanding, friendship, equality, patience, health, and love.⁠
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🙂 If you didn't see my last 6 posts, take a look as each one highlights one direction I see 2021 taking me along this chocolate adventure.⁠
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🖼 Plus when my grid lines up the six photos make the full canvas that shines and sparkles on my office wall.⁠
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❔ Do you love the trees as much as I do?⁠
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😆 For a laugh check out my stories for the behind the scenes of this photo today.⁠

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