One year ago today I started a blog. Funny though I haven’t posted to it near as much as I would have liked. Sometimes the best laid plans don’t always go as we expected.
One year ago, I changed my IG from @peacecyndi to @canadianchocoholic.
One year ago! I honestly can’t believe it was so long ago, it seems like just yesterday.
Canada Day is here again and to celebrate a year of being @CanadianChocoholic I am having a SALE on @CanadianChocoholic Jewellery. Canada Day is a big deal, especially living here in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.
Here in Ottawa Canada Day Celebrations are huge! There are so many fun things to do, and national pride is so strong, it really is amazing. I’ve been to Canada Day celebrations across this country and Ottawa just has a different feel to it. I know we will be out and about for the day, celebrating our lovely nation, with many a maple leaf in our view.
When I switched to @CanadianChocoholic I had expected to write more about chocolate and get into blogging. Sadly, that wasn’t what really happened, though maybe this will be the year where I blog more consistently. My goal is always to share great Canadian Chocolate Makers with the rest of the world.
The biggest change in the last year for me was returning to making jewellery, something that had been on the sideline for many years now. It used to be what I did full time, but life happens and things change, yet here I am, back at the thing I love the most.
Yes, you read that right, I may love making jewellery and creating things with my hands a tiny bit more than I love chocolate.
I had not expected to make jewellery, let alone chocolate-themed jewellery, but there it was. Clear as day there it was in my head. My sketches on paper, twelve pieces in an hour designed and doodled. Two of those have made their way to my Shopify shop, Cacao Pod and Cacao Bean Necklaces. Both these are made very differently, with different techniques and I love the finished products. You can read more about how they are made here and here. I also have made a few custom pieces this year, which I am always open to discussing.
I recently made a pair of earrings for @Laurenonthewknd of @welltemperedpodcast and have decided to add those to the shop as a made-to-order item. The necklaces are in stock and ready to ship, but the earrings will be produced and ship 10 to 14 days after ordering.
I am so grateful to all of you who have supported me in various ways through this journey, thanks for all the loves, shares and purchases.
I have loved the creative process of making these pieces. My goal is for you to be able to wear a piece of jewellery that reflects your love of chocolate. A piece of jewellery that starts a conversation with someone you are talking to when they see you wearing it. A piece of art that you can take with you all the time. A piece of chocolate love.
So, the SALE, $25 off every piece only on Canada Day with the code – CANADADAY added in at checkout.
Now, the pieces….
The sterling silver Cacao Pod Necklace is still my personal favourite. Each pod is hand sawn and drilled, so each bean in the pod is sketched, then sawn, then drilled, then filed, then sanded, then a ring is soldered on for it to hang from, then it’s polished, then polished again, and sometimes, polished a third time. Each one of these pods is a unique shape as each has been free-handed with my saw. I’m actually really big on not following the lines and making items unique. These are each one-of-a-kind pieces, and I only made 100, and since they were a labour of love and time, it is unlikely I will ever make these again, unless you want a custom one in gold.
The sterling silver Cacao Bean Necklace is the second piece I made, but the first one I designed. It took a bit longer to get everything right and perfect for me to be happy with it. This piece is cast from an actual Cacao Bean, a Chunchuo from Qantu Chocolate, who won the Golden Bean with this bar in 2018. The bean is cast, and all 100 are cast from the same bean. I worked hard to find the perfect bean to create something with texture and interest. It showcases the husk of a bean as well as the actual inside of the bean, offering several textures in its small size. Highlighting how gorgeous a cacao bean is. Also, this bean is going to look more beautiful over time, it will tarnish beautifully in the cracks and crevices.
I’ve also added those earrings I made as a custom order to the shop. Let me know what you think of them. I like them, and wore a sample pair for a few days to be sure they hung right, didn’t turn the wrong way or catch on clothing etc. It’s functional art, and to me that means being sure they don’t hinder your experience of wearing them. I want to be sure you don’t need to think about anything other than wearing the earrings.
In the coming year I hope to offer more jewellery pieces centered around cacao and chocolate. I do have some ideas in the works, but none at a place where I am 100% ready to proceed with them. The design process is sometimes the hardest part, making something beautiful and functional.
So please enjoy the one-day SALE as my thanks to all of you for supporting my creative side. Again, that code to use at checkout is CANADADAY
