Hotel Chocolat

The Christmas chocolate gift collection at Hotel Chocolat is brimming with exquisite gift ideas for everyone on your list this Christmas season, from stocking stuffers to jaw-dropping chocolate hampers for those extra-special people in your life.

What I Received

1. Ultimate Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar
2. Fruit & Nut Dark Chocolate Mini Wreath
3. Tiddly Caramel Chocolate Santas
4. Dasher the Chocolate Reindeer

My Review

When the package arrived, the festive atmosphere was  instantly set with the smell of chocolate in the air and the wonderfully decorated packages; no wrapping paper needed. I felt very spoiled and royal to receive such luxurious chocolates. The chocolates themselves are adorable, classy, ravishing . . . and oh so delightfully delicious. Yum!

Included with the package of chocolates was a thank you card . . . how sweet!

There are many chocolates available:

• Christmas Advent Calendars
• Chocolate Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Stocking Fillers
• Holiday Gifts for the Winter Season

There are many chocolate selections, many exclusive choices to pick from -- who would of thought there were so many different sizes, shapes, and products of chocolate.  There are chocolates available for vegetarians, vegans, and diabetics.  This is the only site where I have seen such a huge selection.

You can search by type of chocolate or by person or by occasion.

The only drawback is the time it took to cross the ocean -- Hotel Chocolat is located in England -- to reach me, but the chocolates were received in plenty of time.  However, I'd suggest ordering early. 

There are two stores now open in Boston, MA, USA.  If you are within driving distance, I highly suggest you go to the store.



Hotel Chocolate, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

The additional complements of the site are the sharing of chocolate recipes; the many chocolate celebrations available, such as birthday gifts, dinner party gifts, thank you gifts, and more; and the exclusive availability of chocolate products.

Tiny Prints

Showcase your family at its best with hundreds of customizable holiday and Christmas designs.

Tiny Prints has brand new, beautiful, classy, elegant Christmas cards this year. You can personalize 100s of cards with your photographs and your words. You can choose from contemporary, vintage, classic, and whimsy designs. There are many options, such as color changes, layouts, and formats for each card.

I am so impressed with the variety of cards available for the holidays and Christmas.  I looked at 1,476 cards in the Christmas section because I am fastidious and wanted to give a thorough and complete review.

Some of my favorite cards:
Reindeer Imposter
Crafted Nativity
Caring World
Happy Everything
Chic Collage
Boroque Snowflake
Patchwork Wreath
Merry Circle
Winter Zephyr
Sweet Center
Historic Charm
Posted Wreath
Round Wreath
Beautiful Believe
Precious Tree, and
Graceful Whirls,
and many more (but I won't continue to bore you with my favs).

Can you guess what card is the one I ordered?

After narrowing down the list, which was very difficult to do with so many fabulous choices, my daughter, Cassandra, 9, joined me.  We went through my favorites and picked the one we liked the best.  We chose the card (1.) that most fittingly expressed our thoughts (we were able to chose our own words) and (2.) that was most suitable for the photos we thought were most appealing and enhanced our lives from the past year.

Take the time to browse through the wide variety of Christmas cards featuring traditional holiday symbols such as garland, Christmas trees, gingerbread, snowflakes, wreaths, reindeer, and holly. Whatever your family Christmas tradition may be, they have a card to complement it and your photograph. When you add a picture of your family, the cards are sure to be cherished by those who receive them. Tiny Prints will even mail your cards for you.

Tiny Prints Christmas cards stand apart due to the one-of-a-kind designs!

Your Wish Is Their Command

• If you aren't 100% satisfied, they'll reprint your order for free.
• Their customers rank them in the 95th percentile (for U.S. companies).
• Easily personalize and instantly preview your cards.
• Luxurious, eco-friendly paper, custom-made in Italy.
• Premium printing methods and top quality products.

Need Help? No Problem
• Enjoy online shopping with a personal touch.
• Etiquette experts are ready to answer questions seven days a week.
• Professional designers assigned to almost every order.
• Contact us at 877-300-9256, info@tinyprints.com, or chat.

Designs To Love From Artists You Adore
• Shop thousands of exclusive designs by style, color, or event.
• New items added each week.
• Find cards from famous design studios and independent artists alike.
• More than 11,000 product reviews to help you shop.

My Review

It was a straight-forward process.  The quality is first-rate!  You have the choice to click on "live chat" throughout the process of picking your card and adding your personal touches.  I did not do this since I had no trouble placing the order.  The Tiny Prints site is easy to navigate and well organized.   There are many holidays and occasions to choose from -- birth announcements, birthday cards, invitations, thank you cards, wedding stationary, and much more  -- but Christmas, of course, is my favorite.  There are a lots of extras -- etiquette tips, mail service, party ideas, sample verses, etc. -- that make the site #1 in my book.  Even on the tightest of budgets, these cards are affordable and a great package deal!  I LOVE all the personal touches we were able to add to make the card more precious and more personalized.

Cassandra's Review (in her own words):

• The process was quick and easy.
• There were LOTS of cards to choose from.
• The service satisfied my picky mom. :)
• It was fun to see all the different cards.
• It was exciting to put all the personal touches on the card.
• I had a great time with my mom.

Read more raves and reviews.




Click the box above or in the side column to look at all those wonderful cards and place your order.  Let them know in the comments box that Storm sent you.

Candy Cane Countdown

TWELVE DAYS OF CREATIVE CHRISTMAS

Welcome back to more "Sweet Treats" from the Dining Room!

Twelve Days of Candy Cane Christmas Countdown

is here!

Twelve Candy Canes and Two Christmas Mice greet you

with Christmas Cheer!

What do you do with the Candy Canes?

Candy Canes have note tags attached,

 along with Christmas Ribbons and Trims!

Do The Twelve Days of Christmas for someone anonymously!

With each gift, attach the candy canes with a note.

The recipient can hang the Candy Canes on their Christmas Tree, or

Deck the Halls of HOME with JOY!

Another idea....make 24 Christmas Candy Canes and

Countdown To Christmas!

Hang your candy canes on Christmas garland, or  Christmas wreaths.

Write notes or acts of service for your kids as they are counting down to Christmas!

Number your candy canes with 24 tags!

You may want to laminate the tags to use year after year!

The "Sweet Treats" Table Runner was made by

Grandma from Christmas last year!

It's perfect for my candy cane theme, which I started last year!

Here are a few treats to enjoy!

I filled glass bottles and jars that I had on hand

with non-edible treats and a little bit of Candy Canes and

Hershey Chocolate Kisses!

Here are the simple steps to making

Countdown to Christmas Candy Canes!

The Candy Canes may look familiar to you, they are

in the Christmas aisle at Walmart!

The Ribbon, stickers, and tags are all easy to find and

something you probably have on hand!

Glue the end of the ribbon and start rolling the ribbon around the candy cane.

I think the polka dot gross grain ribbon works the best and looks the best.

A great FAMILY project or a craft to do with your daughters!

Hang your Candy Canes, get ready to

COUNTDOWN!

I have put my Candy Canes in glass jars.

They will be shipping off  to Virginia!

We will be writing notes on the tags.

I couldn't resist showing you more

Christmas Swiss Rolls!

They are great to dispaly with a "Sweet Treat" theme, 0 calories

 and easy to make!

You can see the directions from a previous post

found HERE.

PS. I can't leave the edible candy out...

The Chocolate Kisses are hiding away, too much temptation

for everyone that lives here! :)

Here is a idea for a Neighbor/ Friend /Teacher Gift.

 "Tis The Season to eat CHOCOLATE"!

 Make a simple bag, similar to the Halloween bags found HERE. 

Fill a canning jar with treats, hot cocoa, the list goes on! 

I filled my jar with

Hershey Kisses and Candy Canes!

Slip your treats into the bag with a

Christmas Swiss Roll!

Enjoy!

On the 5th day of Christmas

 Santa Mouse brings to you..

A jar of Candy Kisses

to sit on your Christmas Dishes!

 Make Christmas Wishes

if you choose!

Love,

Santa Mouse

"The Seventh Day Of Christmas" will return on Monday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Next week, I will highlight more 

Gifts to make for Family, Friends and Loved ones!

Thanks for visiting!

Click your heels..

I've been trying to get my etsy art/print shop open again since being on vacation and I've been working on some new originals. So far though the gallery has been getting them all because it's a busy time of year and they're selling fast, but I'm hoping to have a few for my etsy shop soon too.        

Today I was missing Kansas a little so I painted this one. It's pretty tiny, only 4.5cm X 4.5cm, I blew it up slightly so that you could actually see it. 
This will be in the gallery on Monday, along with a couple more. I'll be sure to have some prints made for my shop though, and some new originals!

Santa and Old Toys

TWELVE DAYS OF CREATIVE CHRISTMAS

WELCOME ONE AND ALL, WELCOME SANTA!

Today, SANTA along with a few "Old Toys" are here to visit!

Teddy Bears, Rocking Horses, Raggedy Ann, Christmas Stories and Chinese Checkers

are a few of Santa's favorites!

Celebrate FAMILY, FRIENDS and TRADITIONS!

 "Old Time Santa"- a collection I started many years ago.

When I begin to decorate for the Holidays,

  Christmas Memories and Christmas Traditions come to mind!

I love the Christmas atmosphere!

The twinkling lights, the glow of candles, the smell of cinnamon, the list goes on!

I BELIEVE in the magic of SANTA!

How about you?

I like to collect or find something that is similar to my children's favorite Toys from their childhood.

Chinese Checkers is one of my favorites!

A wooden toy airplane is a favorite of my oldest son.

A stick Rocking Horse is another favorite!

A little red wagon was a favorite for all my boys!

Celebrate Childhood Memories!

Lincoln Logs was a favorite for my boys!

My daughter likes to play with my Holly Hobbie Sewing Machine

 A favorite Christmas gift of mine from many years ago!

My daughter enjoys playing with Teddy Bears.

She invites many bears to play, there is never just one or two!

If the Teddy Bears are lucky, she will get out her violin!

Don't forget a little chair for Santa!

I would love to CREATE and CRAFT A SANTA!

Someday, I will!

For now, I will keep my pattern collection and Santa inspiration going strong!

Thanks for visiting today!

Come back and visit tomorrow!

You never know what you'll find!

It holds true for me also!

Life moves pretty fast with a lot of unexpected surprises!

From my HOME to YOURS-

Tis the Season! 

                                    

I have featured a few of my creations from

"Twelve Days of Christmas" in my etsy shop.

It has been FUN to share my LOVE for Christmas and bring

my creations to you!

Thank You!

If you would like to share a Christmas Tradition, Christmas craft, or anything pertaining to Christmas-

you are welcome to email me at

bhalls1003@aol.com

 TWELVE DAYS OF CREATIVE CHRISTMAS

On The Fifth Day of Christmas

your Santa Mouse brings to you...

A Christmas story to bring good cheer,

to warm your hearts and spirits

At this special time of year!

Love,

Your secret Santa Mouse