Have you Tcho'd Lately??

I wanted to share this recent discovery because I know there are a *few* other chocolate fans out there besides yours truly. Last month, we took a lil' trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco (more on that later). While walking to the infamous Fisherman's Wharf, we passed this site: Chocolate Tasting Room and Tour?!? Helloooooooo!!! I am there. To our pleasant surprise, we discovered this wonderful chocolate company known as TCHO (pronounced "Cho"). The building you see pictured above is their headquarters where they make their delicious dark chocolate bars and other delicacies onsite. They weren't giving tours on the day of our visit, but they were handing out free samples ~ Good enough for me!

TCHO is relatively new to the scene, but they are quickly making a name for themselves. This would seem like quite a challenge in a place like San Francisco, where more established chocolatiers have cornered the market. TCHO specializes in dark chocolate, which I happen to looooovve. Their different varieties range from "Nutty" and "Fruity" to "Citrus" and "Floral". Much like how the flavor of wine is dictated by the grape varietal, the hints of nut, fruit, citrus and floral come from the type of cacao bean that is used. No extra flavors are added!

This is chocolate to savor. The drinking chocolate you see pictured above is decadent without being overly rich. Needless to say, we didn't leave the store empty handed. Although I am trying to make our chocolate stash last, I know it will eventually run out. It's a good thing I can buy more TCHO here :)

Plum Crazy!

I really love this time of year ~ if you think about it, Fall is a very colorful season. That is why I was surprised to see, while on a recent window shopping trip, that the "hot" colors of Fall 2010 are rather drab and dull. Let's liven things up a bit, shall we? My favorite color is purple, especially the lovely shade of plum. Lucky for me, plum is plentiful on Etsy. Here is a very small sample of some of my faves: Where to find, from left to right starting at the top: Misty morning translucent resin earrings by Under Glass

Wise Little Owl Organic Cotton Tee by Putu Princess Escapes

Hand Knitted Fingerless Gloves Arm Warmers in Plum By HandKnitted Things

HAZEL Eyes Fun Vegan Eye Shadow Mineral Makeup Kit By PinkQuartz Minerals

Purple Scarf Cowl Warmer By Heatbria

Lampwork Beads RUSTIC PLUM NUGGET TRIO By Radiant Mind

Handmade Earrings, Purple Artisan Glass and Gunmetal, Mulled Wine By WildWoman Jewelry London Fog Fringe Scarf in Chunky Gray Grey and Plum Purple By BeautifulBridget

Fall Colors

One of the things that I love about Fall is seeing the leaves changing colors on the trees. It’s such an event in Michigan that people often travel to the northern part of the state where forests are plentiful, just to observe the show that Mother Nature puts on. This year, no travel was required for me. The cooler temps we have been experiencing these last few months really helped to make the leaves look more spectacular than ever. I wanted to share this photo that I took yesterday of a small tree that is just outside of the building where I work. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been able to view the Fall Color show from my window while I work away all day!

"The Bobby Pin" Earring Giveaway

By now, most of us are aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Did you know that it is Domestic Violence Awareness month, too?? A customer of mine, Etsy supporter, and all around great gal named Natalie is trying to spread the word on her blog. I'm helping her out by donating a pair of purple earrings to be given away to one winner. In case you also didn't know, purple is the color used to symbolize this important cause. Click here to learn more about Natalie's giveaway.

Know Your Stones: Tourmaline

Tourmaline is the birthstone for October and corresponds to the astrological sign of the Libra. Its name comes from a Sinhalese word, "tura mali", meaning "mixed colored stones". Although most commonly black, it can occur in a range of colors from brown, violet, green, pink, or in a dual-colored pink and green. Tourmaline is separated into several varieties, based on color. Perhaps you’ve seen or heard of Watermelon tourmaline? It literally looks like a slice of watermelon and is incredibly spectacular. Tourmalines were believed to be useful in relaxing the body and the mind, and to help in the treatment of many different diseases such as anxiety, blood poisoning, arthritis, and heart disease. This semi-precious gemstone has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs’ scale, and is mined primarily in Brazil, Africa, Afghanistan and the US.

"Tourmaline Dream" necklace, from my Etsy shop