j'aime le chocolat

I'm remember how a friend of mine suggested a year ago that I should blog about teas and chocolate; since I'm a connoisseur and have a kitchen drawer full of teas (seriously)! So, here's my first review of a new Parisian chocolat that I bought from Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods) just the other day:

Michel Cluizel Noir au Cafe dark chocolate bar:
http://www.chocolatetradingco.com/magazine.asp?section=42&id=109

I adore dark chocolate for it's subtitle bitterness, and it's even better when there is coffee added into the equation! However, this bar is rather disappointing. Even though it smells lovely and has good texture, the flavor is just not quite right. I didn't taste the coffee very much and it's a lot more bitter than what I would expect from a 60% cocoa dark. Michel Cluizel Noir au Cafe gets a 2.5 stars (out of 5) from me.

For a better use of your chocolate funds, check out Mo's Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar, by vosges chocolate; also available at whole paycheck for the same price ($5.99):
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/bacon_exotic_candy_bar

Ooo, I just noticed that vosges chocolate recently lauched a dark version of the bacon bar -- how exciting!
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/mos_dark_chocolate_bacon_bar/bacon_and_chocolate

I must try it soon and will report back! I love bacon -- it tastes good with everything! I even bought a button (gave it to the bf) at the SF Renegade Craft Fair a couple of weeks ago that reads: "I love you more than bacon".

Potter Potter Potter

In honor of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" releasing on IMAX today (and Leos everywhere), I designed the "Minerva Necklace": http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28552473; named after Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of the House of Gryffindor, from the Harry Potter Series.



Being the geek that I am, I gathered the bf and two of our closest friends for the first showing of the movie when it opened at 12:01 AM on 07.15.09. It's the first time that I attended a midnight showing of a newly released movie, and it was well worth the wait (people started lined up at 7 PM or earlier)! Even though a major key part of the novel is cut out of the movie, it has impressive cinematography, stunning special effects, and a good script. It's my favorite movie version of the books so far; a position previously held by movie #3, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (because I love Gary Oldman portrayal of Sirius Black).

Anyway, the inspiration for "Minerva Necklace" comes from the adorable sterling silver lion charm in the center. As soon as I found the charm, I knew that I had to make something Harry Potter and or Leo related with it. The gold filled frame is suppose to symbolize a shield, and I made it with hammered 18 gauge gold filled wire, and then wrapped with 24 gauge gold filled wire. I also hammered the gold filled ring on top of the frame to represent a Quidditch goal post, and added the carnelian beads to represent colors from the House of Gryffindor. I enjoyed making this necklace, and I will be sporting my own version of this necklace when we go see Harry Potter again on IMAX! Hooray!

Poladroid!

The "Poladroid Project" is freeware that converts your digital pix into Polaroid-like high res photos (you can shake it if you like, but not suppose to with the real thing) -- it's been my new obsession for the past week! This thing deserves the "fully awesome" award of the year! Download your copy here:

http://www.poladroid.net/index.php

Be warned: you will have so much fun that you might be tempted to convert all your digital pix! You will be seen a lot of my photos in faux-Polaroid format from here on... at least until I get sick of it, but that might never happen. ;) Above is a sample of my current favorite photo of the Murray, our six-toed tabby cat, striking a pose. I heart poladroid!

Enjoy, jz

PS. Here's a tune to play along with your new hobby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvIw5ZqC1ms

Me? A blogger?

Wow, I have a blog... never thought it would happen six month ago -- never say never! This is going to take some getting used to.

Why you may ask would I blog? Well, I thought it would help me to market my handmade jewelry site on etsy (http://jzdesigns.etsy.com), and for anyone that might be interested to know more about the person behind the product. I'll be posting about works in progress, and my interests and amusing tidbits.

My etsy shop officially opened on July 1, 2009, but I've had an etsy account since July of 2008. It's taken me nearly a year to get my act together and make it into a reality... especially since I'm been unemployed since this January. I might as well put my "luxury of time" to good use! Being unemployed has been rather nice actually, after I got over the initial shock and dealing with EDD; I truly believe that things happen for a reason. Even though I'm "poor", I'm so much happier career-wise than I was a year ago.

There is still a lot I'm learning daily about selling on etsy. It's a labor of love and I'm finally putting my photography degree and graphic design minor to good use! Being a perfectionist, I need to remind myself that it's a work in progress and not a race to the finish.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog and I'll do my best to keep it updated. :)

-jz