Valentine Gift Ideas (or a treat for you!)

It's Almost Valentines Day!

Valentine's day is right around the corner and personally I think it is a wonderful gesture to give something that is handmade. Flowers are wonderful, chocolate is a sweet indulgence, but jewelry will last a lifetime and remind that person of you when they wear it.

I've always loved the rich cranberry colored glass and it is also perfect for Valentine's Day. I pair it with Rose Quartz which is called the "Love Stone".  It's energetic hallmark is that of unconditional love and makes rose quartz a stone for every type of love: self-love, family, platonic, romantic, and unconditional. As a variety of quartz, rose quartz has high energy, and this strong energy can enhance love in virtually any situation. That is one of the reasons I include Rose Quartz in the Cranberry Passion Collection.

A perfect little gift is also my Confetti Necklaces and I created one just for Valentine's Day. Choose a sweet pink or rich cranberry. I had a lot of fun designing these and the packaging for them. They are a take-off of my Confetti Birthstone necklaces which are a customer favorite.

Cranberry Passion 

Confetti Necklaces

A Box of chocolates is a sweet indulgence, and I am definitely a chocolate lover, but these little delectable designs won't go to your waistline and will last a lot longer! Frango Mints and Melt Aways are my favorite chocolates (if I had to pick just one!) and the Chocolate Mint Collection was inspired by them. It is a customer favorite also! Minty green glass is paired with smokey quartz in a palette that will compliment all your fashions in any season. A perfect choice for the chocolate lover!

Chocolate Mint Collection

Visit my Etsy Store for all the designs I currently have in stock if you are looking for a gift... or need a sweet treat for yourself (I definitely believe in treating yourself to a gift too!). However you choose to celebrate Valentine's day, remember to just tell all those important to you that you love them... because that is the most important thing about this day, and every day!

Reggie and I wish you a happy Valentine's Day! And if you need a little inspiration, follow my Valentine's Inspiration board on Pinterest. Great ideas for food, crafts, and additional ways to make the day special.

National Chocolate Day!

Who knew... today is National Chocolate Day! For me I think we should celebrate chocolate everyday!

I love chocolate, well, actually anything sweet and have been know to eat an entire cheesecake by myself (not in one sitting). But I definitely have a sweet spot for chocolate. It can be in any form, brownies, candy, cakes, etc. There is something comforting about chocolate. With the seductive wonderful feel it has as you bite into a piece of chocolate it can take all the cares in the world away.

As far back as I can remember, my favorite chocolate has been Melt Aways by Fannie May. A box of those would light up my face. Something so wonderful about the combination of chocolate and mint. It was the inspiration behind my Chocolate Mint collection and as I tell customers at the shows "anything I can associate with food I will! The inspiration behind the collection was those sweet memories of Melt Aways. The combination of creamy mint glass with touches of smokey quartz is one of my and customer favorites.It was one of my first palettes and I think it will always be in the line!

The Chocolate Mint Collection

Once again mint is appearing in fashion and accessories this year and Pantone chose a minty version called Hemlock as one of their key colors for Spring. Mint has a delicate and romantic feel to it and I'm not surprised that it is appearing in many wedding palettes. Paired with pale pink is such a beautiful combination and with touches of a smoky brown or gold it adds just the right contrast. One of the boards I love to follow is from the Perfect Palette. A wonderful collection of wedding inspiration. If you or someone you know is getting married it is a great blog to follow also.

For designs available in Chocolate Mint visit my Etsy Store. It also will make the perfect gift for the chocolate lover in your life and a sweet Valentine's Day gift! You may also want to follow Donna Sauers Designs on Pinterest and my mint board where I have been having fun pinning all things in this creamy wonderful color!

Chocolate Mint Circle Necklace

Chocolate Mint Toggle

So have fun celebrating National Chocolate Day with me. And if you are in areas that are experiencing the polar vortex (again) have a cozy cup of hot chocolate!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day I am sharing one of my loves...Chocolate!  Growing up I was never really a "sweet girl" but in recent years I can't get enough of it. Cake, candy, cookies, ice cream, bring it on!  My love of chocolate especially Mint Meltaways is the inspiration behind my Chocolate Mint Collection.

One year I decided to make my Christmas gifts and that included chocolate truffles. I found how easy these melt in your mouth morsels of chocolate and cream were to make and how much people enjoyed receiving them. They have become one of my "go-to" recipes and perfect for entertaining and hostess gifts. For variety I roll them not only in coco powder but also macadamia nuts and coconut which makes an eye-pleasing  presentation. And of course I put them in little paper cups since people who know me also know my motto is "everything looks better in a paper cup" (deserts that is). You can't skimp on good quality chocolate when making truffles and you will be sorely disappointed if you do. Also never try to make them on a day that the temp is over 90 degrees or you will find that it is really difficult to roll them into pretty balls as the chocolate melts in your hands (yep, speaking from experience!).

My former father in-law, who is also a fan of my truffles, told me I should open a chocolate and jewelry store. Maybe a shop called Bon-Bons and Baubles is in my future. For now I will stick to the jewelry but I have always wanted to take a chocolate class. Who knows what will happen, I started the jewelry business after taking a lampworking class!

Reggie also shares my sweet tooth. No worries, he only gets to lick the container after I am done with it and I save the hot fudge for me. Maybe this is a good day to get a new container and share it with my best friend.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!