Pronounce Palermo, Pa·ler·mo (puh-lair-moh):

The second city in our Bella Divina collection is Palermo, as in Sicily. Yes, Sicily. Although, I am sure you could technically say Palermo, Italy, I am not sure the Sicilians would like it too much. Sicilians are Sicilians first and then Italians. With their long and turbulent history, it is the one identity they have been able to cling to. Having been controlled by the Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, Islamic, Spanish and Greeks, it is now part of the a Republic of Italy. However, they retain and fiercely guard their own culture.

With Palermo as it’s capital city, the island of Sicily is rich in agriculture, architecture and cuisine. Sicily has such a long history of producing fine wines and noted cuisines that it is nicknamed God’s Kitchen. Perhaps the most delectable favor they have bestowed on the rest of us non-Sicilians is the cannoli – as in “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” Cannoli is plural for cannolo, but who cares, you can’t eat just one!

One of the most unrecognized, yet most ubiquitous Sicilian contributions is the Sweet Pea flower. This lovely little discovery was made by a Francisco Cupani, a botanist and believed to be a Franciscan monk. First recorded as a new plant in Sicily in 1695, it is not certain if it was found in the monastery’s botanical garden that he managed or  in the surrounding countryside. The seeds were sent to a botanist in England, cultivated and popularized in English gardens.

Noted for their soft, butterfly-like petals, sweet fragrance and array of colors, the original Sicilian varietal, as well as many others that were discovered soon after, quickly became a gardener’s favorite throughout Europe and North America.

The Sweet Pea or Lathyrus Odoratus  means “blissful pleasure.” The literal translation is Lathyros “pea” or “pulse” and the Latin word for “fragrant,” odaratus. Fragrant Pulse.

Known as The Queen of Annuals, it will give you the royal treatment!

We hope you enjoy the essence of Italy:
Palermo Collection:
Body Lotion, Body Wash, Body Butter, Body Polish, Lip Care, Bath Milk, Gifts and Travels sets and more.

La Dolce Diva is back  from the Big “D”, Dallas market.

The market was very successful in more ways than just business. I met some fun entrepreneurs, salespeople and of course, new La Dolce Diva clients!

This quick video was filmed during an early morning sales meeting- that is why I am whispering….I hope you enjoy.

Pronounce Firenze, Fi·renze (fē ren′dze):

Our Bella Divina collection is inspired by the flowers of Italy. We have chosen four of the most popular regions or cities of Italy that range from the canals of Venice to the cliffs of Palermo. Surely, you will find a destination that suits your Diva senses and sensibilities.

On each label there is un po’ (a little bit) about the flower and how it is significant to the city.

Let’s start with Firenze.

Wow. There is so much I want to share. I shall restrain myself, otherwise, this will be one long stream-of-consciousness post that no one could follow.

Firenze is tha capital of Tuscany. Firenze means Florence in Italian; Florentia in Latin. By both definitions, Firenze means flourish. Flourish, it did.

Florence is recognized as the cradle of the Renaissance. The area of Florence has produced such notables as Dante, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and Brunelleschi and Galileo, to mention a few.

There is also one ruling family that dominates Florentine and Italian history, the Medicis. There is one woman that is a stand out in the Medici family history, Caterina de’ Medici. She married King Henri of France and bore 10 children, 3 to become Kings of France. Upon her marriage to the french King, she left Florence and brought with her many  artists, poets, dancers, a personal Italian chef and even her own perfumer, Rene de Florentin. Yes, the French can trace their great perfume industry back to the Italians and one item of clothing: Scented Gloves.

Although Catherine was not considered beautiful, she was known to have beautiful hands, of which, she was very proud. She kept them soft by wearing opera gloves. Aside from masking the curing process, the scented gloves also served the purpose of having something nice to smell as your hand covered your nose when crossing the less than sanitary streets of Paris.

Due to the tanning process, leather, in general, did not smell too good. So, they needed perfuming. In fact, today, the smell of leather isn’t actual leather at all. It  is the re-odorized smell we have come to identify as “leather.” Rene was the first perfumer to open up shop in Paris and soon everyone was flocking to his door for perfumes and scented goods.

The most popular fragrance was  woodbine, a fragrant honeysuckle flower; everyone in Florence wore it. Elegantly trumpet-shaped and sweet smelling, especially at night, the honeysuckle blossom was both common and special – like some of the most precious things in life, a spring day, good friends, the perfect glass of vino….a honeysuckle-scented breeze.

We hope you enjoy the essence of Italy: Firenze Collection:
Body Lotion, Body Wash, Body Butter, Body Polish, Lip Care, Bath Milk,
Gifts and Travels sets.

After learning about my company and my love of Italy, the next question is usually – “Do you speak Italian?” This question is posed with the hopeful, dreamy expectation that I will say “Yes, of course.” Alas, my sister Divas, I do not speak Italian. I know enough to be dangerous.

I can order food, find a restroom, argue with a taxi driver and most importantly, ask the price? Quanto Costa? I am often stopped on the street and asked directions by locals and tourists. I can usually give them accurately and in understandable terms to each. I must look like a local or a frequent shopper. It’s a gift, I confess, I usually know where all the best shopping and clean restrooms are in most of Europe. The second item being one of the most useful talents a girl can have.

One of my top goals in life is to learn Italian. I have bought books, tapes and tried to take lessons – although I could never finish a course because of business travel. I took 2 years of Latin in high school, studied art history, mythology and consume book after book about Italy’s culture, food and history. All these things have helped me feel very comfortable when traveling throughout Italy. Still, I am determined to learn it.

As you read in the last post, Who is La Dolce Diva?, I started the company to share Italy with the rest of the world. Or at least, my known world. In order to make it accessible, I merchandised the scents into 3 categories: Bella Divina – Beautiful & Divine or Beautiful Diva, inspired by the gardens. Dolce Divina, Sweet & Divine or Sweet Diva inspired by the desserts.  Cucina Divina, Kitchen Diva, inspired by the aromas of Italian cuisine and botanicals.

The dessert inspired fragrances and names came easily, as you can imagine. The kitchen scents too. The garden scents were more difficult. I wanted to be sure to represent the essence of each city. Not a special concoction of an ethereal aesthetic, no,  an actual tangible, tactile relationship of the floral scent to the city. I am a purist this way. It comes after years of researching designs and themes for apparel lines.

My next hurdle was naming the scents. Should they be the English words? Italian? A mixture? Since America  has a long-standing love affair with Italy, we are familiar with many Italian phrases, words and cities already. However, I didn’t want to portray the company as being “from” Italy. I didn’t want to be too inaccessible and too foreign sounding. I wanted to convey La Dolce Vita – The Sweet Life…even if you had never heard the phrase, the feeling and aspiration are universal. I decided on a mixture of Italian and English. Still, I get questions on how to pronounce some of the cities.

And so, in the coming posts,  I will write more about each scent and it’s origins and pronunciation. I will try to convey all my enthusiasm and passion for  each scent and Italy itself. If you met me in person you would know that I would be continually using hand gestures to further articulate and punctuate my points.  Maybe that means I have picked up some of the local flavor?

Stay tuned, it will be fascinating!

As I have been blithely trying to pass on the secrets of La Dolce Vita in this blog, it occurred to me that I have never posted fully about the inspiration for La Dolce Diva. Who is La Dolce Diva? What does it mean? How do you say it?

Let me answer those questions first:

1. Who is La Dolce Diva? Contrary to popular belief, I am not La Dolce Diva. Oh yes, I am the founder and Chief Executive Diva, but A Sweet Diva…not all the time. La Dolce Diva is an aspiration. Something for all of us to strive for. Being a Diva is easy, being a Sweet Diva is not. A Sweet Diva still respects and stands  up for herself and encourages and allows her sister Divas to do the same. It is not about Women’s Rights…it is about respect and support. Without getting on a soap box, after many years in the corporate world, I realized that women can be our own worst enemies, frenemies and obstacles. We try to teach our darling Diva daughters, nieces and young girls in general, about girl power. We encourage, coddle, comfort, and support them into adulthood…but it seems a lot of that goes away when we are adult women out there in the corporate world or just everyday life. Sometimes, we Sweet Divas need to remember not to take everything personally. Take a moment to encourage  a friend or a stranger. Take another moment to say what you are thinking when someone in line behind you looks especially nice or compliment a sister diva when it seems like she may need it the most. You know what I mean. These are the little things that get us through life. You may change someones day or outlook for the better. You may even change your own.
2. What does it mean? La Dolce Diva literally means A Sweet Diva..if you haven’t figured that out by now. It is meant to be a play  on the words La Dolce Vita, The Sweet Life. Also a play against the Diva stereotype of a self- absorbed woman.
3. How do you say it? Dolce (dole-ché)- means ’sweet’ in Italian. The C is pronounced as a “ch”.  In case you are wondering…Dulce is Spanish (dool-sé) – means ’sweet’ in Spanish and the C is pronounced as an “s” sound. So, La Dolce Diva means A Sweet Diva or just Sweet Diva. I am going to take the chance that you get the gist of what “Diva” means without translation.

Now for the rest of the story…

For the last twenty years my career as a designer in the fashion industry has taken me everywhere from Los Angeles to New York, Hong Kong to London, Paris to Berlin…but my heart stays in Italy.

Wandering the cobblestone streets, palazzos, museums and countryside, enjoying the delectable gelatos, white truffle pasta and local Chianti, spending endless hours in tapestry and pottery shops, soaking up the flavor of “La Dolce Vita”, my love and appreciation of Italy continues to grow.

After several years of attending wedding showers, birthdays, baby showers and numerous occasions of celebration, I realized I was always searching for that perfect gift ~ one that meant something. Being a lotion & potion aficionada, I was usually drawn to some sort of pampering beauty product.

A-ha! I would create a line of fabulous bath and body products that could be gifts for most any occasion ~ but not just ordinary gifts. My bath and body products would be beautifully packaged, wonderful quality and be inspired by Italy. I wrapped this all up into the iconic idea of the Italian Diva…but a sweet diva, not a self-absorbed one!

La Dolce Diva was born.

The Dolce Divina, Bella Divina and Cucina Divina Collections reflect my personal love of Italy, They are meant to whisk you away to a charming Roman café or a Florentine garden ~ if only in your mind ~ while still reminding you that friendship is what truly defines the sweet life.

Yes, I  know, who is that beautiful face on top of Angelina Jolie’s ordinary body?

Well, courtesy of FaceinHole.com, you too can be a supermodel or insert your face into any number of fun scenarios.

I did a little extra doctoring in Photoshop because, well, I can. But, truth be told, there is only so much one can do.

Don’t let that stop you from having lots of fun…You can create postcards, upload to Facebook,  post on your blog or even have  printed on a tee shirt.

Enjoy!

Have you ever had a life changing moment? Not the obvious milestones like getting married, having a baby, going to college or some horrible spa experience where you realize you are not cut out for leg waxing?

No- I mean those out of the blue moments that all your life’s subconscious suppressed thoughts, hopes and dreams take control and you make the absolute decision to make it happen? Of course, we all have had many. But, there is usually one that we hold dear. Mine is my horse, Beau.

I had been living in New York for about 12 years. Went to school, found a job and had just bought a duplex condominium on the Upper West Side. Living my dream or so I wanted to believe.

I had really always dreamed of having my own horse. I knew there were horses in the park but I could never figure out where they came from. I would look and then some important trip or project would come up and it would fleet out of my mind. This was B.G. – Before Google. Wow, that was such a LONG time ago. So, finding out about stuff was not immediately at your keyboard.

Well, the first couple of days after moving into my new neighborhood, I found Claremont Riding Academy on Columbus and 89th. It was the oldest operating riding stable in the United States. It closed a couple years ago. I immediately booked a lesson. They only taught English Riding, which was fine with me.

The next day I took my first lesson. I was exhilarated and ran home to call my mother and tell her I was selling my condo, moving home and buying a horse. It took a few months and some tears to actually get the guts to do just that- but I did.

Luckily, things worked out, but not without heartache and worry. I found freelance work, sold my condo after 9 months on a glutted market and found a place to live in Atlanta that I could afford, with my new minimal income. During that time, I traveled back and forth to Atlanta and took Saddle Seat Riding, which is a form of English. I loved it.

I happened to be at the training barn, Vicki Humphries Training Center, when they were unloading some new brood mares they had purchased for breeding. Behind one mare, a little colt trotted out. Since he was so young, he was sold with his mom. I was in love. I bought him on the spot. His name was Beau’s Rivercross King,  an American Saddlebred. I just call him Beau.

I have to come to find out from my horse friends, how truly lucky I am. Beau is my first horse and I am his first (only) owner. That doesn’t happen much. And he is worth his weight in gold. Beautiful, proud, sweet, spirited, funny and smart.

Yes, I wanted to move home to be with my family and sisters. Yes, I was growing weary of the back-biting, rat race in New York. Yes, I was begining to lose myself and who I wanted to be. But, that didn’t make me move home.

Out of the blue, I took a riding lesson on a spring day. It made me take a leap of faith in myself.

That was 12 years ago. It saved me.

Imagine my delight and surprise when my sister presented me with a Goddess Mother’s Day gift (I call myself Goddess Mother instead of “Godmother” to my almost 2 year old Dinky Diva niece). A complete volume of everything Elvis, all Elvis, all the time.

I may have mentioned, a time or ten, that I am a devoted Elvis fan. Not the creepy, know every detail, groupie, obsessed kind of fan…but with this encyclopedia, I am am equipped to become one, if I so desire.

Just about every detail Elvis’ life has been meticlously researched,  detailed and chronicled.  As the author, Adam Victor notes, ” this encyclopedia is longer than the Old Testament”; a comparison to higher powers? I will leave that up to you to decide. I know my vote is in on that count *wink*.

I have already made a spot on my coffee table for this handsome compendium, if someone could just help me by prying it out of my hands.

If you recognize my mom’s face..it’s because it is in the dictionary under the definition of “Mom.”

Everything I am and everything I strive to be is because of my family.

All my Divaness comes from my Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom! Love you.

You too can write your memoirs and become an instant celebrity! …or maybe not. But, don’t let that stop you. I was chatting with my BFF, Bo,  from high school, and she mentioned a great Mother’s Day gift she was giving to her mom.  A  book called The Book of Myself: a Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions by Carl & David Marshall. In the end, it will be a great gift to herself and future generations.

What a wonderful and thoughtful present. After decades of gift-giving, when many of us struggle with gift ideas to give our parents, grandparents or anyone we genuinely care about, this gift conveys a loving and caring interest in another person’s life. How many times have you had that fleeting thought of wanting to ask the details of so many situations, feelings, emotions, funny stories, hopes, dreams and so on. No one says it has to be a juicy tell-all…but wouldn’t it be fun if it were? Think of the Thanksgiving Dinner conversations you could have!

The recipient will most certainly feel special in writing their own memoirs in an easy to use format. It is basically a journal with a question at the top of each page. Ask them to include snapshots or other odds and ends that relate to the entries. A pressed corsage or ticket stub to an Elvis concert!  This one gift could spawn future gifts of published photo albums or scrapbooks about that family member or friend. You could start an entire library!

Bo picked up her copy at Barnes & Noble in the front gift section. You may view some images here to get an idea of what it is like inside. Or maybe this DIY Autobiography can become even more DIY by compiling your own booklet? Just a thought.

It is a great gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any occasion.

Speaking of stories, I am sure you are wondering the story behind the lovely photo of me and Bo…? Surely we look lke wizened old-ingénue, has-been, wanna-be, celebutantes that have seen it all? Or maybe just 2 drunk bar-flys..either way..wouldn’t you like to know the untold story? Here’s a tidbit..one of us has kissed Brad Pitt in the days of Thelma & Louise…wanna hear more? Someday, my Divas, someday.

Until then…write your own or ask someone you care about to write theirs.