I was looking for a special gift to give my sisters and mother this past Christmas. I decided to have some special watercolors commissioned by a famous cupcake artist. Okay- I know that’s a semantic stretch, but technically it’s true.

Jessie from CakeSpy will paint custom “cuppie” art for you. You have read about CakeSpy and Jessie earlier on this blog. She is a joy to deal with. I highly recommend commissioning your own art. Check out her CakeSpy Flickr page for more examples and ideas.

I gave this to my sister, Laurie. She and her family go to a fabulous local bakery every weekend for breakfast. Mommy and Dinky Diva are the “cuppies.” Daddy and the Dinky Dude are the “bacons.”

For my sister, Christine, I wanted something to commemorate our trip to Paris with my niece- the other Dinky Diva. This is a picture of her favorite place we visited ~ Monét’s house in Giverny.

And last, but not least, one for my Mom.  About 8 years ago we went to Italy. This is us in Firenze (Florence.)

At first, you may think it’s strange to commemorate a special moment with a cupcake…but I say, what better way is there? Nothing says love like a pink cupcake!

Sweet Divina has just returned from the spa and feels totally rejuvenated!

Well, maybe it took a bit more than a few spa treatments to get these results!

I felt it was time for an update. I love Divina but I’ve wanted her to evolve into a bit more of a glamorous look.

As you know, I went to Fashion Design school in New York. When I first came up with the Diva concept, I thought the fashion illustration look would be too unapproachable.

I drew the Diva head in the style I had developed from my years at school. When it came to the rest, I worked with an artist to create a more casual, free-spirited Diva.

As it turns out, I was always itching to glam her up.

Last summer I met up with my friend Patrick from F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology), who I hadn’t seen in 20 years. After filling each other in on our lives, we shared our work. When I showed him the Diva, he asked, why didn’t you draw the body? She needs to be more Va-Va-Va-Voom! He was right. All my design school exuberance came back and I knew I had to do something.

So, I sat down and drew the new Diva. My skills were a bit rusty and it took several tries, but I finally came up with a new Diva that I think is savvy, sexy and full of savoir FLARE! I know it’s “faire” –but I’m trying to make a point.

I love her and really feel like she suits the brand. Thanks for the push Patrick!

There will be some more changes in the coming months….but just like Divina, it will be the same – only better!

If you’d like to see the before and after….

Read the rest of this entry »

My sister, Christine, recently started a handcrafted jewelry line called Heartisan ~ Unique Bijoux Creations.

She is dipping her toes into the retail world by exhibiting at specialty craft fairs.

Being the proud older sister, I had to tell you about it. Unfortunately, “proud” does not translate into brilliant cinematographer…so please bear with me in the below video. I’m sure our dazzling personalities will overshadow my less that stellar camera operating skills.

To get a closer look at her beautiful pendants….

Each handcrafted artisan heart pendant is created with a thoughtfully selected assortment of crystals, beads, and gems.

All pendants include Swarovski crystals, Czech glass, and freshwater pearls.

Other treasures that you may notice on your heart are abalone and other shell beads, lapis lazuli, garnet, onyx, amethyst, moonstone, hematite, peridot, rose quartz, and turquoise.

Your sparkling one-of-a-kind bauble is suspended from a Greek leather cord, and fastened with an effortless copper hook-and-eye.

I will be sure to let you know when her online boutique is up! She has already enjoyed fabulous feedback and initial success with her product launch!

I know you join me in wishing her Good Luck!

1. Married 2 of her brothers.
2. Spoke 9 languages.
3. Believed she was the daughter of of the goddess Isis.

Click the coin for the answer..

I have always been drawn to iconic items; Hermes scarf, Cartier watch, Chanel No. 5….some would say it’s because of the status. They’d be wrong. I  love timeless beauty.

I am lucky enough to have been gifted with a few items on my Bucket List already. My sisters, have given me Elsa Peretti’s Bone Cuff for my 40th birthday and an Hermes scarf for a Christmas present. I cherish both.

Yes, they are just “things” but I admire them each time a I wear them.

Today’s Bucket List entry: Diamonds By The Yard. Have you ever heard a more fabulous sentence?

Diamonds – By – The – Yard!! *sigh*

Designed by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany’s, it comes in several lengths, diamond increments and 3 precious metals; silver, gold and platinum.

I’m not greedy. I like the 16″ version in either silver or gold. One day…..

What’s on your Bucket List?

Ancient cultures believed chocolate to be “the food of the gods,” which certainly makes it good enough for La Dolce Diva!

With that said….trumpets blare: GOURMET MALT BALLS ARE BACK!

Before you even ask…YES- They are completely edible!

Deliciously, delightfully, delectably edible!

We have 2 scrumptious gourmet flavors for you to choose from:

Cappuccino: A white chocolate lover? This crunchy malt center is drenched with layers of cappuccino-infused white chocolate.

Mint Chocolate: Like milk chocolate? A crunchy malt center is lavishly covered with layers of peppermint-infused milk chocolate.

For that PERFECT gift, you may personalize these fabulous confections with a choice of 6 special occasions and a deserving Diva’s name.

These Dolce Delights are the perfect gift for any occasion.. What a great hostess gift for the holidays. A great addition to a box of La Dolce Diva’s extravagant Bath & Body products. Think ahead for Valentine’s Day!

Whatever the Occasion, these Gourmet Malt Balls will make it even more special. Trust us. After all, at La DOLCE Diva, Chocolate is our middle name!

Want to order now….click here.

Have you ever come upon a painting or a statue that immediately strikes your core? That embodies an essence that you can’t put into words but seems to lay bare your entire soul that you look around to see if everyone is staring at you?

I have. The Nike of Samothrace.

I don’t for one minute imagine myself that powerful, that beautiful, that majestic – on the outside. On the inside?  Maybe I do.

The Nike (nee-kee) is the Goddess of Victory. She’s not some cool name that a clever running shoe company came up with – although that was their inspiration. It was renamed from The Blue Ribbon Running Company to Nike. Good choice?

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a third century B.C. marble sculpture. Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at top of the grand staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris. She’s an excellent example of the expressive Hellenistic style and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

My friend P.J. (Patience Jordan) has started a blog and the following is one of her first posts. Right now she is just experimenting- when she gives me the go ahead, I’ll give you a link to it.

Since La Dolce Diva is all about friendship, I thought it would be great to share it with you.
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I met my first true love in high school. We did everything together! We even went to prom together. Planned our lives out to include one another in every crease and crevice.  But there were riffs now and then. Communication was poor and our relationship suffered greatly, but somehow we always seemed to find our way back to one another. We eventually moved in together and we were closer than ever and then suddenly we weren’t. Our lives started to take different paths and there was a distance that was never there before.  And then I went through one of the most life altering and painful losses of my life and that true love was no where to be found! The love and support that I so desperately needed had ran dry, and I was left to face this tumultuous period of my life alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Need more clues?

1. Roman Emperor.
2. One of the crazy ones.
3. Known by a nickname

Click the picture for the answer.

I’m proud to introduce Doug, my wonderful brother-in-law, who so graciously wrote this post on how to roast your own coffee beans. I’ve been the lucky recipient of his delicious home-roasted coffee beans and can fully attest to their yumminess.

So, take full advantage of this once- in-a-lifetime divulging of coffee-roasting secrets. Go forth and roast beans to your hearts content. Thinking of calling my personal barista Doug to roast them for you?

Fuggitaboutit. Get your own brother-in-law.
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Greetings! Jennifer asked some months ago if I would be interested in blogging about coffee. This was not just some random request on her part – in addition to being an avid (rabid?) consumer of espresso, I also roast my own coffee beans. So I agreed to share my thoughts and musings about this albeit low-thrill hobby on this forum. Read the rest of this entry »