Contest is Officially Closed

The Chocolate Box Decorating Contest is officially closed. Let the judging begin!

A small flurry of entries arrived on the last day (not surprising since entries for these sorts of contests do take time to conceptualize) so let me go through the list again for everyone's convenience.

Batatter kicked things off with this impressive entry: chocolate box

Tattrldy jumped in with both feet and completed this adorable chocolate box: TTT with Chocolates

Not to be outdone, Karrianne submitted this winsome, fabric and tatting entry: Mini-chocolate box

Yavamoni submitted this fresh-as-spring entry via Intatters: decorated box 

Val turned in this superb satchel: Chocolates

Fate is a Good Provider

There is a saying in French, "le hasard fait bien les choses," which can be translated as "fate is a good provider." Lady Fate tipped her hat to Sharon. Just look at her entry: It must have been fate.

Sadly, Georgia was not able to submit an entry using an empty plastic celery bag. No worries, the idea alone gave us all a good chuckle! However, a silly celery hat may still be in the works. (By me, not Georgia.)

HUGE, groveling apologies to RainbowRose, who I left off the list earlier today. You don't want to miss her life-saving Tatter's First Aid Kit!

I offer up this slogan for Rainbow Rose's kit: "Supplies that Save Lives" and jokingly suggest adding a No Celery component (button, sticker, lanyard?) to the contents.

Icelas made her own box because she ran out of Whitman's chocolate boxes. New Bon Bon Box
(Now don't you wish you could be adopted?) ツ

Tattips' entry is truly a labor of love. Feminine, romantic and lacy: A Valentine chocolate box

Tatterjil sent in this entry, inspired by her childhood pet: Hedgehog Chocolates

Victats supplied a super-secret Sapphire storyline to accompany her entry: chocolate mmmmmm...

Last but not least, is Trayna who is having trouble getting her photo out of her camera (or scanner, can't remember which or maybe both).

So Trayna has been granted an extension and I will post her photo as soon as I can. (If it fails to arrive before December 6th I will have to disqualify her entry.)

UPDATE: [12/02/10] Here is Trayna's entry: Christmas comes but once a year...

Have I missed anyone?

If you have turned in an entry and don't see it listed here, please contact me immediately.

A winner will be announced on December 7th.

Thank you to all entrants!

Your boxes are all such brilliantly inspired creations. Browsing through the list never fails to give me goose-bumps. Well done, everyone!

On Chocolate, Movies & a Contest!

One of my favorite chocolate quotes is:

"I could give up
chocolate but
I'm not a quitter."

Chocolate & Zucchini

I feel the same about Chocolate & Zucchini. (C&Z)

Though the blog was only created in 2003, I have been a fan of C&Z for what seems like more than 10 years.

C&Z author Clotilde posts a weekly column called Edible Idioms. This clever column speaks to my love of idiomatic expressions.

Today Clotilde posted an Edible Idiom that was new to me: faire son miel de quelque chose. It means to profit from a situation.

In honor of today's edible idiom, let's "make our honey" with a crafty tatting contest!

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Tatted Chocolate Box Contest

To compete, you will need 1 empty chocolate box.

How you choose to empty it is entirely up to you. ツ

Or, if you're feeling super crafty, make your own box. Here is a link to a commercial site showing several different styles for inspiration. It can be big or small, any shape, whatever suits your fancy.

Please note, however, that hand-made boxes will not get preferential treatment over up-cycled chocolate boxes.

Tasteful entries that make me laugh will get preferential treatment. Please no nudity, zombie apocalypse or chocolate Jesus art.

(Alright, for all you Gleeks, the most tastefully decorated "grilled cheese-us" that includes 50% tatting will get an honorable mention. Apologies to tatters who have never seen the TV show GLEE.)

The RULES

1. Decorate your chocolate box with tatting. You may also use decorative trims, ribbons, papers, fabrics, flowers, beads, beer labels, etc. But 50% of the decoration must be tatting.

Any theme. (honey, holidays, Elvis, spa day, knots, pets, wine, Jane Austin, shoes, chain mail, passion for tatting...) Let your imagination run wild.

2. Photograph your tatted chocolate box and leave a clickable link to the image, along with your name (screen name) and contact information in the comments of THIS POST. Comments left on other posts will not be considered.

3.  Entries that do not include name and contact information will be disqualified. 

4.  International entries accepted!

5. Deadline to submit your entry is November 30, 2010. Winner to be announced December 7, 2010.


A Honey of a Prize!
Here's what you could win: 25 free balls of Lizbeth thread, in the colors and sizes of your choice.

Yes, I will ship internationally! (Or, if Barbara Foster at Handy Hands agrees, Handy Hands will ship direct to you at my expense. I am still waiting for a return call from Barbara on this point.)

Finally, Chocolate Fantasies
At the risk of veering off into an unrecoverable tangent, let me just add that Clotilde's blog posts (remember Chocolate & Zucchini?) frequently speak straight to my love of food and romance. Take, for example, this post about Quail and Rose Petal Sauce from the movie "Like Water for Chocolate" (1992)

"Like Water for Chocolate" is a perennial favorite at Silly Hat Central. But then, foodie movies have always held a special place in this chic's flick-friendly heart. Consider this foodie flick top 10. I have seen them all (more than once) with the exception of "I Am Love."


So go pop in your favorite foodie movie (or make a date to do so) and think about how you will decorate a box of chocolates.  Remember, 25 free balls of thread are waiting for 1 lucky winner.