C. Whitney-Ward: October 2010

28.10.10

GLORIOUS SANTA FE PUMPKINS

This is what pumpkins used to look like...

But now they look like this...

Aren't they extraordianry?

And, if you're in Santa Fe, you can buy these lovelies at St. John's Methodist Church on Old Santa Fe Trail. It's a fundraiser, so buy several!

22.10.10

TRAVELER'S MARKET -SHOPPING SANTA FE

I could close my eyes and point my camera just about anywhere in this captivating bazaar of worldly treasures and capture something lovely...

SURPRISES AROUND EVERY CORNER

Santa Fe is such a visually amazing place. I was driving down a street, turned a corner and this is what I saw...

And, all of this in a children's park. Wouldn't you love to be a kid again?

12.10.10

Hayward Simoneaux , owner of Todos Santos, is a chocolate and packaging wizard; and the moment you step into his diminutive shop your senses soar. The heady perfume of chocolate fills the air and the mad/wonderful/playful displays tell you immediately that you have found a Santa Fe gem. Simoneaux opened Todos Santos a decade ago and his handcrafted chocolates and imaginative wraps have charmed and delighted everyone who walks through his door.

So, how did this passion for chocolate begin? “I started collecting vintage chocolate molds and amassed a huge collection,” says Simoneaux, who then decided to make his own molds. “I read about a fellow who was making them and I called him. I then started making my own and experimented with making chocolate.” And thankfully he never stopped and his divine creations have garnered kudos galore.

Todos Santos is known for its Signature Chocolate Milagros, made from heavenly Valrohna chocolate and decorated with edible gold or silver leaf. But this delicious shop is filled with a myriad of other delights. A glass case displays artisan chocolates that would make a chocoholic swoon. There are wonderful, flavored marshmallow sticks that are perfect stocking stuffers; and there are dozens of kitschy, very collectible Pez containers, crafted by a local artist. Charming surprise balls are filled with miniature vintage surprises; and there are boxes and bags brimming with assorted chocolates and candies. And everything is wrapped so imaginatively you might be tempted to never open the package. But I promise, the inside is more wonderful than the outside!