Sweet Living

We have been focusing this spring on bringing in more goods & gifts that are made locally in Colorado and as easy as that may sound, to find just the right mix of product, quality, brand, & artisan can be quite the challenge indeed.  So, when we came across a product & a brand that has literally been in our backyard for over 90 years, we were ecstatic to jump on the chance to feature their sweet goods right here at Bella.  Hammond's Candies, made in Denver, has been around for nearly ever and has mostly been known for their hard candies (think lollipops, ribbon candy, & taffy).  This year they have launched some new sweet goods & we are absolutely thrilled to introduce them to you!  Take a peak below at our current selection & don't worry, we will be expanding our selection as the summer continues.  We have LOVED sampling all of these sweet little confections & can't wait for you to try them too!  Here's to Sweet Living!!

{This candy company makes Lemonade Mix too & it's quite refreshing! 
Love the packaging too - perfect for a hostess gift or lemonade lover}

 

{The chocolate bars are heavenly - my favorite right now is the Sea Side Caramel
which is melt in your mouth fabulous & I was actually pleasantly surprised to also enjoy
the Crackle Crunch which is actually made with Raspberry Pop Rocks - kids will LOVE it!!}

{These Anniversary Tins were made to commemorate Hammond's 90th Anniversary
& they decided to keep the tins around for easy gift giving. 
These tins are filled with Hammond's Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee - YUM!}

Save the Date: Annual Mother's Day Open House

Save the date & plan to join us for our

Annual Mother's Day Open House

Saturday, May 12, 2012

10am - 5pm

We will be celebrating the Moms in our lives & showcasing our new summer-inspired goods, a new bath & body line that is just absolutely exquisite, new jewelry, new candles, new cards, & so much more!  To add to your shopping enjoyment, we will have mimosas & treats from "From the Vine Market & Eatery", a free gift with the purchase of $25 or more, & a free class from "Evergreen Pilates" with a purchase of $50 or more.  It will be a fun day of shopping, sipping, & celebrating, so grab your friends, your mom, & come celebrate with us!!

Local Love

Over this past week & a half we have had the opportunity to bring in 2 local artisans (yep, right here in Denver) & their beautiful creations.  I loved their creations the very first time I saw them, & then when I had a chance to visit with each of these super-duper creative artisans my love for what they do deepened even more because they are just really great gals who are smart, fun, creative, talented, and passionate about what they do!  And you can see their love & passion for what they do in their craft.  I am confident you will see that & you will love them & their craft too!! 

Check out Elevated Scraps & {anne franklin designs}, their stories, & pics of their goodies that we currently have at Bella....

Elevated Scraps
Inspired by all things handmade, an obsession with fabric and a passion to buy locally, Heather sets out to make, build, create, construct, and craft items unique and unforgettable.  At Bella, we are featuring her Birds on a Branch that are made from leftover fabric scraps.  Each one is so adorable & so very unique.

 

 

{anne franklin designs}

Anne started her designs in 2010 and sought to create affordable one of a kind items.  Anne hand crafts her products with upcycled & vintage items that are the perfect gift for any occasion!  Currently we have her mini & large matchbooks, pendants, & clothespins.

New Life, New Inspirations

Spring has officially begun!  And, we have been so blessed this year with actual spring-like weather instead of our typical 3 feet of snow every-other-week weather that we usually see here in Colorado in March.  I love this time of year for so many reasons but mostly because it signifies new life as we begin to see flowers popping up, green grass blades slowly protruding, trees budding, birds singing & the daylight lingering.  So, today, I just have for you some of the seasons inspirations that we are surrounding ourselves with here at Bella Vita.  I hope the season brings new life & inspiration to you and your home this Spring!

Breakfast Goodness

I LOVE breakfast - always have, probably always will.  It is my most favorite meal of the day and I am not sure of all the reasons why except there is just very little for me to not love about that first meal.  It can include a wide menagerie of menu items, satisfy a sweet or savory tooth (or both!), and it starts the day off deliciously.  When I was growing up my mom always made sure that I had a decent breakfast meal whether it was cereal, toast & eggs, or waffles, and she never let me leave the house without this first meal.  I guess that daily routine has just always stuck.  Most recently, my husband and I have been able to enjoy a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, & fresh fruit that we sit down together and share each morning. And, on Sunday mornings he always treats me to homemade waffles that HE makes which makes the treat even that more special!  With breakfast being such a special meal in my little world, I was ultra excited to get one of our most recent shipments in at Bella.  We are just absolutely delighted to have on our shelves a collection of morning goodies that come from Sarabeth's Kitchen.  Sarabeth is Sarabeth Levine - the award-winning jam maker, pastry chef, restaurateur & cookbook author - and she does not disappoint with this morning offering.  We are currently featuring: 

Classic Morning Crunch Granola full of rolled oats, almonds, raisings, & sunflower

seeds.  This all natural classic blend is packaged in a plastic jar so it makes it super easy

 to tote and the granola is delish mixed with a little vanilla yogurt

Orange Apricot Marmalade - this award-winning jam is truly the best marmalade

I have EVER eaten!  It is a wonderful marriage of orange & apricot that leaves a sweeter

combo to enjoy as opposed to a more bitter tasting marmalade. 

LOVE, LOVE this marmalade!! 

Sarabeth's Grade A Medium Amber Pure Maple Syrup is the real deal. 

It's produced on a small family farm in Quebec and it is a beautiful accompaniement to

pancakes or waffles making it a super extra real treat!

So, even if you are hustling & bustling out the door in the mornings and can barely even get a cup of coffee, I hope that you at least have the chance to enjoy something that gets your day started out with delight!

Lemon Bird Handmade Jams

Today I received my latest shipment of LemonBird Jams.  I just LOVE these jams - they are quite honestly the best jams I have EVER eaten.  And, I just admire the way that Amy Deaver (jam artisan & owner) combines the most unusual ingredients & flavors to produce the most delightfully deliciously sweet surprises.  Amy uses fresh ingredients from local California farms and you actually can see all of those ingredients in the jams she makes like the pistachios & the chunks of apricot that are so visible in the jar of Apricot with Sage Honey & Pistachio flavor.  I truly do love all of the flavors she creates, but my very favorites right now are the Blood Orange (super yummy mixed with vanilla yogurt) & the Grilled Nectarine with Balsamic Vinegar, Long Pepper, & Sea Salt (a perfect single bite paired with goat cheese atop a slice of grilled rustic bread!).

The delicious flavors of Lemon Bird Jams that we currently have on our shelves include:

Apricot with Sage Honey & Pistachios

Blood Orange

Grilled Nectarines with Balsamic Vinegar, Long Pepper, & Sea Salt

Kumquat & Tangerine with Vanilla Bean

Lemon & Lavender

Strawberry Cinnamon

Strawberry with Lemon Basil

January White Sale

We are celebrating the New Year with a

White Sale

All of our organic cotton

bed linens, bath towels, & shower curtains are

40-50% off

Sale goes through the end of the month (or until we run out!) & applies only to in-stock bed & bath linens & shower curtains

Take advantage of this great deal & start the new year out with beautiful linens

for your home!