A Selection Of Our Top Selling Hampers

Our hampers are affordable and fabulous, and a perfect gift for those you love at Christmas time.

Here are some of our top selling hampers which you will absolutely adore.

Christmas Bubbles Gift Hamper - $50 (including delivery)

This cute little hamper features wine, chocolate and plum pudding. A great little gift for that someone special with elegant and fun Christmas wrapping.

Bon Appetit Gift Hamper - $145 (including delivery)

For those who love to spend time in the kitchen, this Bon Appetit Gift Hamper is full to the brim with deliciousness. Olive oil, wine mustard, Spanish rice, chai tea, dark chocolate and more.

Big Chocolate Box - $48 (including delivery)

Everyone loves our chocolate box. 1 kg of delicious chocolates including M&Ms, clinkers, cobbers, fantales, turkish delight, freckles, smarties and chocolate buds.

Chocoholics Hamper - $75 (including delivery)

This hamper is perfect for those who love chocolate. Inside the box is four chocolate sauces, organic chocolate, chocolate mango, and fruit and nut chocolate.

A Condensed History of Chocolate

It is no wonder that the Aztecs believed that the cacao beans were a gift from their God of Wisdom. Can you imagine being among the first to discover that the cacao bean could produce a cup of chocolaty goodness? Of course, the Aztecs’ preference was for the unsweetened variety – they initially drank their brew quite bitter, mixed with spices and corn puree of all things. Despite their bitter preference for the tasty chocolate-producing bean, the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans and Olmecs all agreed that it was a crop worth growing and harvesting.

The cacao beans became so sought after in the 1500s that they started being used as currency. This is what you could purchase back in the good ol’ days.

• 1 cacao bean – 1 avocado/1 tomato/1 tamale
• 3 cacao beans – 1 turkey egg
• 30 cacao beans – 1 small rabbit
• 100 beans - 1 turkey hen/1 hare or forest rabbit

They also considered their chocolate beverages to be quite the aphrodisiac, apparently. It is said that the 16th-century Aztec emperor Montezuma drank three gallons of chocolate a day to increase his libido.

It wasn’t until the cacao beans arrived in Europe when the sweetened version of hot chocolate became all the rage. The Spanish added cane sugar and cinnamon although it was mainly consumed by the nobility at the time maintaining a high price tag. Cacao bean meets sugar is a match made in heaven in my humble opinion.

However, when Maria Theresa of Spain wed the French King Louis XVII in 1615 she brought her love of chocolate over to France, and it spread from there. Chocolate became more affordable and everyone could enjoy it.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist by the name of Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented the cocoa press which could squeeze out the fatty cocoa butter. His invention left behind a dry paste which could then be used in liquids and other foods.

I guess it was only a matter of time before the chocolate drink became a chocolate bar. It was in 1847 when Joseph Fry made his first chocolate bar. Two years later John Cadbury got into the act. The two men eventually joined forces. The first chocolate bars were still not as sweet as we like them today. When Henry Nestle came on the chocolate scene, he began adding milk to his chocolate concoctions and so many more followed his lead. And, I guess the rest, as they say, is history.

What is your favourite chocolate bar?

Halloween Is In The Air

Halloween is fast gaining popularity in Australia, and each year we see more and more Halloween decorations and costumes creep into the stores and on the shelves. Admittedly I love to look at the houses decorated in their spooky themes, tombstones, witches and all.

Trick-or-treating is become quite the norm in many Australian suburbs and streets, and watching horror movies and bobbing for apples (also called dunking) are fast becoming a holiday tradition. While Halloween has its firm fixtures in Christianity and mythology, trick-or-treating never really took root until the 1930s in the USA. And it took many more years for it to become popular over here. We are familiar with the event due to the American television programs and movies which aired on our little and big screens but up until recently it was always something which we acknowledged was done "over there". But now times they are a-changin'!

If you plan to get into the spirit of the holiday, how do you know which houses to knock on? It is best, of course, to stick to houses which look like they are decorated in celebration of the holiday, have a bowl of lollies left out for you to sample, or at the very least, have an orange (or other coloured) balloon out the front. Sticking to people you know is also a common tactic as Australians, as a rule, still frown on the idea of knocking on stranger's doors to ask for lollies (and quite rightly so!) As it is still quite new in this part of the world, not everyone appreciates getting disturbed in the middle of their favourite tv program either if they aren't expecting it.

Do you think Australians should be celebrating Halloween?

Fun Gifts For Kids (Of All Ages)

Admittedly many of our gifts are for adults. We have an interesting range of kitchen hampers and a few gift hampers which contain wine, beer and cider. But let's not forget the kids.

We also have a fun range of gifts which are suitable for kids - and the best bit, you get to share in their enjoyment of the gift. After all, you don't want them to consume too much sugar, and that is where the help of mum and dad come in, right?

While you may not be keen to give them a whopping 1 kg box of chocolate or lollies, unless you intend to snack while they are sleeping, we have some smaller gifts which are just as wonderful.

Just Chocolates

500 grams of chocolates is enough to win anyone's heart. This half kilo box of chocolate is jam packed with jaffas, chocolate bullets, turkish delight, smarties, m&ms and more...

Just Lollies

For those who prefer lollies over chocolate, this half kilo box is divine. It features jelly babies, snakes, strawberries and creams, gummi bears, jelly beans, frogs and more...

Medium Sweet Tooth Gift Box

The Medium Sweet Tooth Gift Box offers the best of both worlds - a selection of lollies and chocolates. You get a delightful half kilo of fantales, snakes, smarties, turkish delight, chicos, peanut clusters and more...

Just To Say - Bulk Orders

If you are planning an event or gathering with lots of kids, then our Just To Say gift pack is ideal. You need a minimum of twenty 500 gram grab boxes which will be filled with a high-quality selection of lollies, chocolates or a combination of the two. Just select your option when you are ordering.

Easter Egg Hunt (or anytime hunt really!)

My nephew (10) has asked for an Easter egg hunt this year, which is always fun (unless of course I make the clues to hard and they can't do them so give up and asked for the answer!), and I've been given the task of putting it together. I thought I'd share some of the clues that I'm planning on using and some ideas also, which I may or may not use. Not sure what the weather is going to be like on Sunday I am going to base it mainly inside but with, maybe, a few outside. I'm not so worried about the kids going outside in the rain it's me having to go outside in the rain and place all the clues and eggs!

I was hoping to finish it with a pinata but the only pinatas I've come across have been way too big and I don't want to have to spend a fortune on filling it! So I think at this stage it will just end with a basket/box/bowl of Easter goodies unless anyone has any easy ideas on how to do a diy pinata??

Some of the clues I have so far include:

• Let the fun begin, grab your sister and your brother and go hug your mother
• Hickory dickory dock the mouse ran up the ....... [clock]
• Santa Clause is coming to town, wait, what?? Did he drop in for a sneaky visit? [fireplace]
• Who sat on the wall and had a great fall? [humpty - egg cups]
• The clue will just have their house number (hoping they'll go to the letterbox!)
• For the next clue, think number 1's and number 2's :-) [toilet - ewwww]
• What goes up when the rain comes down [umbrella]
• Looking for the final prize, go to where you can look into your eyes [mirror]

plus I'm thinking of doing a few find a words (just use word or publisher - maybe 10-15 letters by 10-15. I just put in a few words ie their names and a few randoms and then one that is the actual clue), photo cut into pieces that they'll need to put together (like a jigsaw), text someone for the next clue (Can I get a clue from you?), use an insta #, word scrambles (with this one I thought of the place the next clue was going to be and then used the letters of that world for each of the scrambled words). ie If your next hiding spot is say in the 'bath' you would have 4 scramble words, one starting with b, one with a, one with t and one with h. Easy peasy but hopefully not too easy peasy for the kids!. Another one is 'matching lists' so you have two list of words that match ie list one has puppy, list 2 has dog, list 1 has easter, list 2 has egg and so on. Jumble them up so they are not next to each other and have one extra word that doesn't have a matching word - this will be the clue. I hope that makes sense?!

I don't want to get too elaborate or have too many clues but a nice mix of hints, riddles and puzzles to make it fun with a few Easter eggs thrown in for good measure!

There are so many ideas online just google 'easter egg hunt' or 'scavenger hunt' and you'll have enough ideas to get you through Easter, birthdays and Christmas! Education.com is a good resource, not just easter egg hunts but fun kids activities that you can personalise.

Have fun and be safe over Easter and, of course, eat lots of chocolate!

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and 'fun' activities co ordinator

Writers block?

Not so much writers block I guess as I am most definitely not a writer but maybe inspiration block or subject matter block? I wanted this blog to be about a whole range of things related, roughly, around running my business all the issues and road blocks I come up against as well as all the highs, lows and in betweens that is part of my small business life.

Chocolate is a must when I'm working

I want the blog to have information, obviously, of new gifts etc up coming events, like Easter, how I go about my daily business life or finding new products, suppliers etc but also the parts of my small business life that aren't directly related to Rainbow Designs but are an every day part of my life or a needed part of being a person. :-)

So this is where things can get a bit 'blocked'. I'm not out and about all the time, I don't necessarily have a funny story or anecdote to share each day or even each week, for the most part each day is basically the same. Get up. Shower. Fire up the laptop. Cup of tea. Read, delete, answer emails. Process any orders (if any have come in!). Cup of tea. Eat some chocolate. Open up the blog. Close the blog. Check facebook. Pop a post on Facebook. Rinse and repeat.

No spending rule doesn't include chocolate.

I've got an enforced 'no spending' rule on at the moment. Hence the trip to the local library the other day! A necessity unfortunately which I have to stick to. The only spending allowed is for bills ie electricity, rent etc and the bare minimum of food (I do buy a little bit of chocolate BUT only if it is on special, a good special) and household stuff ie toilet paper, toothpaste etc I still allow myself to window shop but do not take my purse with me and I still holiday dream - these are things that give me some motivation to get Rainbow Designs back on track but the main motivation is to be able to pay my ever day bills without breaking out into a sweat on whether or not my card will be accepted!! Fun times, not. I was going to do a course through the community college but realised I didn't have the funds for it so I am hoping that next term it will be available and I will have some money to do it! Another thing to get motivated about.

I'm enjoying my weekends as I, for whatever reason, feel a bit of the pressure is lessened, I think it's more a case of, orders can't be processed, sent etc over the weekend so I can focus on other stuff! Also, if orders don't come in during the weekend it doesn't seem quite so bad as when they don't come in during the week. As much as I would love orders to be flying in day and night, weekends or weekdays, weekends aren't so disappointing. Luckily as I think I would be rolled in a tight ball on the ground crying!!

Here's the thing, it's TOUGH running my business. It can be a bit soul destroying when you look at the end of the week and realised you haven't made enough to cover your bills. I've worked so hard for such a long time and currently it's just not showing it. I will keep on keeping on and persevere and work hard and be positive and try and push through this very difficult time but how long can I last? How long can my business last? This is the $64 million question.

I may have 'writers block' but I certainly don't have 'waffle' block - I sure can waffle! Now I'm hungry ;-)

Are you a writer? Where do you find inspiration from?

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and waffler from way back. 

Smooth Festival of Chocolate is on!

The date for the Chocolate Festival have recently been announced, woo! We're excited! This is the third year and the third year, fingers and toes crossed, we'll be going.

The first year it was my niece and I and then last year my nephew joined us. I think it'll be the same three amigos this year - we are all really looking forward to it!

The last two years it's been in September but this year it's a month early in August and, as it happens, the same weekend the City to Surf is on. Not sure we'll do this though - it's 14km's people, 14! I'd rather be eating chocolate :-)

Now I need to start planning and saving (well, earning some money would be a good start). I've had a quick squiz at the hotel situation in Sydney and at the moment the prices are high! Even the hotels we've previously stayed at aren't cheap, I hope this changes over the coming months. I'm also hoping there's a sale on for the airfares too. At least with only being a couple of nights we can just take a carry on bag each so I can book the cheapest fare without having to pay extra for luggage. We'll most likely fly either Jetstar or Tiger as they are always, pretty much anyway, the cheapest.

I always like to find a 'fun' activity or two to do when I go away with the kids (I say kids but they're both taller than me!) so will have to put my thinking cap on. I need something cheap or even better free and 'fun'! Any ideas??

Now I've really got something to get me motivated and hopefully keep me motivated to get Rainbow Designs pumping out the orders like in the good old days! With Easter fast approaching (another year that's flying by) I am hoping things will pick up a lot plus I've added some yummy Easter Egg gifts too which in previous years have done well. I'm still tweaking and fiddling with the website (and haven't even broken it!) plus trying to regularly blog and Facebook without getting spammy (or boring, I'm not boring am I - no, don't tell me!)

This afternoon I'm going to kick back and watch the Supercars, write a few blogs and do a bit of online research for our weekend in Sydney in August. What are you up to? Have you been to the Chocolate Festival?

Jacqui ~ Rainbow Designs boss(y) lady and lover of any festival hen chocolate is the main event!

A Chocolate a Day

I started Rainbow Designs way back in 2004 with an idea of filling noodle boxes with lollies and/or chocolates and maybe eating some myself. Things have changed over the last 12 years but lollies and chocolates and me eating them still remain the same!

Currently I don't physically pack the gifts, giving my body a break from all the standing and bending, but I still eat chocolate and do everything else that comes with running Rainbow Designs. Processing orders, updating orders, tracking parcels, following up couriers, paying (many, many) bills, emailing, texting, online marketing, blogging etc. I'm currently focusing on Christmas. For the most part the gifts will be the same but will be updated with Christmassy loveliness.

Christmas Bubbles

Sometimes I do miss the day to day of filling boxes and packing orders but then my body gives me a little warning sign when I've pushed myself a bit too much and I am thankfully that I have some wonderful people doing all of that work for me :-) The noodle boxes may have gone but the theme and first idea of lolly and chocolate gifts is still there. I've tried to keep Rainbow Designs as close to how I pictured it way back when as I can. Times do change of course and gifts need to be tweaked here and there to keep up with peoples likes and expectations - I think I've been able to do that.

Little Sweetie

I still love to have some chocolate daily and for the most part you will always find some type of chocolate either on my desk or stashed at the back of the fridge. Don't want the 'kit kat' incident to happen again! Currently my stash consists of m&m's (of course, always a favourite), a mix of choc buds and the occasional block of cadbury.

Rainbow Designs may never have become a million dollar business or a household name but I do hope that it will continue to run and thrive and enable me to pay my bills and occasionally have some r&r, into the future. I don't know how I would cope if I didn't have Rainbow Designs in my life. Something I do know though is that I really need to focus on marketing, promotion and advertising. Even with basically no budget for this it NEEDS to be done. Online business really relies on being found and being found fast and easily. If you don't show up on page 1 or 2 in google you may as well not be in the search pages at all. Unfortunately Rainbow Designs isn't doing too well on that front and it is something I HAVE to work on if I want to stay in business (and pay my bills!).

It's all about the chocolate (and lollies!)

I have a lovely life but know it won't take much for it to change for the bad and end up with nothing or worse minus nothing so WORK WORK WORK is what I must do. I'm sure that sounds familiar to most of us! ;-)

Enough talking (writing) time for another coffee (or maybe tea, I've just started drinking tea and finding I quite like it. Not as heavy on the belly as coffee and doesn't give you coffee breath).

Wishing you a day, week, month of things going as you want, need and hope for! Here's to us :-)

Jacqui ~ chocoholic owner of Rainbow Designs

Smooth Chocolate Festival

I have been looking forward to this weekend since last year! CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL, what's not to love?? I went in 2015 and as soon as it was announced it was on again in this year we booked our plane and hotel and counted down the weeks! It's a great event to use as 'research' while getting to enjoy the beautiful Sydney Harbour and chocolate in so many forms.

Lindt Chocolate

We arrived in Sydney on Friday morning to gorgeous blue skies, lucky as we had to walk from the station to our hotel. The Chocolate Festival starts on Saturday so we had Friday afternoon to get our bearings, make our plan, go to the TOP of Sydney Tower and get cream puffs!

Sydney Tower Skywalk

In April I was in Sydney with my gorgeous niece and we stumbled across a little hole in the wall in Chinatown selling these amazing cream puffs, needless to say we went back numerous times and planned to go back again next time we were in Sydney! They were as yummy as we remembered.

I surprised the kids, I say kids but they both tower over me, with a Sydney Tower Skywalk. It was amazing!! We all really enjoyed and got some fabulous photos. If you're in Sydney I recommend the Skywalk.

After our Skywalk we headed over to Chinatown with a pit stop at City Markets, a factory outlet place above Paddy's Markets. Chinatown was busy, busy, busy. I think that's while I like it, so full of energy and food! We went to the food court downstairs and it was BUSY. The food was delicious.

Chinatown Food Court

Next morning we woke with a plan EAT CHOCOLATE. Another gorgeous day greeted us, we were SO lucky with the weather as a few weeks earlier it was rainy and freezing in Sydney town. We caught a train from Museum Station, what a cool little station. Loved all the old posters on the walls.

The Chocolate Festival is held at The Rocks near Circular Quay and it was shaping up to be busy. We got there at about 10am, right when it opened and went in search of something to eat. Our first choice was chocolate dipped fruit, strawberries and watermelon. So good (and healthy!?). We did a walk around the whole festival to see what was on offer and made notes of where we wanted to head back to. The number one stop was the Lindt Tent where you could get your very own personalised chocolate bar, yes please!

I think my business, Rainbow Designs, sells one of the most POPULAR products ever, CHOCOLATE. Going by the crowds there are a LOT of chocoholics around, makes my heart sing and my mouth water. Where to head to next?? Maybe a donut or an icecream?? Icecream sounds like a plan - Gelato Messina and the 'Robert Browney Junior', chocolate, fudge, more chocolate, mmmmmmmmm. A glazed donut from The Donut Shop and lots of samples. Lindt balls, coconut and dark chocolate and Darrel Lea chocolates. To see how popular both of these areas were made me think I might need to add these brands to my hampers???

The very popular Lindt Lounge

For the rest of the day we did some touristy things and headed over to the Opera House to look for seals, didn't see any. After that we caught a ferry over to Luna Park. I hadn't been to Luna Park in a VERY long time but I don't think it's changed much at all, very 'back in the day' cool. I didn't venture onto any of the rides but the other two went on a 'vomit inducing' ride and the funky roller coaster. They loved it!! (and didn't throw up, bonus).

Luna Park

More chocolate was on our minds so we ferried it back over to Circular Quay and over to the festival to check out the stands again. What to have? So many choices! There was a very groovy container truck turned into pizza shop called 'Happy as Larry' that we just had to try. Margeritta pizza, so good that mr 14 went back and got another one for dinner! Miss 16 and I had some yummy satay chicken skewers. We were going to get another donut but they had sold out, like many of the stands. I think they underestimate how many they'll need. There will be some very late nights tonight making up more for Sunday! Zumbo's stand had sold out of two of their products - we didn't end up trying any but they looked amazing!

We trained it back to Museum Station and back to our hotel, after picking something up for dinner, and relaxed. It was a long but super fun day. Miss 15 was leaving early on Sunday back home while Mr 14 and I weren't leaving until Sunday afternoon so we had another day at the festival plus I had organised a jetboat ride for us!!

After getting up at the crack of dawn to walk miss 16 to the station, mr 14 and I watch a bit of the paralympics and slowly got ready for the day. After checking out of the hotel and leaving our bags for collection later in the day we headed to the train and circular quay. Chocolate Festival here we come. We made a pitstop at Starbucks for a coffee/ice chocolate and a bit of sustainance for the day ahead. While sitting enjoying our breakfast we realise we didn't check the fridge in our room before we left. Shock horror, mr 14 has left his chocolate in it! Luckily, after ringing the hotel, they were able to grab it for us so we could pick it up when we got our bags. Brekky down and first stop was the instagram photo machine to print out some fabulous photos, go and get our personliased Lindt chocolates and then over to the Jetboat wharf.

The Jetboat was FUN! We got drenched, luckily we were wearing a fetching purple poncho. What an amazing way to see Sydney Harbour - highly recommend!

Our weekend in Sydney was coming to a close so we did one last lap of the Smooth Chocolate Festival before making our way back to the hotel to collect our bags and then onto the station for our flight home. I had such a fun weekend. The weather was near on perfect and the company was pretty great too!


I highly suggest visiting the Choc Fest next year and in the mean time check out our chocolate filled hampers to help tied you over until then ;-)

nb: Unfortunately my camera card failed so most of my photo's didn't work. :-(

L is for...Lollies (what else!)

We've had word from our Confectionery supplier that Allen's Confectionery are no longer making:

Green Frogs (what the??!!)
Spearmint Leaves (an old child hood favourite)

and

Marella Jubes (these are one of my favourite types of lollies - boo)

Are any of these your FAVOURITE?

I have managed to find another maker of Spearmint Leaves - they're fatter than the Allen's ones but just as yummy (maybe even yummier!) but I'm still on the hunt for yummy jubes and green frogs. I have had the multi coloured frogs before, which I may get again if I can't find just green.

Allen's have also made changes to some of their other lollies including a swap to all natural colouring. This happened at the beginning of last year and meant that a BIG favourite went missing - the blue F1 Race Car and Snake, this displeased many. The blue has been replaced with a purply colour and is meant to still taste the same, although I think even the flavour has changed some what. Their Jelly Beans have also changed and are now smaller but I think even YUMMIER and they still have blue. Apparently it is easier to create a natural blue with the harder style lollies than the more gummier ones, like snakes. Who knew??


We love lollies at Rainbow Designs, as if you didn't know and are always on the lookout for new or returning old favourites.......what's your favourite lolly? I use to love musk sticks but now, not so much. I think snakes (red, green & orange only) and raspberries are my favourite lollies but I do have to admit I'm more a 'chocolate' girl!

Take care and don't forget to eat some lollies,

Jacqui (boss lady)

J Is For Jacqui

Hi, I'm Jacqui.

I am the owner of Rainbow Designs - the online chocolate and lolly online gift store based in Port Macquarie on the Mid North Coast of NSW in Australia.

I love the water and enjoy living in this beautiful seaside town and I also confess to enjoying the odd cruise or two.  There is something about being able to totally relax in your surroundings on the open water...and of course I admit to being a complete chocoholic as well.  Not a day goes by when I don't consume a chocolate or two; just one of the perks of being in the chocolate business I guess.

I have been managing Rainbow Designs for over 10 years and I really enjoy being able to help people send wonderful, delicious and affordable gifts to their friends, family and colleagues.  Of course flowers are good but in our opinion, chocolates are better.  Making people happy is a job I take very seriously.

A day in the life of a chocolate and lolly gift store owner is fairly predictable but I wouldn't have it any other way.  My day goes something like this:

1. Start up the computer and printer.
2. Turn on the kettle - I couldn't survive without my coffee.
3. Print orders, sort them, confirm payment has been received, write out gift tags (yes we hand write each one) then update order status online.  Customer service is important and it is necessary to keep the customer informed on the progress of their order.
4. Make a list of gifts needed for the day.
5. Go through emails and reply to the urgent ones first saving the others for later in the day.
6. Pay any bills.
7. Make another cup of coffee.
8. Unpack any deliveries and check everything is there and follow up if anything is missing.
9. Process any new orders.
10. Check and reply to emails.
11. Prepare box and satchel orders.
12. Update customer order status.
13. Enter orders into MYOB and file.
14. Send orders out by courier.
15. Answer any final emails.

Of course there is a bit of taste testing going on throughout the day but that is done sporadically depending on my mood. Speaking of which, I best get on as there are some M&Ms here somewhere calling my name!

So that's me - Jacqui.

I would love it if you could take a moment to share something about yourself even if it's just sharing the name of your favourite lolly or chocolate.  Until next time...

10 Years And Still Going Strong

Did you know that Rainbow Designs has been delivering delicious chocolate and lolly gifts for 10 years - over 10 years in fact!  When you think about it, 10 years is actually quite a long time.

Think of a child who has grown from a baby to a child of 10 - a lot of changes occur along the way.  And Rainbow Designs could be considered my child of sorts; we have grown together, seen a lot of things along the way and had some awesome moments together - and we have probably experienced a few tantrums and tears when things haven't quite gone our way.  But that's the way it is when you have your own business to run - there will always be something sent to test you.

They say it takes 10 years to become an expert.  Not sure what I could be considered an expert in - chocolate perhaps.  I could tell you the best loved gifts of all time and the chocolate everyone turns to when they are trying to cheer someone up.  In fact I know quite a few things about chocolate that just might surprise you. 

If I ever did decide to move on from Rainbow Designs, I am not even sure what I would do.  Chocolate and lollies have been my "thing" for quite a while now.  My customer service and management skills are, luckily for me, quite transferable so I guess I am marketable in many aspects.  But what other career choices are there which involve taste testing and quality management of something as delicious as chocolate.  That would be one of the perks that I would miss for sure.

In fact I might just go and do a bit of quality management right now!  I hear those M&Ms calling my name!

Why You Should Eat Chocolate

I never thought I would be writing a blog post entitled why you should eat or even drink chocolate because to me it is pretty obvious, it is super delicious.  However just in case that doesn't convince you then here are some more reasons to entice you to tempt those taste buds.

1.  Chocolate may be known for it's ability to add to your weight but a recent study in Australia shows that chocolate and exercise actually go well together.  It showed that eating chocolate high in healthy antioxidants reduced the blood pressure-raising effects of exercise on overweight individuals.

2.  Canadian scientists carried out a study involving almost 45,000 and found that people eating chocolate were 22% less likely to suffer a stroke than those who didn't.  In addition, those who had a stroke but regularly consumed chocolate were 46% less likely to die as a result.

3.  Women who ate chocolate daily during their pregnancy reported that they were better able to handle stress than mothers who abstained.

4.  Scientists at Harvard Medical School suggest that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help keep the brain healthy and prevent memory decline in older people.

5.  Chocolate releases calming endorphins that reduce anxiety, plus it is high in magnesium which lifts moods and reduces water retention; ideal for PMS sufferers.

6.  One study found that chocolate quieted coughs almost as well as codeine, thanks to the theobromine it contains.

7.  Both South American and European cultures have a history that dates back to the 16th century of treating diarrhea with cocoa.  Modern day science has shown they were onto something.

8.  Consuming high levels of flavonoids, which is found in chocolate could significantly help protect against type 2 diabetes according to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition.

9.  Researchers at Germany's Heinrich Heine University found that after six week, chocolate eaters exposed to ultraviolet light had 15% less skin reddening than those who didn't eat it.

10.  And to top it all off there is also evidence that this compound has the ability to sweeten up your love life as well.

Of course I have done no studies to back any of this information up - like I said at the beginning, I think it is super delicious and that is all the evidence I need.

Nestle Or Cadbury?

Everyone has a favourite chocolate bar (or in my case more than one)!  Thinking about your favourite, does it fall under the Cadbury or Nestle umbrella?

At Rainbow Designs, we have created two new gift boxes chock-a-block full of your best loved chocolate bars to satisfy all of those chocolate cravings.

Let me show you!

Cadbury Collection

If you are a Cadbury fan then you should be very happy with this selection.  Furry Friends, Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy, Picnics, Cherry Ripes, Fry's Turkish Delight, Caramello Koalas, Dairy Milk, Snack and Caramello Chunky all get a feature.

Hard to choose which one you will eat first, right?  Pop one in your lunch box to beat those mid-afternoon energy slumps or savour one late at night when the kids have gone to bed, accompanied by your favourite glass of wine. 

And the selection comes complete with a reusable Suzani tin so you can restock whenever you feel the need - in case of emergencies of course.

Nestle Chocolate Selection

Our Nestle selection is as equally delicious.

Think Nestle Crunch, Aero bars, Chokitos, Life Savers, Kit Kats and Violet Crumbles.

"Have a break...have a Kit Kat."
"It's the way it shatters that matters."
"Get your bubble on."
"For the kid in you."

A chocolate or candy treat for every occasion, again packaged in a reusable box for your convenience.

Does your favourite get a mention?

Easter Crafts

We know that Easter isn't too far away as all of our Easter goodies have already arrived in-store ready for you to place your orders.  Check them out - they look scrumptious.  From filled chocolate Easter eggs to a gingerbread Easter egg and everything in between, my mouth is definitely watering.

Easter is definitely one of my favourite celebrations.  While admittedly it is just as commercial as Christmas from a non-religious perspective (albeit without the huge price tag), it is centred around one of my favourite subjects - chocolate.  What would life be like without chocolate around - dull, right? 

Easter is also a fun time to make some fun crafts with the kids and celebrate the beauty that the holiday has to offer.  And I do have a few favourites to share with you.

Try these Easter Glass Stained Windows for a start.  These faux stained-glass decorations look great on the window and give the kids an opportunity to show off their awesome creativity.

Or how about a cute cottontail bunny rabbit made from - what else - cotton wool?  A little delicate for a daily playmate, however he/she would look great as a centrepiece in an Easter basket or Easter display.

Decorating eggs of course has become tradition these days, so here are a couple of fun examples with a pretty floral theme.  The first involves colourful decoupage flowers and the second, courtesy of Martha Stewart, involves decoupage of beautiful botanical images although any image of course can be used. 

Let your imagination fly as you sit down and do your Easter crafts this year.

Don't forget that Good Friday is April 18 so all Easter orders should be placed by Tuesday 15 April to guarantee an early delivery.

Chocolate Gift Hamper

Another NEW gift hamper has been added to our yummy collection and it has Chocolate Coated Lollies!! Includes chocolate coated raspberries, pineapples, strawberry & creams, chicos, raspberry bullets plus milk chocolate freckles and chocolate caramel popcorn. All made in Australia using delicious Belgium chocolate. I am hoping it is going to be a winner as I want to be able to keep ordering these delicious lolly chocolates (so I can taste test them ensuring the quality is just right!).


Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate - $65 delivered

I love being able to order from small producers and suppliers within Australia who try and use Aussie ingredients not everything is Australian made but everything is of wonderful quality and taste. If something isn't up to standard we will look for another item to takes it's place. In general I've been pretty lucky with my suppliers I think the main thing I've had problems with has been with the boxes. Noodle boxes, in particular the large noodle boxes, are becoming harder and harder to find. The design was changed a couple of years ago and not as many companies stock them. I have also found that sometimes the quality isn't quite right - the sides of the boxes aren't stuck very well so when I receive a carton I invariably have to get rid of 10-15. What a waste of money! I'm now having issues with the supplier of my patterned boxes (eg cravings, spotty box etc). They are the only ones in Australia who carry these boxes and they carry VERY little quantities and at the moment a lot of the designs I carry they don't have ANY of! Very disappointing and frustrating as they are not going to place an order for them until later in the year - not too helpful to me now though! I have been lokking around for another supplier plus have also contacted the USA company that make them, will wait and see what they have to say!

Mother's Day is over for another year, which I have to say is flying by, and going by the first few months of 2013 it wasn't too bad. Not great but not bad. The next main occasion coming up is Father's Day and then, scarey as it is to think about, it's Christmas!

Until next time,

eat some M&M's!

Jacqui