A History of Jordan Almonds

Photo courtesy of http://www.ilbelloitalianfavors.com/

Sugared Jordan Almonds, also known as confetti or dragees are a candy favor that is used as a wedding favor.

The origin of confetti comes from ancient Rome where births and marriages were celebrated with a form of confetti.  However up until the time of the Renaissance confetti were made from honey.  It was only with the introduction of sugar cane in the fifteenth century that modern confetti were born.  The 'modern' era confetti were real sweetmeats made from dried fruits, cinnamon, pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and candied fruits.  These were served at many important banquets.

The first literary reference to confetti was in Boccaccio's Decameron in the early 1350's.  The common use of it was recorded from the late middle ages to the Reanissance.  In the mid-1400's there is a reference to a wedding banquet for Lucrezia Borgi and Alfonso D'Este, son  of Ercole I, Duke of Ferrara, where more than two hundred and sixty pounds of confetti were consumed.  (My stomach aches just thinking about it!)

Photo courtesy of http://www.confettipelino.com/

 

In the 18th and 19th centuries the use of confetti spread throughout Italy.  And the first modern confetti factories were begun in the region of Abruzzo, which has remained the confetti capital ever since.  In 1783 it became known as the confetti capital due to the skill of a single family according to a simple recipe that remains unchanged today. 

Photo courtesy of DIY Bride

Many modern brides still give confetti as wedding favors, some electing to make their own, others purchasing them from one of the many companies that sell pre-made wedding favors.

Lazertran Waterslide Decals Can Turn Any Object Into a Work of Art

(Photo Courtesy of Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

Want to make a personal favor for your wedding? Look for projects using Lazertran Waterslide Decals. You can use these great decals to put your artwork or photos almost anywhere. You can transfer photos or artwork (art can be scanned or digitally produced). Make coasters, candles, bowls, vases, glasses anything you can think of!

This revolutionary new product lets you transfer any design to almost any surface with incredible results. You can use Lazertran by inkjet or photocopying your color images onto Lazertran paper, then just heat set or seal the toner or ink, cut it to the correct size, soak and slide onto your project. Smooth out air bubbles and let dry for a day.

If you want to transfer the image to a fabric just iron on the decal, let it cool off, and then soak it until the paper falls away.

Lazertran make three types of waterslide decals. The original Lazertran was designed to work with dry toner color and the decals are applied to hard surfaces. If you don’t have a laser printer, this means having color copies made at your local copy center or finding a friend with a laser printer. Take the package instructions with you in case the copy center personnel object to printing on your Lazertran paper.

Because most transfer papers are heat-activated at fairly low temperatures and the glues can melt and jam the copier some copy centers may not want to do the job. However, Original Lazertran, is specially designed to be used with color copiers. The film and glue won't melt when run through the hot copier.

For hard surfaces, the company has introduced Lazertran Inkjet; now you can make decals using your desktop inkjet printer. Lazertran Inkjet has some special qualities or quirks. There are some trade-offs for the convenience of being able to print decals on your inkjet printer in the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Lazertran Silk was made for closely woven fabrics. Like the Original Lazertran, Lazertran Silk is designed to work with dry toners.

Unlike Original Lazertran, Silk does not have a thin film that carries the color to its new home, so it’s not technically a decal. Rather Lazertran Silk is ironed onto the silk or other closely woven fabric. The iron’s heat melts the toners and deposits them onto the fabric. Since there is no decal film and no gooey glue, the original hand and softness of the fabric are preserved.

Lazertran Silk has no glue to gum up the copier’s works. Still a good idea to take the package instructions with you to the copy center, in case there are any questions. Lazertran Silk decorated fabric is washable if the fabric itself is.

(Photo Courtesy of Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

(Information on using Lazertran from http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/ and Sweet Paul's Blog at http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/)

Other projects for Lazertran: http://www.stumbleupon.com/,