A cake covered in silver dragees adds sparkle and modern elegance to a holiday celebration. Photo courtesy Homeklondike.com

All that sparkles may not be gold, but it certainly can be sweet!

Is the icing on your cake just not all that? Maybe it needs a little bling! Consider dragee (properly pronounced dra-ghays), Remember the little silver balls that were the buttons for your gingerbread man over Christmas? How about that little packet of sugar coated almonds you received at the last wedding you went to? Those are dragee: the festive decorative confectionary that are traditionally given as favors, and used as adornment on baked goods. The origins of the word are unclear, it may come from the Greek by way of French, or from the Latin tragemataor

These Valentine heart cookies pop with the addition of dragees. Photo courtesy Michael Klashman/butterfloureggs.com

dragata. In all languages, it means “sweet”.  Traditionally, the word referred to multi-colored, sugared or chocolate-covered almonds such as Jordan almonds. Nowadays, when someone calls something a dragee, they often mean those little gold, silver and metallic-colored orbs. Colored sugar sprinkles and jimmies are not dragees. Sugar-coated fruit pieces and nuts are. In Germany, dragees are called liebesperlen or “love pearls”. In Italian, the word for dragee is confetti, and the sweets were thrown at weddings to bring good luck and fortune—the tradition has morphed over the centuries into the celebratory throwing of paper confetti today.

Stacks of multicolored metallic dragees at New York Cake and Baking. Photo courtesy Julie Sandy

Dragees are ancient tokens of celebration, luxury and wealth. Their first appearance was in ancient Rome, and through the Middle Ages they were delicacies given at weddings and christenings. Even one of the panels of the “Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry depicts a woman dipping her hand into an ornate chalice filled with dragees. The town of Verdun, France is particularly renowned for its production of dragees; the tradition of giving them as gifts to the city’s bishops began in the year 1200.

The classic dragee: Jordan almonds. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Creative Commons

Not just for Christmas. Almond dragee, a.k.a. Jordan almonds, are commonly given as gifts to wedding attendees. Creative confectionary suppliers such as Fancy Flours (http://www.fancyflours.com/) and New York Cake and Baking (http://www.nycake.com/) are now supplying customers with a diverse array of dragee for year round ornamentation.

An Irish Aran cardigan, made with bainin yarn. Photo courtesy Lisa Dusseault from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aransweater

A winning combination of icy northern climates and large populations of sheep has produced the perfect winter artifact: warm wool sweaters.  Each country that boasts these elements has produced its own distinctive design solution.  From the rainy west coast of Ireland comes the Aran or Irish “fisherman’s” sweater. Norway has its traditional black and white Lusekofte sweater. Sheep from the Shetland Isles provide wool for both the Shetland sweater and the colorful Fair Isle sweater. And there is the Lopapeysa sweater from Iceland. 

A traditional Sedestal jacket. Photo courtesy Dale of Norway.

A classic Aran sweater is knit from un-dyed, cream-colored yarn called bainin in Gaelic. Traditionally the wool is unwashed, so all the naturally occurring, water-repellent lanolin oil is still present.  Aran sweaters are easily recognized by the deep-textured cable patterns on the chest; one sweater will use 4 to 6 complex textured stitch patterns.  Many of these patterns are symbolic: diamonds are for success, honeycombs for hard work, and the iconic cable is a wish for fishermen’s safety and good luck.  It is said that in the 19^th century, Aran sweater knit patterns, like accents, could be used to identify the region or even village that the wearer came from. At the very least, it was traditional to knit the initials of the owner into the hem.

Dale of Norway’s Sedestal sweater. Photo courtesy Dale of Norway

The Lusekofte of Norway dates back to the 1800s also. It is sometimes also called a setesdalsgenser, or sweater from the Setesdal region.  The name translates as “lice jacket” after its black and white diagonal check pattern. The black, grey and white color scheme uses un-dyed sheep wool; recently other colors have been incorporated through ribbon woven into the neck and front opening.  It is a casual sweater, worn traditionally by men.  Although the lice-check pattern is usually present, other symbolic patterns such as mountains, flowers, and snowflakes may appear as well.  The author Annemor Sundbo is an expert on the history and cultural significance of Norwegian sweaters; two of her books have been translated into English “Setesdal Sweaters: the history of the Norwegian lice pattern” and “Invisible Threads in Knitting”.  Sundbo uses old photographs, newspapers and folk legend to tell the stories behind these traditional sweater patterns.

A Norwegian lusekofte cardigan, with close-up detail of the 'lice pattern'.

A wool sweater can be so much more than just a fashion statement or a warm winter layer; it can tell the story of its making, and be a symbol of identity, history, and tradition.

In response to the downturn in the market, Holiday Builders revamped their product offering based on customer feedback and new product availability.  The company also focused on building communities for specific buyers, including younger people moving up, and retiring families looking to downsize.  “When selecting products for our communities we like to be on the cutting edge,” says DiAnne Mangis, Purchasing Agent for the Florida Region of Holiday Builders.

Holiday Builders - Oakbrook kitchen with Wilsonart Stainless sink

“For example, we just started offering Wilsonart integrated sinks which are brand new.  In fact, I think we are the first builder to show them.  Customers like the idea of having an under-mounted stainless sink.”

All of Holiday Builder’s communities have standard features that are dictated by the type of community and the location, with options, like pools, for upgrading.  Holiday Builders generally builds a few spec homes in a location, and the rest are built to the buyers’ custom specifications within available plans.

Quality Built Homes
“Our goal is to provide value in what we are selling,” says Michelle Smallwood, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Holiday Builders.  “We recognize that there are thousands of home builders in operation.  There are tens of thousands of home plans that are four bedrooms and two and a half baths, so at the end of the day we need to offer something different.  From our perspective, we’re looking to really provide value in what we’re selling.”

Holiday Builders - The Shores guest bath with Wilsonart HD Rectangular sink

To do this, Holiday Builders specifies products based on quality.  “ I don’t want to be the cheapest, I want to be the best,” says Smallwood.  “We take a lot of care in selecting the products we use to build our homes.  Our great purchasing folks always have their eyes open for products that will keep us on the leading edge of home style.”  One of the company’s latest offerings is Wilsonart integrated sinks.  “People who come through the models rave about them,” says Smallwood.  “Because the countertop and sink are one piece, there is no opportunity for moisture intrusion.  And clean up is easy because there is no channel behind the faucet where water can collect.

Holiday Builders - Oakbrook master bath with dual Wilsonart HD sinks

Plus, Wilsonart HD integrated sinks have the more contemporary rectangular shape, as opposed to just oval or round sinks.  Rectangular sinks are absolutely an upcoming trend.”

Lasting Value
The sinks are integrated into Wilsonart HD laminate countertops, which is an established standard option in most of Holiday Builders’ communities.  “One of the things we really like about Wilsonart HD laminate is the wide variety of choices.  They have something for everyone, from plain white to designs that look like marble and highly figured granite,” says Smallwood.  “The HD laminate also has the AEON ™ Enhanced Performance finish, which is fabulous.”  Wilsonart’s AEON enhances the fidelity of the design and makes the surface measurably more wear resistant.  Not only does the surface look better when new, it looks new longer.  This is particularly important because Holiday Builders offers customers a 2-year warranty from front porch to back porch on everything inside the home.  Most builders offer a 1-year warranty.  This is in addition to Holiday Builders’ standard 10-year structural warranty.

Holiday Builders - The Shores kitchen with Wilsonart Stainless sink

Holiday Builders’ warranty is another thing that sets them apart from the competition, and in order to live up to that guarantee, the products the company selects have to be easy to maintain.  “The integrated sinks are so easy to keep clean, and the HD laminate countertops are easier to take care of than granite,” says Smallwood.  “You don’t have to worry about staining or pitting or anything like that.  It is very durable and has that look of a really high-end designer kitchen.”  Holiday Builders does offer other countertop options, including granite and solid surfacing, but Smallwood explains that customers are generally not interested in solid surfacing.  “We offer it, but we find that customers want granite or Wilsonart HD laminate.  Solid Surface costs almost as much as granite these days, and both require much more maintenance than laminate.  In the end, the homeowner is going to have to live with their choice, and laminate is way easier to live with than granite.”

Best Possible Price
According to Mangis, “The housing market has changed a lot in the past few years.  Not only is there generally more than one builder in a community, but buyers do not have as much discretionary income.  That means we have to be more flexible in how we purchase land, and the options we offer customers, while at the same time being more precise in efficiently completing the building process.  I spend a lot of time researching upfront so I can suggest what we need to have in order to be competitive.”

Holiday Builders uses an economy of scale to keep costs low.  To do this the company relies on a quick turn around from the time a lot is purchased to the time the home closes, usually less than 90 days, to minimize unproductive assets.  “I know of builders who have had problems with vendors who deal with things overseas and run into difficulty on delivery.  I don’t want any part of that.  We’re a production builder.  When we’re building houses, we can’t stop the cycle.  We can’t afford to hold up for two or three weeks if somebody has a delivery problem from China,” says Smallwood.  “We’ve never had a problem with Wilsonart, and that helps us to keep the process moving forward.  We’re an employee-owned company, nobody makes any money until we get the homes closed.”

Consistency and efficiency is what allows Holiday Builders to continue to build quality homes of lasting value at the best possible price.  “Take the Wilsonart HD laminate for example,” says Smallwood.  “The granite designs look just like granite, with tiny pits randomly interspersed on the surface so it has a very authentic look at a much more affordable price.  Being able to offer that allows buyers who are in the middle price range to have the fabulous look and feel of a designer kitchen without the huge price.  They can have great countertops with an integrated sink, and still afford to upgrade the cabinets.  It gives them the opportunity to get the whole look.  And that is what makes a house a home.”