Truth be told, I drink multiple grande cups of coffee a day with periodic boughts of switching to a healthier non-caffeinated tea options. Until I read some contradictory evidence about tea depleting my body from some needed nutrient or...the aroma of a carmely cup of java sends one of those cartoon steamy fingers my way, leading me to the coffee kiosk in the mall or the Starbucks located smack dab in the center of the Barnes & Noble where I just happened to be leafing through a book about the antioxidant benefits of certain types of teas. I will have to make up my mind, or forever be conflicted as the scientists. I'm a sucker for packaging. Just look at this Numi Tea Bamboo package in all the glory of its “exotic hand-made dark mahogany bamboo case.” And a mini teapot to display the bouquet of flowering tea. Lovely. After you empty the contents of the package, you have a case in which to store more tea packets or sapphires or guitar picks or twenty mini highlighters. Whatever you like. What a great gift.
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November 2008
November 19, 2008
November 17, 2008
Snowman Socks!
I confess. I have a sock fetish. They are magical, they inspire me, they can be warm and fuzzy or sleek and sexy. They make we want to wear pants that are too short , or shred the bottom two inches of my jeans, or sport pants designed with clear plastic from the just above the knee caps down. I just always seem to be in jeans or dress pants with tennis shoes or boots or peep toe shoes at best. I just can't seem to figure out how to show off my cool, stylish, hip, sometimes silly socks. And I have more than one drawer full. My friends look forward to the fall/winter season to see what I'll be wearing. I'm like my own fashion show with a private runway and a CD player plugged into the wall next to the couch where three of my friends anxiously await my awkward strut down the catwalk, pulling the legs of mean jeans up so they can see my latest styles. Sure, I should consider wearing skirts if I'm going to do this right. I'm working on it. But for now, I'll just have to dramatically pull up my socks in the presence of strangers who may appreciate the art of sock wearing.
These snowman socks and the ensemble are inspiring. If only I could spend a few weeks in Amsterdam and get a window display gig, I could really show my stuff.
Sew in Harmony
I told my husband I was thinking about buying a sewing machine --- and he laughed. Considering my major accomplishments to date have been a raggedly sewn skateboard pillow I made in the seventh grade and a three inch rectangle I knitted before I got so frustrated by missing a knit or a purl or purl or a knit, that I pulled it apart and left it for never-to-be-finished.
Even so, my sewing ambitions are not become a Project Runway contestant, but rather to create simple square pillows, window decorations, tapestries for my bedroom, tote bags, sewing hems on jeans, and fixing all of those little snags I currently do by hand with needle and thread. Just simple things to change up the house without spending fifty dollars on a pillow, or spice up the bedroom without having to buy an expense photo or paint or have sex.
So, I’m getting a sewing machine -- some day. Maybe after the iPhone. Okay, I'm conflicted! But, I’ve done some research that you can benefit from here (or watch for ads staring Martha Stewart in home décor magazines):
· Sewing machine information:
o http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/sewing-machines/
o http://www.epinions.com/Sewing_Machines
o http://www.viewpoints.com/Sewing-Machines
o http://www.consumerreview.com/sf-6/befid-96329/pgnum-1/productlistcrx.aspx
Here is also an interesting site for fabric shopping:
· Organic fabrics
November 16, 2008
Mexican Cocoa
If you have never savored the spicey temptation of Mexican hot chocolate, the scent of this candle will have you planning a trip to Baja. Scented candles are an iffy things for me and yet, it may seem a bit peculiar, the scent of food candles have always done me well. Flower scents or herbs or even cucumbers mixed with melons make my head hurt. This Mexican Cocoa candle is scent that summons images of exotic places filled with gorgeous textiles, handspun pottery, rumbling crowds that fade away as you close the shutters to your adobe villa and lay down for a calm evening of whatever you desire.
November 02, 2008
After Shocks Poetry
The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events: Grief, Loss, Bigotry, Injury, Exile, Divorce, Illness, War, Addiction, Abuse
http://www.poetryofrecovery.com/
Okay, if you’re like me the full title of this book might make you cringe at first glance, but the thing is, my pal Rhett is published in this collection as are many other fine, well-known poets from across the country. The title does make the collection sound a bit like a collection of expository confessions. Nah, this is just good poetry that expresses in metaphor and simile -- and all of those other great literary techniques -- those things we sometimes can’t articulate straight out, or even at all: the ache we feel in our gut, the paper cut across our heart that just won't heal, the fear we loathe to admit, the anger we dare not express. It’s simply about making a connection whether it be with some familiar situation or emotion, with something we’re trying to understand to help a friend, something completely foreign to us that will help us understand another culture, race or religion, or something we're hearing for the first time and just trying to comprehend.
Read blurbs here: http://www.poetryofrecovery.com/about.html
Sub-Zero Fashion Mittens Prevent the Need to Curb your Nicotine Addiction
It’s a beautiful thing when fashion and functionality come together. You may already be set with your iPod jeans (even though you had a lapse of judgement and bought the Zune), or your fishing vest (even though you don't own a fishing pole), or those carpenter pants (even though you don’t own a hammer), but are you prepared for that freezing cold winter smoke without the freezing cold hands? These styling mittens from Tobias Wong allow you to enjoy cigarettes even on the coldest day in Iceland. Or maybe you don’t smoke any more than you own a fishing lure, but why not invest in a pair just for that high fashion, sexy yet functional little element -- the metal eyelet. Maybe you could get yourself a spot on Project Runway and design the ultimate goose down smoking jacket. Or start your own Tobias Wong Mitten Cigar Bar.
In fact -- warning: tangent -- an icey cigar bar is not so far out of your reach. In Minneapolis there is a seasonal hot spot called the Ice Chamber. It’s a bar constructed of ice, but it’s warm inside with the burning gas fire pit and abundance of quality booze to keep you warm. So why not light up a few cigars? Wait? Does that eyelet come in cigar size? And will it it hold a Pogo stylus in case you need to make a phone call or check how many calories a Hot Toddy has? Wong may have a little work to do with these mittens, but the potential -- my god.
November 01, 2008
Express Yourself: A Mixed Media Journal of Ones Own
If you have things to say, but nobody will listen so you have to write them down, why not push a few bucks directly toward an artist who is making some pretty cool journals. Visit www.amanobooks.com
Everybody should have a cool journal in which to jot down their thoughts and ideas. Just walk into Barnes & Noble or the stationary section at Target and you’ll see. I had so many I donated a box full to newly arrived immigrants for their English classes. I’m sure a decorative notebook was the least of their worries, but hopefully somebody enjoyed the little extra touch.
Rich, Chewy and Delicious. Mmm, Kookabura.
It’s like a new nectar of the gods, only it’s not nectar. And it’s chewy. It’s Kookaburra Licorice.
http://www.kookaburralicorice.com/shop/
The mango flavor is tart and semi-sweet, an unusual burst of surprise no candy could match. A few pieces of the black Australian liquorice (or what we Americans like to call licorice) may find you saying "Mmm", even if you've always proclaimed a yuck factor of black licorice. It’s not too sweet, not bitter, but gooey and natural. And they have strawberry and raspberry, green apple and chocolate covered. Get it by the tub.
