French Toast is On Sale!

 Well, "French Toast" is launched!

The driving force of the item was coffee. To be more specific, coffee made in a French Press. This is Seattle after all and the home of the quintessential (not to mention ubiquitous) coffee company ~ Starbucks. To quote the great Howard Schultz and the Daily Mail (my guilty pleasure) "Mr. Schultz says he uses a Bodum French press which results in 'the best cup of coffee known to mankind.' " 

I concur! There is only one drawback to the French press ~ having it stay hot.

Enter "French Toast" my French press cozy. Keeps my morning coffee hot, looks fabulous (I'm a designer, after all) and fits both my French press and several of my regular tea and coffee pots. Double duty. And, lovely. Lovely on the counter in my kitchen, on a tray on my tuffet in the living room, on the coffee / tea table for a buffet.

So, I whipped out 10 different "French Toast" patterns. Piping! Organdy ribbon! Beautiful patterns! Wonderful colours! Porcelain beads. And, boy oh boy, are they just pageants!

Nice!

 

So, whether you are keeping your regular French press warm or using your large Haviland / Limoges porcelain pot from your mother or the tall Russian carafe of hot chocolate with brandy after dinner ~ they will stay hot in the "French Toast" . . . How cool is that! 

$48.00 + postage/shipping.

Life is too short to drink coffee or tea

from a naked pot!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SaffronUnicorn

 

Out of Chaos Comes French Toast! Who Knew?

When the Bear was little, he accompanied me to a project site visit. After we got back in the car, he said, "When are you going to be done?"

"We're almost done now," I said.

"Really?" he said. "It doesn't look like it."

"I know, but there comes a time in a project when all the elements are complete and you just need to clear away the extra stuff and B*I*N*G*O, everything falls into place and you're done!"

As a child of a woman who has worked in construction for thirty years, that observation and "DON'T PANIC" have stood him in good stead.

So, remember last week when I mentioned I was in need of some extra dough? To recap: As I've mentioned before, designers are often supply-rich. We've got samples of this and seven of that and some of those and a little here and there.

A week ago Sunday, I got some of the big things out and brought them into the dining room. My goal last week was to make something out of this that I can sell; something people will buy; something fairly easy to fabricate; something not terribly expensive, something artful and beautifully made of what I have on hand and that I don't have to buy more stuff of to be successful.

The driving force of the item was coffee. To be more specific, coffee made in a French Press. This is Seattle after all and the home of the quintessential (not to mention ubiquitous) coffee company ~ Starbucks. To quote the great Howard Schultz and the Daily Mail (my guilty pleasure) "Mr. Schultz says he uses a Bodum French press which results in 'the best cup of coffee known to mankind.' "

I concur! There is only one drawback to the French press ~ having it stay hot.

Enter "French Toast" my French press cozy. Keeps my morning coffee hot, looks fabulous (I'm a designer, after all) and fits both my French press and several of my regular tea and coffee pots. Double duty. And, lovely. Lovely on the counter in my kitchen, on a tray on my tuffet in the living room, on the coffee / tea table for a buffet.

So, I whipped out 10 different "French Toast" patterns. This is the final version of my first ~ a tan and cream silk with black piping, silk organza trim and a gold wired ribbon handle. Doesn't it just look like a pageant!

Nice!

So, whether, you are keeping your regular French press warm or using your large Haviland / Limoges porcelain pot from your mother or the tall Russian carafe of hot chocolate with brandy after dinner ~ they all stay hot in the "French Toast" ~ How cool is that!

Life is too short to drink coffee or tea from a naked pot!

Day 46 Everyday Grateful ~

Putting together my French Toast cozies
Turning my dining room into a photo studio
Happy!

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2130468/CEO-Starbucks-says-best-cup-coffee-known-mankind-home-simple-French-press.html#ixzz1xbwRQCYw,

http://www.starbucks.com/

At Your Fingertips ~ Luxury for the Everyday

Maybe you are like me: you have darling things you've bought on trips when they caught your eye. They come home to live with you and often don't see the light of day ever again.

Many years ago, I made the commitment to use what I have ~ maybe not in the way it was originally intended but, if I liked it enough to buy it, I really want to make good use of it.

I'm soooo not interested in providing job security for dust. Just what we busy people don't need ~ more work.

Several years ago, I found this astonishing camel at a church bazaar. it's heavier than hell. I have no idea what it was originally for. It appears to have a place for something carved into its saddle. I think I paid $10 for it. When I got it home, I found a glass bowl (probably candy bowl missing its lid.) Sheesh, talk about a perfect fit! I filled the bowl with q-tips and the darling camel kneels in the family bath ready to be of service.

One of the things I am a sucker for is the small silver urns from the 30's and 40's when everyone smoked and it was considered polite to have a container of cigarettes on your coffee table for guests or at each plate for coffee and cigarettes after dinner. Creeps me out just thinking about it. But, it wasn't the fault of the little urns that they were used for that job.

I've given mine new jobs. In my bathroom, I use one to hold my q-tips. It looks pretty, clean and happy. Certainly happier than when it was forced into tobacco servitude.

Because I've got the world's smallest bathroom, storage is a problem, so, for things that need to stay out, I try to find nice solutions. I found the mouthwash dispenser in the scratch and dent table for $4 (though I didn't find either dents or scratches.) I had the one-off handsome liqueur glass. Perfect little combo.

As I may have mentioned, I don't worry about whether my silverware is polished. I use it and enjoy it every day. Sure, if President Obama were coming over for coffee and a chat, I'd stay up half the night shining the silver, but since that is not likely, I don't sweat it. I'd rather treat myself nicely every day by using it than by cursing it on holidays when I feel compelled either not to use it because it's tarnished or work for hours shining it. With that as an attitude, no wonder people think silver is not worth the hassle.

Lately, I've been having friends over on a more regular basis. It was feeling a little cloistered around here ~ and, not in a good way. After dinner, I like to serve coffee and tea as we sit around the table and visit.

Again, my little silver urns come into play. None of them match but they are so spunky and friendly ~ who cares? I predict there isn't a second hand store in the US that doesn't have at least one. They are very reasonably priced; available in silver and silver plate. For my coffee service, I like to provide raw sugar crystals and sweetener for my guests (yes, I do think artificial sweeteners are poison, but . . .) The darling creamer was also second-hand. All these things on a tray with a French press full of freshly ground coffee add an element of luxury to an everyday occasion.

Day 10 Everyday Grateful ~ a lovely sunny day made more wonderful

because my Logan is in town for an audition. Heaven!