nine cool things on a tuesday

February 26, 2019February 24, 2019 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

1. Just in case you’re suffering from the winter blues or cabin fever, drink in some of the gorgeous colors, patterns and textures of Este MacLeod’s paintings.

Born in South Africa, Este now lives in London, where she creates beautiful, stylized landscapes, florals and still lives. What a master of layering and composition! There is a certain dreaminess about her work that nourishes the viewer. Shake off the blahs, wake up and embrace the world in living color!

She even has a BLUE alphabet!!! Squee!!

Check out her Floral and Birds Gallery — truly a feast for the eyes.

Limited edition prints, notebooks, tea towels and originals are available for purchase at her Etsy Shop.

2. New Book Alert! Sometimes you find the nicest surprises in your mailbox. Recently, THE BOOK OF YAWNS by Carolyn Blasinsky (Blazing Sky & Co., 2018) magically appeared.

This adorable board book is just the thing to get the little ones to wind down at bedtime. Full color photographs of eight wild and domestic animals show them practicing the fine art of yawning. Their facial expressions, whether weary, drowsy, or comical, are just plain priceless, and the simple, repetitive text saying “night night” to each animal is hypnotic.

The thing is, after you’ve turned a few pages, you start to get sleepy too. Yawns are contagious! Whether in the forest, ocean, open plains, arctic or back yard, these creatures demonstrate what we all have in common. I especially like the monkey, tiger and seal. Guess who the last animal in the book is?

*Mr Cornelius’s favorite is this polar bear!*

I asked Carolyn, who is my neighbor, to provide a little backstory about the book:

I’m a graphic and web designer and have always wanted to do a children’s book – I was just waiting for the right idea to strike. With a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old I read to them nightly and one book showed a character yawning which made us all yawn and I thought – what about a book all about yawns?! Children love animals and it seemed like the perfect combination. I like simple books that are easy to read (for tired parents at night) and love great photographs and clean, beautiful design. Plus – it helps get my little readers sleepy and ready for bed! My kids love the book and I’ve learned a lot in the process. It’s been an interesting project!

A special treat for animal lovers, THE BOOK OF YAWNS is the perfect new baby, shower or toddler gift. I would *yawn* tell you more *y -a-w -n* but I really need *y — a. –w — n* to take a nap.

Get your copy at the Blazing Sky & Co. website.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

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the eggstraordinary egg cup adventure

March 14, 2013March 13, 2013 ~ jama ~ 23 Comments

Spring is practically here. You know what that means.

Eggs eggs eggs. 🙂

Boil ’em, dye ’em, decorate ’em, hide ’em.

Don’t know eggsactly why, but lately I’ve become a tad obsessed with cupping them. After all, they deserve due props and pedestals for being so dang versatile. We have several egg cups in the Alphabet Soup kitchen, but I thought it would be fun to acquire a few more.

Hah! When I looked around, the yolk was on me. Those egg cups runneth over! Now I can’t even make up my mind.

Here’s a mix of my faves: retro, vintage, sassy, modern, whimsical, interesting, funky, just plain cool. Most of these are for sale, so click away for more info. Not that I’m trying to egg you on or anything. 🙂

mustache egg cups — Mustache Cups via Lenny Mud

mustache variety cups — Mustache Cups via SunnyDaz5

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cute stuff

October 11, 2011 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

Some of you may have noticed I have a ~~full out obsession~~ tiny weakness for china and crockery. My favorite thing to do is set the table. What can I say? I love to play with dishes.

At present, we have three cupboards and three hutches brimming with cups, plates, teapots, platters, and bowls. No room for any more. No, no room at all.

I’m usually okay as long as I don’t see something. But the other day a Google+ friend posted this:

awesome tray — Trinket dish or tea bag holder

Curious to see more, I clicked through to the Etsy Shop and found some delightful pieces for sale at LennyMud (Lenny is the artist’s cat). Everything is handmade, non-toxic, eco-friendly, lead free, dishwasher and microwave safe.

And there are mustaches! I’m married to a Lenny with a mustache! It must be a sign, right? But I decided that if I show you these cute things, you’ll be tempted to buy them so I won’t have to.

Yes, that’ll work,right?