stepping up to the plate with jimbobart

October 22, 2013September 29, 2017 ~ jama ~ 25 Comments

Confession: I ~~am obsessed with~~ have a penchant for dishes.

Oh, you noticed? 😀

I especially love novelty china and porcelain with drawings and words on them. Food simply tastes better on cool plates, in cheeky bowls, and sipped from nifty cups. Beautiful handcut crystal usually leaves me cold. But give me a fetching illustrated ceramic plate and I’m all yours. Yes to color, pattern, detail, and personality!

Several months ago, I was delighted to discover JimboBart, featuring the work of London-based artist/designer James Ward. I saw his “Eats Cake and Leaves” side plate on Liberty of London’s Pinterest board and was immediately hooked.

He mostly likes to draw cheeky animals paired with clever sayings. While Cornelius and I are crazy enamoured with his BEARS, we also covet his badgers, mice, foxes, penguins, and owls.

Seriously, how could you not love an artist who draws a big bear in a bathtub?

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soup of the day special edition: ben clanton dishes on the table sets itself

September 3, 2013September 1, 2017 ~ jama ~ 23 Comments

Ahoy there!*

The Alphabet Soup table is all set to welcome story-scribbler, picture-squiggler, fun-socks-wearer Ben Clanton, whose second self-illustrated picture book, The Table Sets Itself (Walker BFYR, 2013), is officially hitting shelves today! WooHoo!

Until I read this charming, whimsical story, I thought I was the only one who had a meaningful relationship with cutlery. I loved reading about how Izzy and her friends Dish, Fork, Knife, Spoon, Cup, and Napkin finally get the chance to set the table themselves. But because they soon tire of being in the same spots day after day, they decide to switch places. Uh-oh.

This leads to a few small disasters and a big ooh-la-la adventure for the runaway Dish and Spoon, whose absence turns Izzy into a complete mess because no other plate or spoon will do. How will she get them to return to the table? Generous sprinkles of punny jokes and visual humor (I bet you never knew a cup could lift a cow) make for a rollicking read aloud, and did I mention macaroni and cheese is instrumental in setting things right again?

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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. 🙂