totally kewl: fork, knife, spoon

September 12, 2012September 26, 2017 ~ jama ~ 32 Comments

#45 in an ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.

Confession: I LOVE to set the table.

Even more than cooking the food that goes on it. Not quite as much as I like eating the food, but still. Give me soup bowls and cups and saucers and teapots and little dessert plates and best of all, dishes with words on them. Let me stack them, place them, wink at them. Shiny dishes, see-yourself-in-their-reflection dishes, the promise of sustenance-to-come dishes.

And what would these peachy keen dishes be without cute cutlery? Only some of us lick our plates, but most of us lick our spoons and forks (at carefully prescribed times after licking our chops). Ecstasy!

I’m here today to tell you word lovers who revel in fine flatware that it’s possible to kick up your enjoyment yet another notch: behold vintage silverware you can actually READ! Oh sweet literary feasting!

Bella Jackson Studios of Napa, California, lovingly hand stamps delicious bon mots on silver knives, forks and spoons. They’ve got something for everyone — lines of poetry, witticisms, puns, nursery rhymes, holiday greetings, expressions of endearment, names of cheeses and spices. And of course they’ll custom stamp anything you like to fit the occasion. I like the idea of pieces selected for their charm and uniqueness, each with a distinctive patina and the “imperfections” resulting from hand-stamping one letter at a time.

These make such fun gifts; something for the birthday girl, the bride and groom, the coffee or tea lover in your life. Have a friend who fancies gardening? Check out these cool garden markers. Love them!

Visit the Bella Jackson Studios Etsy Shop for lots more! Their repurposed silverware is a cut above (sorry, couldn’t resist).

What’s your favorite table utensil? I love spoons spoons spoons. “SPOON” is a perfect word, when you really think about it. Say it. Notice how your lips tap together gently like a little kiss and teasy pout. Perfect!

Happy Eating!

♥ More Alphabetica here.

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Certified authentic alphabetica. Handmade just for you with love and sassy spoons, titillating tines and naughty knives.

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friday feast: happy birthday, jack prelutsky!

September 7, 2012September 20, 2017 ~ jama ~ 27 Comments

In honor of Jack Prelutsky’s 72nd birthday tomorrow, I’m serving up a few sample poems from his latest collection, I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus (Greenwillow, 2012), which is brimming with 100+ chewy, crunchy, wacky, hilarious mostly animalish examples of vintage Prelutsky word-play, portmanteaux, and cheeky invites to experience a world where imagination reigns supreme.

Though I was quite taken with, “My Weasels Have the Measles,” could easily identify with the narrator of, “I Cannot Sleep a Wink Tonight,” wouldn’t mind meeting the “Wiguanas,” and am totally convinced Prelutsky used me as the model for “Especially Serious Sam,” guess which poems I like the best?

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robot zombie frankenstein winner!

September 5, 2012September 6, 2012 ~ jama ~ 13 Comments

♥ RECIPE FOR A WINNER ♥

You will need:

1 generous author named Annette Simon donating a signed book, chef’s hat and apron
6 feisty blog readers game for competition
5 Alphabet Soup kitchen helpers in disguise
Robot and Robot judges
1 cherry pie
1 blueberry pie
lotsa forks
appetite for fun
gumption

Let the games begin

in 5 . . .

4 . . .

3 . . .

2 . . .

1 . . .

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soup of the day: happy birthday, tree! and the schmutzy family by madelyn rosenberg (and a double giveaway)!

September 3, 2012September 15, 2017 ~ jama ~ 34 Comments

What could be better than celebrating a first book by a fellow Virginia author?

Why, celebrating TWO first books, of course, yes TWO — by our favorite guitar playin’, Bob Dylan-lovin’, popcorn eatin’ ace reporter turned fiction writer Madelyn Rosenberg!!

YAHOO!!

And this is just as it should be — since Maddie (I can call her that cause I’m older) is twice as nice, twice as smart, and twice as cute. We are thrilled to be sending out twice the ♥love♥ today for her two debut picture books, The Schmutzy Family, illustrated by Paul Meisel (Holiday House, 2012); and Happy Birthday Tree!: A Tu B’Shevat Story illustrated by Jana Christy (Albert Whitman, 2012).

I hope you’re in double the partying mood cause we’ve got lots of pictures and snacks and tasty things to say about both of Ms. Rosenberg’s new books :). We’re even revealing a little-known secret: Madelyn may be a very talented writer and all-around good person, but . . . she’s a tad messy! *ssshhh* More on that later.

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sweet sweet visit to chocolate chocolate

August 21, 2012September 23, 2017 ~ jama ~ 44 Comments

*AS furry residents with their favorite bon bons from the shop.*

Chocolate Chocolate!

So good, you have to say it twice :).

Some of you may remember when I reviewed Chocolate Chocolate: The True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That Could (Thomas Dunne Books, 2011), and interviewed co-authors Frances Park and Ginger Park. We rhapsodized about half-moon buttercream dreams, le bouchon, chocolate covered pretzels and dark almond bark.

We learned how Frances and Ginger opened Washington, D.C.’s, first independent, high-end sweet shop featuring decadent delights from all over the world. We met some of their most memorable customers and marveled at how they launched their writing careers on a rented Selectric typewriter in the store’s tiny backroom.

Most important, we reinforced our staunch belief that writers and chocolate naturally go together — the creamy, dreamy combination seems to create magic in its wake, forging lifelong friendships, steeling sisterly bonds, and inspiring award-winning books.

You may also remember that Chocolate Chocolate was my hands-down favorite food memoir of 2011. I gave everyone I could think of a copy for Christmas, and I gave my brother’s family a copy when I visited them in Hawai’i last November.

Well. My 13-year-old niece Julia absolutely loved the book and shared it with her friends. Going to Chocolate Chocolate and meeting Frances and Ginger was at the top of her must-do list when she visited us in Virginia recently.