tasting the abc’s of fruits and vegetables and beyond by steve charney and david goldbeck

March 4, 2013March 4, 2013 ~ jama ~ 25 Comments

#46 in on ongoing series of posts celebrating the alphabet.

Food + ABCs together in one book — what could be better?

Steve Charney and David Goldbeck serve up a fun and delectable two course meal sure to satisfy a variety of appetites in The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond (Ceres Press, 2007). This alphabet book with extended activities contains just the right ingredients to feed hungry minds and hopefully get kids excited about incorporating more fruits and veggies in their diet.

In Part One, (the first “course”), Charney presents a chewy, crunchy, giggle-inducing platter of rhyming alphabet poems (E is for Eggplant, K is for Kiwi, W is for Watermelon). Each page turn showcases one letter/one fruit/one veggie with a photo set against a bold-colored background on one side, and the illustrated poem on the other.

The focus is on familiar, kid-friendly produce as well as the more elusive Jicama, Quince, Ugli®, and Xemenia (a wild yellow plum from Africa). Food-related extras like Vanilla, Herbs, Farmer, and Organic round out the menu. Littlest munchkins will enjoy the lively, comical poems and poring over the cartoony illustrations, perhaps not realizing they are consuming lots of ‘good-for-you’ facts at the same time.

Continue reading →

love me some typography

March 28, 2012September 26, 2017 ~ jama ~ 9 Comments

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

Was cruising around the web recently and found some cool examples of typography art. I get excited enough just appreciating different fonts that are doing nothing in particular except forming words, but when I see letters showing off their best acrobatics to create images, shapes, and textures, I’m a total goner. Click on the images below to access their web sources, some of which contain even more amazing pieces. Enjoy!

And my favorite:

Brilliant!

♥ More alphabetica here.

Certified authentic alphabetica. Made by hand just for you with love and tantalizing typography.

————————————————————-

eudora welty: enamoured with the alphabet

March 14, 2012September 26, 2017 ~ jama ~ 4 Comments

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

*from The Absurd ABC by Walter Crane, 1874*

Love this quote by Eudora Welty:

I live in gratitude to my parents for initiating me–and as early as I begged for it, without keeping me waiting–into knowledge of the word, into reading and spelling, by way of the alphabet. They taught it to me at home in time for me to begin to read before starting school. My love for the alphabet, which endures, grew out of reciting it but, before that, out of seeing the letters on the page. In my own story books, before I could read them for myself I fell in love with various winding, enchanted-looking initials drawn by Walter Crane at the head of fairy tales. In “Once upon a time,” an “o” had a rabbit running it as a treadmill, his feet upon flowers. When the day came years later for me to see the Book of Kells, all the wizardry of letter, initial, and word swept over me a thousand times, and the illumination, the gold, seemed a part of the world’s beauty and holiness that had been there from the start.

Sigh. I know just how she feels ☺.

♥ More alphabetica here.

Certified authentic alphabetica. Made by hand just for you with love and illumination.

—————————————

tastiest game of scrabble, ever

March 8, 2012September 26, 2017 ~ jama ~ 10 Comments

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

When last we met in alphabet land, we were contemplating a bunch of luscious letter lollipops in an amazing array of colors and flavors.

Today, behold an exquisitely handcrafted set of edible game tiles and racks, made with pure vanilla extract and real chocolate by Andie’s Specialty Sweets of Los Angeles, California. When I first saw these at BB-Blog, I fairly swooned! These faux wood grained beauties are truly too beautiful to eat, and are a fabulous way to express a broad range of sentiments.

*Tiles are 1″ square, racks are regulation size.*

Andie’s also makes many other gorgeous candy and cake embellishments. I like their policy of using fair trade organic chocolate, non g.m.o. sugars and starches, and organic flavorings. Their products are also gluten free, vegan friendly, and free of hydrogenated oils, gelatin, and corn syrup.

I love these pastel Peppermint Buttons!

*Can be made in any flavor (shades of coral, pink, lemon yellow, mint and sky blue).*

And these very cool edible Antique Inspired Chocolate Candy Gears. I imagine architects, engineers, clockmakers and tinkerers would go crazy for them!

Final Swoon: Candy Vintage Inspired Cameo Necklace! Dynamite idea for bridesmaids gifts, birthdays or Mother’s Day.

*Comes with 20″ silk ribbon (flavors: peppermint, lemon sorbet, butter rum and vanilla)*

Okay, what’s a five-letter word for delicious?

Check out all the other goodies at Andie’s Specialty Sweets Etsy Shop. They even have some heart-stopping fungi for scientific types ☺. Enjoy!

♥ More alphabetica here.

Certified authentic alphabetica. Made by hand just for you with love and a hundred extra triple-word squares.

———————————————————————————–

lovely letter necklaces ♥

February 9, 2012September 26, 2017 ~ jama ~ 15 Comments

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

Love these necklaces created by collage illustrator Laura Tarrish of Bridgetown Papers in Portland, Oregon. The little bottle is filled with tiny custom letters cut from silver card stock.