Coffee Art

Greetings on this blustery Wednesday with NOAA warnings coming through on my iPad and tornado watches scrolling across the bottom of my TV screen.  There's some nasty weather out there, so keep an eye on the sky and be safe!

Over on Facebook, I follow Cheap Joe's Art Stuff.  Earlier this afternoon, Joe posted a message about coffee art and included some java photos and a link to their origin.  Being a bit of a java junkie myself, I scooted right over there to explore.

I found some interesting information about those coffee drinks that can be confusing and intimidating when you're standing at the counter wondering what to order.  Here's the featured coffee art . . . 

And here's the link to the Coffee Art website . . .

http://acupofcoffeeandamuse.blogspot.com/

I just enjoyed a chai latte while checking on the weather outside. Have a good afternoon wherever you are and remember . . .

"Coffee, Camping and Art . . . Life Is Good"

Camping World SCORE!

Greetings from North Myrtle Beach where it's just me, Becky, and the snowbirds!  It's pretty chilly here on the coast, but I think that's the case everywhere this week.

After a morning of unsuccessful junkin' in nearby Conway, SC, we stopped in at Camping World on our way back to the condo. Check out this incredible indoor/outdoor mat that I spied!

 

You don't even have to ask whether I bought it or not.  You KNOW I did!  It cost me a whopping $7.55 with my Good Sam discount.  I think it's going to be perfect, inside or out.

Bundle up out there and stay warm - camping season is just around the bend.  Until then, remember . . .

"Camping and Coffee Mats . . . Life Is Good!"

To Get You In The Mood

Hey campers!  Boy do I have something to get you in the mood.  The mood for what you ask?  The mood to camp, sit around a campfire, have a little happy hour nip with friends, get you thinking about hitting the road to your favorite campground in a month or two.

I'm not much of a drinker, but this S'mores Sea Salt Martini looks pretty appetizing.  I can picture some of you sipping this as you share tall camping tales!

Here's the recipe for you . . .

Ingredients:

2 parts Three Olives S’mores Vodka

2 parts half & half

Sea salt

Chocolate syrup

Mixing the cocktail:

Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in chocolate syrup and coat with sea salt.

Drizzle the chocolate syrup inside the martini glass.

Pour Three Olives S’mores Vodka and half & half into martini shaker filled with ice.

Shake & strain into martini glass.

I wonder if there's such a thing as Coffee Vodka?

Have a great weekend y'all and remember . . . 

"Camping, Coffee & A S'mores Martini . . .

 Life Is Good!"

Playing House Continued

Mornin' everyone!  Thanks for stepping back into The Cup with me again today to see what's new.  With four housekeeping chores out of the way yesterday, I'm ready to tell you about five more.

5.  We have a wonderful thrift store downtown, run by a local retirement center, that I donate items to from time to time.  I try to visit every few months just to see what's available and on one of those visits last fall, I found a cute piece of artwork.  It had five colorful coffee cups stacked on top of each other, was light as a feather, and had the whopping price tag of $1.00.  It was a no-brainer!  

6.  While in Michigan, Tony installed a mount on the backside of the cabinet to hold a small flat-screen TV that would tilt and swivel into multiple positions.  He tucked a cable and electrical outlet in an out-of-the-way place too.  While Becky and I were out last Saturday running errands, we stopped by Radio Shack to get necessary supplies: indoor cable, digital antenna, 25' of outdoor cable.  Hooking everything up was a breeze and in no time at all, I had a perfect signal!

  

7.  Way way back at the beginning of this whole Java Journey, I found a gorgeous placemat at a general store in Jefferson, NC. They only had one, but that was OK because I can generally locate anything I want online.  I did find the source of that placemat, loved the colors, knew they would look great in the Scotty, and proceeded to get another placemat, four dish towels, two pillows and a throw!  

8.  I have the BEST camping buddies in the world and for the last year and a half, they have surprised me with little coffee gifts. One of my all-time favorites is a ceramic mug that says "You asked for half a cup of coffee!" and you guessed it . . . it's only half of a coffee cup with a flat back!  When Becky and I were at Cabela's in Michigan, I got a sweet little candle in a tiny enamel cup.  They both sit in front of my favorite cups on top of the microwave.

9.  Finally, I want to show you what my dinette table looks like. Look for Vivian's tablecloth, the scottie dog Wendy gave me, the COFFEE CUP sign made with license plate letters from the Country Living Fair, the cool coffee grinder lamp I scored for $7.00, the coasters made from Scrabble tiles, Maxwell the Coffee Hound, and the salt-n-pepper birthday present from Becky.  It's such a cool tablescape if I must say so! 

Now you should have a pretty good idea of why I had so much fun playing house this past weekend.  I cannot WAIT to take the java journey to Charleston for Easter break and show her off to all my friends.

Thanks for stopping by on this rainy January day in Newton and remember . . .

"Camping, Coffee, and Still Playing House . . . Life Is Good!"

Playing House

Hey campers and coffee lovers!  I spent the weekend going in and out of the house into and out of The Cup.  Even though the weather around these parts has been wet, the temperatures have been unseasonably mild. That allowed me several days of playing house.  Because of this, I was able to check off several items on my java to-do list...

1.  I saw a interesting idea on Pinterest that I snitched.  Always needing a roll of paper towels when I camp, I wasn't sure where a roll would go due to limited counter space.  Inside my lower cabinet to the left of the refrigerator is the wheel well.  It takes up so much space that I knew it would hamper storage solutions there.  But with a simple tension rod from Bed, Bath & Beyond, I solved the paper towel issue.  Check out the design on the towels I found . . . pretty cool!

2.  Needing a place for keys was another item on the list.  In SplashT@B, I use a pine needle basket that my friend Linda made for me to toss keys and change into.  In the Scotty, I decided to mount a hook on the tall cabinet just inside the door.  It's the perfect out-of-the-way location.

3.  For Christmas in 2011 and 2012, I received coffee calendars created by Dan DiPaolo.  My plan has always been to cut the calendar apart and use it for artwork.  On the side of the tall cabinet is a magazine rack and it's the perfect place to display one of the calendar pages.  My idea is to rotate the art daily.  It fits perfectly and looks smart.

4.  The last to-do I'll share with you today is my coffee clock.  I toyed with the placement in different locations and ultimately chose the center panel of the upper cabinet.  It's battery operated and is so loud that I'll have to put it in the car at night . . . LOL. The hardest thing was bringing myself to put a screw into the panel to hold it. . . yikes that was scary.

If you have time tomorrow, pop in and see what else I accomplished over the weekend and remember...

"Camping, Coffee and Playing House . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Sunday Portrait

Here's the newest Coffee Cup portrait created with my Instagram app . . .

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!  See ya next week and remember . . .

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

Another Coffee Cup Project?

As if I don't have enough Coffee Cup, Blue Ridge Rally, and SplashT@B projects rattling around in my head, I found this uber-cool cross stitched tablecloth on Pinterest this morning!  

After a bit of searching, I located the pattern and it was FREE! Many free patterns online are so low in resolution that they don't print well.  This one is 2470 x 2656, 2.8 MB in size, meaning it will print out nicely and be easy to read.  The big question mark here is whether or not my cranky fingers will co-operate and let me do the stitching.  

I've got some painter's cloths that would make the perfect background.  I just need to see what the threads look like and if I can adapt it to cross stitch.  If it works, I see a card table-sized tablecloth in my future!  Stay tuned.

"Camping, Coffee, & Cross Stitch . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Cookie Break

From time to time you just need a cookie break.  If you are a fan of chocolate and coffee, then this just might be the cookie for you.  It's the official cookie of The Coffee Cup . . . LOL!

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

3 (1-oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons finely ground espresso beans

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.

In the top of a double boiler, melt together the unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter.  Stir occasionally until melted.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and light.  Stir in the espresso.  Add the chocolate mixture and mix well.  Sift together the flour and baking powder, fold into the egg mixture.  Carefully fold in the chopped nuts and remaining chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.  Cookies will have a crackled appearance when done.  Cool on baking sheets.

Set up camp, invite your friends over, and take a cookie break!

"Camping, Coffee & Cookies . . . Life Is Good!"

The Trailer Perk

Hey everyone!  I have the coolest Facebook page and website to share with you today compliments of my good T@Bbin' buddy, Randy in Nashville.  He sent me an email this morning to tell me about a mobile coffee business called The Trailer Perk.  Amy, the Perk Ranger, will be at Randy's office tomorrow to sell some java and treats.  How cool is that?!  

I don't know what kind of vintage trailer they are in, but the whole idea is off the charts fun!  Click on their logo for the link to their website...

Check out their daily menu.  I wish I didn't live 6 hours from Nashville or I'd join Randy tomorrow for a cup of joe!  I sent them a note with a photo of The Coffee Cup and I got the sweetest reply, not to mention an offer of a complimentary cup of coffee if I'm ever in Nashville!

And if you're wondering what The Trailer Perk looks like, here she is!

These folks have the right idea about coffee when they say . . .

Take a look at their Facebook page to see all the goodies they offer.  It would be totally neat if they would visit us at a Sister on the Fly gathering one day!  Until then, remember . . .

"Camping, Coffee & The Trailer Perk . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Keeper Of The Keys

Happy New Year all you glampers, campers, Sistas & T@Bbers!  I hope you are off to a good start in 2013.  The Coffee Cup is enjoying the new year parked under her Javaport out of the elements and I'm daydreaming about camping trips for the season.

Once I got her home and collected all the keys for the door, storage compartment, hitch lock, and trailer pin, I knew that I wouldn't settle for just any old keychain.  I was thinking it would be kinda cool to find a keychain with a scottie dog on it.  So I poked around the internet and came across the PERFECT one!

Do any of you remember the hard plastic puzzles from the 50's that were shaped like cars, elephants, guns, and SCOTTIES?  When I found some on eBay, it sparked a memory from my childhood and I believe I must have played with one.  In doing a bit of research, I found that some were made from Bakelite and others just hard plastic.  They were often sold in dime stores and some even came out of vending machines much like gum.  They weren't very big; they often measured just an inch by an inch.

The ones I found online still had the little linked keychain and they came apart in upwards of a dozen colorful pieces.  The prices ranged from just a few bucks to almost thirty.  I waited for a good one to come up in auction and bought it for just $5.00!  

Without a doubt, it's a unique way to keep all my Coffee Cup keys together!  

You might be wondering if I'm tempted to take it apart and then try to solve the scottie puzzle . . . no way . . . LOL!!

Thanks for stopping by to check on The Cup and remember  . . . 

"Camping, Coffee & Scottie Keychains . . . 

Life Is Good!"

New Year's Cheer . . .

Happy New Year everyone . . . CHEERS!