CHRISTMAS 2008 PHOTOS

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Here's a few pictures from mine. We opened, used, and even modeled our gifts. We enjoyed a long visit and lunch with our friend, B. And, we entertained ourselves with the pooping moose and penguin!

Enjoy!

TEA BAG ART

I am mainly a tea drinker. In recent years, I've noticed that tea bags come in many sizes and shapes. Some are pyramids, some are four-sided, some harken back to the original tea bag concept and are small muslin sacks that are hand-tied. Tea bags are now made of silk, cotton, paper, and silken nylon, to name a few of the materials. Many tea companies boast that their bags are biodegradable and are not processed with harmful chemicals.

Today, when I got together with my dear friend, M, who is on assignment in Capetown, South Africa, my eyes were opened to a unique use for tea bags.

She greeted me with a Holiday gift of tea bag art!


It is a wooden box whose top is decorated with a painted tea bag.



Inside are six beautiful glass coasters, each enclosing a different work of tea bag art.


She packaged my gift in a red paper gift bag, decorated with yet another tea bag art work.

My gift comes from T-Bag Designs, a company started in 2000 by an English primary school art teacher, Jill Heyes, who had moved to South Africa with her family. What started as a small side business to showcase the work of some local women who wanted to learn a craft, has blossomed into a full time business which sells its art work throughout the world.

What T-Bag Designs is all about is painting designs on used tea bags. The company receives its tea bags from around the world. Good Earth Tea in Santa Cruz, California, is a supporter of T-Bag Designs. Jill has told me that the tea bags come from all parts of the world, often without explanation.

What her artists do is empty the tea bags, wash them, press them, and then create a small work of art on them. Each of the artists paints unique designs on her/his tea bags. Each tea bag is an original work of art!!! Initially, the tea bag art was used to make greeting cards. Today, the painted tea bags are incorporated in a variety of products which include greeting cards, stationery, coasters, boxes, trays, and much more. When an anonymous American donor sent thousands of large tea bags to T-Bag Designs, they were turned into hundreds of angels.

M told me that T-Bag Designs not only creates the tea bag art but also does the processing to transform unpainted boxes, such as the one that holds my coasters, or blank note cards or journals into finished products.

The employees of T-Bag Designs are residents of Imizamo Yethu, an informal settlement, in Hout Bay, South Africa. Not only has T-Bag Designs provided them with employment, it has provided them with a craft, a dependable income, and a sense of accomplishment.

If you find yourself in Cape Town, T-Bag Designs has a shop in the Blue Shed on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Visitors are welcome to tour their production facility in Hout Bay and to even rest awhile there while enjoying a cup of tea.

T-Bag Designs has marketing representatives in Canada, New Zealand, Germany, the United States, UK, Holland, and Switzerland. Check their web site to find out where to purchase their Tea Bag Art.

The web site of the American T-Bag Designs Representative features a wide variety of T-Bag Designs for sale online. These include coasters, boxes, cards, placemats, and even earrings...all unique works of art; all made from recycled tea bags. The web site also includes photographs and biographies of many of the artists and lists numerous retail outlets in the United States. Looking through the list of retail outlets, their are listings in about 30 states and in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC.

If you or one of your community or corporate organizations wish to collect tea bags or to provide other support to keep T-Bag Designs going, the American address to send such is

Original TBag Designs
PO Box 7673
Ewing, NJ 08628

As I write this, I am thinking that I may have seen some T-Bag Designs pieces at the Baksheesh shop in Sonoma, California, but, not knowing the background of this amazing project, probably just admired them as another craft item in a store filled with hand crafts. With my newfound knowledge, I know I will be purchasing T-Bag Designs in the future.

CHRISTMAS PIZZA PARTIES AT SKIPOLINI'S

We walked into Skipolini's in Walnut Creek last night, expecting it to be a quiet night.

After all, who goes out for pizza a week before Christmas Eve?

Turns out, most of Contra Costa County had to be there.



There were no empty tables in the main dining room at 6:15 p.m. It would be at least a 45-minute wait. And, given that a local Police Department had 60 people there celebrating the Holidays with their annual party (who was guarding the town? We thought) and showed no sign of rushing, we considered walking a few blocks to The Counter for a burger.

But, we really wanted Pizza and were offered seating on the outdoor patio. With temperatures heading down to the 30s, this seemed absurd but the hostess assured us that it was nice and cozy out there. So, we walked out...and cozy it was...lots of heaters and a good portion of the seating area was enclosed with soft walls.





We were fine and by the time we finished our Sausage, Artichoke Heart, and Mushroom Pizza, a Spinach and Bacon Salad, and a few glasses of wine, even the patio was filled.

Sorry about this pathetic pizza picture...this is what was left to take home...I was hungry and ate before even thinking of photos.



Looks like Pizza is a good Christsmas dinner!

THE EASY WAY TO CHRISTMAS DINNER: PASTA POMODORO

I am a big fan of Pasta Pomodoro for moderately-priced tasty Italian meals. We often have dinner at our local Pomodoro after going to a movie.

Last year they offered a ready-to-heat-up Holiday meal for 4. We bought it for our small group of three and ate heartily and had leftovers of all.

This year, the price is $59 and I have ordered again.

This is the latest email I got from Pasta Pomodoro. It's a great deal and the box you pick up contains all ingredients, beautifully packed, and will complete and easy instructions for reheating and preparing.

If you have a Pasta Pomodor near you, this meal will make your life so much easier...

Oh. please note, I have no financial or other connection to Pasta Pomodoro other than being a loyal customer.

HERE'S THE DETAILS, QUOTED FROM POMODORO'S EMAIL TODAY:


Take Home A Traditional Italian Holiday Meal From Chef Adriano

Potato Leek Soup
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
Ravioli di Zucca - Roasted butternut squash ravioli, parmesan, brown butter & sage
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
Brasato con Cavolini - braised beef with barolo wine & porcini mushrooms with roasted brussels sprouts
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
Cotechino con Lenticchie - italian sausage with lentils
~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~
Spuma di Cioccolato - dark chocolate mousse with amarene cherries

Holiday Meal for 4 for $59! All you do is heat it up.

To complete your meal, add a bottle of wine and take $10 off any wine from our bottle selection.

To order your meal, contact your local Pomodoro by phone or in person, place your order, pay in advance and pick up on Dec. 23 or 24. ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY DEC. 20.

Visit IlovePomodoro.com to find your location's phone number or order the next time you're in the restaurant.

Happy Holidays!

Offer expires 12/20/2008. Take-out only. Valid ID required when purchasing wine. Tax and gratuity not included.