That first morning cup of coffee.....the wake up call, the start of a new day filled with promises, adventures, or just the mundane daily chores............but nevertheless a new beginning. As you cradle the mug in your hands, sipping and thinking, making mental notes of things to do, or not do, the bottom of the mug appears, slightly stained perhaps in its emptiness. A second cup rarely tastes the same, good perhaps but not great.
So what do you do with your leftover coffee? Throw it down the drain, chill it for an enjoyable iced drink later in the day (this really only works in hot weather for me), or reheat it later - only for the brave!!
Me, now known as a bit of a shopkeeper, a quasi 'antiques dealer', but would love to be a real one, has been recycling my coffee dregs lately. Tags, plain old manila shipping tags, those interesting little bits of stiff paper, holes pre-punched sometimes with reinforcements, often with string already threaded through, have been greedily soaking up my leftover coffee!
I love to create vintage looking tags to hang on items in my booth at SuzAnna's Antiques. A soak in strong black coffee - the only way I like mine - a bit of a scrunch to provide aged wrinkles, then on to a baking tray and into a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes to dry. Quick and easy.
They could be used just like that, however I like to go a step further to make them more attractive. I pull out my rubber stamps and distressed ink pads, and stamp away........the Tour Eiffel, Bonjour Paris, an olive wreath, a French postage stamp, a crown..........and words.
Yesterday I spent a little time changing things about in my booth as I had some farmhouse items to pull together. Tomorrow I'll be there again to add my recently painted table, complete with coffee baked tag! Show that next time.
Surprised nobody gathered up my bunny on his rusty, iron wheels and carried him home for Easter. He won't nibble your hostas which are poking through the earth, and at Christmas you can change his bow to something more seasonal, and tuck a holly sprig in his basket. Hmm, he's so adorable he might just be coming to my house, after all he's even French grey and will fit right in!
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