Who knew cups of coffee had dreams?
Though it may not have been the artist's intention, the coffee.doughnuts framed tile from Nichols Company Design looks like it features a coffee cup dreaming (or at least thinking) about a pile of doughnuts dripping with pink icing.
The mountable ceramic tile is framed by stained cherry wood and is available now for $13.49.
Despite its somewhat breadstick-like appearance, this 0.75" glazed doughnut charm is a refreshing twist (bad pun intended) on the kind of doughnut jewelry that most artists create and that I usually write about. I have nothing against standard round doughnuts, but the amount of enthusiasm a person can generate about a different frosting color or distribution of sprinkles is not infinite.
What I appreciate even more than the polymer clay twist's shape are that it's got real cinnamon sprinkled on top of it and it's scented with "sugar and spice" fragrance. Oh, and it's only a $1 from Handmade by Hilary.
Would it honestly surprise you to know that someone who owns a site about inedible doughnuts actually already has Bandai's Kona-Pun Donuts Kitchen ($24)? Right, I didn't think so. I'll spare you the story of how one of my sisters and I spent part of a weekend last year, then, and just say that you and/or your kids would seriously love this toy.
Playing with miniature food is already fun on its own, I know, but the Donuts Kitchen takes it to a whole new level by letting you actually make the doughnuts yourself. You get to mix the doughnut powder with water, pour it into molds, "fry" them in an oil-like liquid, and decorate them with icing (see photo below). It's adorable.
The only drawback is that the doughnuts need to be thrown away. They don't ever "dry up" completely, so keeping them for too long would probably result in some very moldy-looking chocolate sprinkles.
Am I the only one who starts to crave iced sugar cookies when looking at this doughnut charm ($8) topped with jewel-toned rhinestones?
I suppose it's strange that a plastic doughnut would make me want to eat a real cookie, especially when I've always been disappointed by the way those oversized iced cookies actually taste, but I blame the color of the doughnut. It's more cookie-like, don't you think? In fact, if I were in the business of naming colors, I'd probably call this one Butter Cookie (nostalgic side note: oh my god, Butter Cookie and Jelly Bear were one of my favorite Strawberry Shortcake kid-pet pairs!). There's also something about the way the white icing looks like it can be separated from the shortbread-colored doughnut that just makes me think cookie.
Gee, I wonder why Donutman looks so sinister. And who on earth is he getting ready to punch? His extended left arm looks to be in classic superhero-flying position, so I can only assume that the "hero of unhealthy breakfast" is about to knock out a bird, a plane, or some other flying object with a right jab.
Actually, given what he stands for, I guess I can understand why he'd hold a grudge against the entire fowl race (turkey bacon, egg white omelets, and all that). But couldn't he have let it go for one second while he was getting his picture taken?
Now every time I set my coffee cup on this 4.25" x 4.25" tile coaster ($10), I can't help but wonder what he'll do if he finds out about that grilled chicken dinner I ate the night before.
All right, who's bright idea was this?
We're already struggling to stay on task at work and get things done despite the lures of the internet, computer games, office gossip, and snacks left in the lunchroom. Do we really need to be drooling onto our keyboards and desks (talk about wading through paperwork!) over this doughnut mousepad that's way too realistic for our own good when we're finally back in "work mode"?
If your productivity suffers (and believe me, it will), you've only got Jack of Arts and the fact that you had $11.10 to spare when you read this post to blame.
If these rubber doughnuts, bow-tie candies, and pink jewels were simply marketed as fun stickers, I think I'd be mighty tempted to buy them. They're less than $10 from Strapya World, who I've had pleasant dealings with in the past, and they'd be kind of cute for a child's art project or something.
But hyping them up as tasty items to decorate your compact mirror, handheld game system, or cell phone (see ridiculous photo below) with makes me want to avoid them at all costs and end this post right here.
Aw man, I hate it when that happens.
One look is all it takes to know exactly what kind of trickery was involved when this round doughnut ornament ($10) was made. Obviously, someone picked up a bottle of candy beads, gave it a quick shake to lightly sprinkle what must've been a very gooey doughnut, and watched in horror as the entire top of the bottle, unscrewed by some cruel prankster, fell to the table. Unable to stop the avalanche of candy sprinkles that poured out of the bottle and onto the sticky doughnut, the poor soul just took a picture and had it printed on a porcelain ornament.
Oh well. At least the red ribbon it comes with, which was designed for hanging, will highlight the red beads and make the sprinkle overload look intentional.
I admit to being easily distracted by shiny and sparkly things, but can I just say "enough already" with the overuse of Swarovski crystals?
I remained indifferent when I began seeing rather heavy-handed sprinkling of the sparkling bits on various consumer products and silently tolerated the crystal-encrusted phones and gadgets often seen in the hands of celebrities, but this Jewelry Sweets cell phone charm ($6) is ridiculous. Sure, there are only three silver crystals stuck onto what would otherwise be a doughnut charm of average cuteness, but they're just there to be there. Using a red Swarovski bead as the "cherry" on a cupcake is quite different from adorning a mini doughnut with crystals just because you can.
After chipping a saucer from this lovely dollhouse tea set I had when I was little, I swore off porcelain miniatures for good. Though they were beautiful and always made me feel very grown up, keeping the pieces protected and separate from the rest of my dollhouse food killed some of the fun of dumping my collection on the floor and sorting everything based on what I liked best.
Now that I am "all growed up" (even if only in years and not in mentality), I think I might like to give porcelain toys another try. And what better way to be re-introduced to the world of fragile miniatures than with this 3.25" porcelain trinket box that opens to reveal a half dozen tiny glazed doughnuts?
Not a bad way to spend $9.99 at Amazon
This is nowhere near as exciting as a 3D doughnut magnet or even a realistic photo magnet would be for me, but the thrillingly named White Iced Doughnut Magnet is still something I'd stop to take a look at if I saw it stuck to a refrigerator, filing cabinet, or some other magnetic surface. If said surface were covered in the same "scratch- and UV-resistant mylar" used to protect the frosted doughnut's "vibrant colors," I may even be temporarily fooled into thinking the magnet had a hole in it.
Available in small (1.25"), standard (2.25"), and large (3") round sizes for $2.20, $2.35, and $2.95, respectively.
Believe it or not, I've actually never had coffee and doughnuts before. Not together, anyway. I know the cop cliche is supposed to be a classic combination, but my taste buds have always considered coffee to be a drink best enjoyed alone.
And even though it isn't a popular opinion and the 100% cotton Hanes Coffee and Donut Shirt ($17) is marketed with a "Coffee and donuts--so much better together!" sentiment, I still think that on some level, Cakespy (the designer) kind of agrees with my taste buds. Why else would the frosted doughnut and coffee cup be chatting it up like old friends? There's no way they'd be so chummy if they knew that being in each other's company meant imminent digestion.
