Thursday, 10 April 2014

A Happy Little Ta-dah.....





Ahhhhhh......my beloved Francis Francis has come out of storage. 

I have missed her.

It's good to have her back.

I love this coffee machine. I love how, to make a coffee with her, it takes time. You enjoy the process as much as the drinking.

In truth though, she is mainly saved for weekend lazing, when I actually want to savour the art of making a coffee from her.

During the week when I want my coffee fix, I have a little filter coffee machine that can cope with coffee on the go. I love the sound of the coffee percolating through the filter, and the aroma of fresh coffee wafting through the house.

Sadly, my little filter coffee machine was ready to retire. It wasn't very happy at all. I had a dilemma. Do I get another one for my weekday fix? In truth, I actually didn't want a second coffee machine in my kitchen. My aim was to have a more streamlined kitchen with less clutter. 

Very hard for me I know.

So, I took the decision that I would make do with a cafetiere. The trouble was, that the one I had, well, he wasn't a happy little soul either. He didn't want to pour where I wanted him to pour. 

Yesterday, I had errands to run, and whilst I was out and about, I thought I would make a last ditch attempt to try and locate a specific colour and type of yarn in a department store. The upshot of it was, was that I managed to find it....yay.....but on my way out of the door I spied this.....



My eyes wide with delight I ran walked over to paw at it lovingly. Eyes even wider with delight when I saw that it was on sale for 70% off. Bargain, and it was coming home with me. I see these types of events happening as a REALLY meant to be kind of thing! A multi-coloured cafetiere, what more could a girl ask for?! Well, probably a lot, but we'll leave that there.

It did look bare though...and needed a little something.....


...yeap....you guessed it...




.....STRIPES.....


It had to be done. A stripey little jacket to keep my coffee at the perfect temperature. Practical too, no?

So, in stripey heaven last night I was hooking away happily.


It fits in nicely, it makes the perfect weekday coffee so I am a happy little soul. A bargain of colourful stripey-ness. Woo Hoo.




xxx




p.s. The cafetiere is made by Boden and the pattern was from Nicki Trench's' Cute and Easy Crochet' (although I did modify the pattern to fit this particular cafetiere).



65 comments:

  1. Your striped cafétière looks lovely !!!
    I also have a Francis Francis ( unfortunately not such a lovely pink one), and she does make good coffee (maybe a tad slow, but like you say, ideal for the weekend !) !
    But I think I'm going to steal your idea for the cute cafétière-jacket... If you don't mind... I always make my tea in it, but it cools so quickly...

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    1. Oh I love the idea of making tea in the cafetiere! I'd never thought of that. I think i'll steal that idea too! ha ha! x

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  2. So pretty! And the cosy is beautiful - guaranteed to put a smile on your face whatever the weather! Hugs, Chris x

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    1. Thank you Chris, it's burst of colour is making me happy today! x

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  3. Ohhh!!! it's so pretty! Don't you just love "cozy" making.....it's my new thing lately!
    xx Shari

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  4. I Am so in love with yours colours.
    Looks like a warm kitchen!
    Miss xx

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  5. Oh what a joy - I have never seen such a fab cafetiere, but your little jacket is absolutely the perfect finishing touch. I love your kitchen and all the pretty things in it. You should be proud of yourself. Enjoy!

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    1. I never knew colourful cafetiere's existed, so was thrilled to find this....even more thrilled that it was heavily reduced! x

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  6. Wow so pretty, I love how colourful and uplifting it is. Coffee aside that would definitely perk me up in the morning :)

    justrach.com xo

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    1. Thank you Rachael, it's definitely making me happy! x

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  7. I don't even drink coffee, and I love that pink machine! I bet the coffee tastes better than anything with it. My hubby is equally besotted with the Gaggia fancy maker I got him a few years back...I contend that he could always be a barrista if he fails at his current career...Chrissie x

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    1. Ahhh yes, there is something quite fascinating about coffee machines! x

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  8. That is the cutest coffee machine I have ever seen, must show it to my daughter Lauren & watch her go completely gaga
    She's a total pinkaholic!!!!
    Your new kitchen looks beautiful, must be so nice after all the hard work to have such a lovely space to cook, chat & drinks
    gallons of tea or coffee in.....love it
    Karen

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    1. It's just so nice to have drawers and cupboards that open! I had almost forgotten what it was like! x

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  9. Love stripes in general!!!! Your work is so neat and fits perfectly your cafetiere!!!!!
    xxxxxx Ale

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    1. Ah yes you do really have to love stripes. They are happy things! x

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  10. What a bargain and so glad you can have your weekday coffee fix again. Loving the striped jacket too. :) Enjoy!
    Anne xx

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    1. Yes, I couldn't believe i'd found a cafetiere that was SO me and SO cheap too. Was definitely meant to be! x

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  11. I agree that this was quite clearly meant to be in your new kitchen ! New wool, new cafetiere, new stripey cover - a perfect day all round I'd say.
    Kate x

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  12. Oh my gosh, this could not be any more perfect for you! So cute! Love that pink lid. I'm with you...it was definitely meant to be. I got all my new succulents re-potted a couple of days ago. If you haven't seen them, come on over and have a look-see. I blogged it yesterday. I'm really having fun with these. Thanks for the idea. I totally stole it! Can you tell me about the brown sugar cube-looking things in the bowl on your counter? I'm assuming it's exactly that -- some kind of brown sugar -- but what is the name of it? I've never seen anything like that here in the U.S. (I live in Texas.)

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    1. Hi Pammy - I'm a visitor to this site and saw your question about the brown sugar cubes. I live in Connecticut and easily find them at my grocery store. The name on the box escapes me right now but I think it begins with a P. It is in the aisle with sugar, nutrasweet, etc. It is a bit expensive imo but the cubes last a long time. I often break them in half since one cube is alot of sweetener.

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    2. Pammy Sue i'm glad that you are loving the succulents. I planted some cuttings this week and hope that they will take too. I thik I have become really quite obsessed with these little beauties! I'm glad greathill was able to answer your question about the sugar cubes. It's always a difficult thing to answer if you live in a different country but I only ever have brown cubes in my coffee! x

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  13. I can not imagine a life without coffee and Your striped cafetiere looks so pretty.
    I'm sure that the life is much more beautiful at your kitchen with a cup of coffee...
    Lots of love...

    Ayda

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    1. Ah Ayda, coffee in a nice cafetiere in a decent kitchen now is definitely a good plus in life! Take care x

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  14. I am so happy for you and your find... really. I love the cafetiere and hope to have one someday. Your collection of colour is awesome. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It was weird that I had made the decision to retire my filter coffee machine and invest in a new cafetiere. I hadn't planned on getting one so soon, and to be honest, I thought they were quite boring in design, so to see this colourful one, and so heavily discounted, I think it was definitely meant to be! x

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  15. That gorgeous pastel cafetiere was meant for you, Vanessa! And your sweet stripy cosy is perfect for it! I would love to find that cafetiere, too, it is the prettiest one I have ever seen! And so lovely for your new kitchen too :)
    Helen xox

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    1. It was definitely a good day Helen. I went in to the department store in a last ditch attempt to find a particular shade of yarn (I had searched everywhere, and that store before), so I thought it would be a waste of time, but I found the yarn and then I saw this as I was walking out the door. Meant to be then hey! x

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  16. You were so meant to have that cafetiere!! it indeed was fate. Enjoy your coffee! Sam xx

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  17. Neat little jacket :-)
    I too have my eyes on a coffee machine like that, a red-hot Ascaso, but oh, at R12 000-00, that might be a little too hot...

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    1. I saved for a couple of years to get my Francis Francis. It was not something I could justify getting on a whim. Birthday tokens, christmas tokens and a money box all helped! x

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  18. Hi Venessa, I love your kitchen and all the pretty things in it.
    Great photos !
    Shoshi.
    www.etsy.com/shop/shusha64

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  19. Hello - I have a question about the cozy - how did you get it around the handles? There is one handle (vertical) on my cafe press. It looks just like yours. Your picture above doesn't show how it covers the handle portion. thanks.

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    1. The pattern is basically a rectangle of stripes. A couple of longer rows at the top to wrap over the top of the handle with a button hole on one side and a button on the other. The bottom is sewn together up until the start of the handle. That was the pattern in the book, but I added a dc border to the slit either side of the handle and added buttons and loops that brought the stripes together in between the handle to make the stripes lay flatter on the cosy.

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  20. I love your coffee machine Vanessa, and that stripey happy caftiere was just meant for your lovely new kitchen. Enjoy the rest of your week.
    Jane xx

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    1. It was such a happy find, and getting it so cheaply it was definitely meant to be wasn't it!

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  21. Fantastic, it's a lovely cafetiere, made lovelier by your stripey cover. Just right for weekday coffee.

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    1. It seems to make the coffee much nicer and a happy me when I drink it! x

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  22. Hi there, can I please ask what yarn you used for the stripy cosy? the colours look perfect for a blanket for my girl. Thanks. I love your pics and I aspire to your lovely home and decor (along with Posie Gets Cosy's home too!).
    Susan x
    PS Shoudn't be reading blogs at 3.43 in the ay em but teenage daughter's heart clinic appt keeping me awake (worried face).

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    1. Hi Susan,

      It's just a mish mash of odds and ends that I had in my stash. Most of them were half used balls with no labels. I just picked up colours I liked. I didn't need that much as it was a small project. They were various brands such as sirdar, patons, and stylecraft. Sorry I cannot be of more help. I'm a bit rubbish with taking note of brands as I mix and match so much with all my projects. They all get stuffed into one tub and lose their labels so it's always pot luck with me! Gosh, I hope that your daughter's heart clinic appt goes okay for you all. xxx

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    2. Thank you, I think I recognise some of the colours.
      Heart clinic not so ok, arrogant doctor (grrr, letter being planned), shocking news she may need more surgery, tho I don't think she took that news in properly, and she refused the MRI so CT scan being considered.

      Susan - being a concerned mama is not a good thing, apparently!

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    3. Oh Susan, i'm sorry the appointment didn't go as you would have hoped. Scary news to have to deal with, and the doctor should be ashamed at the arrogance. That is certainly not the way to go when delivering difficult news and talking about strategies. As a mum you take a heavy weight of worry, and nothing I can say can make that any easier.....but you are in my thoughts and I hope that surgery is the last resort for your daughter. Take care x

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  23. Lovely cafetiere- and you have reminded me that I need to make a cosy for my cafetiere too!

    Jen

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  24. good work, I can see the planets aligned for you!! Heather x

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    1. Oh they so did Heather didn't they! It was an unexpected delight! x

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  25. What a fabulous idea to keep your cafetiere coffee hot - clever old you. I have put off buying a cafetiere as the coffee goes cold so quick but know I am going to be on a mission to get one and make a fabby cosy for it. Thank you so much for the inspiration. I have never heard of a Francis Francis before but now I am intrigued, off to google it go. Gorgeous pictures by the way.

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  26. I have a lovely Poppy treffry cafetiere cosy, but it's looking a bit bedraggled these days. It was time for something different, and I couldn't not do colourful stripes on a colourful cafetiere now could I?!

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  27. Oh I love it! :) Pat xx
    sunshineandasewingbasket.blogspot.com

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  28. omg!! What brand is your cafetiere?!?!?! I love it! I love your cozy too. and your coffee machine. I think I would steal everything from your kitchen -
    Claire, hearthandmadeuk xo

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    1. The cafetiere is from Bodum and it comes in other great colours too! X

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  29. I love love love it....how perfect and how you it is....and what a bargain. The cosy, the photos etc are as gorgeous as ever. Thank you for letting us share in your delight :-)
    Tracey xxx

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  30. I love your posts - they always make my heart smile!
    Sandy xx

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  31. Just wanted to tell you that I've had to delete many, many blogs I've been following due to time commitments and health issues I have to deal with. I would never, ever delete your blog because of how much I enjoy it. The subjects you share, the pictures you show us and the colorfulness of it all just makes my day! So a great big thank you for that....

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    1. Ah thank you Elizabeth for your comments. It's lovely to know that someone else gets joy out of something that I get joy out of making! Take care xxx

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  32. So cute and your cover is so pretty too!!!! I hope that you and your coffee maker will be very happy together!! xx

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  33. I love the pictures of your kitchen and all its stuff - and I'm totally in love with your Frances coffee machine!! I think I want one... Thank you so much for sharing such gorgeous inspiration and cheerfulness :) I think I'll be joining in the many others who now want to make a cafetiere cozy too! Dxx

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  34. So Cute! I should make one. :)
    Have a great weekend!
    ~Liz

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  35. Ooo, have only just seen your pretty cafetiere... I have an ancient pale blue one which I still like but for the first time managed to break its inner recently. So expensive to replace! Some lovely friends gave me a new one for my birthday, a rather special les creuset , what a lucky duck. So my search for a nice coffee pot is finally over! Though it could do with a cosy....

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