Biker Bling

It is not very easy to find nice hippo jewelry. I have already published posts about my Pandora charm bracelet (see post: Pandora's Hippo), and a very pretty ceramic ring (see post: Hippo-Ring). I also have a few brooches, my dear friend Sheila gave me (will post in the future). But it is not like you see hippo jewelry everywhere... Last year, I found a hippo ring on Amazon. It was sold as a bikers ring for men. It made me laugh, as it suggests that apparently there is no market for bike riding and hippo loving women. Of course, this find was shared immediately with the Hippo Group, and within the next hours, some more orders were placed. Then a very small plan was made, to get all these cool hippo biker rings together during the upcoming reunion of the Hippopotamus Society, but things did not work out. Maybe we will have to try again this year. Not so many of us riding bikes, but all of us loving (cool looking) hippos!

Coffee Hippos

A long time ago, my dear friends introduced me to instant coffee from Tanzania. For real coffee connoisseurs, instant coffee is a big NO. Of course, it can't compete with fresh roasted beans, but in the "instant coffee league" this is absolutely the best. It is possible for the coffee to taste even better to me, because of the cuteness of the tins it comes in, and the thoughtfulness of dear friends... but I have pleasantly surprised a couple of people over the last few years. Not many people, because I am very stingy when it comes to sharing my precious stack. After a very urgent message to the suppliers ;-), I received a packet, my favorite coffee... wrapped in a beautiful hippo painting. I think it is a coincidence, the hippos having the color of coffee, but I can't help thinking about coffee when I see this painting, so I had to name it: Coffee Hippos.

 

 

Hippo Seat

When the designer brought this fiberglass hippo seat to my house in Bangkok (it is nice to mention, his wife is a hippo collector too), he warned me not to lean in the direction of the head, as it tilts very easily. But with pets, children and guests... what can one do? So of course, his nose got a little bit damaged after some time. Then we heard, we were going to move. I decided to contact the store to see if they could fix it up. I received a complicated story about it being painted with special car paint, and a guy not answering his phone, and a shop being rather far away, so if they could arrange for it... but it could take several months. Of course, by that time, I did not have several months anymore, so it was shipped, chipped nose and all. To have the hippo repainted here in the US, will costs about four times as much as a whole new hippo would cost. So I have decided to be a bit creative. For the time being, his scratch is being covered by a very nice car sticker. Complimented by some matching stickers on the side of his butt. I am sure some day, we will move to a place where paint jobs are not breaking the bank. Till then, colorful butterfly stickers will have to do.
 

 

Design Store: Toine in Bangkok

HomeGoods Hippo

HomeGoods (a chain of home furnishing stores in the USA) is selling Hippo Good(ie)s! I could argue, a home is not complete without a hippo, but I do not think HomeGoods will support that statement with a campaign...  Last year, my friend asked me if I wanted to accompany her to HomeGoods. She needed to return a carpet. So while she was taking care of that, I wandered around. And then I bumped into this beaded beauty. On a lower shelf, partly hidden by some fake plants and flower pots, I spotted something pink. "Found anything?"... my friend asked me on the way out. "Eh..... yes...." and I showed her my newest addition to the bloat. My friend just smiled... what else could one do? Dear Claire, thank you so much for being such a lovely friend. And for turning a simple trip to HomeGoods into a very fond and nice memory.