Personal

Shiny fabric

sari.jpg
Better than your average drink coasters

We’ve decided to throw a Chinese New Year party this year. Of course we’re a bit behind when it comes to planning, so we’re throwing if after the usual celebrations, which start Jan. 22. But that’s OK. As the wisdom says, it’s the thought that counts.

So when perusing some of the stores in search of affordable Asian-inspired accents, I came across these beautiful fabric coasters. They’re not Chinese in origin at all, but I had to have them. They’re crafted to look like they were cut from sari fabric and the gold and silver threads are really very beautiful. Party aside, I would have bought them anyway.

These I liked. There were plenty of other things out there that I didn’t. Pier 1 and Cost Plus are both great places to go searching for such things, but much of their stock is pretty shoddy. I’m pretty careful about playing around with their products to see how easily they’ll break. I know that affordability doesn’t always mean quality, but some of the things they wanted even $10 for were just crazy.

Cost Plus is awesome when it comes to the food and wine section, though. I could hang out in there for days. It’s great that they’re offering many of the foods that the local grocers haven’t quite picked up on yet. And the wine is cheaper than D&W.