Foating through a great Mardi Gras

 

I got to see my “Newsies” on the Mardi Gras float on Saturday making what I believe is my 20^th MGSET parade experience of 21 years. As always, it’s amazing to see the community show up and support the festival and it’s a special pleasure to get a bead to someone you recognize, calling your name from the crowd. Nancy and Chris Lamson of Popfamily Popcorn on Dowlen Road were among Port Arthur News guests and they tossed packages of king cake flavored popcorn that I told here tasted better than actual  king cake. “Everyone says that,” “Ma Pop” said.

Some of their more unusual flavors include Carrot Cake and Blackened Shrimp. I remember when Elsa Holton brought some to the Texas Artists Museum and those art lovers went nuts for Red Wine popcorn.

“Eat, Paint, Meow!”

The words above refer to the artistic, green, art- and animal-loving life of Atlanta artist Amy Pugh –Campos and Salvador, a cat born in her studio who crawled in her lap and stuck his paws in the paint. Her logo for Salvador Kitti shows a cat with a thin, curled moustache in the fashion of the Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali.

That’s already an interesting story. Now let me tell you about the product: Images from original paintings pop with color on water-proof microfiber, so Salvador’s mom’s flora-sniffing bear, dancing penquins, curious frog, playful cat and perched animals of the wild pop with color. Totes, purses and cases show your personalitly and a portion of proceeds go to wildlife conservation. Pencil bag and coin purse are styles you know, but Amy knows today’s women are likely stuffing charging cords and music players into models like mine, a mama elephant with her trunk protecting her baby, as they do their elephant thing on a grassy field under blue skies. The zipper pull is a heart. It’s sporty and girly at the same time. Got to meet this Kitti.

Crystals

I love going gaudy with leopard skin, so I love that the crystal nail files I tried by the artistic woman who is Ghislaine go a step further, with jewels. After a precise filing from these tools that feel good and weighted in your hand, just clean them with soap, water and a soft brush. You’ll be fine filing for a while. I’d never used a rounded file that’s like a sharpened pencil, so you can really reach those corners. Bling is a category at gigibeautiful.com, and there’s a sparkly little something called a princess hair clip, so you know you are in for a pampering experience. Other clips are peacock fashioned, so I’m also loving the pink peacock. I guess showing off wasn’t good enough for this bird, he had to make his crystals pink, too.

ddoiron@panews.com