B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Yesterday, I was on the hunt for a fun breakfast idea. Botch left Thursday for Nanjing and got home late Saturday night so I wanted to surprise him with something different. And now for something completely different (for us anyway): Banana French Toast from Mr. Breakfast! We're big fans of banana pancakes so I thought this might be a nice variation. It's a mixture of pureed bananas, eggs, milk and I added in some cinnamon instead of dusting it on after. I was a little leary at first, but it was so simple and had no sugar. I will admit that I took a picture of the prettiest corner of the batch, because I was having troubles getting them evenly browned. Luckily, the hod podge look didn't affect the taste because they were yum-meee! We stood in our cracker-box kitchen and ate them right off the skillet. No soggy French toast for us! Sliced strawberries on top might be nice, but that idea will have to wait until November which is when strawberry season starts here. Mr. Breakfast is my new best friend—check out the DIY stuff like print your picture on a cereal box and gift jar mix recipes.
About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy was having some major deja vu while reviewing this mainly metal jewelry making book.
Art Bead Scene
Do you love stamping? Check out Art Bead Scene for a review of metal stamps and a link to a tutorial!
Jewelry & Beading
Get your "Mental Gears" working…and win a free pendant!
Naughty Secretary Club
Anyone headed out to BEA (Book Expo of America) in Los Angeles next weekend? Stop by the F&W booth (#1351) to keep Jen company and to score a free Naughty Secretary Club T-shirt. You are going to need one for a project in The Naughty Secretary Club: The Working Girls Guide to Jewelry.
Savvy Crafter
Burn Baby Burn! Thinking about trying soldering? Candie tells about a great torch option…
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean explains why she loves a certain necklace she made for summer, and looks forward to writing about jewelry in the upcoming month!
Hi, I’m Candie. I design jewelry and crafts, author books, teach classes and host television programs. I thrive on simple ideas that anyone can achieve. I also love projects made from unexpected materials that stand the test of time. Join me as I lead a creative life! 
Your photos are always so amazing! What kind of camera do you have?
**From CANDIE:
Funny you should ask! Before May 21 2008 I was using a Pentax Optio SFi and on my birthday I got a crazy big camera—Fuji Finepix S100fs. I love the little Pentax–used it for three years to the date! I also tweak the lighting a bit in photoshop. Thanks for the compliment!