Obama listing all the great things Cubans have contributed to the world MSNBC now

[calimary]

119. I LOVE cigar bands! I think cigar companies are missing the boat on a nice "side thing."

What if there were a jewelry division for "gifts for the lady" (who puts up with that cigar smoke all year - NOT my favorite!!! Thank God my husband smokes his outside!). Take the most beautiful or elegant or cool cigar bands, and have the designs made into real rings. Either enamel - cloisonné or some such, or for the high-enders, colored jewels. Swarovski crystals or even a premium version with genuine stones. Maybe contract with Cartier or something for some super affluent clients. The kind who can afford expensive cigars. If so, why couldn't that kind of customer gift his love like that.

This is the kind of thing I LOVE to imagine.

Like - take a look at that beautiful woman in the red gown with the hand-held harp. Shit, I'd love to see a line of neckties with that on them. A quality printing or hand-painted. Or socks. Or fine silk scarves. You could frame one and hang it on the wall - quite literally a piece of art, or stitch two together so that it becomes a top you can throw over your head. Or a caftan or something. Dang - I once met a young artist who'd written a book on making a living as an illustrator. He kept returning to a basic point - there's so much art everywhere. Look at labels on packages, for example. Advertising, for example. Logos and mascots and symbols. I've been at small airports where the images of the cover girls near the nose of vintage war planes are all over the place. Embellishments! The urge to decorate and embellish is everywhere you look. If there's any imagery there, some artist or illustrator or Photoshop expert or designer came up with that. So I started becoming conscious of all the art out there. It's everywhere! Dang - any grocery store aisle is a veritable museum!

I've seen whole cigar boxes put to use for personal adornment. Mainly purses. They make great evening clutches. Many of them are the perfect size and some have carvings or inlay or relief sculpture or wood-burning on the lids. Or slick lacquer in a great color. You can start a conversation just by setting it on the table next to you. They take beautifully to shoulder straps because many of them have clasps. Some of the clasps are really lovely, worth looking at by themselves. Shiny, sometimes elaborate brass hardware contrasted with the smooth wood or paper covering, and they're totally functional. Just really cool things of beauty, those cigar boxes. GREAT "importancy" boxes. LOVE 'em!

I took one cigar band I liked and flattened it out, and then glued it carefully onto this plain black plastic cuff bracelet. Turned it into a gorgeous bracelet that I'm proud to wear and is a really eye-catching conversation piece. And cheap!

And have you gone online and seen the cigar box GUITARS? Google it. So wonderful as to be almost excruciating! Almost too much to wrap your head around!

Dang, I LOVE this stuff!

Makes suffering through the cigar smoke worthwhile!

Makes me want to go start a crafting project or something... Crafters are gonna love this policy change, I'll bet!