Momma's Mondays: House of Six Cats' Ceramic Tile Coasters Giveaway and Review~ 10/30

I was perusing the internet recently, on a mission to find some really cool Coasters. My mom used to always get on me about (not using) a Coaster on her beautiful wood furniture. It was right up there with “keep your feet off of the coffee table!” You would think after all of the hounding from her through the years, that I just would have picked up the habit. But it really wasn’t until I had purchased my first house; that I suddenly became aware of the importance of Coasters.

It’s like overnight I, suddenly, became my “mother”. Now; I can’t stand the thought of a cup, glass or beverage of any kind being placed, directly onto my furniture. I believe that one cannot, truly, understand, the importance of something seemingly so trivial; until you too have forked out thousands of dollars of your own, hard earned money, for the privilege of owning your very own furnishings.

As most of you know; I just moved into a brand new apartment, out here in lovely Ohio. After traveling in a motor home for almost (5) years; I had to leave everything behind when we sold it, up in Washington last July. This may startle you; but we really only kept the shirts on our backs (well actually we each had a one 7 gallon square “Tupperware” type of container). That’s what we had to fit our entire wardrobes in. That’s the way it went with everything we owned. At the end of it all; what couldn’t be shoe-horned into the Jeep, didn’t come with us. One might think; coasters don’t take up much room, why didn’t they make it into the Jeep? Good question. The only thing that I can say to that is; we had to prioritize. Since we didn’t own ANY furniture, the Coasters didn’t stand a chance.

Since we now, all know why I was looking for Coasters on the internet. Let me tell you; there are a lot of different types of companies, out there, selling Coasters. That’s why I was so happy to, finally, come along and find the House of Six Cats. This site is owned by Bill Fantini (a photographer) who now resides in Portland, Oregon and yes; his business is aptly named, in homage to his six cats. The photos on his beautiful Coasters were taken during his travels in parts of the country such as; New York, the West Coast including San Francisco and the Bay Area, and Portland.

Bill has been creating these beautiful photo tile Coasters and vending in local street fairs and craft shows since March of 2009. It is there that he discovered the public’s appreciation for his art. He learned that people were very receptive to his artwork when presented in products that serve a purpose. As of August 2011 the House of Six Cats made a name for itself, in Portland, by producing Coasters, Night Lights and Lockets.

The Ceramic Coaster Set that was provided for this review is appropriately named Portland Painted Bridges Noir . This set features four of the city’s famous bridges, illuminated at night; the St. John’s, Hawthorne, Morrison and Fremont. The photos have been enhanced with a watercolor treatment which, in my opinion, makes them seem ethereal. This set features (4) tiles, each with a different image on it sells for only $20.00. The tiles are smooth on top and there is no transitional lip going from the print to the tile. Each 4.25” x 4.25" tile has been protected with a UV laminate to ensure that it will stay water, smudge and scratch resistant and they are backed with black foam so they won’t slide or scratch your tables.

The House of Six Cats makes beautiful, functional, home décor items that are fairly priced and created simply because he loves to do it. You can see that in his photos. Their products are made from high quality photo images and composed in groupings that will easily fit into anyone’s home. Each set is, truly, a labor of love.

One Momma Told Me follower will win their choice of 4 Piece Coaster Set from House of Six Cats.