more tea towel crafting

Speaking of tea towel makeovers, here’s another one for you. One of my closest friend’s daugher just turned one. Between my friend’s mad skills in the kitchen, and her husband’s city “farming” as he calls his veggie patch, I figure it’s never too soon to get their little girl in an apron. It seems inevitable that she’ll stash a wooden spoon or trowel in there before too long. Or just some leftover Cheerios.

I cut off a piece of tea towel, fashioned a pocket, ironed on some of my leftover appliqués (these guys just keep on giving), and made a simple casing for a bias tape tie.

And I can’t get enough of this new stand-in for wrapping paper. I’m using my leftover stash of muslin bags from the holiday caramels, and a basic office-supply stamp that my husband picked up years ago with interchangeable type. You'll never go back to wrapping paper again. Well, maybe.

for your summertime table

I am having a renewed love affair with this set of napkins I made last year from a stack of cheap Ikea dish towels. I love all the variations on the nautical blues and whites, and when you convert dish towels into napkins, half the seams are already done for you. Bonus!

The best part is reaching into our drawer, pulling a couple out, and seeing how jaunty they look with any of our mismatched, patterned plates. The combo really perks up a lunch of gussied-up frozen pizza.