it's a pain to work with, but man isn't it pretty?
on to the crafting:
i wanted to give them a copy of the hummingbird bakery cookbook. hummingbird is an american style bakery in london and most definitely takes the cake (pun intended) when it comes to baked goods. for sticky toffee or spotted dick (an actual dessert, i assure you) any kind of fruit crumble or anything that potentially tastes good with custard, the brits have it sewn up. however if we are talking cakes, cookies, squares or pie, the winners definitely reside on the other side of the pond! sometimes when one is a little homesick or wishes to take a great treat to a dinner party, the only reasonable answer is hummingbird cupcakes! what's even better is that the secrets have been released and the homebaker can also enjoy (no hummingbird is not compensating me for this endorsement, they're really just that good!). i wanted to spread that love to a.b.barton and marvellous. a.b. is missing the hummingbird now that she's firmly ensconced back in TO, and well marvellous, she's retired now so surely there's time for baking?
but really, one needs a cute apron to bake in properly!
i found this super easy tutorial on skip to my lou. it uses a tea towel and ribbon to make a sweet and fast apron, with only two (!) seams! i got these tea towels from anthropologie, i can never imagine really using them to dry dishes, only to pretty up a kitchen (this may change when we are married and i have my own kitchen!) or in this case, make baking a little more fashionable.
a.b.barton has a thing for english bulldogs, so she was an easy choice. and mavellous likes anything that is made for her, so a sweet utensil motif did the trick!
i wrapped the aprons around the books rather than using bags or wrapping paper and used the ribbon as well, a ribbon! they were adored by both recipients - i just hope that the next time i'm home they're sure to put the cookbook to use!
i would definitely say this is an easy project that can be done in minutes, and makes a great gift, it's also a lovely way to use prettier tea towels!
Such a sweet, lovely gift!
ReplyDeleteI often look at those gorgeous Anthro tea towels and think, Really? You're going to ruin that by drying dishes with it?! This is such a cute way to show them off!
PERFECT! I also think of Anthro tea towels as being too-nice-to-use. Sometimes I employ them as a fancy tea cozy or a kind of table runner, but an apron is such a neat idea, and what a great gift, too!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% about desserts too, the Brits do fab puddings, but North Americans win hands-down when it comes to baked goods. I have walked by the Hummingbird Bakery, heard other expats rave, and now after reading your review am even more intrigued. My brother, the cupcake king, is in town for a visit - we`ll have to check it out!