24 May 2011

Bake Me a Cake


This week on my blog, we're getting crafty in the kitchen.
Whether you're giving a gift to a neighbor who just
moved in or a token to some friends who invited you
over for a barbecue, something homemade isn't
really expected but is always appreciated.

Especially if you're savvy in the cooking or
baking department.

I made this German Apple Cake for a party over the
weekend. Apples are always available in the market
and the recipe was simple to put together.

Similar to yesterday's post, here's how I packaged it:

I left the cake in the baking pan, wrapped it up in an
extra-large cloth napkin and knotted the ends.

Then I added a vintage cake server.
{My friend loved it!}

When the hostess decides to add this cake to the
dessert buffet, she can easily warm it up in the
oven before serving it on a platter.

TADA! She gets to use the cake server, too.
{And I foresee that this will come in handy
in her future parties.}

You'll have to decide beforehand if you want to
give her the baking pan as part of the package
or whisper to her that you'll collect it
before you leave.

No blah foil. No blah plastic.
Just everyday TADA! objects that can be used
over and over again.

Not to mention TADA!-tasting cake, too.

23 May 2011

Warm Weather Parties


Lately we've been invited to several parties, my husband & I.
As soon as we RSVP, we think about what we could bring,
either as a hostess gift or something yummy to add to the table.

When we're up to it and we have time to spare,
we whip something up from our kitchen.

Quick breads, like this banana loaf, are easy to prepare.
It goes well with a hot cup of morning coffee or
warm afternoon tea.
I'm a big fan of banana bread {sometimes I
buy bananas just for this reason} and use
different recipes like the one from this cookbook.

When it's out of the oven and cooled, it's ready to be
wrapped up for the party. Foil or plastic wrap are
the easy solutions. But what if I use something that's
environment-friendly and pretty at the same time?

With the bread still in the cake pan, I swaddle it using a
clean cloth napkin.

Then I tie kitchen twine around it to keep the napkin in place.

And remember the mismatched utensils I featured last week?
I thought they were perfect gift toppers which the hostess
can use later on.

You can give the cake pan to the party host
{e-mail her the recipe so she can make it too}
or if she decides to transfer the banana bread
to a platter and serve it, you can easily
take home your beloved pan.
TADA!

By the way, Clara over at Bloomize interviewed
me on my travel essentials. Thanks Clara!

20 May 2011

Hang in There


Thanks for coming over today!
All this week, I've been finding inspiration
to turn these forks & spoons:

From blah to TADA!

Here's another one I found on Etsy:

It's the handiwork of JJEvensen,
who turns old spoons/forks into useful
stuff for the home like this coat rack.
I like that each spoon has the name
of a family member stamped on it.
This would fit well in the foyer or
mud room where most of us would
hang our jackets & bags.

This one's made of funky forks.

Indeed, there are many creative things
you can do with old silverware.

Have a superb weekend!

19 May 2011

Carved in Silver


Reusing silverware is the name of the game.
And so far, I've found some winners already.

If you have some of these utensils
that have seen better days,
turn them from blah to TADA!

Here's what Jessica at Etsy did to hers:

She flattened the utensils, hand stamped them
with common vegetable names
and TADA!, instant garden markers.

Here's a version with power words.

And one that's wonderful to give
as a wedding present!

18 May 2011

SilverWEAR


These are some things I'll always find
at thrift stores or flea markets:

Mismatched silverware.
There have been several occasions
when I rescued them & took them home.
I know I'm not alone in doing this.

I found this shop on Etsy and she creates such
unique pieces of jewelry out of old utensils:

A spoon fashioned into a bangle!
It can be personalized with a monogram.

It can also include a very important date
like a birthday or wedding anniversary.

Spoon heads linked together, each one
with a name & birthday. Perfect for moms,
sisters and best friends.

This one uses spoon ends chosen for the
decorative detail. Also engraved with
names of very special people.

Super cool, right?


17 May 2011

Sweet Surprise


One of the things I like to collect are gadgets
for the kitchen. I usually pick up stuff that are
brand new but my drawers never turn away
pre-owned items like vintage utensils.

Take for example these teaspoons.
Same shape, same size, all silver,
except for the ends.

If you belong to the school of matchy-matchy,
you might consider these blah.
But for every blah is a TADA!

These are personalized hot chocolate
a shop in San Francisco specializing
in hot chocolate.

I particularly like the product pictured
above. They dip a spoon into a block
of chocolate. All one needs to do is add
this to a cup of hot milk. The chocolate
will melt and TADA!, you have yourself a
some delicious hot chocolate!

But here's the surprise.
When the chocolate melts, the spoon
will reveal a message, one that's engraved
right onto the spoon! You can even
personalize it -- "Marry Me", "No.1 Dad",
"Best Friend Forever" or whatever you like.

Isn't that TADA!?

16 May 2011

Spoons & Forks


How was your weekend everyone?
I hope you had loads of fun!

Blogger had a little hiccup at the end of last week.
Sorry 'bout that. I hope you were able to read my

Anyways, in the back of my cupboard is
this jar filled with flea market finds:

Mismatched spoons & forks.
They're glorious for food styling projects,
but I've been thinking of other uses for them.

Here's one idea. It's a light fixture
decorated with spoons & forks!
I saw it in an Italian restaurant
in Hong Kong. Cute eh?

Here's a similar chandelier,
made of vintage egg beaters.
I spotted it at Fishs Eddy
in New York City.

More neat & nifty TADAs tomorrow!