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Gorgeous Knife Set with Wooden Block from The Pioneer Woman

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I’ve probably mentioned it a hundred or two times on the food blog, but I love and collect everything Rachael Ray and have for too many years to count. A few years ago, I began collecting another favorite Food Network star, Ree Drummond, and now my Pioneer Woman collection rivals my Rachael Ray collection.

Cookbooks, magazines, dishes, pans, napkins, mopines, cutlery, spatulas, garbage bowls, EVOO bottles… you name it, if the name Rachael Ray or Pioneer Woman is on it, our kitchen has it (sometimes multiple times).

What can I say, I spend a GREAT deal of time in the kitchen and want to be surrounded by bright, colorful, whimsical, and beautiful things that make me smile. Plus, to be the best cook possible, you have to surround yourself with the best tools possible and these are some of the best you’ll find anywhere.

I also love that many of their kitchen and cooking items come in my favorite colors: Purple, red, and turquoise.

I like to keep things fun and as colorful as possible!

This gorgeous turquoise Rustic Pioneer Woman Cutlery Set (Amazon link) is on my radar. Most of the Pioneer Woman items I have are turquoise, so I’m absolutely thrilled these come in this wonderful color.

The Pioneer Woman Cowboy Rustic Forged 14-Piece Cutlery Knife Block Set includes a GREAT variety of knives including a chef knife, bread knife, Nakiri knife, utility knife, paring knife and steak knives.

The blades are stainless steel and have ergonomically designed handles.  LOVE that!  I also love that the set comes with a beautiful wood block for easy storage.

See Rustic Pioneer Woman Cutlery Set (Amazon link) for a closer look!


Summer Kitchen Towels, for that Summer State of Mind!

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I told my youngest daughter, Stephany, recently that I don’t think I’ve ever looked so forward to spring and summer in my life as I did this past winter. I mean, for one thing, I absolutely love winter and everything about it (Christmas, snow, fuzzy sweaters, hot chocolate, soup, curling up under a warm throw while watching movies with my husband…)

And yet, all January and February, all I could think about was baseball, grilled hamburgers, my flower beds, trips to the lake, watermelon, butterflies, bees, and feeling the warm sun on my face.

Suffice to say, I am as happy as a cat in a bed of catnip now that the weather is warmer!

As I’ve often said on the food blog, I love to decorate seasonally – changing towels, knick-knacks, and so forth with the seasons and upcoming holidays. I’ve been looking on Amazon for more summerlicious kitchen towels and…. tada!… like any shopper who puts her heart into her work, I have had success.

I’m including a few of my favorite towel finds, here, in case you are as ready as I am to embrace summer like it’s never been embraced before!

Details for the Watermelon Towel Set Above:

  • Polyester
  • Imported
  • Soft Material : 100% High-quality durable fibers, machine washable & tumble dry, ultra-soft so they won’t scratch your delicate cookware, plates, pots, or pans
  • Highly Absorbent : Absorbent enough for drying, cleaning, scrubbing or achieving any other household task. Keep absorbent even after multiple machine cycles
  • Includes : Brand new set of 2 stylish dish towels/tea towels 18 X 28 Inches (45cm X 75cm), long-lasting durability and performance
  • Kitchen Decor : Add flair to your kitchen decor with Artoid Mode colorful kitchen dish towels. Perfect for all of your daily drying and cleaning kitchen jobs
  • Unique Cute Design : Printed with stylish, unique and cute patterns. It is the perfect combination of seasonal decor and daily cleaning

I also love the Hello, Summer towels pictured on the right. I’ve already ordered popsicle molds to make plenty of healthy popsicles for my grandbabies (as well as the grown-up family members who love them just as much). Not only can you use organic juice to make healthier popsicles, you can add bits of fruit and even use yogurt to make creamy popsicles. I’m pretty sure I’m as excited about them as anyone.

These towels will be perfect for a popsicle-filled summer!

These colorful polyester kitchen towels, like the ones above, come in a set of two and measure  18 X 28 Inches (45cm X 75cm).


Fill Your Home (and Life!) with Colors You Love

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Purple Placemats

Purple Placemats

The beautiful purple (“Eggplant”) placemats (Amazon link), above, are a recent gift from me to me. Purple is my favorite color and, since it makes me deliriously happy, I color as much of my world purple as I can.

I think of adding color to our worlds this way: If our life were a giant live-action coloring book, we would be able to choose many of the colors used on the pages. OUR coloring book… OUR rules! Sure… stores, nature, restaurants, and other people’s homes come pre-colored but we can darn well determine the colors we wear into them!

Our homes… our turf… is most definitely in our control. As you’d expect, purple is a recurring theme in our home and yard. I also love red (What is it with me and loud colors?? Don’t answer that…), so beautiful jewel tones of red an purple accompany one another frequently.

2020 has been a bust, to say the least, and it has all but drained me emotionally. As someone who is INSANELY empathetic, I cry as I see or read stories of sickness and loss. I’ve also been extra, extra worried about my family – 4 of us are in the “high risk” group (health conditions such as asthma) and one is pregnant! My third grandbaby is due any day and worrying about him and his mommy (my oldest daughter) has been a full-time job.

Recently, I ordered the gorgeous placemats, kind of as a mood lifter I suppose and they have brought so much happiness to me. Sounds crazy, I know, but each time I see them, I feel good. In a year like this one, we all need MORE of these kinds of things in our lives.

After I ordered these placemats, I saw the purple and white dish towels pictured below. I pointed them out to my husband and, because I married a sweetheart who just manages to get sweeter each year, he ordered them for me and surprised me with them a few days later.

 

Purple and White Kitchen Towels

Purple and White Dish Towels

The dish towels and placemats each come in a wide variety of colors and are very, very reasonably priced. I’m very, very impressed with the quality of each. You can mix and match the beautiful colors or do as I did, and simply go with your favorite color in the world.

Here’s the thing… while these are simple, simple purchases, the effects they have on your psyche are anything but simple. Every now and then it’s absolutely magical to do something out of the ordinary, completely self-serving, and fun. Not only does it make your world more colorful and fun, it lifts your mood and makes your psyche dance.

How are you going to beat that?!

See dish towels on Amazon.

See placemats on Amazon (The things I love the most about these placemats is the perfect size and the fact that they’re round! You can easily fit six on a table, without worrying about the edges touching… I’m just anal enough to be bothered by such things).


EDIT: I just found matching dishcloths on Amazon – and they’re available in even more colors than the beautiful towels are…. the yellow and red ones are just gorgeous!

Purple Placemats

Gorgeous Halloween Tablecloth and Matching Napkins

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Halloween Tablecloth
Halloween Tablecloth

I get as excited about holidays and big events as any child could ever hope to.  I go all out with the different seasons and holidays when it comes to decorating our house – especially the kitchen. I guess that’s because it’s where I spend most of my time. Might as well be festive!

About a year ago I fell head over heels in love with setting the dining room table with placemats, seasonal napkins, and seasonal centerpieces.  I love that it always looks beautiful – when our cats consent to leave things as they are, that is.

While I normally have placemats and napkins, I do love the occasional tablecloth. When I saw the gorgeous Halloween Tablecloth (pictured above), I knew full well what our table would be wearing from September 1 to October 31. What’s equally delicious is the fact that matching napkins are also available – you find them on the same page the tablecloth is on.

You can also find black spiderweb placemats to go on the tablecloth (similar to the ones pictured at the top). So much loveliness I can hardly stand it.

Then again, you could go with regular black placemats, which could then be used at other times during the year.

I also love the Kitchen Towel Set below. Because I am a prototypical crazy cat lady, I’m showing the black cat version (come on, how could I not?) but there is also an adorable pumpkin and a great looking witch towel – it’s green with witch-y legs and a hat at the top. Darn cute.

The cat and the pumpkin go especially well with the tablecloth set.

I have so much shopping to do…


Black Cat Towel


The Future of Kitchen Design: Be Unapologetically YOU!

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Wolfgang Puck Bowls
Crazy Colors and Pigs: My Idea of a Good Time
Over the years, I have embraced a wide range of decorating styles in the room in which I spend most of my time… my beloved kitchen:

  • Country – with floppy-eared rabbits, geese, and folk art knick knacks I painted, myself (so many hearts)
  • Whimsical – wild colors and a funky “anything goes” mentality
  • Barnyard – pigs, roosters, cows, and more pigs because, seriously, how cute are they??!!
  • Sunflowers – the name says it all, everything had sunflowers on it
  • Retro – antique kitchen gadgets, vintage dishes, and colors reminiscent of days gone by

My present decorating style in my kitchen doesn’t even fall into a category.  It’s free of restraints, free of limits, and apparently free of a category. That’s fine by me and the two sunflower holdouts.

My Kitchen (and entire house, if we’re being honest) decorating style for the present, and future are two-fold.

#1. Go With What Makes You Smile (The More Individuality, the Better!)

Basically the style I’ve embraced for now and for the future is one that can be summed up very simply – it’s what makes me smile. There are a few “country” items, a cool little antique kitchen gadget collection, whimsical decorations and dishes, some cows and roosters and lots… I mean lots.. of pigs.

Pigs make me smile, so they stay.

I think the average person stresses way too much about decorating. If you’re decorating someone else’s house or room – then, sure, feel free to stress right out – but if it’s YOUR own space, why stress?

Who on earth can possibly tell you you’re doing it wrong?!

I once read a woman say that she’d seen a few Pioneer Woman items she’d love to have but that she collected things from another celebrity chef and didn’t want to mix. Balderdash! Who makes these rules?  In my kitchen Pioneer Woman, Rachael Ray, Wolfgang Puck, and Curtis Stone cohabitate and get along beautifully.

I believe that when it comes to designing for the future, more and more people will flock to the category-free style of surrounding themselves with colors, knick-knacks, paintings, curtains, linens, and possibly even pigs… things that make them smile.

I also believe that people today (more than ever before) realize that individuality is where it’s at. I think the mindset of “keeping up with the Joneses” is transitioning into the mindset of, “let the Joneses keep up with me!” If you want yellow place mats with embroidered bananas on your table, red rooster dishtowels, and an Italian Chef cookie jar on your counter – go for it! Here’s the most beautiful thing about it: No one else will have a kitchen quite like your kitchen.

You’re unique and deliciously original – shouldn’t your kitchen be too?!

A few thoughts:

  • Use the colors that make you smile. If you love pink and red… go for it! Personally, I am wild about a wide array of colors – and the more over the top the better. I find a way to make reds, purples, and even lime green mix and mingle. Some may say I force them into it but… well… okay, they’d be right.
  • There is no rule that says you can’t combine different styles. If part of you loves retro and part of you loves modern – congratulations, you have invented a new category all your own… retro-modern and I know you’ll pull it off.
  • When decorating your kitchen, think of each step as finding ways to make others feel both welcome and happy while making you smile, as in ear to ear.
  • Add components of your personality – this isn’t just fun, it ensures no one else will have a kitchen quite like your’s. If you’re a huge football fan, shop for your team’s salt and pepper shakers, toasters, dishes, etc. As you can see from the picture below, I’m a DIE HARD St. Louis Cardinals fan and every room of my home leaves no doubt about that. I don’t particularly, however,  want to discuss this year or our bullpen. It’d spoil my appetite and mood.

Continued Below….

St. Louis Cardinals Salt and Pepper Shakers
In our Family, Baseball Season IS a Celebration!

#2. Embrace the Seasons

Okay, in full disclosure, I work from home. My only bosses have whiskers and walk on four feet, so I have a lot more free time on my hands than most people. The extremes I go to in embracing the seasons will not be for everyone, but you’ll get the gist and will be able to come up with ideas of your own…. after all, individuality is what it’s all about, right?!

I do a full on changing of the guard when it comes to dish towels, knick-knacks, snack dishes, table settings, and centerpieces with each season or celebration. Over the years, hitting up “after Christmas,” “after Easter,” “after Independence Day,” “after St. Patrick’s Day,” “after Halloween,” and “after Thanksgiving” sales has led to a big fat collection of decorations, dishes, and towels. I store them in a spare bedroom closet and in a few hutch drawers.

At this rate, I may need a storage shed in a few years, which would be kind of cool. I’d paint pigs and sunflowers on the sides of it and dare anyone to say anything.

Embracing the seasons and having enthusiastic fun with holidays and special occasions brings more joy into your life and who possibly couldn’t use more of that? Back to sports – if you love UK Basketball (Go, Cats!), you could decorate with blue and white and lots of Wildcat decorations for the duration of college basketball. Green Bay Packers fan? Break out the gold and green for the winter months.

Embracing the seasons and everything they mean to you is yet another way to add fun and smiles to your home and life.

How could that be anything but wonderful?

St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Mug, Hat, and Fred Bird

Note: This blog post is a part of Design Blogger Competition organized by CGTrader. The blogger competition is a really fun and creative way to get all of us thinking about expressing ourselves through design!

More Ways Than One With Marble in the Kitchen

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No one can argue about the beauty of marble, but the merit of its use in the kitchen is a hotly debated topic. Go to any kitchen design company and flick through the sales material and you’ll find marble countertops are an aesthetically appealing option.

Classic white marble looks sumptuous and it adds a definitive and stylish statement to any kitchen. No one can argue against the fact that marble has a luxurious and timeless feel to it. But caring for marble is another matter altogether.

The good news is if you have your heart set on marble, you can add it in your kitchen design in more ways than one, so caring for your kitchen can be as easy as you want it to be.

The problem with marble

The biggest problem for marble in the kitchen comes from its composition and susceptibility to acid erosion. Marble is made from a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed of calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate, both of which react to acids such as vinegar and lemon juice. This can happen even after the marble has been sealed. Choosing marble for counter tops requires a careful cleaner and chef to preserve marble in all its glory.

 

Marble is more susceptible to staining and erosion than other synthetic surfaces. But don’t let that put you off. The high quality marble, such as the world-famous Carrara marble from Italy is relatively dense and less porous, which makes it more durable and less resistant to staining and erosion.

As long as you look after marble it’s still a viable choice for kitchen countertops. In any case, the patina developed from years of use is for some an appealing additional feature.

To keep your marble in tip top condition, you just need to be aware of a care routine. Here’s how:

  • Wipe up spills as soon as possible.
  • Use coasters, mats and surface protectors for heavy kitchen items and those with sharp edges.
  • Clean daily, always rinse using clean, warm water.
  • Make sure marble surfaces are dry before use.
  • Only use approved cleaning products and follow instructions.
  • Avoid cleaning materials that are acid based, such as those with vinegar or lemon juice.
  • For floors, preferably don’t use vacuum cleaners as they can scratch. Sweep with a soft brush.
  • When cleaning marble floors change the mopping water frequently.

 

More ways than one with marble

If you would prefer a hardier stone countertop, and don’t want to join the debate about the maintenance and wearability of marble, you could choose granite or quartz. If you’re determined to add some marble to your kitchen, it doesn’t have to be reserved for your counters. Here are 9 fabulous ideas for bringing some marvellous marble into your timeless, elegant cooking space.

  1. Flooring

Marble can be used on the floor, just be sure to use honed marble, which is more resilient to scratches, scuffs and general wear and tear. Marble floors are the most elegant choice when it comes to the kitchen. Each piece of marble has a unique personality and comes in a range of hues.

Unlike other stone floor materials, marble can take an extremely high polish, which means marble floor manufacturers can make the surface extremely smooth and shiny. Your kitchen floor will be gleaming and marble is a wonderful reflector of light.

You can always place a rug in areas with a high foot fall to keep your floor in pristine condition.

  1. The island

Marble islands make fabulous, gleaming centrepieces and can be matched with many other kitchen finishes.

  1. Sinks

If you’ve decided to go for marble countertops, integrated marble sinks look so amazing, you’d be crazy not to indulge.

  1. Splashbacks

If you are going for an all-white gloss kitchen, a white and grey marble splashback adds real wow factor. It creates an interesting feature while still maintaining the all-white glow you are going for. Take a look at the Worcester kitchen showroom to see how a marble splashback really adds a touch of class.

  1. A section of countertop

You don’t necessarily have to make all of your countertops marble ones. You are probably aware that marble is renowned for its cooling properties and is a great surface for working pastry. If you love baking and most of all see yourself as a bit of a patisserie chef, indulging in a special work surface area for perfect pastry makes perfect sense.

  1. Clock

Another elegant addition to kitchen is the marble clock. Timeless elegance for telling the time couldn’t be a more fitting description! Check out his one from SCP  – it does pared-back elegance beautifully.

  1. Cookbook stand

Many cookbook stands look great with a cookbook on, but look kind of redundant without. It’s not the case with a marble one. In fact, marble cookbook stands look so good on their own, you’ll be sad to cover it up when you’re busy following a recipe.

  1. Storage jars

If you’re one who likes to have the tea and coffee caddies close to hand, rather than shut away in a cupboard, why not make a feature out of them with marble ones.

  1. Lazy Susan

Imagine sitting at your kitchen island sharing a cheeseboard and a cheeky glass of wine with friends. The marble lazy Susan keeps cheese cool and looks pretty chic too. We love this one by Oliver Bonas.

So there you have it. Marble really can make a kitchen appearance in more ways than one.