Good Things by David

For those of you who have been following the blog for some time, you know how much I cherish my only niece.  In honor of a special life celebration that we are throwing her this month to celebrate her childhood cancer remission, I chose to make dozens upon dozens of leukemia ribbon sugar cookies for the 100 plus guests that we're expecting.   I don't think I've ever made any cancer ribbon cookies for anyone, so who better than for my special niece?  Ribbon cookie cutters can be found in several sizes and styles, so it's up to you how large or how small you want your ribbon cookies to be, and if you want them to have the centers cut out or left intact.  I chose the former. My west coast affiliate cookie crafter, who happens to be my cousin, is also helping out with the sugar cookie favors.  Johanna is becoming extremely adept at making phenomenal sugar cookies, so I am beyond thrilled that she is assisting the family. Armed with baked and cooled sugar c

Vintage kitchen towels or tea towels have such special appeal to those of us who collect a variety of household textiles.  The term "tea towel" is what we often associate with the variety of toweling that was spun from linen and used in kitchens throughout the decades for drying delicate items such as glass and china. Tea towels or kitchen towels made from either 100% linen or a cotton-linen blend are easily recognizable by touch and by their look.  These are not the type of super-absorbent cotton towels (think bar mops and other terry-cloth towels) used in today's kitchens to wipe up spills and clean the counters. If you're lucky enough to find new-old stock with the sizing still intact, you will see how wonderfully attractive they were presented to the consumer with their bright colors, crisp texture and natural weaving.  Even better is when you find towels with their original tags. Pricing varies from under $10 to over $30 for one towel, depending on the