01/ The Perfect Addition for Those That Cook

Mixing it up this year with the gift guides! This year’s theme is ‘The Perfect Addition’. Each week I’ll be featuring one core item along with a few options for the perfect pairing to buy or diy. ‘The Perfect Addition’ makes it easy to scale up or down a present for any budget or recipient. And because cookie exchange season is upon us, let’s start with a kitchen workhorse, the wooden spoon. Perfect for those that cook.

Whether it’s an heirloom piece (my first cooking spoon was one of my mom’s wedding gifts!), a unique craft fair find, or the good old Target stand-by, wooden spoons are timeless and infinitely personable. Because who truly doesn’t need another one of these beauties?

Tea Towels
I didn’t truly understand the appeal of dish towels until I had a cooking domain of my own. They’re the perfect touch of personality and you’ll quickly find you have very strong opinions about your favorites. I love buying tea towels from local textile artists 1) because having 20 tea towels is easier than keeping 20 sets of bed sheets and 2) because they’re useful souvenirs.

If you’re looking to diy, try stamping, stitching or dyeing! The flour sack 4 pack from Target is $4, they’re the most used base for Pinterest diy’s, and they dry beautifully.

Pro Tip: Holiday markets are coming up! Any kind of maker fair will have beautiful pieces.

TO BUY
linen flock
cheerful colorful illustrations
subtle holiday cheer

TO DIY
stamped
Shibori dyed
Sashiko stitched

Wood Butter
Give them the tool to keep their new gift in tip-top shape- wood butter! It’s a salve that conditions and protects wooden utensils from daily use. Honestly, the diy version is so simple and cheap I almost didn’t include a ‘buy’ version for this section but John Boos is an industry standard for wood cutting boards and care.

Learn how to refinish cheap or old wooden utensils in the diy link below.

TO BUY
classic John Boos

TO DIY
beeswax base

Cooking Infusions
Add a bit of spice to their life with fun cooking infusions. To me, flavored sauces, salts, and oils fall under that ‘luxuries no one spends on themselves’ category.

Find creative mixes in gift ready packaging at Trader Joe’s or T.J. Maxx. Bon Appetite has me convinced to gourmet shop like a Maxxinista.

TO BUY
Bees Knees Wildflower Honey
Queen Majesty Hot Sauce
small batch mustards

TO DIY
citrus simple syrup
infused salts
infused olive oil

Recipe Cards
Is anything more personal than a handwritten recipe? Recipe cards are available for print online or any cooking store and the presentation is only limited if you think inside the box ;).

TO BUY
Rifle Paper Co Tin + Cards
acrylic recipe box
wood recipe box with dividers

TO DIY
cookbook template
minimal recipe cards
colorful recipe cards

Do you like this kind of gift guide? Let me know what you think in the comments!