Time to set the table...

Cream and White Placemats

Cottage Chic Placemats

Mixing strands of white and cream yarn turned out a placemat set that genuinely complements a range of decor styles from cottage chic and French country to modern and minimalist.

Christmas countdown...

With lots of red, green, and black from our t-shirt yarn stash, we now have trivets, snack mats, and placemats that coordinate. How's that for washable Christmas decor?

Something sweet!

We wanted a new recipe to model with our placemats so we selected a pineapple upside down cake as our alternative to freshly baked cookies as a prop. The cake's topping features a sweet and gooey mixture of brown sugar, butter, and pineapple in lieu of frosting. The cake itself has a similar flavor to a sponge cake, making it the perfect complement to the pineapple's slightly chewy texture.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For cake:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pineapple juice

For topping:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 can of pineapple, chunks or slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drain the can of pineapple and reserve juice for cake batter.

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, granulated sugar, and eggs. Mix remaining dry ingredients separately and add alternately with juice to creamed sugar mixture.

In a cast iron skillet* on the stovetop, melt 4 tablespoons butter and stir in brown sugar. Simmer together until sugar is dissolved. Arrange pineapple chunks or slices on top of brown sugar mixture. Then pour batter into skillet and bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 15 - 20 minutes, then invert skillet over platter. Let stand until cake falls out of skillet (may take 5 minutes or longer). Serve warm, if desired. Any leftovers will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*Or other 9 to 10 inch diameter oven-proof dish.

What size is it? {Placemats Edition}

Ready for a photo shoot...

Time for a skillet cookie!

 Now for the placemats - with our "standard" size of 15 inches by 20 inches, there is plenty of room for a full place-setting, including multiple pieces of silverware, glassware, and a charger (if desired). Since we rarely have room for single-tasking pieces in our house, we are often found using our placemats to hold pans of freshly baked cookies (plenty of room for an 11x17 pan here!), cast-iron skillets full of our latest cornbread or scones recipe, or a French press and all the usual coffee-drinking paraphernalia.

Yet another cookie recipe!

Spring pastels...

A refreshing palette of spring shades lends a cottage-chic feel to our newest set of placemats. Knitted from upcycled t-shirts (similar in style to our rag rugs), our placemats are thick and durable, not mention machine washable. The pretty pastels, ranging from pale pink and lavender to celery green and aqua blue, add an elegant twist to our normally rustic-styled placemats. The large rectangular size makes the placemats highly versatile - they are large enough to cushion an entire placesetting, including a charger, or even a tea service, but small enough to be used as the base of a centerpiece on even the smallest of dining tables.