Mitts or grannie squares, silicon or quilted batting. There are a lot of choices when it comes to potholders, also referred to by some as hot pads. What do you prefer to use when you want to protect your delicate porcelain skin from the ravages of a hot oven?

Old handwritten family recipe cards too often spend most of their time hidden away in boxes. Why not turn your most treasured handwritten recipes into beautiful, useful tea towels that can be displayed and enjoyed every day? The Spoonflower blog has a tutorial on how to do it using their custom fabric printing service. More

Q: I discovered these French kitchen towels called torchons that sell on Etsy for $20.00+ for one towel. The ones made out of "metis linen" seem to be more expensive. I found a set of six towels for $111.00. I would like to know what is so special about these towels. Why are they so pricey?

Sent by Heidi More

I was pretty happy to spot these bolts of 100% cotton tea towel fabric at my local fabric store. The edges are finished with selvages, so you just have to sew up either end and voilà! you have a lovely tea towel for considerably less than what it would cost to buy them pre-made. The fabric comes in classic stripes and checks as well as vintage patterns. More

If you have an old picnic table that's ugly and scarred, or if you're at a public picnic site and want to cover the table tops with something cheerful and easy to clean, consider this: oilcloth! A few yards will instantly add a bright and celebratory vibe to your gathering! More

Item: Mercado Market Bag
Price: $25.00 plus shipping
Overall Impression: A beautiful and practical market bag that also works as a picnic tote!

Many of the market totes available today can be attractive but they sometimes don't function very well. Unless we bring lots of plastic bags and plan our shopping trip very carefully, our precious strawberries and tomatoes often drift down to the bottom and everything collapses inward to squash and confuse things. What would happen if individual compartments were built into the bag, allowing you to carefully place and secure your beautiful produce? This Mercado bag from Quirky lets you do just that and at a great price point, too! More

I like mixing and matching cloth napkins and other kitchen textiles. (Too much of the same gets old pretty fast.) But if you're worried about your table looking too hodge-podge, then consider these tablecloth and napkin sets from Scandinavian design company Tas-Ka. Similar, yet slightly different patterns for the tablecloth and napkins coordinate beautifully, and add interesting texture and pattern without looking too messy or mismatched. More

Ah, Spring. You're all around me, and I'm not going to fight you. In fact, when I saw this lovely Spring bouquet—all blushing and verdant—it swept me away to the interwebs in search of spring-ey tabletop accessories and kitchen tools to match its bright, cheery colors. More

You know how tea can stain teeth? Undesirable, right? But take that same staining ability and apply it to plain-jane white table linens and you have yourself a real gem. Just check out these examples: More

All over California and Florida, citrus trees laden with oranges, lemons and grapefruits are bursting with color this time of year. Even if you don't live in one of these locales, there's no need to be envious — you can still bring these cheery fruits into your kitchen with these citrus-inspired accessories! More