Aprons

I'm shamelessly piggy-backing on Shannon's "A Few Loose Ends" post (from Rocks In My Dryer). Not because I have a few loose ends, although ... if you could pop into my brain right now, you might disagree with me. No, I'm piggy backing on her post because I wanted to talk a bit about the whole Apron Contest being hosted by Barbara at Mommy Life. It could also be because I want to see how many links I can put in one post ... Naaah.

I just thought it was such an interesting topic that Barbara posted about -- aprons. She mentioned that she puts her apron on whenever she's in the kitchen, and it means "I am ready for business." As I thought about that, I realized that I too have the same sentiment. When I don my sturdy denim apron, it truly means that I'm ready for business, and BACK OFF BUDDY... there's no time for distractions, 'cause momma's cooking in the kitchen!

Then, I started to think back on my childhood. My mom, who is of Italian descent but born and raised in Peru, used to wear one all the time. She loved aprons. She had little frilly waist aprons, and full sized aprons. I remember the white frilly cotton aprons she would put on whenever she had company. And yes, she starched them ... something I would probably NEVER do (Praise God for oilcloth and denim/canvas!). But she grew up in an era where women wore frilly, pretty, and functional aprons. And like Barbara's family, it conjurs sweet and warm memories in my mind of my mom working in the kitchen creating all kinds of yummy and gourmet things! Honestly, it warms my heart to think that there might be one, two or three little things that I do (like wear an apron) that my kids will one day hold close to their hearts. Funny how we associate simple things like that with the feeling of "mom" and being loved by mom!

I must admit, though ... I was a wee bit jealous of Barbara's beautiful apron. The fabrics are TO DIE FOR, AND -- it's oilcloth! So, I went in search of a new apron.

I did find an adorable oilcloth apron that was the same style as the one Barbara showcases, but it wasn't from the kind of company I would be willing to advertise on my blog ... and they didn't have it in the same fabric. So, if you're interested, email me. Otherwise ... here are some of the aprons I did find, and even ordered...

This sweetheart apron looked really cute, and would look cute yet casual (maybe) when we have company to dinner. It's black and white polka dot (remember ... back in black) cotton with heart shaped pockets ... I found it at Carolyn's Kitchen. She sells retro, and "sexy" aprons, although I'm NOT going for the whole "sexy in an apron" look. She even has ... hold your breath ... matching RUBBER GLOVES. Did you see them in the picture? Glory be ... can anything be more adorable?




Then, I found this cute apron ... this is actually more my style, and looks very much like my denim one, which I love. It IS, however, oilcloth, and while not as fancy as Barbara's, it does comes in many fun and funky patterns/colors, and can be found at (of all places) Comfy Bath. I love this leopard print, but I got the black and white gingham print, because I wanted it to match the future kitchen of my dreams [snort!] Hey! A girl's gotta dream, and dream big, I say!!!

Did I mentione that they sell matching rubber gloves, too?

So, here are my two picks for cute aprons: 1) for a regular, heavy-duty-every-day-day-in-and-day-out kind of apron, try Comfort Bath 2) if you're looking to bring back the charm of retro aprons in your kitchen ... check out Carolyn's Kitchen.



And ... just for the record ... here is a picture of Barbara's adorable vintage oilcloth "Lucy" apron that I covet. It used to be sold on Amazon.com, but as Barbara mentioned in her blog, the manufacturers seem to have disappeared, and it's not available right now. But Barbara -- I'm all over it when it gets back in stock!
And for heaven's sake ... check out the entries to Barbara's contest here... and VOTE! (Deadline: January 12)

One more thing ... if you can find me one of these beauties in the same exact colors/pattern, let me know, 'kay?