Shortly, I realized that chastening my family for using dishtowels to wipe things up was insane. I solved the problem by gradually replacing our utilitarian dishtowels with pretty ones, and breathing more deeply when people used them for their intended purpose.

The upside to routinely staining dishtowels is that I can spend more time lusting after the handmade versions on Etsy. Hello, darlings:

Hand Printed Linen Tea Towel

$12 from Leanne Graeff

Oranges Flour Sack Kitchen Towel

$10 from Ink Lore

Orange Chrysanthemum Tea Towel

$12 from Flower Press

Ice Cream Lollies Tea Towel

$16 from The Mr. PS Shop

Big Breakfast Tea Towel

$16 from The Mr. PS Shop

When you’re having cocktails on the deck, it’s such a very long way to the kitchen. We thought about getting a mini fridge, but decided a bar cart would be so much more civilized, and versatile. We picked up a cart at a flea market, and now I’m figuring out how to equip it:

Ona Pitcher

$27 at Crate and Barrel

Rosle Boston Shaker

$50 at Amazon

Six Pack of Bird Dishtowels

$84 at Art Goodies

Scissor Cut Ice Bucket

$45 at Crate and Barrel

Bamboo Bar Board

$9 at Greenfeet

Mr. and Mrs. Jones Juicer

$90 at Pure Modern