A while back I did a post on “Coveted Cupcakery”- items that were cupcake-related that I thought would make excellent gifts, and I’d link to it, but sadly most of the items were Etsy items or Johnny Cupcakes items and they’re no longer for sale (that post was done in 2007, give me a break here). And then last fall, I did a post on aprons called “Apron Overkill“; including and all the ones I desired and ones I recommended for gift-giving. I haven’t done anything like it since, but I’ve wanted to. So I thought perhaps for Christmas this year I’d list some awesome gift ideas, ranging from pricey to affordable, reasonable and a bit out-there and back again, for the hostess with the mostess, or the baker who ain’t a Quaker, or the cook who.. I don’t know what rhymes with cook that’s appropriate for this. This post contains not just cooking or baking materials mind you, this encompasses a variety of foodie and baker related items. And it is by no means a comprehensive list… it’s just a sampling of ideas to push you in the right direction.
All of this stuff is stuff I would want to get, or stuff I can guarantee any cook or baker worth her salt would love to recieve for the holidays. Don’t hold me responsible if you buy any of these and your wife or girlfriend throws your clothes out onto the lawn because she wanted a gaudy ring from Zales instead (hey- I’m not judging, I’m just saying). I am not in any way responsible for bad taste or ungratefulness.
Anyway… here we are. The Cupcake Rehab Christmas Gift Guide 2009. Enjoy!
THE CANDY MAN CAN ($ – $$)
1.) Handmade TOPSTITCH Pouch: Every woman out there knows that there are times when you just need a pouch. For those unmentionable items, or for makeup, or keys, or whatever. And if they’re cute, then it makes them even more necessary. My friend Yoyo makes these by hand and sells them in her Artfire store. They’re totally adorable and extremely affordable. They come in all kinds of sweet prints, including foodie prints like this pears and apples one… and sometimes she even has cupcake ones for sale too. Her other prints are fantastic too, a personal favorite of mine are the sugar skull pattern and the tattoo print. She also makes coasters and she’d probably be willing to do custom jobs as well. So if you know a woman who loves to stash stuff in little bags and pouches, then this is totally the gift for her. Plus, it’s homemade, and what’s better than that? And if you tell her I sent you, you might get a sweet extra too.
TOPSTITCH pouch: $10.00
TOPSTITCH Artfire store | TOPSTITCH blog
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2.) Fancy cupcake wrappers & liners: Any baker who makes cupcakes loves liners. It’s a fact. Pretty liners are like shiny little jewels to us, just waiting for us to fill them with a new cupcake recipe. Boring liners are so 1980’s. Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies has a beautiful selection of cupcake liners and also gorgeous wrappers. Everything Lyns carries in her store is high quality, and incredibly unique. I personally am in love with these black filigree wrappers (shown) and the Sunflower wrappers, as well as these gorgeously gorgeous pink and gold foil cupcake liners and … uhm, hello? Tartan plaid cupcake liners!? Lyns also carries quality extracts and icing flavors, and cupcake boxes and packing supplies for those of you who give your baked goods as gifts this time of year. Again, a pretty little assortment of jewel-colored cupcake liners and fancy wrappers is a nice stocking stuffer this time of year for a baker… so think about ordering some from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes.
Wrappers: $6.75 – $14.00 for varying amounts , and cupcake liners: $7.00 – $10.99 for varying amounts
Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Bakery & Cupcakery Supplies website
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3.) Williams-Sonoma Penguin or polar bear Spatula: Things like this make mundane tasks like flipping cookies a tad more exciting. A penguin spatula! Another stellar idea for a stocking stuffer, or maybe part of a little gift set you create yourself (maybe tuck in some cupcake liners or silpats and muffin tins? Or maybe just have him peeking out of a stocking Christmas morning?), these flexible spatulas are super cute. There’s also a polar bear, if you’re more of a bear person than bird person, and the polar bear is no less cute than Mr. Penguin over here. The handles are brushed steel, and the nylon heads are heat resistant up to 400° F. Both little creatures are dishwasher safe, 11½ inches long, and are Williams-Sonoma exclusives.
Penguin or Polar Bear flexible spatula: $12.00 each
Penguin spatula | Polar Bear spatula | Williams-Sonoma website
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4.) Buttercream Cupcake Goat’s Milk soap: I love the assortment of cupcake soaps you can buy on Etsy. This one especially intrigues me because it’s made with goat’s milk. I know, right? That’s pretty interesting. But that’s not all it’s got in it: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin(kosher), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soy bean protein (conditioner), Fragrance oil and coloring are also ingredients in this cute little cupcake soap, in addition to goat’s milk. It’s scented with a vanilla buttercream scent and approx 4.5 oz.
Vanilla buttercream cupcake soap: $5.50
Vanilla cupcake goat’s milk soap | KcSoapsNmore Etsy store
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POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME ($$ – $$$)
1.) Jessie Steele apron: I’m a big apron fanatic. I have like upwards of 9 of them, all different; some vintage, some handmade, some not. I’m an apron whore, I admit. And my favorite brand of apron (aside from the ones Yoyo’s made me, which are one-of-a-kind and no, you can’t buy them) is Jessie Steele. I just love their patterns and styles. I have three of them and each one is absolutely adorable. And I know that many other cooks and bakers would love them too, they’re not your average apron. They’re classy looking and vintage-y, and look like they just popped out of LIFE magazine from 1950-something. Trust me- these aren’t your average dollar store BBQin’ aprons. They make you feel glamorous while you’re whisking egg yolks or baking pizzas. They carry hostess aprons, half-aprons, chef’s aprons, children’s aprons as well as matching oven mitts & tea towels, and now they have a new line of salon aprons for hairdressers. The Josephine bib-apron in “Candy Canes” that I show here is limited edition, just for this Christmas, so you better get on that. But there are TONS of other patterns and colors, like the Ava bib-apron in leopard (I have it), and the totally cute Ava bib-apron in this 50’s retro kitchen print, as well as the sexy Sophia bib-apron with black lace. Rawrrr. And there are lots more, check them out.
Jessie Steele aprons: from $22.95 (children’s) to $32.95 (adult women’s)
Jessie Steele website | Search Google for Jessie Steele aprons
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2.) Carolyn’s Kitchen aprons: Another of my favorites is Carolyn’s Kitchen’s aprons, mainly because of this apron I show right here: the Dorothy Lollipop apron, and this apron too, the Vixen apron. They’re so adorable and Christmas-y I can’t handle it, and on top of that, they’re more like dresses than aprons. I want them bad. But I love that site for other reasons too. Why else? Well, available to buy along with some of these aprons are matching garter belts. Garter belts! How Betty Page is that? Case in point: click here. I know, it’s adorable. And so tongue-in-cheek, I can’t imagine a woman who loves to cook or bake recieiving this apron or one like it and NOT loving it. Well, I can, actually, but those women are nutcases and if you’re significant other is a nutcase you should get out now, while you can. Seriously. Anyway, Carolyn’s Kitchen also sells rubber/vinyl gloves in colors and styles that match their aprons, which is a great idea, because if you’re hand washing dishes you will certainly mess up your manicure and when you’re wearing an apron like this you can’t have a messed up set of claws, ladies. The ‘About‘ page on the site is super cute too, a really fun read. And for you cupcakers, there are cupcake patterned aprons as well (love them too).
Carolyn’s Kitchen aprons: $29.92 – $42.00 depending on style/fabric
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3.) Digital Measuring Cup: Now this is genius. A digital measuring cup that tells you both volume & weight, and also allows you to do cumulative weighing. Amazing. It’s an LCD display and it’s not dishwasher safe (obviously), so it’s a hand wash item. But how handy is that!? It can tell you the exact amount, no more guessing or rounding up or adding too much flour in your recipes. This particular model is from Sur La Table, but I’m fairly sure you can get them in a variety of places now. Now all they need to invent are digital measuring spoons and we’ll all be set.
Digital Measuring Cup: $35.00
Digital Measuring cup at Sur La Table | Sur La Table website | Search Google for digital measuring cups
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4.) ‘Keep Calm & Have a Cupcake’ matted print: Jenny’s Bake Shop always has the cutest merch, and this is no exception. How adorable would this print look framed and hanging (or leaning on the counter) in your favorite bakers kitchen?! A 5 x 7″ print, it fits in an 8 x 10″ frame. According to the Etsy page: This piece is based on an old World War II era poster that was issued by the British government. During wartime, it was important to try to keep the public informed, and as free from panic as possible. The original poster read: “Keep Calm and Carry On” , and at the top there was a graphic of a crown to signify that this directive came from the King. Well since then, a lot of people fell in love with this simple design and positive message and repro posters in all colors are now available. What you see here is our cheeky take on that design icon…we offer a bit more incentive than simply “carrying on”…in order for us to “Keep Calm” there’s gotta be some cupcakes involved! So cute! I for one would love this.
Keep Calm & Have a Cupcake matted print: $22.00
Keep Calm & Have a Cupcake matted print | JennysBakeShop at Etsy
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5.) Cupcakes Are Cool t-shirt: This adorable shirt is from dressingOnTheSide at Etsy. It’s a limited edition shirt, and it’s silkscreened on a super soft American Apparel t-shirt. I believe it comes in both petal pink and white, as well. What does it say exactly? Click here to see the full size image. It’s a unique gift for a cupcake lover or cupcake baker, or just a baker in general, and when purchasing this shirt, you’re also supporting an artisan and buying handmade, which rocks. Support DIY! Support Etsy!
Cupcakes Are Cool t-shirt: $21.00
Cupcakes Are Cool shirt | dressingOnTheSide Etsy store
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HEY, BIG SPENDER ($$$ – $$$$)
1.) KitchenAid mixer: The Pièce de résistance. Okay so, basically, this is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only for the cook/baker, but for everyone who partakes in the eating of whatever treats, confections and meals the aforementioned kitchen wizard makes. It’s a godsend, it makes everything easier- from mixing buttercream, making meringue, kneading pizza dough, whatever. It’s awesome.I got mine for my birthday last year and I adore it (she’s pink and her name is Lola, don’t judge me). Whatever color (it comes in a huge range, from copper and brushed silver to black, pink, red, green, blue and more… you name it) or style (Professional or Artisan) you choose, it’s a total slam dunk. Not only because of what it can do right out of the box, but because of all the cool attachments you can buy: pasta and ravioli makers, ice cream makers, etc. I can count at least 4 women I know right this minute who would love to get one of these babies under the Christmas tree. It looks gorgeous in your kitchen and it’s functional too. How cool is that? Very fucking cool.
KitchenAid mixer: approx. $239.99 – $529.99
KitchenAid website | Search Google for KitchenAid stand mixers
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2.) Tiffany Cupcake Charm: Let’s say your lady is a baker and cupcake maker, but she’s already got a KitchenAid mixer, or maybe she’s more into the jewelry side of things. Well you really can’t go wrong with anything from Tiffany. This is something you guys need to learn early- that little blue box looks a hell of a lot bigger to a woman. And now Tiffany makes adorable little cupcake charms. They come in both silver with pink enamel (shown) and yellow & white gold with multi-color gem “sprinkles” which is admittedly much pricier. But whatever your budget, the sentiment is the same: cupcakes are wonderful, whether in gold or sugar form. A sweet piece of jewelry for your sweetie. How corny of me, right?
Tiffany Cupcake Charms: from $150 – $1,350
Tiffany website | Search Google for Tiffany Cupcake Charm
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3.) CUPCAKES vintage style sign: For the ultimate in shabby chic kitchen decorating, this ‘Cupcakes 1c’ sign is it. It looks old, but it’s not, and it’s got so much character you know you’ll be constantly asked where you got it. A total conversation piece. Perfect to hang in a kitchen, or in a bake shop if you own one.
Cupcakes 1c vintage style sign: $78.00
Cupcakes vintage sign | mypaintedporch1 at Etsy
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4.) ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ necklace: I’ve been a fan of sudlow on Etsy for quite some time. I’ve been admiring the stuff in her shop from a distance for ages, especially the ‘Give Peas a Chance’ necklace (which is pretty funny for me considering Jay hates peas). Well this necklace features a cupcake, and a little banner that says ‘Let Them Eat Cake.’ And as if that’s not good enough for you, you can even request a custom phrase for the banner. And her shop has tons of other beautiful things, so check it out and get something for all the non-cupcake loving people on your list.
‘Let Them Eat Cake’ necklace: $65.00
‘Let Them Eat Cake’ necklace | sudlow at Etsy
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And that’s that. An array of gifts from low to high end, and back again, so there’s no excuse to buy anyone you know who’s a Cupcake Rehab-er or cook a shitty gift!
And speaking of Cupcake Rehab, don’t forget there’s always the Cupcake Rehab store as well… t-shirts, hoodies, kid’s shirts, mugs, mousepads & aprons galore, all with various Cupcake Rehab logos. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Ack! How cute is that Lollipop apron!?!?!?!?
I know, I love it.
Great list! I NEED that measuring cup. I was at Sur La Table last night but I refrained. Hubs and I have a deal that we can’t buy each other “gifts” during December but it was SO hard!
Wait that didn’t come out right. Ok lemme clarify.
We CAN’T buy gifts for ourselves but we CAN buy gifts for each other. HA!
That’s a clever little rule you have! I’m sure it’s hard though… I see so many things I want, especially this time of year.
That measuring cup is awesome. I wish there was a pink one… or black. Maybe there is somewhere…
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