What About A Casserole Carrier!?!?

Okay, so you've seen the t-shirt quilt, but what I didn't show you yesterday was the shower gift from ME.  Before I show you, I must tell you that I really, really enjoy giving gifts.  For me, it starts with coming up with an idea or theme; then it's shopping for or making the item or items so the gift becomes tangible; then it's about seeing the recipient's reaction when they open it.  I just get a real thrill from it all.  When you really think about it, some of the best highlights of life are surprises - so I guess it's all about the surprise and the quest to make it happen.

I'm also known for giving cookbooks as gifts, which, by the way, is no surprise to my friends and family anymore. LOL.  Well we have to be known for something?  So I started with my usual search on the Internet and found an awesome cookbook entitled, What Can I Bring?  by Anne Byrn, which I reserved for pick-up at my local bookseller.  This book was rated pretty highly and thought it would be perfect for a young couple that entertains and socializes quite a bit.  I also thought to encourage them to use the cookbook, they would need something to carry their dish(es) in, so I did a search on casserole carriers and found the blog TAYLORMADE at http://www.itstaylormade.com/2011/10/casserole-carrier.html, which ultimately took me to the tutorial:  2 Little Hooligans at http://www.2littlehooligans.com/2010/10/24/casserole-carrier-tutorial/.  I then made my casserole carrier incorporating features from both of theirs.  Here it is:

And of course I picked up a casserole dish to put inside.  So my themed gift for potluck became a real gift--not just something I had in mind.   By the way, the gift-ee loved it!