Sunday, September 4, 2016

Humble Homemaking


Those of you who have followed our blog for any length of time know that we have mastered the art of "making do".  I love my home to be inviting and cozy, an escape from the outside world, but I don't believe that I have to spend a bunch of money "decorating" when I can use a little creativity to create a comfortable and warm home.

Sir Knight and I have a mountain escape that we are slowly equipping and furnishing on a nonexistent budget.  Although furnished with a couch and a rocking chair, the living room echoed with emptiness, resulting in our children playing "musical chair" in an effort to claim the only comfortable spot in the house! 

Looking around for inspiration, I came upon two wingback wicker chairs that I had warehoused in our storage shed.  The chairs were very comfortable - in fact they formed a "nest" for my children when we had whooping cough - but they were in dire need of a good cleaning and a cosmetic makeover.  Thinking they would be perfect for "Cair David", I hauled them out of storage, and with Miss Serenity's help, began to give them a new life.

Miss Serenity in the "nest" with whooping cough

The chair, in great need of an update!

Miss Serenity painting

Putting old sheets to good use


My oh, so professional upholstery job!
The first thing Serenity and I did was give the chairs a good scrubbing.  After they had been cleaned, Miss Serenity sprayed the chairs black, while I cut and fitted old flannel sheets to the cushions.  I just cut the sheets slightly larger than the cushions and used kilt pins to pin the fabric to the backs of the cushions.  Eventually, I would like to sew new slipcovers for the cushions, but for now, the sheet covers work well. 

Freshly painted and updated

In Cair David
Over the years, I have found that a warm, inviting home can be made with what you have on hand.  Maid Elizabeth and Miss Serenity have both helped me bring treasures home that we have found by the dump or on the side of the road.  Although this may be humble homemaking, it is the best kind of home making I know!

4 comments:

  1. Your post reminds me of a dresser that my wife refinished. It was purchased at a used furniture place for a very small amount. It was painted white and although appeared solid it was unappealing. Low and behold when she stripped off the paint what was under it was a delightful birds eye maple veneer. We still have it and use it in the guest bedroom. It was a real low buck find!

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  2. Dear Enola, Thank you for the updates on your last few posts. It's like receiving a letter from your favorite friend who lives far away. Your writing ALWAYS warms my heart and the feeling lingers through out the day. I know life gets in the way of blogging, so thank you for taking your time to fill us in on the happenings around the old homestead.
    The best to you and yours.

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  3. I paid $7 for an end table at a garage sale. It had been painted white (very badly), but I thought we could strip it and use it in the basement. My husband did, indeed, strip it and found it to be solid maple. He checked inside a drawer and found the Ethan Allen label. He re-stained and varnished it and put it beside the bed in the master bedroom in place of a much less attractive piece. We looked up the price of a similar piece and found it for over $400.

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