Anti-Anxiety Lifestyle

Back when I started selling antiques I thought that I gravitated toward stocking embroidered pillowcases and 50's print tablecloths because they sold well. But I have come to learn that I collect linen the way some old ladies collect stray cats. I offer premium items for sale, but I'm always coming across exquisite flawed specimens for practically nothing that I just cannot leave behind. I now have a few spectacular samples that are my absolute favorites.

Tablecloths in particular lend themselves to camouflage by layering; the fancy ones peeking through underneath like frothy petticoats, and displayed with prints on top or with white on white (yum). Layering is also practical for infatuations with smaller cloths that won't cover a large dining table. Use an inexpensive damask cloth (which you can find EVERYWHERE) underneath.

People often think that's too much fuss and trouble, but I do it because it's so EASY! Nothing is faster and easier than whisking off a jammy cloth and throwing it in the washer after a meal. Our mothers and grandmothers knew this. They had tons of cheery tablecloths that they hung clotheslines (which got them outside a few times a day--try this as a mood elevator). And restaurants do it too. Peel off the top layer, and "NEXT!"

We keep a pile of bibs and placemats in the sideboard for the grandkids. Nobody even has to get up from the table to fetch one. And their parents feel so much better about sitting down to pretty linen. But why having a beautiful table should cause anyone anxiety is beyond me. Passing through and seeing my covered table several times a day works better than a pill.