Romantic Country Washday

Summertime just calls for an ode to laundry, and it's been a while since I've done one. We have the perfect weather for it in Albuquerque today. Lovely and calm, and in the high eighties after a couple of pretty blustery and hot days.

I promised a better look at the wonderful quilt I found on my last trip to Santa Barbara, CA., and here it is. Right at home with a couple of zinc washtubs that I found flea-ing a few months ago. I'm in love with all the weathered grey.

A lacey throw gets an airing. . .

and a sweet basket full of vintage napkins and towels.

It's a good day for festooning things in trees and among the bushes. Either to dry, or to set a scene. (The hanging willow wall basket is from Cost Plus.)

I came across this beautiful antique apron with a handmade trim some time ago for a pittance. I think it just needs a day in the sun. There's so much romance in a pretty old apron, don't you think?

An old pitcher and washbasin completes the scene.

 With the fragrance of roses wafting in the still air, I'm ready to call it an old fashioned washday. . . 

Such a lovely day in June. I hope you're having one too!

Thanks so much for paying me a visit. It really makes my day!

Have a great week ahead. . .

Jacqueline

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The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Summer Laundry

Laundry is one of my favorite subjects. . . When it's done like this. We're lucky enough to have fresh air and sunshine and a clothesline. Later in the season the air will be as hot as an automatic dryer.

But on a mild day like this I can strip a bed at 8:30 and have it washed, hung, damp dry, and all ironed by 10:30 with plenty of time in-between to read a few blogs! The trick is to catch the linens damp for ironing so that the pressing is a breeze. It's a bit like cooking. You just have to stay with it (or at least have it in mind) until it's done. For those of you who hate ironing, all I can say is I feel that way about cooking! 

I have grandkiddos coming in a few days, so my guest room nursery, which is also my linen room, needs a bit of clearing out. That always gets me messing with some pretty linens and laces. All in all, not a bad way for me to spend a morning.

I hope you're loving some Summer air!

Ciao! for now!

Jacqueline

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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.