I had designed a beautiful guest room in our house in Bend. Most of the furnishings were family hand-me-downs: twin antique twin beds, crochet bedspreads and dust ruffles, a funky old chest of drawers I had stained and painted to match the douvets I'd made, a child's little roll-top desk and chair, a lady's chair and small round tea table, and quilts. I knew I would never have a room like that again, but I was not happy about giving it up this beautiful room.
The solution came slowly. At first I stored most everything. When my husband and I moved to our current home, we embarked on a substantial remodel. The painted chest became the base for the vanity and I transformed one of the douvets into a shower curtain. It's a beautiful room and I love it!
There was room for the little roll-top desk at the end of the hall. It serves as a display for my vintage dolls and children's books. I donated the bedsteads to the local Humane Society thrift shop (I enjoy thinking about the benefits it gave to a few animals)and I found relatives who wanted the bedspreads crocheted by our mutual ancestor.
The point of this long-winded description is that part of adjusting to down-sizing is repurposing furnishings and giving up the rest to just the right recipients. I must remind myself I've done this before and I can do it again!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to pop over to answer your question about drop cloths. Yes, I do wash them ahead of time, but I don't press them. They have a slight stretch to them, so I use that to my advantage when upholstering with them. My mom can't handle the slightly rumpled look, so she just bought me a new iron (the one I have was bought for $15 14 years ago!) I'm sure I'll iron my slipcovers while I make them once I get it.