Have you ever noticed that once you begin thinking about something, you begin to see it everywhere you look? One example is when you buy a new, "new-to-you" car and then you see that car everywhere?
Well, I've been thinking about the daily~ness of homemaking that can seem dull and dreary ~ if you let it. Finding beauty in the ordinary is, at its core, a mindset game and in practice, a simple concept to rewrite.
The truth is beauty is all around us, we simply need to retrain our thinking so we can see and create daily beauty. There are two sides to finding beauty in our daily lives. One is to look for beauty, and the other is to create beauty. The first step is to train yourself to look for the beauty around you and no one is better at this than a child. Children naturally observe and enjoy beauty since many things are still "new" to them. Take a cue from a child and choose to see the world through fresh eyes.
The beauty around us can be seen in a sunrise, blooming flowers, a hot, fluff quiche cooling on the stove, or fresh linens neatly stacked in the cupboard.
Several ordinary things that I enjoy daily are in my kitchen. The creamy white ironstone soap holder with the block of French milled soap, and the little wooden bristle scrub brush make a lovely trio and brighten the daily task of doing dishes. Ordinary things/tasks are beautiful.
Maximize Beauty
As we've talked about before the function of your home can contribute luxury and beauty to everyday living. On that note, I've got a fabric stash that is out of hand...
Have you found that once the word gets out that you collect this or that, or that you enjoy this craft or that hobby then those things can come your way in quantities? Such has been the case for me. I love to sew and have a background in garment construction which has morphed into quilting. This means I've been given my grandmother's lifetime fabric stash. What a trip down memory lane! This was years ago and I've used some of her fabric and whittled down the rest. But still, the fabric comes... The fabric has been stored in a lovely vintage armoire, which looks beautiful from the outside but isn't functional since only the center panel opens. Today is the day to remove, reassess, and relocate the fabric so I can get to it and use it.
Now the armoire is empty and all the best fabrics that I actually have a plan for are organized and in one place ~ where I can get to them!
Oh, this is delightful! It is a relief to get rid of fabrics that either weren't my style/color palette or are not the 100% cotton fabric that my quilts are made of. Now this fabric stash is just what I want to sew with, and is within easy reach. Fabric designers today create such beautiful fabrics that even just storing them is a way to maximize the beauty of the designs. Seeing the fabrics organized by project is pretty and inspiring to get started on!
Create Beauty
Plants and pots are ordinary. But when combined and displayed they provide everyday beauty. A friend of mine made me this macrame pot holder, isn't that sweet of her?! I have just the spot and plant for it. I also have a blue and white chinoiserie planter on hand so let's add both to the hall bath. Our hall bath gets lots of natural light so an English ivy would be perfect. English ivy does well with this amount of lighting, plus it enjoys the steam from the shower.
Let's soften the stark white by dyeing it in tea to a soft cream for a more vintage feel. I've never done this before and have heard that the longer you leave something in the tea the darker it will get. I'm looking for a soft creamy brown so a quick dip will do.
This tea dip-dyed macrame plant holder project turned out well and added freshness to this corner of the bathroom. It brings a smile to my face every time I see it! Now I'm considering rearranging the art...
Friend, I hope this post and video has inspired you to look for and add beauty to the dailyness of your homemaking.
Warmly, Rachel
