SWEET HOMEMAKING

I love being a housewife, homemaker, or domestic manager! No matter what you call it, taking care of my lovely home, my wonderful husband, and two adorable kitties is my passion. Homemaking is a skill that anyone can acquire. It's really just common sense accented by some basic knowledge. Over the years, I have come across some pretty amazing tips that make household chores a breeze. Click on to one of the links below to learn my secrets to making a house into a home, sweet home!

Sophisticated Storage

A Silver Lining

Scarf Stash

My home is about 29 years old. Not a vintage home by far, but it is lovely and mine! My Grandma's 100 year old home had plenty of closets, cellar space, attic space, and cabinetry. Today, the biggest complaint ladies have is they never have enough storage space.

To fix that issue in our house, my husband converted our back bedroom into a walk in storage closet. It houses extra dinnerware, all of my cooking gadgets, clothing, picture books, art supplies, and so on. It's my catchall room. We all have one, right? But since I am a neat nut, I wanted the room orderly in appearance. I decided to purchase pretty plastic and straw storage bins to make a bland storage area look neat and inviting.

For about $8 each, I was able to outfit my shelves on a very affordable budget. When storing winter sweaters, I placed them vertically, by color. By doing this, I can easily see the garments and make my choice without rummaging through a stack of sweaters. The bin stays neat and clean! 💖

One anniversary, I hinted to Mr. Z that I wanted a sterling silver tea set for my formal living room. Of course, he came through for me and gifted me the most beautiful tea set! It was grand until one day the dreaded tarnish set it. My once shiny tea service was now dull and stained. What to do?

Two methods work well for your Grandma's inherited silver flatware or platters. I use both depending on my available time.

Salt/Foil Method:

Start by placing a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of your sink or bucket.
Fill half way with warm water then sprinkle in two tablespoons of table salt and two tablespoons of baking soda.
Drop your silver pieces into the water one at a time.
Allow your silver to soak for two to three minutes, or as long as five minutes for heavily tarnished items.
Dry and polish.

Silver Polish Method:

1. Using your favorite brand of Silver polish (I love Howard Pine-Ola Silver Polish brand).

2. Using a soft cloth, apply the polish on the silver pieces liberally, working on only one piece at a time.

Let the polish dry then buff with a clean, soft cloth. 💋

It's embarrassing to reach for a scarf on your way out the door to find that it is full of wrinkles. Most of the time, my scarf drawer was a real catastrophe! So I did some research to seek out some creative ideas on how to get my cache of scarves under control.

One site recommended using PVC pipes cut to fit the drawer, but that sounded like way too much work! But it got me thinking, what is round, convenient and at my fingertips that would double as a storage container for my scarves. RED CUPS! Yes, the famous red drinking cups used for drinking games and such is a great substitute.

I simply took a stack of cups, rolled my scarfs, and neatly tucked them into the cups. I placed the cups inside my scarf drawer. Easy breezy organized!

My drawer is not only organized and looks great, but I can now see each scarf so it makes selecting or finding the right scarf a breeze! 🌹