Reviving Homemaking: Top Posts of 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

1) DIY Chair Cushion

I love the way that a meal shared with friends or family can linger as conversations continue well after the food is finished. My tush, on the contrary, is less than pleased with the extended time on hard chairs. Maybe it's the design of our chairs? Either way, today's post is all about adding function within the dining room with the creation of some DIY chair cushions.

Once again, I'm turning to one of my favorite resources for providing a large amount of material in a very cost effective manner- the $5 twin sheet. As much as I enjoy creative projects, I also enjoy saving money where I can. The pieces of foam ranged from $5.99-6.99 each depending on the craft store. I highly recommend collecting store coupons to purchase the foam pieces even if that means making multiple trips to the store (if you're already out and about in town, of course). I calculated the cost to be around $19.39 (if you get each foam piece with a coupon or on sale), which is about $4.85 per chair cushion for my set of four chairs. I fairly certain even the cheapest options in the stores are higher. Plus, since I'm using the same sheet I made the tablecloth with, I know that the two pieces will match.

2) How to Make a Tablecloth from a Sheet

When we moved into our current home, I decided to change my color scheme up a bit. I had previously done bold primary colors and now desired some cooler tones. The new color scheme also allows me to incorporate my favorite color- gray! My current room project is our dining room. I wanted to replace (or at least have a second) the red tablecloth with a gray one. I soon discovered that gray is not a very popular color for a tablecloth, or, at least, not as popular within my desired price range. I then discovered the local discount store was having a white sale. I found a king size set of sheets for $20 and instantly envisioned the set being transformed into a tablecloth and seat cushions. The pillowcases will be used to make pillowcase dresses to send to organizations like Dress A Girl Around the World. That's a lot of material and potential for the typical price of a single store-bought tablecloth.

3) Cleaning Routine

At one time, my husband and I both worked outside the home. We had an agreement that if we were both to be responsible for bringing in an income, then we would both be responsible for also keeping up with the housework. The understanding was for each of us to be capable and responsible of taking care of any household task. In order to make this work, we had to discuss our expectations. One of the causes for frustrations when it comes to all persons contributing to the management of the home is that each person will have a different perspective and expectation. Therefore, it becomes necessary to discuss the various standards and even make a list or timetable. A useful way to display the tasks/routine is to slip the list/routine into a frame and then use a dry erase marker to assign or mark off tasks. This way complete or incomplete tasks can be communicated with everyone else in the home. It also would keep each person accountable for pulling his/her share within the home. Expressing expectations for everyone keeps frustrations low and progress high.

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