WASHING: How to Care for Vintage Linens & Lace

Welcome to the first in a series of posts dedicated to helping you care for vintage linens and lace.  I'm writing this for those of you are afraid to clean your treasures for fear you will ruin them.  My goal is to help you gain enough confidence to try.  You'll be so proud of yourself when a family heirloom is returned to its once-pristine condition and ready to be enjoyed for generations to come.  After all, the best thing you can do for your vintage linens is use them!   But what if you stumbled upon this post and "old linens" aren't your thing?  It's still my hope that you'll learn a thing or two about fabric care that will help you every time you do laundry. Let's get started ...   Separate your laundry by color and ... Keep Reading...

A GLORIOUS Tablescape Event

It's obvious from reader comments the past two weeks -- and from the top searches here at My Place to Yours -- that tablescape events are a hit!  (If you missed this year's Festival of Tables pics, check out the links on my sidebar.)   Earlier this week a blog reader sent me a picture of the table she did recently for an event hosted by her local woman's club.  I love her mix of colors and textures ... and I'm always a pushover for blue and white transferware. Some of you are, too.  (And any event with pink tortilla chips and raffle tickets is a good one in my book!) Summertime   Not only did Renette give me permission to share her tablescape with you, but she agreed to send pics of all the tables.  You don't ... Keep Reading...

How to Care for Vintage Linens & Lace

A sack of old linens ... improperly stored for who knows how long ...   ... with stains that leave you baffled.   What's your response? (a)  Bring it on! (b)  I wouldn't know where to start ... (c)  Why bother? If you responded (b), my new series is for you. Over the next few weeks, we'll talk about all of these subjects ... If you responded "Why bother?" ... Well, I'll show you.  Look closely.   All of the vintage linen pieces in these pictures were discovered at garage sales, thrift stores, or estate auctions. All had problems. All are beautiful today thanks to a little tlc. Ok ... sometimes a lot of tlc  No matter what your style, I suspect you'll see something that you think would be worth your time to ... Keep Reading...