The Homemaker's Leisure Time

Tea Cup Snack Set

from Victorian Trading Company

This is one of the tea cup sets I recently acquired. When I have a tea buffet, and guests are going to refill their own tea cups and snack plates, I noticed how hard it was for them to handle the tea cup with saucer, and a plate with food besides. This little set solves the problem perfectly, for it holds both the tea cup in its own neat little place, and the snack in another place. Below is another one from Victorian Trading Company.

Myths about homemaking have always abounded, and one of them is that they do not need any rest or leisure time. Sometimes even religious people are guilty of oppressing the homemaker by suggesting that she keep busy every moment doing something productive.  However, it is important and necessary to have re-creation time, to avoid being overwhelmed.

Since preferences differ from woman to woman, not everyone will have the same interests, but everyone should have something they love to do when they are not washing dishes, preparing food, or cleaning house.  In years past, our mothers would get their work done as efficiently as possible so that they could work on their quilts or pamper their flower beds; personal interests that gave them pleasure and relaxation.

Art work of various types is an option for some, as well as crafts and needlework. Others might enjoy working with paper, and still others will have a passion for sewing or knitting.  Whatever the leisure time activity is, it should always be something that renews the spirit and the body, and not taxing or stressful. It should be something  the homemaker looks forward to and enjoys.

For those who like paper crafts, I have made a new envelope template and a sample of what you could do with it. You will notice that the flaps are not typical. It is designed so that it can be used two ways: vertical or horizontal.

First, select some paper (not cardstock and not heavy paper) from your paper collection, old calendar pages, magazine pictures, or whatever you have on hand. Your printer paper or children's construction paper works well for this envelope and letter paper project. This is thin scrapbook paper which is white on the other side, from K & C Company, an English scrapbook paper company which is available in various stores here.

Cut a template of cardstock or cardboard from the pattern I'm giving you, and trace around it with pencil. If you use quilters plastic template material, you can see through it and be able to see the design of the paper and center it wherever you wish.

On another area of the paper, trace your writing paper from the template and cut it out.

This is what it will look like after you cut it out, before you fold the flaps down.

 Crease the fold lines over the edge of a ruler or straight cardboard.

 

Put a strip of glue on each side of one of the flaps and press up.

The letter paper and envelope above is made from brown paper, rubber stamped and colored with crayon.

Here are the  yellow envelopes folded both vertically (left) and horizontally, and here are the templates:

To print, click on for larger view and then click "print." If you are unable to print things, take apart an envelope that you already have and paste it to a piece of cardboard. Cut it out and trace around it on various colors of paper and you'll never lack for envelopes.

If you have 8 and a half by 11 inch printer paper, you do not really need to print out this template. Just cut a piece of paper in half the long way and you'll get the right size for this envelope. Make a little stack of these for a hostess gift or a party favor, a birthday gift, or any other occasion. People sometimes find it hard to find really pretty stationery at an affordable price, and a gift like this would be appreciated. 

I have been enjoying some evening leisure time in fair weather in my clothes-pinned sheet tent, similar to the one I made last year. In it is a fold-away cot made into a couch by covering it with an old quilt and adding cushions.

You can easily make tents like this for children, by pinning a fitted sheet onto tree branches to make the ceiling, and putting the flat sheets on the sides for walls. I used an old rug for the floor. It takes about 24 clothespins to pin the sheets to the branches and to fasten the sides. Pinch in the ceiling sheet from the top, with more clothespins, connecting it to branches. The fitted sheets create a more billowing, canopy effect which is very pretty from the inside.

 Use bricks or large rocks to anchor the hem of the sheets to the carpet. If you use a cot, you can tuck the lower part of the sheet beneath the stands on both ends.

 Children love these hideaways and it is something anyone can do. If you do not have trees, you can use clotheslines to make something similar. They are great for making a shady place  to read, write or rest. Reading has been a favorite past time of homemakers, and a stack of books would be quite appealing in this setting.

Creative activities or leisure should be a regular part of a homemaker's day. I like to sit out here and listen to the distant train whistle in the late summer evening, and all the sounds that come with the end of the day.

(This one is similar to last year's effort.)

Clothespins, sheets or fabric, and an old rug is all you need. These are easily cleaned up and stored away, and you can add old quilts and cushions during the day. Remove blankets or cushions at night if your climate tends to be damp. That white iron gate is an old child's bed spring used as a morning glory climbing fence.

I cannot forget to show a pink one, made with clothespins, tablecloths, sheets and quilts:

 Here is a distant photo of the tent village. I'm going to make a dining room tomorrow if it does not rain.

Now for the "dining room":

The fitted sheet is used as a ceiling because it fits around tree branches and prevents the leaves from dropping all over the table or couch. The flat sheets or table cloths are hung as walls, with clothespins. I still have to add the side "walls" to this little scene.

If you really want to seem some great outdoor enclosures, watch the updates at Aiken House and Gardens,  (see my blog roll) on Prince Edward Island. It is a wonder that Victoria Magazine does not do a story on this pretty home and gardens!

Go here for more Sheet Tent ideas!

Create A Quiet Place

Summer Shade from the Miramax Movie Emma

from Soft Surroundings catalog

A place between two lilac trees makes a good spot for a day time tent.

Continuing from a previous lesson about the importance of young women creating their own quiet places, here is something that is  uncomplicated to make, requiring no special tools or expertise. This is a tent made with sheets and clothespins, that can be constructed in warm weather.

Just attatch the sheets at your own height. No chairs or step stools or ladders are necessary.Pin one corner of a sheet to another corner to pull back an openning.

Place some comfortable cushions inside. Scroll down for a picture of the finished tent,

For this project, you will need a dollar store shower curtain for the ground, a quilt, 3 or 4 flat sheets and 2 or 3 fitted sheets, plus a lot of clothespins.  Find a location between large bushes or small trees, or anywhere that the sheets can be hung. You might also be able to do this between two clotheslines.

 The fitted sheets are attached first, with clothespins, across the top of the bushes, to make a roof. Just pin the edges of the fitted sheet on to slender twigs.

 After you have completed the roof, add the walls with sheets on the sides, leaving one side open for a doorway.

 Place the plastic shower curtain on the ground and add the quilt or blanket for the floor. Use a clothespin to anchor the hems of the sheets to the quilt  floor in certain spots.

 If the twigs are too wide for the clothespins, just loop parts of the sheet around the twigs and pin the sheets together with the clothespins.

These are the fitted sheets pinned to the overhead branches for the roof, from the inside of the tent. You do not need to stretch them out too flat, as the loose shape gives the inside roof a nice billowy look.

Use a clothespin to pin up one wall to provide a window. Unpin it to let it down when the sun comes in. Pin back the sides of the entrance if you like. When such a tent is attached to tree boughs, it does not have to   be uniform or evenly hung, but it provides a temporary place  for a mini-vacation at home.

Adjust the sheets (or curtain panels, or tablecloths) to make it even on the sides, then clothespin the ends to the quilt and liner.  Choose a sheltered spot for this, as it is only a temporary structure for a day.

Quietness is an important part of keeping the mind and the soul healthy. Home teachers need to be sure that children have quiet time each day, when all noise ceases and each person spends time alone, either on their own beds or in separte places in the house. They may not appreciate it at first, but eventually will think it is the greatest time of their lives.

Here is one I added the next day, using the back of the previous tent for one of the walls:

The lower hem of the sheets is attached with clothespins to the blanket, and of course there is a shower curtain from the dollar store underneath that. You could also use plastic table cloths and put the flannel side up and place the quilt on top of that. On this tent, I tied strong string around twisted bits of the fabric and then attached the other end to the branches, giving the roof a more pointed look in various areas.

This is the real life of luxury, and there was no need to go anywhere. I plan to make two more of these for my tent city.

Check out this pretty lace tent.
View some other kinds of interesting and colorful tents here.  Scroll down on this soothing blog that has lace panels on a tent like area  here. Check this one out too. Look here too... and have a look at this Cath Kidston tent. and one from Mary Jane's Farm. Be sure to view her slideshow. Look near the end of this page for one done on a porch.

from Outdoor Shabby

A tent from this new book:

Another adorable tent for children here.

A concept using sheer fabrics

Go to my other post on sheet tents!