Living Simply – Use What You Have

Roman shades from vintage tablecloths

Our B&B cabin blinds were looking frayed and dirty but to replace them all would have been very expensive.  I went into my ‘creative thinking’ mode and came up with this idea.  My eldest daughter came for a few days and helped me put the idea into reality.

I have collected and stored vintage linens for years. Ironed and stacked in my linen closet, these beautiful white cotton table cloths, sheets and bedspreads were really not being used much, I didn’t really have a need for them in their original form.  So we decided to solve the window problem and make Roman shades with my stack of collected linens.

We used the sheets to line most of the lighter linens and I crocheted edging for the ones that were too short once hung up. We glued thin wooden heart shapes over the nail heads where they are attached to the wall.  It was quite the project but it was fun to work alongside my daughter creating something lovely from things that really weren’t being used.  Now they are seen by everyone who uses the cabin and are appreciated not only for their loveliness but also their practicality.

Using what you have is one of the most important lessons for living simply, in my opinion.

P.S.  The stencil work you can see in the photographs was done by a friend in trade for a night in our Bed and Breakfast.

©Sharron R. McMillan

Roman shades up close