You can't buy sentimental items off a show-room floor. Strolling through a parade house or model home you may find interiors that are beautiful and well-designed but you won't find the items that are meaningful. My antique sewing machine reminds me of my grandmothers, the family recipes we make, especially around the holidays make me feel loved; all these things to nourish our mind, body and soul that create our homes.Who I am today is a collection of thousands upon thousands of little influences along the way and that carries over into the work I do. My grandmother inspired me to cook and have a beautiful home, my mother-in-law taught me how to care for people, my father taught me to dream and strive towards goals, and my mother taught me the value of crafting and art. Each time I sit down to sew, I think of these wonderful people before me and I'm grateful for the things they've taught me.
Homemaking may be a dying art, but it won't be dying with me. My children are learning the things I've been taught. They love to draw, they know how to work and do chores. We still make my great-grandmother's ravioli and I teach them to sew. My girls still wear dresses I wore as a child, and the smocking my mother taught me for dress-making has crossed over into my draperies. Bringing heritage into our homes connects us to those before us and those that will come after. A beautiful home is only good when there are loved ones to share it with.
