Picked this book up from the library a few weeks back and promptly renewed it so I could hold onto it longer. With a wistful sigh I will return it this afternoon… Household Wisdom: Traditional Homemaking Tips for Modern Living. For me it is partly a beautiful coffee table book that walks us through homes of days past… the the crisp linens, the hardwood floors, the fine white China, etc. I loved flipping through the pages and looking inside traditional homes that have a distinct old world feel to them. But beyond the pretty pictures it has has lots of advice for tailoring traditional homemaking methods to more modern living.
It has great advice on how to clean areas of the home including rugs, wood floors, curtains and blinds, antique textiles, and fireplaces. It goes into ways we can make our home feel “homier” with homemade potpourris, pomanders, and vintage linens. There are recipes for classic beauty creams and cosmetics such as Rose Water & Almond Cleanser, cold creams, and skin toner. There are also homemade remedies for illness and ailments. It gives insight into how women of days past cared for their homes and their families and teaches us some of that lost art. It is really fascinating how they lived and how much of the innovations they made back then are still practical today, perhaps preferred in many cases.
If you want a nice read for a lazy, cold Sunday this fall or winter I recommend this one. Just be warned, it may make you want to clean house!
