revive

refresh

My parents were farmers from Europe where everything was repurposed, recycled, or refurbished. When my parents came to this country, they began humbly. In a home of six children, everything you can imagine was multipurpose: clothes, rooms, furniture. My mother was a seamstress and made much of our clothing. One year, she made our sundresses out of mismatched sheets. Today, I am the nostalgic owner of a beach blanket made out of my childhood sheets and old draperies.

Close-up of a house facade with a black front door, a red wall, white porch posts, and decorative round plates on the wall. Two upstairs windows with black shutters are visible.

Rejuvinate

Giving new life to a dollhouse someone built for a beloved child brings me great joy. The second dollhouse I restored was special. It was built by a man, who returned from World War II, for his wife. It was passed down through enough relatives that their story was forgotten, but under one of the living room wooden tiles I found a tiny note scripted, "I will love you forever". I gently returned the note to its proper place and proceeded to restore the floor rather than replace it.

A dollhouse bedroom with a white bed, floral bedding, and framed photographs on the wall. There are children's toys, such as a dollhouse, in the room.
A partially constructed dollhouse painted in peach and white with a shingled roof, set on a white table in an outdoor backyard with chairs, a yellow shed, and a white fence with pink flowers.
Unfinished dollhouse with multiple rooms, windows, and a staircase, set outdoors on a patio.
A detailed dollhouse with a black roof, purple exterior walls, and white window frames, displayed on a white stand in a room.
Black cat peeking through a small rectangular opening in a light wooden piece of furniture.
A gray tabby cat laying on top of a wooden dollhouse, looking down through one of the windows. There is a colorful painting in the background featuring people dressed as chefs.
Unfinished dollhouse with multiple rooms, some lined with paper, in a cozy living room with wooden chairs, a painting, and a window with curtains.
Empty dollhouse with six rooms, each decorated with small rugs and windows, positioned on a table in a room with framed pictures and wooden furniture.
A black three-story dollhouse with multiple windows, a front door, and a shingled roof, placed on a table in a kitchen.
A miniature, unfinished model of a four-story house with a gray wall exterior and black roof, featuring seven window openings and a front door, all without glass or frames.
A black wooden dollhouse with multiple windows and a pitched roof on a dining table in a kitchen.