Look, Sally. Look, Jane. Laundry!

Do you remember Sally, Dick, and Jane? How about their cat Puff? If you learned to read during the '50s, '60s, or '70s, you probably do. Despite having fallen out of favor with educators, many people (including this blogger) have fond memories of these books and characters. Consequently Sally, Dick, and Jane have become quite collectible.

My grandmother was an elementary school teacher and, therefore, had many teacher's editions, including this one:

I remember this exact book being on her desk - it was much larger than the student book and had extra illustrations and, of course, notes for each lesson. I loved to play school with it (I think it was an out-of-date edition and so okay for me to use); I wish I had a copy of it now (and not just because it's worth $200+).

So, what does this trip down memory lane have to do with laundry? We recently spruced up our laundry room and after painting the walls a yummy butter color (from Restoration Hardware - we highly recommend their paints!), the shelf above the washer and dryer needed a facelift as well. It's a big, sturdy shelf covered in dark gray Formica (chosen by the previous owner . . .).

Rather than replace the shelf, I covered it with this super-cheery Sally, Dick, and Jane fabric. It's unbelievably cute! I used a plain, heavy shower curtain liner to cover the fabric. If you're interested in this technique you can put the shower curtain in the dryer on medium with a damp towel to remove the fold lines (2-3 minutes . . . check often for obvious reasons!). You'll need about 30 minutes and a staple gun, and you can give any shelf a whole new look. I've done this in closets as well and it's really nice to open a closet door and see your towels or sweaters resting on beautiful fabrics . . .

Look, Sally, look.

See Leah wash.

Wash, wash, wash.

Funny, funny Leah.