The Art of HomeMaking

by Alison May

Alison May has been writing about housekeeping for eleven years now and on Brocantehome she has collated there is a vast amount of information to be gathered for the new housekeeper or indeed for she who wants to kick-start her domestic life all over again and turn over a scrumptiously fresh new leaf. And so with this in mind gathered all her domestic wisdom together into a thirty day plan you can use to subtly (or dramatically!) shift your way of life and finally embrace the routines, rituals and seasonal celebrations Alison has long been advocating. From going organic, to creating a weekly and daily routine, choosing a creative path and making space for your very personal sense of spirituality, this precious book will provide a map directing you to the heart of your a place where you can be yourself without drowning under a relentless pile of laundry. A place my gorgeous housekeepers where rituals will shape your days and puttery treats will sprinkle a little glitter over them. A place you will want to come home to because it encapsulates all that you are today and everything you intend to be tomorrow. What Alison has created is a step by step guide to re-inventing your housekeeping existence. A guide to making friends with your house so that it will hug you instead of kicking you in the teeth day after day and remind you, through the voices of housewives gone by, that the urge, or perhaps more significantly the need to keep house is neither anti-feminist, nor futile but is in fact exactly what we must do if we are to nourish our hearts and souls daily and in the long run create a beautiful museum of all that we women in control of our own environments and ultimately our destinies, because home is where we begin…

Genres: Nonfiction

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Alison May has been the Vintage Housekeeper in residence at BrocanteHome.Net for the past eight years, regaling her audience with all the up's and downs of life, love and vintage housekeeping in a teeny tiny 150 year old Lancashire terraced cottage...

Her second book "Life, Love and Vintage Housekeeping" is now available...

Reviews

[Rebekka Steg · Rating 4 out of 5]

May is the woman behind BrocanteHome, and this book is a wonderful collection of her inspirational and thought-provoking essays on how to turn your home into your perfect nest.

[Relyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like Alison May's books, but I found this one to be a bit... bleh. I dunno - maybe I've read too many of her books, but this one I just didn't care for.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn’t get over the typos and bad writing! If it wasn’t for that, there’s a handful of good advice and inspiration to be found within the pages of this short book. As a long time homemaker with established routines and plans in place there’s not much new this book could add to my life but still it was a lovely read, helping you to reinforce what you already do and give you a fresh dose of inspiration and appreciation for your day to day life.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring yet realistic. I came away from this book realizing how much my job mattered, how fun and fulfilling it could be, and that nothing needs to be perfect.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

It had some great ideas
Easy to implement ideas
And a new way to look at home making
Would recommend

[Gabby Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and inspiring book. Typos knocked off a star. I am genuinely happier at home because of this book.

[Shannon Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good practical tips as well as reminders to keep your sanity. Very inspirational!

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good ideas and inspiring, not the best writing

[Peg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful resource

[Leslie Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been following Alison's blog for several years. What I most like about her book is that there is a whole section dedicated to acknowledging who you are and who you want to be, and that it is ok to want to change your life and be more in tune with your home and yourself.

[Alice L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unorganized

The lack of structure made this book impossible to follow. Lines and even pages repeating and pages beginning with lines that obviously belonged somewhere else made for confusion. I hope my homecoming is not so careless as the editing of this book.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Ideas

I have been married 14 years. I have always done research on homemaking. I was pleasantly surprised by how many ideas and tips were in this book that I hadn't learned already. Going to keep in my library for continued reference!

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides an overview of housekeeping skills.

[Lara McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

Inspiration and practical advice to nurture ourselves, our families, and our homes and in the process become a better version of ourselves.