Fall Organizing!

Everyone has heard of “spring cleaning”, well here at Textile Armor we are about to invoke a new trend “fall organizing”!! By the time that kids depart for school, chances are your once orderly and neat household has been turned upside down. While it can seem overwhelming, here are a few tips to get you started so that you can be well on your way to having a beautifully organized home for the fall!

Pace Yourself…

Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to do the whole house in a few days. Write down daily goals-for example, maybe the goal for one afternoon is to clean out one cabinet. Make these goals realistic so that you feel you are successfully meeting them.

Get the Right Supplies…

An artist can’t paint without the proper tools-and you can’t organize without them either! Make a list of what you will need, organizer drawers, baskets, tags for labeling etc. Having the right supplies will add to your space and make the project more enjoyable.

Clear Out the Junk…

A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in the last 6 months, get rid of it! Also consider the amount of items you have. For example, it may not really be necessary to have 10 sets of sheets for a single bed. To help ease the pain of throwing things out, make piles: things to go to the trash and things that are to be donated.

Label Things…

Having things labeled makes them much easier to identify and get to. Depending on how much you will be labeling, consider getting yourself a label maker. Otherwise, handwritten tags work well!

Create Your Sanctuary…

In our last blog we talked about various ways to redo the headboard to make it more of a visual centerpiece. In this blog we are going to talk about different ways to make your room a relaxing and calming pace to be without breaking the bank!

Pick the color!!!

Many people get stuck on what color to paint their room and for obvious reasons; the hundreds of options of paint swatches can be overwhelming! A simple way to narrow down your options is too simply determine if you are a morning or night person? Simple right? Well, if you are a morning person, consider warm tones for your bedroom, if you are a night person consider cooler colors.

Get the Focal Point Right!!!

The bed is the focal point of any room. Because of this make sure that you have the proper size bed to accommodate the size of the bedroom. For example, if you have a tiny bedroom, it may look a bit off to have a California King Size Bed in the room. However, if you feel that your bed is not the right size for the room, there are ways to visually alter the appearance. If you have a large bed in a small room, consider choosing a bedspread that doesn’t have a pattern. If you want to make your bed appear larger, look for a bedspread with a pattern.

Runway!!!

When rearranging the furniture in your room, make sure that you are creating a clear path on each side of the bed. Standard rule of thumb is that each path should be 24”.

Organization!!!

If your budget allows for it, invest in some special organizational products. These will allow you to de-clutter your room which will make it appear larger!

Get Organized!!

In our last couple of blogs we have talked about ways make your bedroom a more aesthetically pleasing place to be. A large part of having a comfortable room is having a room that is free of clutter and feels organized. In this blog we are going to give you some tips on how to make your room more organized and ultimately create more space!

The most important part is to clear out the mess. No amount of organizing is going to allow you to stuff 20 pounds of potatoes into a 5 pound bag. Keep this concept in mind as you are cleaning and also remind yourself of the age old principle “If you haven’t used it in a year or more-toss it”.  

Bookshelves are a great way to display keepsakes while still creating a lot of storage. Organize your books by height, have the tallest books start at one end and allow them to stair step down to the smallest size. Don’t be afraid to break the up pattern, while having some books stair step down, lay smaller books on their side to work as a book end. This breaks up the flow and creates a more overall visually interesting pattern. Magazines are a great thing to keep and reflect back on, but they can also be very unpleasing to look at. Visit your local Target or Walmart and purchase some magazine holders, this will keep them in one space while making them look beautiful!

If your closet is over crowded and you simply can’t clean it out anymore, consider clothing storage bags that shrink when sealed with a vacuum. This will allow you to change your closet by season and store the clothes that are not needed under your bed or in another easy to get to space.

Doll up that headboard!!

The bedroom is where most people spend the majority of their time, but because it is not the “focus” of the home, most bedrooms are in sore need of an update! Over the next few blogs we will be giving you awesome home decorating tips on how to “doll” up your bedroom-but for now, we are going to tackle that headboard!!!

Give it an upholstered feel…

We have all seen those big expensive headboards that are made of thick, plush and heavy upholstery-why not make your own? Head down to your local hardware store and grab some plywood, and a jigsaw. Next, go to your local arts and crafts store; buy heavy batting and the fabric of your choice. Draw out the design you wish to have for your headboard on the top part of the plywood, using the jigsaw, cut out the design. Place the batting over the entire piece of plywood and using a staple gun, hold it in place (make sure that the batting is thick and covers the wood well). Next stretch the fabric tightly over the plywood and staple gun it into place-and you’re done! You now have a custom designed headboard!!!

Keep it simple…

If you want to doll up your headboard but are not in the mood for an elaborate project, never underestimate the power of wooden appliqués and a can of paint. Head down to your local hardware store and take and look and all the wood cutouts, simply choose one, grab some wood glue and a can of paint. Glue the appliqué to the headboard and wait for it to dry, then paint the entire headboard, for added effect once the paint is dry you can take sand paper and sand the edges for a more rustic look!

Creating a GREAT Space on a Limited Budget!

For many of us, the idea of redecorating is simply not an option due to finances. To be realistic, not many of us have an extra ten thousand or more dollars lying around that can be used strictly for the purpose of design. After thinking about delimma, we decided to dedicate our next few blogs to tips on designing on a budget. With these tips, you will be tossing aside design catalogs and heading to the store to get started!

Paint…

It’s all about the paint, for $30-50 dollars a room can be entirely transformed. With a coat of paint, a room can be instantly transformed from stark and cold to a place that is warm and inviting! If you are creative, you can also venture into the world of textured paints! A few sponges or rags will add depth and texture to your walls that you will enjoy for years!

Get Creative!

You don’t have to have a degree in interior design to pull off a professional design look. Grab catalogs or head to your local library and check out design magazines. Make notes of various aspects that you like, even if you can’t afford a $5,000 chandelier, try to find a similar product that gives off the same feeling at Home Depot, Lowes or online.

Bring in the Art!

Art is a fantastic way to bring in a specific element into a room. Head down to your local arts and crafts store and scout out art that incorporates the colors and theme that you are striving for.

Head to the back of the Furniture Store!

If you are looking for new furniture, there is no need to get the brand spanking new couch. Most furniture stores will have a section that is dedicated to returns and slightly damaged furniture or merchandise that is reduced for sale. In the back you can find quite a bargain!

How do you know if you have bed bugs??

Most of us don’t even want to think about this possibility…. The very idea of having something crawling over us while we sleep is quite unpleasant. However, the good news is that if you have bed bugs, at Textile Armor, we can help you get rid of them!

Unfortunately, the only way to be positively certain that you have bed bugs is to actually see a bed bug or an egg, but by then it is too late. A physician will not be able to tell you if you have bed bugs or not by simply examining a bite on your skin. If you are experiencing getting “bit” then consider when and where the bites may possibly be occurring. An example would be if you wake up in the morning with small bug bites that you did not previously have the night before, then there is a good chance. But if you notice that these bits appear after taking your dog for a walk-then that is a different story. If you are suspicious that you may have bed bugs, a clue would be to look for their fecal matter. Yes, we know that it is disgusting, but it is a pretty good indicator. Bed bugs fecal matter can be red in color because of the digested blood, or it will be black after the blood has had a chance to dry out. Bed bugs fecal matter is not flaky and will smear if you attempt to wipe it with a wet cloth.

Another clue that you may have bed bugs are the common symptoms associated with it-aside from the bites. Bed bugs often causes symptoms that are very similar in nature to hay fever-you know, the runny nose, itchy eyes etc. If you think that you have bed bugs, we have a line of products that will help you get rid of these little bugs! Check out our line of mattress protection at http://www.textilearmor.com/mattress_protection.htm.

Resources: http://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/topic.cfm/how-do-i-know-i-have-bed-bugs

Toddlers-Love Them, Gotta Potty Train Them!

There are few joys in life that rival the joy of finally believing that your young tot is potty trained. Unfortunately, you have to take the training wheels of the bike at some point!      –Roughly translated, this means that you have to let them sleep in their own bed without a diaper eventually! And for you the parent, this can also translate into nights of wet sheets, an unhappy child and a soiled mattress.

At Textile Armor, we understand some of the frustrations that come with potty training    -because we have done it ourselves! And while every parent has to eventually go through it, there are things that can be done to make it less painful. Having a mattress protector is one of them! It’s one thing to have to wash pajamas and sheets; it is a totally different thing to try to soak urine out of a mattress at 3:00 in the morning. If you are a parent attempting the challenge of potty training, then check out our site for mattress protection at http://www.textilearmor.com/mattress_protection.htm.

Also, if you are a frustrated parent, here are some tips to help you with the potty training!

• It’s all about the bribe! Use small treats, for example M&M’s to reward your child each time they use the potty!
• Target Practice! Make a game out of it for your little boy! Throw a few cheerios in the toilet and see if your son can hit them when he goes to the bathroom!
• Load on the verbal praise!
• Its okay to lie: One Mom told her child that the poop feeds the fish when he flushes, if he doesn’t poop in the toilet, the fish go hungry! You don’t want the fish to go hungry right??

For more tips on toilet training check out: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/potty-training/tips/potty-training-tips/?page=6