Persian Rugs - Care and CleaningWritten by Jeffrey Brokob
You've just invested in a beautiful Persian rug. Even though they are durable, they still need to be properly cared for and cleaned. A well maintained rug will last indefinitely. Let's look at some standard care tips.General Care: 1. Don't forget padding - get a quality padding to place under your rug. Padding is for more than slippage. It will extend life of rug by providing a supportive base that will allow rug to breathe. A good pad can extend life of your rug. It protects against dirt, wear and wrinkling specially in high traffic areas. 2. Rotate once a year, at least. This one will depend on where your rug is located. Try to avoid exposure to direct sunlight and high traffic areas. If carpet is getting a lot of wear, consider rotating it every six months. 3. Vacuuming. Wool is porous and it holds a lot of dirt. Regular vacuuming is essential. Always vacuum with pile. To determine direction of pile, run your hand across pile from fringe to fringe. The smooth side is pile. Use suction attachment or bare floor setting as a rotary brush may cause added wear. Also, once a year, flip rug and vacuum back.
| | Crafty Country Decorating Style IdeasWritten by Kathy Burns-Millyard
If you've ever seen Frank's decorations on TLC's Trading Spaces, then you know all about country style of design. From stenciled drawings to wooden cows to ruffled curtains, country design has all frills you might expect from our dear friend, Frank. When I was a little girl, my grandparents sold woodwork at flea markets all over Tennessee and Kentucky. We had wooden calendars with dolls or bears painted on them. We had quilt racks with hearts. We had every crafty country decoration imaginable. Although I thought at one time that you could just toss all these things into a room and have style, I've learned since that there are very definite ways to create crafty country rooms that men are still willing to enter.Crafty country is great, but if you are not careful, your husband may be ready to kick you out of house. Country design tends to be frilly and a bit girly, and your husband may not approve. One way to create a home that is comfortable for everyone is to use wooden flea market items and ruffled curtains sparingly. Not every room in your home needs to have a cow or duck in it. You can create a beautiful country sitting room with a comfortable plaid couch, slightly ruffled curtains, and a couple of stencils on wall; room is still definitely country, but at same time your wooden coffee tables may have somewhat modern lines so that males in your home enjoy room too. Another way to bring country design to whole family is to let your husband add his own touches to decoration. I'm not saying you should let him put antlers on every part of walls, but if he hunts, you should allow him to have at least one or two rooms (maybe in back of house) where he can display his animals. If he doesn't hunt, you could simulate more manly country style by integrating rustic decor items such as an antler chandelier or floor lamp. Another option is to bring in old farming tools or hunting traps to display on walls. Old items like these bring a manly air to house, and they are interesting pieces that will give your guests something to talk about. They can also give room a settled, sturdy feeling; something about tools makes a room seem safe and secure. Using a few of these tools or items throughout your home can really make your crafty country them come to life.
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