Not all Rugs are Made Equal http://ping.fm/6EH3l

Not all Rugs are Made Equal

Traditionally, rug making was and still is an artistic outlet in many countries with the rug actually telling a story.

Choosing a nice rug will depend on many factors, you should take in to account the fiber with which the rug was knitted, and the rug color which should better compliment your home design, also the rug shape and size should fit well in the place where you plan to put it.

Budget will play a big factor, since a 5 X 7 rug can start out as low as under $100.00 and go well into the thousands of dollars depending on the type rug it is and so many other variables. Whatever your budget a rug is a great way to add color and pattern to a room.

Types of area rugs:

HAND KNOTTED RUGS:



Hand knotted rugs are by far the best area rug you can buy, depending on the knot count per inch. It is also the hardest category to acquire. It takes many years to learn the different origins and meaning of the symbols used when making a hand knotted area rug. Once you get interested in rugs, it is like getting interested in art. They are true pieces of artwork and they wear like iron! These rugs are meant for wear and tear. They will literally last your lifetime and then be passed down.

If you invest in a hand knotted rug for the first time, you will completely understand the reason why these beautiful rugs cost more than the other alternatives. Because they are handmade, each rug is unique in its own way. It is nice to know that no one else will have the exact same rug as you.



The manufacturing process is made up of woven threads going up and down called the warp and while the threads going side to side are called the weft. They are intertwined together to create a base structure to weave the rug. After one row of knots is finished a mallet is used to condense the pile. This will be repeated time and time again to ensure the pile is as dense as it can be. The tightness of the pile affects the wear ability of the rug. The more knots per inch, the longer it will last and give you years and years of enjoyment.



HAND TUFTED AREA RUGS:



You’ll always know how to distinguish a Hand Tufted area rug because it will have a cloth like muslin backing. A Hand Tufted rug is kind of made like a latch hook. It is punched in with a gun or by hand one tuft at a time. The cost of hand-tufted area rugs is impacted by the type of wool they are using, and how many tufts per inch. The more tufts per inch and the denser the pile the higher the cost. This also impacts the memory the rug will have, meaning it won’t crush the pile, so it will wear longer.



With a Hand Tufted rug, glue is used on the back of the rug to hold the wool pile in place. So you will get some shedding, but how much depends on how dense (tufts per inch) the rug is, and what type of wool has been used. Because the tufting process does not produce the fringe that is more common with hand-woven rugs (where the fringe is the end of the warp strings that run from one end of the rug to the other), separate fringe (usually woven as a tape) is often glued or sewn to the ends of a tufted rug.



The hand tufted area rug will rarely wear as well as the Hand Knotted rug because the wool is almost always a cheaper grade and the glue used tends to be the inexpensive latex glue which becomes brittle and deteriorates over time.

A Hand Tufted rug has resale value equivalent to a machine-made wool rug of the same size. But there are really nice hand-tufted wool rugs out there. You just need to know what questions to ask and what to look for when selecting a hand tufted rug. One way to tell the quality is to run your hand across the pile to test shedding, and remember the softer and the denser the pile is, the better the area rug.



MACHINE MADE AREA RUGS:



When looking at a machine made rug you usually can see the white stitching on the back, and the lines are always perfectly straight, because they are mass produced by a machine.

The fluctuation in pricing for a machine made rug is impacted by the type of wool that is used and its density. The New Zealand wool has long been considered the best wools and will cost a bit more because of their softness and resistance to shedding. A carpet made of New Zealand wool will always have a fen mark on the label. Only carpets that pass more than 20 demanding tests related to fiber content, appearance, retention, color-fastness and appropriate environmental performance carry their name. New Zealand wool creates the most colorful machine-made rugs in the world. New Zealand wool is the whitest, cleanest, purest wool in the world. This in turn will make the colors appear more rich and vibrant in color. Wool carpets and rugs are fire safe, providing beautiful peace of mind.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving: http://ping.fm/0AS2x

Thankfullness

Thanksgiving is coming up in just a few weeks. To get everyone in the spirit I would like to share some great quotes about thankfullness and gratitude.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." ~Meister Eckhart

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." ~Epictetus

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." ~W.T. Purkiser

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." ~Gerald Good

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them." ~Chinese Proverb

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~ Marcel Proust

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~ William Arthur Ward

“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” ~ The Hausa of Nigeria

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” ~ Charles Dickens

An Introduction to Fabric Shades: http://ping.fm/hnUoA

An Introduction to Fabric Shades

A well informed consumer should know that curtains are not the only window treatment available. Another decorative and functional way of dressing up your windows is to add fabric shades. Many types of functional fabric shades can not only block unwanted light, but can help reduce energy bills. Here are some descriptions of the more popular types of fabric shades:

CLOUD SHADES:

Fully functional shade with a gathered heading that falls into soft poufs which can be finished with or without a skirt.

BALLOON SHADES:

Fully functional shade with large inverted pleats for a more tailored look that is softened by billowing poufs.

FLAT ROMAN SHADES:

A versatile shade that hangs straight and falls into folds as it is raised. To add interest to the blind, use contrast bands, a scalloped edge, or a single permanent pleat at the bottom.

FOLDED ROMAN SHADES:

A folded Roman shade is designed with overlapping folds cascading down the full length of the shade.

AUSTRIAN SHADES:

A soft formal treatment created by vertical shirring between scallops. Use heavier fabric for privacy. Sheer or lace fabric for a more decorative look.

Source: Dream Windows, by Charles Randall and Sharon Templeton

Check out our October 2010 Newsletter: http://ping.fm/ygZXq

Garlic Chicken with Angel Hair http://ping.fm/hEgjg

Garlic Chicken with Angel Hair

I experimented last night and came up with a quick and tasty dish that is also easy on clean up. Here you go:

Garlic Chicken with Angel Hair

6 Chicken Thighs

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

¼ C Flour

2 T Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 Bag of Prewashed Baby Spinach Leaves

1 Cup of Chicken Broth

1/3 C Lemon Juice

8 oz of Angel Hair Pasta

Season the chicken thighs with lemon pepper seasoning and dredge in flour. In a large frying pan, brown the chicken on medium high heat on both sides in the olive oil until nice and brown (about 15 minutes). Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the minced garlic and stir fry the spinach with the garlic until slightly wilted. Remove the spinach and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and add the chicken broth scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan to mix with the broth. Add the lemon juice and return the chicken to the pan. Cover the chicken and simmer for 45 minutes or until done. Top each chicken thigh with some of the spinach and heat through for five minutes. Serve over Angel Hair pasta cooked according to the package directions.

Fettuccine with Sausage and Olives

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound of garlic link sausage, cooked according to package and thinly sliced

12-18 large sweet green Italian olives, pitted and sliced

1 pound fettuccine, cooked until al dente and drained

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Ass mushrooms and cook until browned.
2. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add sausage and olives, and cook, stirring, until well mixed and heated through.
4. Combine sausage mixture with cooked pasta. Add butter and parsley.
5. Check seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Add grated lemon peel, toss well and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Protect Your Home from Damaging UV Rays

Homeowners need to protect their drapes, furnishings, wood floors and carpets from the sun's damaging UV and solar radiation in order to keep their things looking nice and new. One great way to accomplish this is with V-Kool window films. Unlike all other window films, V-Kool is not tinted, but is a clear, almost colorless window film treatment. No other product matches the superior optical clarity, non-reflective aesthetics, and superior heat rejection of V-Kool.

V-Kool is the world’s first clear, spectrally-selective applied film, which transmits more than 70% of daylight while rejecting 99% of ultra-violet, and 94% of infra-red heat. Spectrally-selective films have transparent, metallized coatings designed to transmit, reflect or absorb different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. In the case of V-Kool, it is designed specifically to be light transmitting while rejecting heat without the “mirror” look.

V-Kool was first installed in the U.S. in 1991 and was originally invented as a specialty item for the U.S. government and was applied to the U.S. Military’s Stealth Bombers. Performance data was obtained using a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 9 Spectrophotometer in combination with the “Window 4.0 Fenestration Program” provided by the Windows and Daylighting group at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories, the world’s foremost window science group. No other spectrally selective window film has been around half this length of time.

V-Kool technology has been chosen as one of the top 100 inventions of the past millennium by Popular Science Magazine (November 1999). V-KOOL is installed on the White House, the Texas Governor's Mansion and the Headquarters of the American Institute of Architects.

V-Kool cannot be compared to other competitive films because it is proven to be the most technologically advanced spectrally-selective coating in the world. Other films are classified as conventional films, meaning that they are either tinted or reflective films. Tinted films require significantly less sophisticated technology to produce; hence the cost is low.

Instead of looking at the initial cost of V-Kool, you should consider its life cycle cost as well as other intangible benefits. While there is a premium associated with the purchase, V-Kool reduces air conditioning operating cost, reduces fading damage to draperies and furnishings, allows occupants to use floor space near windows even in the direct sunlight because of increased comfort. Productivity and alertness are heightened in such comfort-enhanced environments. It is a long-term cost-effective investment.

Depending on the amount of glass and the orientation of your windows will determine the amount of energy savings. In most cases there is a 3 to 4 year payback period on your utility bills and it normally reduces 33%-50% of energy costs annually. History shows utility rates increase just about every other year, so your lifetime warranty is a sure money saver.

Locally, Stellar Energy Solutions can educate you on how to solve your heat, glare, fading, and utility bill problems with our premium professional films from V-Kool, the CLEAR "UN-TINT" Solar Control Solution. Visit them on the web at: http://www.stellar-nrg.com.

Benefits of Window Film

• 99% UV Protection
• Protects your furniture, flooring and window treatments
• Reduces Heat Buildup and Eliminates Home Hot Spots
• Lowers Energy Bills and Provides a Return on Investment
• Increases Home Comfort
• Reduces Annoying Glare
• Enhances Your Views
• Adds Value to Your Home
• Provides Additional Safety Against Broken Glass
• Privacy Can Be Provided by Some Films
• Provides Up to a 200 SPF and May Be Medically Prescribed

Mediterranean Shrimp Scampi

1 ¼ cups uncooked orzo pasta (or rice)

½ package ( 16 ounces ) SeaPak Shrimp Scampi

1 zucchini, chopped

1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, well drained

¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

½ teaspoon capers

Juice of 1 lemon ( about 2 tablespoons)

1. Cook orzo (or rice) according to package directions
2. Heat a 12-inch skillet for 1 minute over medium high heat. Add frozen shrimp and zucchini to the pan and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and lemon juice. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked.
4. Server over orzo (or rice). Makes 4 servings.

Ribbon LED Lighting

Do you have a lighting challenge in your house? A solution we used for under-counter lighting on a recent project was Ribbon LED strip lighting. These strips are designed for interior use to bend and twist in just about any direction imaginable. The surface mount LEDs allow these strips an amazing amount of flexibility without causing damage to the product. Most Ribbon LED strips come equipped with a 3M adhesive backing and can be stuck just about anywhere. Ribbon LEDs are used for lighting projects by designers, developers, inventors, home owners, and any other creative application you have.

Ribbon LED Strips are sold in pre-wired lengths with power connectors on both ends so you can easily daisy-chain them together. No soldering required. The wires are already attached to the strip - simply plug and play. For shorter strips, they can be cut every few inches. Each end has pre-attached power wires. You only have to hook up one end. The other may be used to extend the strip. Simply plug another one into the first.

These LED's are very bright with a wide viewing angle. They will keep your electricity bill low as they draw very little power. They are extremely efficient and will not waste energy as heat, meaning you don't have to worry about fire danger and will not have to fight the extra heat emissions with your air conditioner.

Locally, Ribbon LED can be found at Lights Fantastic. Visit them on the web at: http://www.lightsfantastic.com/