SAGE ADVICE 5

So...... the other day when we were at the cottage my Mum-in-Law and I were talking about pillowcases and how, if a person can have overly oily hair, then pillowcases, baseball hats or even headboards can tend to yellow.  Ewww... I know.  But it is a fact of life.  I happen to be married to such a person, so it can be an issue with our linens and such.  What is one to do about it??  Well you can try the following method here.  I have to say if you think you should use bleach- DON'T!!!  Bleach will Yellow cotton fabric.  Even if you dilute it, Bleach will yellow or damage your fabric.  Bleach definitely helps in certain instances but I try really hard to NEVER put bleach on any fabric.  I use Oxygen Bleach instead,  it is completely different from regular bleach.  It will not damage fabric the way the regular bleach will. 
One other thing you may try to use is Shampoo.  Just think about it.  You are trying to remove hair oil and that is what Shampoo is for.  I wash all my baseball hats in Shampoo.
So this discussion of yellowing linen's led me to thinking about Headboards.  What makes a great headboard and what does not.

1.  IF YOU LOVE TO READ IN BED THEN A METAL HEADBOARD MAY NOT BE FOR YOU!  Just think about it.  When you are in bed and propping up those pillows, you will most likely fall through one of those slotted metal rods.  I LOVE the way a metal headboard looks, but I would never buy one because I love to read and knit in bed. You may want to think of another headboard.

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2.  IF YOU TEND HAVE AN OILY HEAD, BEWARE OF WHAT YOU PICK FOR A HEADBOARD!!  I love a tufted headboard,  I love a leather headboard, I just don't think they will work for us.  If you do tend to have oily hair then listen up.  If you get a tufted headboard you may not be able to clean it well enough.  If you get a leather headboard you may discolour the leather.  I have seen it happen.  This can also happen to leather sofa's as well.  I have seen sofa's where it is quite obvious that someone with oily hair sat there a lot.  Again... Ewwww... but that's life!  The only advice I can give for the leather is if you are bent on getting one, then spray it with leather protector.  That is the only advice I can give.

Decorpad

How gorgeous is this?  My only issue is-How do I clean this??  I suppose the only way is to have it professionally cleaned.  And if it is Silk- then look out!!

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A great alternative to "fabric" is to use Vinyl like Michelle did:

4 Men and a Lady

Vinyl is such a great option if staining is an issue.  All you have to do is wipe it clean.  LOVE IT!!

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Like I said before the only way to protect leather is to take care of it.  It has to be cared for just like your skin, it is skin after all.  And if you buy cheap then you get what you payed for.  If you buy any piece of leather furniture that is cheap then it probably is (cheap that is)  and is most likely Bonded Leather.  Horrible, horrible stuff.   It will crack, peel and rip.  Just a warning is all.  I could go into my own description but here is an excellent one already done for you- "There are different types of bonded leather, but the type being used on upholstered furniture today is a polyurethane or vinyl product, backed with fabric and then a layer of latex or other material mixed with a small percentage of leather fibers in the product's backing material. The actual leather content of bonded leather varies depending on the manufacturer and the quality level they are selling. The polyurethane surface is stamped to give it a leather-like texture. In the home furnishings industry there is much debate and controversy over the ethics of using the term "bonded leather" to describe a vinyl upholstery product. Nick Cory of the Leather Research Laboratory said that calling this product "bonded leather" is "deceptive because it does not represent its true nature. It's a vinyl, or a polyurethane laminate or a composite, but it's not leather-- Wikipedia.  I don't usually hold Wiki in high honour, but in this instance the definition is right on.  Bonded leather is NOT Leather.  I don't care what the salesperson says- IT IS NOT REAL LEATHER!  Enough said........


So what is a person to do if you want a fabric headboard.  Well.... in our instance we have a slipcover headboard.  That way I can whip that sucker off and pop it in the washing machine.  I am a huge fan of slipcovers of all kinds.  I know that they are not for everyone but they work for our lifestyle. 

Curbly

And that is the true crux of the problem isn't it.  How do YOU live YOUR life.  If you have oily hair there is NO WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH YOU SHOULD EVER HAVE SILK AS A HEADBOARD.  I see amazing headboards all the time.  But I think to myself..... How do they live with it???

Apartment Therapy

Now.... just look at this lovely.  Gorgeous colour, great lines and....COMPLETELY IMPRACTICAL!!  How are you going to clean it??  You can't!!  PLUS.....  even if you do not have issue with oily hair it will still stain, pull and Pill.  It is inherent in the type of weave and fabric it is made of.  Do I think it looks lovely? Absolutely!!  But in no time flat it will start to not look so lovely.  And then what???

Decorpad

I remember seeing this lovely a while back in Country Living (I think).  Is it gorgeous? Absolutely!  But again, think about your lifestyle and whether it will suit it.  There are so many times that people get caught up in a look and don't stop to think if this will suit there life.  Remember everyone- you do not live in a magazine vignette.  Life is life.  Sometimes that life gets in the way of your ideal perfection.  I personally gave up on perfection awhile ago!  Now I just do my best with what I have everyday.  And that means that I will NEVER have a silk headboard due to certain constraints we have with our lifestyle.  If you can live by this then you will make wiser decisions and maybe, just maybe save yourself some heartache and some money!!

So there you have it.  Some thoughts on headboards and your hair.   
Have a great day everyone!
Megan

SAGE ADVICE 3

Well here we are again, another Friday!!  I don't know if this is going to be a regular Friday thing or not, this Sage Advice, but I thought why not do another one today.  So here goes:

1. USE A REALLY GOOD PRIMER:   This is one product you do not want to screw up or mess around with.  If you cannot have a great base then everything else you do will be for NOTHING!!  One of my favourite primers I use is Zinnser BIN SHELLAC based primer.  Now some of you may be wondering.... Shellac based primer??  Well, yes!!  This primer is especially great if you are in need of a primer over fresh unpainted wood.  For one thing it will NOT raise the grain of the fresh wood like a water based primer will.  That can be very annoying.  The other thing with Shellac based primer is that it helps to seal wood, especially pine.  Pine can have a lot of resin in it.  If it is not sealed properly that resin will show through as the spirals or the grain of the wood.  It will actually look yellow through your paint.
Another great feature about Shellac based Primer is that it will "stick" to just about anything.  It really is that good.  But as always, make sure that the surface you are priming has been properly prepared.  I know that is a royal pain, but what is more of a pain is when your paint fails!!  One last thing about Shellac based primer.....  in order to clean your brush you will need and I mean absolutely need is Denatured Alcohol.  This can be bought at any big box store in the paint section.  If you try to clean you brush with water all you will have is a GIANT MESS.  I am serious.  It will completely gunk up your brush.  Take a small container like a margarine container and add about an inch or so of the Denatured Alcohol.  Press you brush into it about a dozen times.  Pour the used alcohol into a separate container.  Repeat the process a few times until the brush is clean.  You will have to dispose of the used Denatured Alcohol in a responsible way.  I usually keep the used alcohol for awhile and use it multiple times for my first "washing".  But I eventually do get rid of it.  Just make sure you use clean Denatured after the first brush soaking there on out till the brush is clean.

2.HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS OF A RENO/BACK UP PLAN:  When dealing with clients, friends or family, it feels like 90% of what I do is manage expectations.  You almost feel like a Psychiatrist!  Seriously!  I have also been in a position of doing renos myself so I know how stressful they can be.  I CANNOT over stress this.....BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING!  BECAUSE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING WILL AND CAN HAPPEN!  Life happens people.  The best laid plans go awry. The tile you ordered gets shipped, but the warehouse shipped the wrong tile.  The cabinets you ordered are stuck on a truck in customs, the electrician you have is in the hospital for a week.  I am serious, this stuff happens all the time.  What you have to remember is.... BREATH!!  Almost everything, 99% of the time can be fixed, solved or taken care of.  Just have faith, just stay calm and it will work out.  At least that is how I try to approach everything.  I don't care who you are, whether you are a huge designer or a weekend warrior DIY'er, how you handle everything, well, that's how you show what you are made of.  So be prepared.  If you are doing a kitchen reno, be prepared for a long haul.  It is one of the most disruptive renos you can do.  Well it is if you actually cook!!
The only problem is when  you run into incompetence.  Unfortunately there isn't a lot one can do for that except try to work through the problem without completely losing your mind- Been there, done that and got the rotten t-shirt courtesy of a horrible contractor!!

ABCD Design

And if all turns out then maybe you will be lucky enough to have something as lovely as this!






3.  KEEP CLEAN WITH CLEAN AND DIRTY WITH DIRTY!  Got your attention??  When it comes to colours -  if you choose a clean colour to paint your walls just make sure that the other colours you pick as accents are clean as well.  The same goes for dirty or muted colours.  For ease in picking these colours you can either get someone like me to help :)  or you can use a fan deck, not just paint chips in the store.  In my fan decks the colour groups are broken down into clean, neutral, muted etc.....  If you are going to pick colours stay in the same family.  If you are unsure when you choose your paint chips, ask the sales associate, they should be able to confirm your colour choices.  This is such an easy thing to screw up and then people wonder why something is slightly off in their room.

Hollingsworth Green HC-141 Benjamin Moore

Woodlawn Blue HC-147 Benjamin Moore

These two lovely colours are examples of two muted colours that look great together.

Mantis Green 1033-60 Benjamin Moore

Serenity 2055-60 Benjamin Moore

As you can see these two clean colours look really nice together.




4.  BUYING 700 THREAD CT SHEETS IN A DISCOUNT STORE IS CRAP!  Sorry I am being a bit harsh on this one.  When you buy Sheets in Home Goods, Home Sense, Target, or Walmart for example you are NOT getting what you think you are getting if you buy so called 700ct sheets.  Manufacturers cheat and say they are 700ct. when in fact they are a 2 ply thread and are actually 350ct!!  Cheaters!!  But does this matter in the long run?  Well only in so much as you think you are buying some luxury set of sheets when you are not.  What is more important is the quality of the fibre that the threads are made of.  Only you can say what you like when it comes to sheets.  I say to buy the best quality you can for the money you can afford.  Anything around 300ct with  a quality thread is perfectly fine.  My personal favourite sheets that I have ever bought have been Ralph Lauren sheets.  Are they 600ct? NO!  But they are made with a decent quality thread and THAT makes all the difference to me.  When buying sheets if you can buy Egyptian, Pima or Sea Island then it is probably a decent quality.  I just don't want you to be fooled when you have bought those 700ct. sheets from a big box store and aren't really getting what you think.  I really hate it when Manufacturers throw out numbers to impress but can't really back it up.  For more info on sheets go to here.

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I had these sheets forever and only changed them when I was redecorating.  I donated them to Value Village.  They were over 10 years old and were still great and had more life left in them!  My current ones- Tate Stripe by Ralph Lauren are awesome as well.  I hope they last as well as my last ones did.



5.  A GREAT WAY TO CLEAN YOUR PAINT BRUSH:  The best way to clean a brush is to definitely clean it right away as soon as you are finished painting.  I then take them to the utility sink and I use liquid laundry detergent to clean it.  If I have the Paint Roller Pan I fill it with water (another container would work fine if you didn't us the roller tray), then add a good dollop of soar.  Yes, yes I know that is so precise!  I then swish my bush around in the soapy water.  Not only does this get the tray clean (if you used one) but helps to really get all the soapy water into the deeper parts of the brush.  NEVER jamb your brush up and down this will definitely ruin it.  Then rinse it under the tap until it is clean. While I am rinsing I open up the bristles to help flush out the paint.  Shake all the excess water and then HANG the brush to dry.  Not only will this help dry the brush quicker but it will help to preserve the bristles better. Never leave a brush with the bristles sitting on a surface when the bristles are wet.
When I am in between coats I wrap my brush in plastic to preserve it.  If I have to leave my roller for awhile I will wrap it in a 4 litre milk bag(for those of us here in Canada).  We always have loads of those lying around.  For those of you elsewhere use Saran Wrap or use a plastic grocery bag.  This way the roller will stay soft and be ready for you to go.  If you have to leave it till the next day, I usually pop it in the freezer.  Someone told me to do that once years ago.  I have always done it since.  Never, ever had an issue.  The only thing is you have to take it out in plenty of time to paint.  I have been caught with this one once or twice so be warned.  But it is a great trick that works.

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Hope you all have a great weekend everyone.

Megan

SAGE ADVICE 2

Hey everyone!  Hope you have all had a great week.  It has been TOO QUIET here at the Casa.  Without my boys here causing chaos, it has been quiet lonely and quiet.  But they will be home very soon and they are having a blast with their Cousins and Grandparents.

Again I wanted to share with you all some advice in terms of PAINT.....

1.  ALWAYS USE TESTERS WHEN CHOOSING PAINT.  I know that when choosing paint, buying and testing can be a royal pain.  Lets face it, you are busy, you are anxious to get on with it and you just want to get it over and done with.  Now picking the wrong colour in the scheme of things really isn't the biggest mistake you can make in life, however, it will cost you time, money and well MONEY!!  That is why it is SO important to test your paint.  I cannot tell you how many times people have said to me, " I wish I had listened and bought a tester".  I will tell you till the cows come home that YOU and even ME for that matter CANNOT tell how a colour will react on the walls until you get it up there.  I have a little more experience since I know a thing or two about colour and how it works, but, until you get it up on the walls you WILL NOT get a true representation of a colour and that is just plain WRONG!!  I don't care who you are, using a 1"x 2" paint chip will NOT give you a true representation of how a colour will look. It will give you a starting point.  The colour you pick will always intensify when you have a larger sample to work with.  What is light watery blue on a chip will always do what I call "blue up" on a wall.  Blue has that unbelievable ability to get really blue even when you think a particular chip may have very little blue in it.  That is why it is so important to stay towards a more "grayer" blue when you want a subtle blue in a room or you end up with "baby blue".

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Almost every paint company has testers now.  Except for one of my fav's and that's Home Hardware's Beauti-Tone Paint- come on Home Hardware - If you want to compete and show everyone how amazing your paint truly is you have to get yourselves testers for your customers- hopefully they are listening!!
I always use a 2'x2' hardboard that I paint for my test board.  You can pick up hardboard in any bigbox store- heck buy a "handy panel" and paint that.  Move it around the room at different times of the day.  That colour that you fell head over heels for at 10am..... well... you may just hate that same colour at 10pm.  So check it out in all lighting conditions.  That way you won't have to "live" with a colour because a. you don't want to paint again or b. can't afford to do so.  Get it right the first time.





2. NEVER CHOOSE A PAINT COLOUR BY LAYING THE PAINT CHIP HORIZONTALLY!!
Now what the heck does she mean by that??  Well..........  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I see in a big box store people will take a paint chip and have it out in front of them horizontally or on the ledge of the paint chip area and choose a colour.  Take that very same chip  and put it vertical on a wall and you have a very different colour my friends.  Try it out next time.  Lay a chip on a table and then put it up on the wall.  Presto- very different colour!  It is such a little thing but I see people do it all the time.  The same goes for your sample that you paint.  Don't just leave it on the dining room table or on your bed.  Put it on the wall to get the true representation of that colour.  Lets face it.  Light hits a horizontal surface far differently than it does vertically.  And we all know that light is a huge factor in determining how we perceive colour.

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You should click on over to the source for the paint chips.  She has an amazing and very eye opening view on Paint chips!!  Love it!





3.  NEVER, NEVER PICK YOUR PAINT COLOUR IN THE STORE BEFORE GOING HOME TO CHECK OUT HOW IT LOOKS.  Again I have many times been in a big box store and seen people choose the paint that they are going to use right there and then without even checking it out at home.  And then they wonder why the colour looks like crap in their room!!  SERIOUSLY!!  First of all you need to TEST it remember.  Secondly, those stores are filled with CRAPPY flourescent light.  That light affects how you see that colour.  I am serious.  The colour that you see at the display will not even remotely be the same colour that you see if you take that chip to the window of the store or even what it will look like when you get it home.  The lighting in these stores is HORRIBLE!!  I cannot stress this enough!  Have you ever seen one of those light boxes in the paint area?  You know, the one where you put the chip in the box and slide the button so that you can see the affect of flourescent light vs.Incandescent light vs. daylight.  It really is amazing to see how the coolness or the hotness of light can affect colour.  Now I am not saying use that little box to pick your paint.  It is just agreat excersize in showing the affect of light on colour.

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4.  DON'T BUY CRAPPY CEILING PAINT.  First of all it is CRAPPY paint.  It is cheap and not worth it.  Secondly, you won't even get a great "colour".  To me, you should be picking the ceiling colour just as you would a wall colour.  I know, I know...... that means more work.  But so what!!  Something worth having is worth the effort.  If you buy Ceiling Paint it will unvariably be a crappy dull and lifeless colour.  A little harsh maybe?  But that's my opinion!!  The main reason that I won't use CRAPPY Ceiling paint is that you CANNOT wipe it.  People say to me all the time.....  I don't wash my ceilings!!  Well I am here to tell you that if you have kids or if you are lucky enough to be like me and have crazy stuff happen all the time then you need to buy paint that will hold up to life.  If you use a washable flat (like I have), then when you drop that glass of juice on the counter and it splorks up onto the ceiling defying all laws of physics then you will be able to clean that said law defying juice stain.  Real paint will wash so much better.  A final reason I like Flat better for a ceiling is that it goes on better.  It splatters less, it goes on more evenly and it just looks better when dry.  Now I am giving a sheen of Flat as an example, my whole point is that you use good quality paint in the sheen that YOU like.  I happen to like Flat for ceilings.  But I also love Semi Gloss for bead board ceilings.

Canadian House and Home

5.  PAINT MORE THAN ONE COAT:  I don't care what the paint says.  I don't care what the person says in the store.  Never, EVER only paint one coat.  STOP BEING CHEAP!!  If you are going to paint a room then do it right the first time.  I don't care what a paint says. You HAVE to paint at least 2 coats.  It makes me noodles when I hear people say.... " I painted the living room and only had to paint one coat".  That's great for you- but it won't hold up, it will look patchy and the colour won't be a true representation of the colour you paid for.  I mean..... you are going to all that time and expense, don't you want to get what you paid for?  I will argue this point to the ends of the earth.  And anyone who is a true professional will tell you YOU CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT PAINT A ROOM WITH ONE COAT OF PAINT !!!  Full stop- EVER!!  End of discussion!

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Just wanted to pass along a few thoughts on paint.  There are more believe me.... but that's for another time.
Have an awesome weekend everyone!
Megan

SAGE ADVICE

Just a quick blog post today with some little bits of advice with pretty pics to go along with them.  Note that the pics may or may not have absolutely nothing to do with the advice, just wanted some pretty pics.

1. NEVER, EVER PUT CARPET  IN A BATHROOM OR KITCHEN.  Do I even have to explain this?  I mean really?  If you have it in your bathroom RIP IT OUT NOW!!
Bacteria, urine etc..... GROSS!!!  I don't care "if it feels so nice under foot".   If I have offended you then maybe you will think twice before putting it in or maybe you will run and rip it out right away!!  I don't care how inexpensive that carpet in the bargain area of the store is, run, run away.  A rolled vinyl would be so much better and the same price- you will thank me!!

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2.  DO NOT PUT FLUORESCENT BULBS IN AN AREA WHERE YOU WILL PUT MAKE UP ON:    I know that Fluorescent it very Green but LED's are as well.  Fluorescent light is the death of great lighting.  You want to look like death warmed over then by all means keep them.  In fact I had them in my Living Room and took them out.  It did not matter whether I bought the warm or cool ones everything had a green undertone to it.  I hated how they made everything look dull and awful.  Hate them I do!

3.  DO NOT EVER PUT SILK CURTAINS/DRAPES IN A SOUTH FACING WINDOW: Those lovely drapes that you spent a fortune on will not last in a south facing window.  I know I have discussed this before but you will thank me.

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I mean, would you leave a silk ball gown out in the sun??  NO!  Plus, you should NEVER have drapes that are silk that are unlined- EVER!  FULL STOP!!  There are so many fabrics out there that mimic great silk.  It would be a shame to ruin great silk that way.




4.  DO NOT BUY CHEAP LAMINATE FLOORING:  When you go to the store, whether it is a big box store or your local flooring store, try to avoid MDF laminate, PLEASE.  First of al,l it will have been made in China with crappy products and all sorts of crap in the MDF.  Horrible, horrible chemicals.  If you buy 7mm or 8mm Laminate-then good luck my friends.  You are throwing good money away.  Always buy Laminate that is 10-12mm.  I prefer 12mm myself-but that's just me.  And buy good quality from a reputable company like Pergo for instance.  It will be made with HDF (high density).  For one thing, if it gets wet it most likely will survive.  Have you ever seen MDF get wet?  Well just think of that floor and how it will swell- same thing.  A girlfriend bought laminate from Ikea- it got wet-it swelled. I am not a spokesperson for Pergo, but if I were to put Laminate in my house it would be Pergo, hands down!!  It is an awesome product and they stand behind it too!

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5.  ALWAYS BUY A LINED TOILET.  What do I mean by that?  Well, inside your toilet tank, if it is lined, the wall will be thicker and will be caulked (due to the foam liner)-look next time!  Why a lined tank?
Well it stops the tank from sweating.  I hate a sweating tank.  Why does it sweat?  Since the water in the tank is cold it tends to make condensation collect on the outside of the tank.  Simple science folks.  No one wants a tank that drips water down.  Just doesn't help it to stay clean and it feels horrible to lean into.  So the next time you are buying a toilet-make sure it is lined.

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So there you have it 5 little pieces of advice and a quick post.  Hope you all have a great weekend!
Megan