Home Furniture Reference

Posts Tagged ‘Basics’

Jersey City, NJ (PRWEB) February 21, 2012

At this years Toy Fair, there were plenty of moving, light-up gadgets to catch ones eye. But over the last 109 years since the very first Toy Fair in 1903, the finds that have stood the test of time are classic, long-lasting toys. The toys educators are looking for are not flashy; they are creative, inspiring, well made and timeless.

RosieHippo.com, an online retailer of natural, earth-friendly toys, introduces SPORTOS Build-A-Sport Blocks, an innovative, one-of-a-kind block set developed by Rosie Hippo owner Kimberly Bloom to engage childrens brains and bodies at the same time.

The new SPORTOS block set was designed to provide a new angle on a classic toy. Classic building blocks provide hours of creative imaginative play. These Build-A-Sport Blocks allow children to create what they see in the world of sports and recreate what they do on the playground and playing fields, says owner Kim Bloom. Bloom said that the new block set is quickly climbing to the top of the retailers customer favorite list because it is engaging, inspiring and teaches children about so many different sports, including those that will be seen in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

With SPORTOS, children can create, evaluate and imitate. These blocks let children build designs of their favorite international sports with 71 blocks and 48 design cards made of sustainable rubber wood. A combination of straight and curved block pieces allow children to recreate the shapes made by athletes bodies engaged in different sports. Children can create an athlete dunking a basketball, craft a soccer player about to kick a goal, design a duo of volleyball players spiking and passing the ball and construct a skier crouching to take a jump. Children enhance fine motor skills and pattern recognition while creating block figures, and then augment gross motor development as they get up and move little arms and legs into different shapes to recreate what the block sports figures do.

The best approach to learning is multifaceted, and SPORTOS are a fun and creative way to supplement teaching about different sports played around the world, as well as the sports children already know and love, said Bloom. In our family, we love to create with SPORTOS blocks, imitate the sports motions and then log on to PBS Kids (Kids World Sports) to learn more about some of the sports my son is not as familiar with. He will certainly be ahead of the game knowing all about the Olympic sports by the opening ceremony this summer! SPORTOS provide hours of great fun and make a wonderful activity for a family Olympic Games watching party.

Other best-selling products at Rosie Hippo are heirloom-quality classicsincluding doll furniture, play kitchens handmade of pinewood by Amish craftsmen as well as wooden animals, block sets, puzzles and vehicles.

We place great emphasis on offering creative learning packages, such as music, art, and family learning. Items like our fairy and princess costumes, felt and wool tea set, and vegetable rattles encourage pretend play, said Bloom. With our Fair Trade music package, the entire family can play together, each with a different instrument, which parents find a fun way to teach children about other cultures and being kind to the environment by using sustainable products.

All toys sold by Rosie Hippo are produced under conditions that are fair to workers and kind to the environment using materials such as sustainable wood, organic fabrics, or recycled materials.

To receive more information and notices on discounts, sales, and contests, visit RosieHippo.com and join the websites email list and become a fan of Rosie Hippo at facebook.com/RosieHippoToys.

About Rosie Hippo

Rosie Hippo is a leading online retailer of unique, classic and heirloom quality natural toys that allow children to play, learn and grow. The hand selected toys and games are appropriate for children of all ages and for entire families to enjoy. The wide variety of toy types include dolls and dollhouses, building toys, toy trains, toy cars, toy trucks, games, puzzles, arts and crafts, push and pull toys, stuffed animals, rattles, balls, blocks, pretend play and more. Rosie Hippo can be found at http://www.rosiehippo.com. Inspired children. Happy planet.

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Leather sectionals are big pieces of furniture. They are comfortable and they look great. But they are expensive and take up lots of room. Making sure you understand what you are buying before committing is an important step. Let’s take a look at some of the aspects of owning leather items and see what useful information we can uncover.

Leather is a very desirable natural material that many people find the most desirable for furniture. It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It comes in a vast variety of textures and colors. It is durable and yet soft. It matches almost any interior decor, and has a timelessness about it that persists, well, over time. The fact that leather is such a diverse and lasting product ensures its place in our homes and offices for a very long time.

Caring for leather sectionals is not really any different than caring for any other piece of furniture, or other item made out of this wonderful material. Usually, just a simple wipe down with a clean moist rag will do the trick. Should you need something a bit more persuasive, a mild detergent solution is totally acceptable. Over the years, leather can dry and become more susceptible to becoming brittle and “tired”. To avoid this, simply apply a good quality leather conditioner or saddle-soap-type product to keep the leather nourished and moist. If you do this annually, you can expect your leather furniture to last for many, many years.

Having said all these great things about leather, it is not absolutely invulnerable to all attacks. For example, I have a somewhat humorous story about something that happened to a cousin of mine a few years back. This cousin has a couple of rowdy boys. One day they got bored and decided to have some fun with a knife. My cousin owned one of the leather sectionals that had built-in recliners and tables. It was really nice. I don’t know how they got their hands on a knife, or where their parents were, but they took that knife and they poked about 80 holes through the leather. Imagine my cousin’s utter shock and horror when he came home and saw his kid’s handiwork. Boys will be boys? Wow!

Leather sectionals do come in many different configurations and styles. Sometimes they are large and heavy with lots of bells and whistles. Other times they are pretty straight forward basic pieces of furniture that don’t do much more than just sit there. The more deluxe models often include things like built-in recliners and even hide-a-beds. They almost always have an L shaped design, though I have seen them built in an S curve. It was pretty cool actually. It had a snake skin leather cover that had been dyed in black and white. Spendy but very unique, very cool.

Leather sectionals are easy to care for, have the natural advantages of leather material, don’t withstand all attacks, but do hold up excellent under normal conditions, and come in enough varieties so that you are sure to find one that’s just right for you.

Leather is a very popular furniture material because it’s very tough. It’s also very easy to clean, because it can be gently vacuumed and wiped with a damp cloth as you need to. You can do deeper cleaning if you need to with saddle soap or a leather conditioner.

Easy leather care

Here’s some ways you can keep your leather furniture beautiful without having to work too hard, for many years to come. (Make sure you look at the using care instructions provided for this specific type of leather you purchase, too.)

Normally, you just have to dust with a dry cloth, vacuum crevices, and along the bottom to keep your furniture clean. Use a good leather conditioner every six to 12 months. You should also protect your furniture from direct sunlight and direct light in general. Leather can fade if exposed to the sun, as with many upholstery materials.

How to clean

Before you clean a conspicuous area, try to clean it in a hidden area first to make sure the cleaning product you using will do the job without damage. For minor spills and spots, wipe up any excess liquid immediately with an absorbent and clean cloth or sponge, and if you need to, use a damp, soft cloth (moistened with water only) for slightly more difficult cleaning, then let air dry. Don’t use soap and don’t soak the stain with water. This may cause more damage than the stain alone would.

You should also not use furniture polish, cleaning solvents, varnish, oil, detergent, ammonia, or abrasive cleaners.

If the stain itself is grease-based, such as from butter or oil, wipe off the excess for the clean dry cloth, and then leave alone to see if the stain simply disappears into the leather after a short period of time. If it does not, use a professional leather cleaning specialist to clean the leather so that further damage is not done.

If there are slight scratches on the surface, you can use a chamois or your own clean fingers to rub the scratch. You can moisten lightly with distilled water to work the scratches out if you need to.

Because leather is a natural product and requires some care to maintain its natural beauty, make sure you keep on top of the minimal amount of upkeep it should need.

Commercial conditioners are generally best for large pieces like sofas, but you can also use a homemade leather conditioners, such as with the recipe below, for smaller pieces like chair seats or footstools.

Homemade Leather Conditioner

Take a teaspoon of household ammonia and mix it with 4 teaspoons of white vinegar and 2 cups of water. Mix well and then apply texture, dry with a soft cloth, and then apply according of castor oil with another clean, soft cloth. You can also rub on leather shoe cream in the appropriate color and buff well for an extra finish.

Touching up leather

Small scratches shouldn’t give you much worry, because they often heal over time and become less conspicuous. If you have noticeably deep scratches, you can cover them with a commercial leather dye.

Manufacturers sell touch up kits that come in the same colors as the furniture. Buy one or two kits when you purchase the piece so that you have some on hand in case they discontinue the color later.

If you have several other pieces, label the kits so that you know which furniture each goes with, to avoid confusion. If you don’t have a touchup kit available or the piece you have is vintage, a leather repair shop or a shoe shop should be able to give you something that’s a close match.

The basics of suede

Suede is the rough undersurface of leather; it’s more durable than it looks, and it’s also quite attractive. However, keep it away from heat and sunlight. If the climate you
live in is particularly dry, make sure the indoor air is not excessively dry, which can damage suede.

Caring for suede

1. Vacuum furniture with a soft brush attachment or use a soft clothes brush.
2. Use only leather cleaners made for suede.
3. Remove small spots with leather cleaners specifically made for suede.
4. Small spots can also be removed with art gum erasers.

Lightening suede

If your suede has darkened over the years (once a paler shade) you can purchase a resin bag from a sporting goods store, put the bag over the suede, and then brush away the excess resin with a suede brush, following with a clothes brush.

Most people think about home improvement as all the little things you can fix or do around your house to make it more livable. But home improvement projects don’t have to be limited to small budgets or simply involve a few minutes of work on the weekend.
Many home improvement projects require some sort of financial loan because they are large scale projects that require payment on materials or labor all at once in order to get the project started. These larger home improvement projects require some sort of bank or lender issued home improvement money.
Larger home improvement projects that require financing could including adding an addition to your home, remodeling your home to add more space, upgrading the appointments in a kitchen or bathroom, installing a new furnace or cooling system, replacing a roof or installing siding or simply putting in a new swimming pool.
There are two general types of home improvement loans. There are unsecured home improvement loans and a secured home improvement loans. Within those two types there are many different loan vehicles and products which can give you extra money, though each has it’s own good points and potential drawbacks. The differences among the loan vehicles are many, but let’s focus on the two types of home improvement loans that are generally available:
Unsecured home improvement financing: An unsecured loan of any type involves you borrowing money without putting anything up for collateral. That means that if you can’t pay the loan then there is technically nothing the bank can immediately take away from you. Unsecured loans are granted based on many factors, but a steady income and good credit score definitely help. Home improvement credit cards are technically unsecured loans that are meant to be used for home improvement projects. Unsecured loans are meant to be paid back over a short period of time and will almost always have a higher interest rate.
Secured home improvement financing: A secured loan of any type is a loan which involves you offering something to the bank in exchange for the money. If you get a home improvement loan based on the equity in your home, then you are really trading part of the ownership in your house to the lending institution. As you repay the loan you are buying back your house. Secured home improvement loans usually involve larger amounts of money but do have a lower interest rate and offer a longer time to pay it off.
Even if you have bad credit or very little equity in your home you can still sometimes take out a small home improvement loan without much trouble. Borrowing money to improve the home you own is often seen as a much safer option for many banks than borrowing money to purchase a new home entirely.