Going for gold!

Wow - what else can we talk about today other than gold! We are so proud of swimmer Cameron van den Burgh for bagging South Africa's first Olympic gold medal for 2012, and doing so at a world record pace. Congrats, Cameron!

If you want to treat yourself to the colour of champions in your bedroom, here are a few suggestions:

Go all out with layer upon layer of soft, subtle shades of gold in wallpaper, headboard, bedding and accessories, and vary the scale of the pattern.

Source: www.masterbedroomideas.com

Here the gold wallpaper is offset by the warm brown wardrobe and neutral walls.

Source: www.decorpad.com

Limit the gold to headboard and lampshade:



Source: www.narratives.co.uk

Just a touch of gold in the lighting goes a long way to adding glamour:

Source: 1. www.stylishhomes.com 2: www.bedroomdecorideas.com

Or stick to a bit of gilding in the accessories:

Source: 1. www.javaindo.com  2: www.anurbancottageblogsspot.com

London sleeping

With the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games just hours away, the enthusiasm for all things British and Olympic has reached fever pitch. We browsed around to see how people have interpreted this in bedroom settings.

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com

Love the faded blue and red quilt.

Source: theinspiredroom.net

Source: housetohome.net

Sleep or snore?

Anthony Burgess quipped: "Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone".

Mmm, I found out just how true that can be! My daughter recently visited and with her dad away on business, we shared a room. At least, we did for a while. When I woke up, I found that she had fled to the sofa during the night, accusing me of snoring! What, me? I am usually the one who prods hubby during the night, urging him to turn on his side so that I can get some shut-eye.

So, very upset and embarrassed, I googled all the reasons (and cures) for snoring. I was a little comforted to learn that as many as 30 to 50% of all people snore at one time or another. Colds, allergies and sinus infections which block the air passages, are a frequent cause of snoring. So is obesity and smoking, both factors constricting the airways.

Not only is snoring a nuisance and sleep deprivator for those around the snorer, but the culprit him/herself apparently also lose quality of sleep. Because the snorer does not reach the deeper stages of sleep, he or she is not fully rested the next day. This may lead to daytime sleepiness and a lack of concentration. A dry, sore throat and headaches may also occur. But I was very surprised to learn that weight gain may be a result of  constant snoring too!  Oh boy, I am going to do something about my snoring right away, for that's one consequence I really don't need. Bad enough that it is winter - hot chocolate, rich stews ... everything that piles on the kilo's.

So what to do? Apparently, learning to sleep on your side can go a long way to alleviating or at least improving the problem. Then there are special "no-snore" pillows, throat and nasal sprays, mouth devices, homeopathic remedies, aromatherapy, hypnosis ... And if all fails, the non-snorer can resort to wearing special snoring ear plugs!

Do you or your partner snore? And how do you deal with it to ensure sweet, sweet sleep for all?

Quilts - the handmade touch

Another grey, windy, rainy day. I can't wait to get home to make a stack of hot sweet cinnamon pancakes and a cup of strong black coffee! This afternoon I want to get out my hexagon quilt pieces - no chance it will be completed this winter or even be on my bed the next winter, but I'll soldier on! In the mean time I am dreaming of a cupboard filled with quilts. I just love quilts, especially when they were hand made, with love and care and many thoughts of the maker hand sewn into the fibres of the fabric. This makes them not just warm and gentle, but somehow "human". Makes me miss Mom and Grandma and their comforting touch ...

I particularly love scrappy quilts. Isn't it amazing how all those initially mismatched pieces of fabrics just seems to end up sitting harmoniously together?



So what about you? Are you a quilt lover too?

Image sources:  Pic1: bebookbound.blogspot    Pic2: thecuriousquilter.com   Pic3: filminthefridge.com

Fatigue is the best pillow  - Benjamin Franklin

Memories of tartan

The last time I experienced such bone-chilling cold weather as we did over the last few days in the Western Cape, was during a December holiday in Scotland some years ago. While it was awfully cold, the landscapes were beautiful, and I can still vividly recall the pretty picture of fat white woolly sheep grazing on deep green pastures amongst age-old stone walls, against a backdrop of snow capped mountain peaks.

Whilst in Scotland we visited a few wool mills and I felt like a child in a candy store when confronted with all the tartan throws, blankets and scarves. Those rich, warm, jewel-like colours and the oh-so-soft-to-touch textures were real heart warmers. How I wish I had invested in one of those throws - I would definitely be wrapped up in one right now. And I can just imagine what those gorgeous colours would look like on my bed - completely cancelling out the dull grey light coming in through my bedroom window right now.

What I did buy, however, were a few skeins of gorgeously soft pure lambswool. Back at home I spent ages knitting hubby a traditional Aran cable sweater. After wearing it only a few times, it inadvertently landed in the washing machine. Needless to say, it came out felted and several sizes smaller. So, alas, the beautiful sweater is now only a memory too.
But I am totally tartan and aran inspired right now, and I would love to bring that look into the shop. Maybe even before winter is over ...
Watch this space!


Image sources: Pic 1:www.totallytartan.net; Pic 2: www.brontebydesign.co.uk; Pic 3:www.totallytartan.net; Pic 4:www.thewoolcompany.co.uk;
Pic 5:www.ainecreations.com

Icy, snowy weather

Well, there are reports of snowfall from all around the area - in Worcester, in Ceres, and on the Outeniqua mountains in George. Unfortunately, the Helderberg in our backyard is not snowcapped, but there is ice in the air and my teeth sure are chattering. Must say, after a cup of (guilt-free, skinny) hot chocolate I feel a lot better. Tonight is the night for steaming hot soup, gluhwein and a crackling fire, then off to bed early!









Hope you are wrapped up warmly!

PS: If you need more warm bedding, head on over to our website to check out all our snuggly throws and goose down duvets. All are on special - 15% discount for the rest of the month! Pop one in the shopping cart or call us.

Image sources: Pic1:www.wunderground.com Pic2: www.travelblog.portfoliocollection.com

Trousseau tradition

“Trousseau? What’s that?!” said my almost-30-year old daughter when we spoke about weddings the other day. Can’t blame her for not knowing – I myself did not even prepare a trousseau when I got married more than three decades ago. But when I came across a wonderful book on the topic recently, it struck me what an incredibly practical tradition it was. And I wondered whether – in these tough economic times - it was possible to revive it in one way or another.

Trousseau used to refer to all the items that a bride-to-be accumulated over a period of time – often many years - to take with her to her new home with hubby. The trousseau included her personal wardrobe of clothing and lingerie, as well as household items such as bed, bath and table linens and even flatware and crockery. In early centuries all of these items were stored in a chest, which could easily be moved from one place of residence to another.

Centuries ago, when an automatic washing machine was not yet dreamed of, laundry was done rather infrequently. In fact, only about once a year, weather and many other factors permitting! It stands to reason that vast quantities of linen were therefore required. From adolescence she, and often other family members, would painstakingly embroider pillowslips and sheets, table cloths and napkins and store them away for future use. This was predominantly a practical consideration – the bride was expected to contribute a dowry, but as household linens were extremely expensive, most families squirreled away items as and when they could afford, well ahead of the time the girl was old enough to be married off. Wealthy families usually outsourced the making and embroidering of their daughter’s wedding items to professional seamstresses. The chest, “hope chest” or “glory box" featured in the bridal aspirations of young girls well into the 20th century.

Now, I cannot picture any 21^st century girl pouring over a sewing machine to whip up sheets and table cloths. Much less spending months to hand monogram anything! That’s what retailers are for, right? But I do think it is a splendid idea (for girls and guys!) to accumulate linens for the day you plan to move into your own pad – be it all by yourself or to share with a special someone. Quality linens are still expensive, but totally worth the investment. Not only will they last so much longer, but the experience of sleeping on luxury sheets is just not be missed.

So – why not start setting up and filling your own “trousseau chest”. Allocate a drawer or a shelf in a cupboard to house your stash. Draw up a wish list of items and start shopping as you have funds available. Or drop (not too subtle) hints when birthdays and holidays come around. And when a wedding is imminent, add the remaining items on your wish list to your gift registry for your bridal shower or wedding!

Image Sources: Pic1:http://seniorfriendfinder/blogspot.com     Pic2:http://coeurenprovence/blogspot.com

Down - snuggly comfort for winter                         

Customers walking into our store often ask us what is so special about Hungarian or Canadian or goose down – especially when they see the price tag. Why not just pluck a plain old local Karoo or Free State goose and stuff that into the duvet?

The fact is that geese in sunny South Africa with relatively mild winters just never get cold enough to grow the same amount of dense yet light and luxurious down that their cousins in colder climes deliver. Contrary to popular belief, the temperature does not affect the quality of the down, just the quantity.

Down is the soft “fluff” underneath the feathers that offer insulation and enables the bird to stay warm and dry. While the feathers have a hard quill, the down cluster is soft and fluffy with many filaments growing in all directions. Mature birds produce more and larger down clusters than young birds, but even in very cold areas a mature bird will yield no more than 150g of feathers , roughly a third of which is down. This explains the high price of pure down.

The quality and size of the goose down clusters determine the fill power or “loft”. The larger the down cluster, the higher the loft or “fill power rating”. Down from immature birds not only tends to have poor lofting ability, it also tends to collapse in a relatively short time, because its fibres are so fragile. A duvet made with mature down will be warmer, lighter and puffier. It will last much longer than one made with immature down. Fine Hungarian goose down has the highest fill power.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Goose down and duck down are very similar, but because geese are larger than ducks, the goose down clusters will be larger than duck down. This results in fat, fluffy pillows and duvets that deliver better insulation.

Down can vary in colour, from white to dark gray depending on the age of the bird and the season in which the down was harvested. Whether white or gray, it insulates equally well. White goose down is simply preferred because it does not show through the white casing, whereas a gray down can make the duvet look “dirty”.

Goose down is the finest lightweight insulator known, whether natural or synthetic. Its unique three dimensional structure creates thousands of tiny air pockets. These air pockets, trapped by the down fibres provide the superior insulating ability that goose down is known for. Quality goose down is also extremely resilient – when compressed, it will spring back to its original shape thanks to all those wonderfully warm air pockets.

Goose down is also extremely breathable. It allows moisture to pass through, drawing it away through the filaments while retaining the warmth in the air pockets. That allows you to feel comfortable regardless of the weather.