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June 21, 2011

how To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 3:36 pm

Bed bugs are almost certainly the most ghastly of household pests in most peoples’ eyes. Cockroaches are bad enough, but they do not eat you. Mosquitoes suck blood and are annoying, but we accept them more than bed bugs. But bed bugs suck your blood while you are asleep and then mess in your bed as a thank you note.

Luckily, these bugs do not carry any human illnesses that we are conscious of, so they are fairly ’safe’ in that way, whereas there are quite a few deadly diseases that you can acquire from mosquitoes such as malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever amongst others. Still, most of us would rather mosquitoes to bed bugs.

If your home is infested with these bugs, you will surely want to get rid of them, so you will have to know something concerning the lifestyle of these creatures. Bed bugs like to conceal themselves during the day time in cracks, crevices, torn wallpaper and linoleum, broken plaster, a ripped mattress and stacked clothing, books, magazines etc..

The common belief common until a few decades ago was that bed bugs only liked dirty households, but this is not the case. Cockroaches like to search for dropped food as do ants, but bed bugs only consume blood and do not even have mouth-parts to eat dropped food if they were famished.

Therefore, bed bugs do not have to live in a slovenly house, just in one that is run-down, poorly taken care of or cluttered. If you want to clear up an infestation of bed bugs, the first thing to do is launder all your clothing in hot water or dry-cleaning fluid and then store them in sealed plastic bags.

The next stage is to repair anywhere they could be hiding. Stick back or replace any ripped wallpaper and seal off any wobbly woodwork such as skirting boards and architraves with a line of mastic or filler. Seal the woodwork top and bottom, so that any bed bugs hiding in there will not be able to get out again. This saves trying to kill them.

Put away all books, heaps of newspapers, toys and general clutter and inspect your furniture for loose joints. For example, if a chair or table is a bit ricketty, tighten the screws or mastic the joints together. Seal nail and screw holes with filler or mastic.

Roll up your carpets and check the floor boards. Cork the joints, fill screw holes and check the line of mastic at the base of the skirting boards.

Inspect the framework of your bed and renovate as mentioned above. Are there red or brown smears on your mattress? if so, they could be hiding in your mattress. Sew up any tears and seal the mattress in a mattress cover which can be zipped closed in order to trap any bugs inside. Otherwise, maybe it is time to replace it.

Standard pesticides do not have much effect on bed bugs, so be careful what you purchase. You need something that has an abrasive element in it. Some use finely ground up glass, which may pose a health hazard to you or your pets.

Diatomaceous Earth is safer. Sprinkle or spray it under your carpets and about the base of the skirtings, where bed bugs like to scuttle. Relay your carpets and steam clean them.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is now involved with pictures of bed bugs. If you want to know more, please go to our web site at Picture of Bed Bugs.

April 29, 2011

High Quality But Low Budget Home Decoration Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — James Spacey @ 3:56 pm

Watching the decorating channel on TV can be intimidating, you can often feel like you have to win the lottery to get your house to look as good as the ones on TV. The good news is that with a little ingenuity, you can give your home a whole new look without spending much, in some cases nothing at all. Cost effective decorating ideas will be covered in this article to help you come up with your own dream home.

The most inexpensive idea to drastically change a room or your entire room, is paint. High class paint should be bought, though a large sum of money need not be spent. You can sometimes find good brands of paint on sale. Because quality brushes can control how a paint job will look, it is important to get the right ones. Besides the rollers and brushes, envision the look you want before you choose a color as it has the biggest impact. Changing a room from drab to dreary with paint is easy, quick and budget friendly.

If you have a large room that’s used for more than one purpose, a folding screen can create an attractive boundary. It can often be advantageous to separate a room into two parts, as you can then have a new area for your computer, to write or study in or any purpose you want. These can be found in all different styles, and what’s useful about them is that they’re easily moved, so you can create a different appearance for a room on different occasions. A folding screen can have a look that’s antique, Asian, contemporary or in any style you prefer and they can be found at reasonable prices in many stores as well as online.

Look around for unique area rugs too, these often offer a big difference in any room and can be found rather cheap too. Antique Persian and oriental rugs can be found at auctions and flea markets, although they may be a little worn you can get them at a fraction of the price of buying new. These slightly worn Oriental rugs have an elegant look that some people will prefer as opposed to a new looking rug. Another option is to go to carpet stores and ask for scraps that can be used as area rugs. Many carpet stores will give these “scraps” away free since they aren’t using them or offer to sell them cheap. If you get several scraps, you could have several area rugs that fill up an entire room.

As the above points illustrate, you can easily find lots of ways to redesign, rearrange and improve the look of your home while keeping your expenses to a minimum. Rather than focusing on the limits of your budget, think of ways to make the resources you have go as far as possible. Creative home decorating on a budget is all about making very object you own, and every dollar you have to spend go as far as possible.

James Spacey is a prolific online wordsmith. As well as publishing articles about home renovation ideas he also writes about topics as diverse as Tesco insurance and how to find a good cell phone shop.

April 25, 2011

Adorning Your Christmas Tree

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 3:00 pm

As the Christmas holiday season begins to approach, a large number of people and their families will begin decorating their house for Christmas. While just about anything in the house can be decorated, a main focus is sited on the Christmas tree. Since there is a good likelihood that you might want to buy a tree for yourself, you may be thinking about about decorations, especially the Polar Express train set underneath the tree.

Maybe, the most common ornaments used on a tree are fairy lights. Fairy lights are a string of small lights that are usually multicolored or just plain white, although different colour combinations can be bought. Most people who put up a Christmas tree use these lights to decorate their tree. What is nice about fairy lights is that you have a wide variety of options when using them. For example, some lights flash to the rhythm of a tune or even play the music too.

Apart from lights, decorations are another one of the most commonly used Christmas accoutrements. These decorations come in a wide selection of sizes, shapes, and styles. In general, most ornaments are in the shape of a ball. They are normally colored red, green, silver, or gold, however, many Christmas ball ornaments also come designed with messages or Christmas symbols. Decorations are most usually suspended from tree branches using ornament hooks, yarn, or thread.

Christmas tree toppers are other items that can regularly be found on Christmas trees. While tree toppers, like all other Christmas ornaments, come in a broad variety of sizes, shapes, and styles, they are most commonly angels, stars or fairies. Other popular toppers include crosses and Santas. In addition to coming in different sizes, you will find that many Christmas tree toppers are designed to light up and some may even play a Christmas jingle.

In addition to tree toppers, lights, and decorations, garland is also used on the majority of Christmas trees. In fact, it is rare to find a decorated Christmas tree that does not have tinsel on it. Tinsel, when used to decorate a Christmas tree, is often entwined with the fairy lights.

Tinsel also comes in a variety of different kinds. Popular tinsel styles include floral tinsel and beaded garland . It is also possible to find tinsel with lights already attached to it. The main purpose of such tinsel is to reduce the amount of time it takes to decorate the Christmas tree.

If you are interested in decorating your Christmas tree with lights, decorations, tree toppers, or tinsel , you will need to purchase these items, unless you are using your ornaments from last Christmas or you may just have to replace the broken bits. Because all of the previously mentioned decorations are extensively used on Christmas trees, you will be able to find these at a large quantity of merchants, both on and offline. For affordable decorations, you ought to check your local dollar stores, discount stores and department stores. For the largest selection of Christmas tree decorations, I recommend that you try a local market near to Christmas and don’t forget the Polar Express model train set.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of subjects, but is presently occupied with Polar Express train sets. If you would like to know more about train sets for kids, please go over to our website for some great offers.

March 4, 2011

Inexpensive Home Decorating Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 6:24 pm

Home decorating is not something that requires a vast fortune in order to do. Nor is it something that must be accomplished all at once. The ideal manner to decorate a home is one step at a time, one room at a time. This makes the process much less stressful, more enjoyable, and imminently more affordable. Some great ideas are to start small then work your way up.

Paint is one of the least expensive things you can do to a room that will have the most immediate and profound impact on the overall look and feel of the room in question. By selecting the paint colors and painting the walls before anything else is done everything else can be done in order to match the colors you have placed on the walls. More importantly, paint is something that the average person is capable of doing on their own rather than being forced to hire experts in order to get it done. Any home improvement project that you can do yourself will save more money than you can imagine along the way.

Once you’ve managed changing your walls, you may wish to change your window treatments. Roman shades are an excellent choice as they are rather simple to make (which would leave you only the cost of the fabric and supplies) but they are not the only option. I would recommend some sort of curtains as a form of window treatment as they are much more personal than the typical mini blinds found in so many homes today. Curtains or Roman shades can be purchased to match the colors on your walls and should not be a terribly expensive investment.

Flooring has in the past often been out of reach of those seeking to casually improve the look of a room. New technology and materials have made new flooring a valid option even for those who are on seriously limited home decorating budgets. Laminates are a good option for those who love the look of hardwood but cannot afford the expense of materials and/or labor for these floors in their homes. Laminates can often be installed by even those with limited skills and make a very noticeable change in the look and feel of a room. Peel and stick tile is another option for those whose budgets will not accommodate laminate flooring. Check out the options and the prices at your local home improvement store. You just might be amazed at what you can afford.

Rather than purchasing new furniture to make an impressive impact on the look of your living area, try furniture covers. These can often be purchased in shades that will match your new dcor and are much less expensive than new furniture leaving money for the little touches that matter so much in the overall look of the room. Besides, when friends and family walk in and see the changes they will be shocked and amazed. They may even be convinced that you do in fact have new furniture.

Mirrors are excellent tools to use when decorating a home. More importantly, they are rather inexpensive for the most part. Mirrors also lend the appearance of a much more wide-open space than having no mirrors would accomplish. If you have a fire place, strategically located mirrors can spread the warmth and coziness (if not the heat) of a fire throughout the room making the room as a whole seem like a much more enjoyable place to escape the winter “blahs”.

Artwork, candles, vases, and floral arrangements can be purchased one piece at a time in order to give the room a more polished look. Once you’ve decorated one room in your home with these budget tips in mind you can move on to other rooms in your home and incorporate the same ideals as you go. Remember that decorating your home doesn’t have to cost a fortune but it will require some patience and planning on your part. With this in mind, there should be nothing to stop you from heading out today and getting to work on your new home decorating plans.

For more inexpensive home decorating ideas, find out about static cling window film and wall murals from Create my Scene.

February 6, 2011

Ideas for Decorating A Home

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 2:04 pm

When people think about making changes to their home, either one or two rooms or the entire space, most often they imagine color. Generally people choose colors they are fond of or those which correspond with pieces of furniture. When searching for ideas for decorating a home, one idea which is perhaps overlooked is decorating with the two basic colors – black and white.

Black and white, used in decorating, creates drama and pizazz. It is said that every room can benefit by using a touch of black. Black is a color which anchors and grounds a room. Adding sophistication, black is definitely a color that demands attention. Ideas for decorating a home using black may include accessories such as light fixtures, trim or furniture. Black serves to add definition to focal points of a room. Black is just one color that stands out or makes a statement.

Using black and white when decorating a home, provides a clean, fresh, elegant atmosphere. This combination can be added to any room in a home making it a sophisticated space. Black and white are often used in contemporary home decorating and often used to accent other colors in French Country design. It may be hard to visualize but there are many ideas for decorating a home using only these two basic colors.

The floor is a great place to start in decorating a space. Black and white vinyl tiles laid alternately makes a beautiful checkerboard pattern and looks clean and elegant. Black marble used on the floor, accented by wide white baseboards, another beautiful idea for decorating a home. White ceramic tiles with a black border or simply paint the floor black or white and use stencils of the opposite color for decoration. These are great ideas for decorating a home.

White walls, is there anything more perfect? Painting the walls white or even an off-white, would make a perfect background for accessories such as artwork framed in black. That you can imagine. Elegant black window treatments or black shutter against a clean, crisp white wall would definitely create an aura of sophistication. Perhaps a glass-top table with black iron trim and black chairs, these are terrific ideas for decorating a home using black and white.

A bedroom decorated using black and white would be lovely. An iron bed-frame in black or white, covered with a striped black and white comforter. For the pillow shames, you could use either all black or all white and could add throw cushions in the opposite color. A nice leather black or white chair in the corner would be certainly accent the room. Then the white walls with an elegant piece of artwork, framed in black hanging on it, this would surely add to the contemporary feel. Black furniture against the crisp white walls would look neat and tidy. Jazz up the room with accessories such as pewter or silver candlesticks, jugs or vases. If you think the room needs a little color to complete the look, perhaps a throw or cushion in a bold color like red or gold, for the chair in the corner of the room would be enough to accent the room. Ideas for decorating a home, they are numerous. Finding one that suits you and those that live in your home is important. It’s nice to do something radical and off-the-wall but remember you must be able to live with it for awhile.

For more free home decorating ideas, find out how static cling window film can transform a boring view into something spectacular!

February 4, 2011

Free Home Decorating Ideas

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 4:57 pm

Everyone appreciates home decorating ideas when planning to make improvements to their home. You may have visions of your own about how your new home decor would look but it’s always nice to have an alternative plan. There’s definitely home decorating ideas that you haven’t discovered. There are constantly changes being made regarding trends in home decorating. Checking out new home decorating ideas may give birth to a new home decorating plan for your space.

Being able to find home decorating ideas is a treat but having access to free home decorating ideas is a real gift. Good news, there are free home decorating ideas available to you. Often when you pick up a magazine, perhaps while waiting at the doctor’s office, something in the home decorating section catches your eye. Relaying tips and techniques for home improvements, this magazine is offering you free home decorating ideas. Another great source of information regarding home decor and decorating is a catalog from major stores such as Sears, Zellers or Ikea. Advertising their products, they use illustrations of fully decorated rooms. Browsing catalogs such as these you’ll find many free home decorating ideas.

Taking a trip to your local furniture store or department store is sure to provide free home decorating ideas. Many stores have displays which are regularly changes to share new and trendy home decor. The front window of a furniture store is a great place to catch a glimpse of beautifully arranged home decor. Again, window displays such as this can be considered free home decorating ideas.

One of the best sources of free home decorating ideas is the Internet. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet related to home decorating with thousands of free home decorating ideas. There are sites which explain in depth the various home decorating designs and offer ideas to help you achieve these styles in your own home. Some sites offer step-by-step instructions for do-it-yourself home decorating and renovating projects. These free home decorating ideas are your chance to create rooms and spaces similar to those decorated by professional interior decorators. With the aid of these free home decorating ideas, you’ll be equipped to transform your home into something you only dream off. You may be very surprised at what you can actually accomplish as an inexperienced interior decorator.

Decorating a home or space is a very exciting activity. It does require a whole lot of effort regarding planning and the actual decorating, but the results are definitely worth it. Being able to sit back after living through weeks or renovations and home decorating is a delight. Being able to look around your home at the beautiful changes and realize you are responsible, that feeling is overwhelming. To know that you were able to achieve these results by using free home decorating ideas may be astonishing. You may feel so great about your accomplishment that you’ll be eager to take on another room. When you are ready to begin another home decorating or renovating project, you’ll be able to plan it with added confidence realizing there are thousands of free home decorating ideas to help you out.

For more free home decorating ideas, find out how static cling window film can transform a boring view into something spectacular!

February 3, 2011

Home Decorating Magazines

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 5:15 pm

You know your house needs improvements. You know you need to redecorate. You can’t seem to come up with ideas for decorating your home. You need inspiration. Where do you go for help? One great source of home decorating ideas and inspiration is home decorating magazines. These publications provide a look into the world of home decorating and offer suggestions and tips to help you decorate your home. Home decorating magazines provide pictures of homes and rooms that were remodeled which may inspire you to recreate that space in your very own home.

There are many home decorating magazines available. Most of these magazines not only provide pictures and ideas but also offers the customer an opportunity to buy directly from them items you like in their magazine. Many magazines are advertised on the Internet. With websites displaying their ideas and pictures, you can browse these sites in your search for a decorating style. These online magazines will likely offer you a chance to buy directly from them via the Internet.

Home decorating magazines are constantly in circulation. Some of the popular home decorating magazines are listed here.

* Traditional Home – This magazine has its main focus on traditional decor and historical homes. Articles are written that allow you to visit historic places, gathering ideas and tips for decorating a traditional home. This home decorating magazine offers information on furniture, window treatments and color schemes.

* Country Living – This is a magazine which is published monthly and offers ideas about country decor, crafts, and antiques. It also provides tips for traditional cooking. This home decorating magazine provides details regarding furniture, window treatments, fireplaces and historic colors.

* Elle Decor – This home decorating magazine is published semi-monthly. It is a magazine dedicated to focusing on modern design with a French influence. Focusing on luxury living, furniture style and planning your room, this magazine intends to offer the average homeowner ideas and tips to achieve this terrific style for their homes.

* Better Homes & Gardens – This popular magazine provides the reader with information about various subjects relating to the homeowner and their family. This information includes ideas for home decor as well as garden decorating. Better Homes & Gardens also publishes a seasonal magazine which focuses on decor with a lot of information regarding specific projects.

* Metropolitan Home – Published six times a year, this home decorating magazine provides details about renovating and designing modern urban homes. This magazine focuses on contemporary design and current trends. It offers the reader information regarding transforming a traditional home or space into a modern, contemporary environment.

These home decorating magazines are great sources or inspiration if you are having difficulty coming up with ideas and techniques for your home. Providing detailed information and vivid photos, these home decorating magazines offer you instructions and often step-by-step directions to achieve the desired look. Each of these magazines also offers you, the customer an opportunity to buy directly from them. This can make your job so much easier if you see a room or space in the magazine that you like. Buying directly from them, you have a chance to recreate that beautiful space in your home.

For more free home decorating ideas, learn how static cling film can transform an ordinary view into a fabulous view!

January 28, 2011

How Will I Recognize Bedbugs?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 8:15 pm

I suppose you already know that bedbugs have staged a revival in the West. Bedbugs were practically completely eradicated in western Europe, the United States and Canada in the 1950’s, but have been resurfacing in ever larger numbers since around 1995. It is assumed that this is due to more frequent foreign holidays and increased immigration..

You see, bedbugs get around by hitching a lift on our clothing and then jumping off when it gets quiet and warm enough again. The poor little creatures are actually quite shy, you know, which is why you could have a burgeoning family of them in your house long before you become bitten. And bedbugs can go for six months without having to feed.

Bedbugs are small, usually brownish beetles that look a bit banded, because of the hairs on their back. They have a long pointy beak for sucking blood and can move astonishingly quickly if disturbed. Some Individuals say that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, but this only applies to those of us with very poor eyesight. A bedbug is around the size, colour and shape or an apple pip on legs.

In fact, you might never see a bedbug in your room, but you may see remnants of its activity. If you see brown smears on your sheets, they are bedbug droppings and if you see red smears, that is your blood. You might also see black spots, which are also faeces and hollow insect cases, which is where they have shed a skin on their way to maturity.

Those who have knowledge of bedbugs say that you do not have to see them, you can smell them. Apparently, their smell is very distinctive, but you would have to speak to quite an old person to describe it for you as most people under 60 will not have had much contact with bedbugs, if any at all.

Bedbug bites have an effect on people in different ways. Some Individuals react quite badly to the bites while others may hardly notice them at all. However, most of us notice some red marks that itch. A little like mosquito bites.

I suppose that you are asking yourself how you can get rid of these little bugs by now. Well, here is the bad news – bedbugs are infamously a problem to be rid of. In fact, if you have an infestation of bedbugs, you should notify your landlord and the health authorities but if you own the property yourself, you will probably have to pay to get the exterminators in as pesticides and insecticides are practically useless against them.

The best way to deal with bedbugs is not to let them get a foothold in your premises. Most of us pick up a bedbug while on vacation, staying in a hotel at home or whilst using public transport or in public places like cinemas.

So, examine your clothing, especially under the collar and in the pockets. The only surefire manner of killing bedbugs is the use of heat, so if you find one on your coat, put your garments in the tumble dryer on full heat to kill the bedbug, its friends and its eggs.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with bed bugs extermination. If you are interested in this, please go over to our website now at Picture Of Bed Bugs for further information.

January 18, 2011

Asian Inspired Home Decorating

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , — Gary Beavers @ 4:53 pm

There are very few themes for decorating a home that capture the imagination quite like an Asian inspired theme. There are many reasons for this one of which is the rich colors, fabrics, and textures that are the hallmark of these themes. There is a simplistic elegance about Asian decor that is almost impossible to imitate in other methods. It is simply put, stunning to walk into a room or a home that has been decorated in an Asian inspired motif.

This is not one of the lesser styles of decor when it comes to price. This elegance comes at a rather high price for the average consumer. However, the sparseness of this home decorating style make it possible when other styles with this sort of price tag would not be possible. One of the most important things to remember when attempting to bring an Asian style of decor into your home is the heavy reliance upon color and texture.

Dining rooms are particularly stunning when decorated in an Asian style. In this situation not only can the implements added to the room serve to improve and enhance the decor but also the place mats on the table can serve as an important tool in establishing the theme of this supremely elegant room. Chopsticks and dishes, particularly tea servings are other great enhancements to an Asian dining room. This is a room that many families will enjoy dining in.

It is recommended that because of the expense involved in many Asian themed home decorating styles that only one or two rooms in the home should be created based upon an Asian theme. This will keep the costs down as well as making those rooms focal points within the home rather than having the splendor lost among the excess.

If you are having a rough time narrowing down the two rooms, the bathroom also makes an excellent room in which to incorporate an Asian inspired theme. This is a room in which people go to relax and wash away the worries and stress of their days. For this reason, it makes perfect sense that some of the more tranquil and relaxing design accents of an Asian decor would be appropriate. Candles, figurines, calligraphy (waterproof of course), and Asian artwork make excellent touches for a bathroom, as do the more tranquil colors of some Asian inspired rooms. Fountains can be added to the room for an added taste of relaxation. Be sure that there is plenty of storage space as clean lines and an uncluttered surface are also important for the overall peaceful affect you should be hoping to achieve.

If either the dining room or bath or unappealing to your home decorating desires for an Asian theme you may want to take the theme into your bedroom. There are very few more romantic themes to incorporate into a bedroom than an Asian theme. You can use fabrics to create a very romantic atmosphere, rice paper window coverings to protect those inside from prying eyes, and candles throughout the room to finish off the creation. Furnishings in this room should be sparse and uncluttered. And Asian screens can be used in order to ’section off’ the room or hide the piles of laundry or cluttered areas that you wish not to be detract from the overall romance of the room. Fans make a lovely decoration for the walls in a bedroom as does Oriental art or framed calligraphy in the words of love. Use wall sconces and indirect lighting rather than harsh, glaring overhead lights.

An Asian theme can be one of the most beautiful in the realm of home decorating if you are truly willing to invest the time and money it takes to do this theme properly. It can also be one of the most gaudy if you choose cheap and tacky decorations rather than quality accessories. If you choose to incorporate this theme into your home I hope you will keep that in mind while you are shopping.

Do you love Asian-Inspired home decor? A custom wall mural is a great way to add the finishing touches!

January 8, 2011

The Story Of The Cushion And The Pillow

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 4:05 pm

In American parlance, the words ‘cushion’ and ‘pillow’ are virtually synonymous, but in the rest of the English speaking world, a pillow is used on a bed for supporting the head and a cushion is used on elsewhere for supporting other parts of the body. A pillow is usually much larger than a cushion these days.

The cushion and pillow were most likely first used by wealthy Asian men to rest on. They would probably be referred to as throw cushions nowadays. However, we are going back so far in history that dyes and fabrics were very costly, so pillows and cushions were only for the wealthy and the designs were so intricate that they became pieces of art in themselves.

Needlework became a skilled profession as did weaving. Cushions were substantial sacks or cases filled with feathers, hair, wool, straw or something similar. Nowadays they are more likely to be filled with man-made fibres such as polyester. Down is the most costly filling particularly down from the eider duck.

Due to international trade, the concept of the cushion started moving westward and had reached Egypt by the time of the Pharaohs. Cushions have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. By the Middle Ages, cushions were to be found in all the royal palaces of Europe. Cushions were still regarded as representing wealth.

The cushions of the royal palaces were substantial enough to sit in, a bit like modern beanie bags, and even started replacing traditional chairs. In those days, cushions were very large sacks made of leather, many of which had needlework patterns on them.

Cushions were also used in churches for the rich to kneel on when saying their prayers. These extraordinary but small cushions were called carreaux because they were square (from the French).

Nowadays cushions are everyday objects because they are much cheaper. Most cushions in the West are 17 inches by 17 inches and the reason for this is the traditional size of a roll or bolt of fabric. A roll of fabric is traditionally 54 inches wide, so it could be cut into three pieces of 18 inches, allowing for seams, this permits the manufacturer to make a 17 inch cushion.

Japanese cushions were much and still are, but they have a different task. In the West they are used for support, whereas in the East they are used for sitting on on the floor. In Japanese they are known as ‘zabuton’ and measure 20-30 inches square by a few of inches thick, which is less than a quarter of the thickness of traditional Western cushions.

Zen meditators will frequently sit on another special cushion called a zafu or meditation cushion, which is placed on top of the zabuton. A zafu can be round or square but is small, often just 8-10 inches in diameter and 4-8 inches in thickness.

Zabuton are used in all aspects of Japanese life particularly those facets that have religious overtones or traditions such as sumo. Spectators of the sport will sit on zabuton whilst watching the bouts. If there is a foul or a dispute, spectators often throw their zabuton into the ring in disgust.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of topics, but is now involved with decorative sofa pillows. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Modern Throw Pillows For Sale.

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