creative juice: January 2012

Wow! It's hard to believe it's 2012! I always feel the need for a new beginning, clear out the old and freshen up at this time of year. Of course, I watched a marathon of the show "Hoarders" over the holidays which always makes me want to throw out stuff even more. I feel the need to focus on going through each room in my house and organizing this January and February. I will blog about products I find, ideas I have, how-tos and inspiration!

This looks like something I would do!!

Let's start the new year by getting rid of old linens- sheets, towels, stained napkins.

It feels great to sleep in fresh linens so it's great motivation to keep going! I always gravitate toward white or cream linens just because face creams can bleach out colored linens. I like Egyptian cotton sheets but bamboo has intrigue me. I have bamboo towels and would love to try the sheets. Something to consider is the higher the thread count the softer the sheets as well as the type of cotton. The softer the sheets the more wrinkled they are. So it's a preference on what type you prefer.

There are many types of linens, just to name a few...

Linen- is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. It Wrinkles.
Cotton- The higher the thread count the more expensive and softer the sheets.
Bamboo- Types

Bamboo / Cotton Blend: Usually somewhere around 60% bamboo and 40% cotton, these sheets attempt to provide the comfort of bamboo with the familiarity of cotton. The cotton helps these sheets retain their color while the bamboo provides the softness, comfort, and anti-microbial properties you're looking for.
Rayon Derived From Bamboo: There are so many chemicals in these that they aren't considered organic.
100% Bamboo: Usually available in more limited colors, 100% bamboo sheets can be hard to come by.

Cotton Sateen-Sateen is usually applied to cotton. Better qualities are mercerized to give a higher sheen. Sateen produces the sheen and softer feel through the use of a different structure in the weaving process.
Organic Cotton -Organic cotton is generally understood as cotton and is grown in subtropical countries such as America and India, from non genetically modified plants, that is to be grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides.
Egyptian Cotton- is usually applied to the extra long staple cotton produced in Egypt and used by luxury and upmarket brands worldwide.
Silk
Flannel-Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fibre. Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed.

Some good brands are Anichini, SDH, Sferra, Ann Gish, John Robshaw and Peacock Alley.