Parents (of children or pets!) know more than anyone that accidents happen. And by accidents, I mean messes. The bane of my mom's existence was dirt, spills, smears, and germs. As a stay-at-home mom, she spent most of her time on the upkeep of our house, trying in vain to keep up with two kids and a dog (who admittedly didn't get bathed but once a year, due to her feisty resistance of water). It was a constant battle – one that she didn't always win. Especially when it came to our furniture and flooring!
It was while I was at an early age that she decided she'd had enough of carpet (and only partially due to developing an allergy to it, though I'm sure its deterioration and unkempt state had something to do with that). I still remember my dad pulling the stuff up, leaving rows upon rows of teeth-like nails standing proud against the perimeter of the room as he fought the stubborn floor-beast. It was a pain to get up, but it would've been even more of a pain to keep clean! My mom greatly preferred the hardwoods, and often bragged about how much better they were for our health, how much more thoroughly we could clean them. As kids, we were given the brunt of the dirty work, having to sweep, dust mop, and then vacuum the entire house each Sunday. Yes, it did make spills and dirt easier to get up, but that wasn't to say it was without a price; we soon had another problem – scratches.
Whether it was by furniture, a toy, or some horrible freak accident, the scratches started appearing. The once beautiful honey-color of the hardwood faded to a pale, sickly version of itself, sad and worn out thanks to constant abuse of kids' feet and unclipped doggie claws. By the time we sold our once home, the floors were beat-up and dingy, a shell of their former glory. Maybe it would've been better to have kept them covered – if we could've found a way to keep the flooring clean without leaking money trails out of our pockets every time we walked on it. For a time, we'd used rugs in the bedrooms but those, too, were unacceptable. Beating them out was a pain and the latex base smelled funny. I can still remember burying my face against the plush loops of fabric and breathing in the distinct odor. It didn't help that my mom was still allergic to those, and my dog only wanted to lie on them – again leading us to the same reason we rid of them in the first place!
I'm sure many of you can recall such a time in your own lives and your own struggle with carpeting, whether it was in the past or the present – an echo or a deja vu of times before. Either way, it feels like you can't win; you keep the carpet and deal with the allergies and expense of upkeep or rip it all up and risk damage to your precious hardwoods. I'm sure my mom would've loved to have had access to machine washable rugs when we were younger; I bet it would've changed a lot of things (including replacing that smelly yellow bathroom rug that became my dog's bed!).
But those were the 90's, and this is the present. And today we do have access to machine washable solutions! So when I become a pet-parent and the tradition is passed on to me, I'll certainly be using rugs to keep my hardwoods clean and unmarred. I'm sure it'll help the value of my home considerably!
About FlexiRuggz
FlexiRuggz are awesome customizable rugs that you can design yourself! Pick out the color, fabric, and pattern of your squares – then have fun mixing and matching. And it's completely machine washable too!
Check us out at www.flexiruggz.com. It's hip to use squares!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Want to be a mompreneur?
One of the buzz words these days is "mompreneur." These super women know how to manage it all – their kids, their households, their businesses. If you have friends who are moms, you might wonder how they manage to have the time to do all that and stay sane. It's not easy, but it can be done. And one of the best ways to do this is to plan ahead. That's one of the reasons FlexiRuggz was started – because Betsy knew she wanted to be a mom one day, and she wanted to get her business established before she had kids.
It's so true. Starting a business and getting it off the ground requires a lot of dedication and a lot of time. You're never done working, and that seems to be a misconception many people have about owning their own business. I've known people who think being an entrepreneur means rolling out of bed at noon and taking sporadic vacations whenever they feel like it, maybe even working fewer hours for less days a week. It couldn't be further from the truth. When you're an entrepreneur, you're always busy, always thinking of new ideas to further the company, always going and trying to find new leads. As an entrepreneur, you have to find new opportunities; only when you're established will they also come to you.
That's why it's good to be prepared ahead of time. But moms starting out, don't be daunted or think you can't do it too! If you manage your time and work hard, you'll get there too. Anyone who's dedicated and works hard will be more likely to find success in entrepreneurship. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have a support network along the way! Never stop making new connections, and you'll go lots of places.
We'll have more tips for you guys on starting out and managing your new business soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for our press release! It will also contain some other Little Idea customers, including, Leap of Faith clothing, a fellow entrepreneur who plans on being a mompreneur one day!
About FlexiRuggz
FlexiRuggz are awesome customizable rugs that you can design yourself! Pick out the color, fabric, and pattern of your squares – then have fun mixing and matching. And it's completely machine washable too!
Check us out at www.flexiruggz.com. It's hip to use squares!
It's so true. Starting a business and getting it off the ground requires a lot of dedication and a lot of time. You're never done working, and that seems to be a misconception many people have about owning their own business. I've known people who think being an entrepreneur means rolling out of bed at noon and taking sporadic vacations whenever they feel like it, maybe even working fewer hours for less days a week. It couldn't be further from the truth. When you're an entrepreneur, you're always busy, always thinking of new ideas to further the company, always going and trying to find new leads. As an entrepreneur, you have to find new opportunities; only when you're established will they also come to you.
That's why it's good to be prepared ahead of time. But moms starting out, don't be daunted or think you can't do it too! If you manage your time and work hard, you'll get there too. Anyone who's dedicated and works hard will be more likely to find success in entrepreneurship. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have a support network along the way! Never stop making new connections, and you'll go lots of places.
We'll have more tips for you guys on starting out and managing your new business soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for our press release! It will also contain some other Little Idea customers, including, Leap of Faith clothing, a fellow entrepreneur who plans on being a mompreneur one day!
About FlexiRuggz
FlexiRuggz are awesome customizable rugs that you can design yourself! Pick out the color, fabric, and pattern of your squares – then have fun mixing and matching. And it's completely machine washable too!
Check us out at www.flexiruggz.com. It's hip to use squares!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Unconventional uses for rugs
Despite what people might think, you can do more with a rug than just lay it down on the floor. Rugs are actually quite versatile if you get creative; you can use them for not only practical purposes, but also for decoration too! Like we've said before, your rug is more personal than carpet because you can take it with you, so you're safe to pick a crazier pattern than you would for wall-to-wall carpeting. And even if you move someplace new and don't think you can use your rug anymore, there are some other ways you can use them that you might not have thought about.
Wall hangings. Did you know you can use your rug as a work of art? If your rug has an interesting pattern or ties together the room décor, you can hang it on your wall like a tapestry. This works best for rooms where you have a lot of wall space and the wall color is more neutral. And, having looked at some examples, I'd say it looks pretty awesome. I've yet to try this one, but if I'm ever designing a cozy, country-themed room, I might have to try it. So don't be afraid to pick out a pattern and go for it!
Door hangings. Much like wall hangings, door hangings can also be used to give a room a cozy atmosphere. This design tip isn't as versatile as wall hangings, but I think it could definitely work depending on the size of the rug and what door you decide to hang it on. I think it could even be practical, adding to insulation. I've never tried it; have you?
Dog bed. This is something I've done. If you have hardwoods or would like to add some extra comfort, then you can use a rug instead of a towel or a pet bed. My dog used a rug for a long time; it made it easy to keep the floor clean and gave her a designated place to lie – plus it can be easier to clean the rug too, if you get one that's washable like FlexiRuggz! So instead of shucking out a lot of cash for a pet bed, you can buy a rug that you can use for a few different purposes, including decorating your room when your pet's not asleep.
Mats. I have known people who used a rug instead of a door mat or a welcome mat. Although I'm not so sure about exterior use, I think it's great for using indoors. When coming in from outside, you can bring a lot of dirt or debris in, and having a rug right at the door will help prevent some of that from getting tracked inside your house. Again, if the rug is washable, you can easily keep it clean. You also have more choice over how it looks than if you were to use a regular mat.
Bedding décor Believe it or not, rugs can also be used on your beds. You can hang them or attach them to a headboard or footboard to give it a softer feel or emphasize the space. If your rug is soft, you can also lay it across the end of the bed for decoration. It gives it a heavier feeling than regular bedding, which may be something you're going for if you want a cozier, warmer feel.
These are just a few different ideas for how you can decorate with rugs. So tell us – have you ever done any of these before? What are your unconventional ways of decorating? Leave us a note in the comments and we might include your stories in a future blog!
About FlexiRuggz
FlexiRuggz are awesome customizable rugs that you can design yourself! Pick out the color, fabric, and pattern of your squares – then have fun mixing and matching. And it's completely machine washable too!
Check us out at www.flexiruggz.com. It's hip to use squares!
Wall hangings. Did you know you can use your rug as a work of art? If your rug has an interesting pattern or ties together the room décor, you can hang it on your wall like a tapestry. This works best for rooms where you have a lot of wall space and the wall color is more neutral. And, having looked at some examples, I'd say it looks pretty awesome. I've yet to try this one, but if I'm ever designing a cozy, country-themed room, I might have to try it. So don't be afraid to pick out a pattern and go for it!
Door hangings. Much like wall hangings, door hangings can also be used to give a room a cozy atmosphere. This design tip isn't as versatile as wall hangings, but I think it could definitely work depending on the size of the rug and what door you decide to hang it on. I think it could even be practical, adding to insulation. I've never tried it; have you?
Dog bed. This is something I've done. If you have hardwoods or would like to add some extra comfort, then you can use a rug instead of a towel or a pet bed. My dog used a rug for a long time; it made it easy to keep the floor clean and gave her a designated place to lie – plus it can be easier to clean the rug too, if you get one that's washable like FlexiRuggz! So instead of shucking out a lot of cash for a pet bed, you can buy a rug that you can use for a few different purposes, including decorating your room when your pet's not asleep.
Mats. I have known people who used a rug instead of a door mat or a welcome mat. Although I'm not so sure about exterior use, I think it's great for using indoors. When coming in from outside, you can bring a lot of dirt or debris in, and having a rug right at the door will help prevent some of that from getting tracked inside your house. Again, if the rug is washable, you can easily keep it clean. You also have more choice over how it looks than if you were to use a regular mat.
Bedding décor Believe it or not, rugs can also be used on your beds. You can hang them or attach them to a headboard or footboard to give it a softer feel or emphasize the space. If your rug is soft, you can also lay it across the end of the bed for decoration. It gives it a heavier feeling than regular bedding, which may be something you're going for if you want a cozier, warmer feel.
These are just a few different ideas for how you can decorate with rugs. So tell us – have you ever done any of these before? What are your unconventional ways of decorating? Leave us a note in the comments and we might include your stories in a future blog!
About FlexiRuggz
FlexiRuggz are awesome customizable rugs that you can design yourself! Pick out the color, fabric, and pattern of your squares – then have fun mixing and matching. And it's completely machine washable too!
Check us out at www.flexiruggz.com. It's hip to use squares!
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