How to Prep Your Outdoor Space For Summer Living

March 21st marks the first day of spring, and whether it feels like it outside or not, this is the time to start assessing the condition of your outdoor living space and furniture. Is your patio awning in good condition? Are there dead trees and shrubs that need to be removed? Are the cushions, padding or frames of your furnishing in need of replacement? Check off your list now so that when the warmer days come, you are ahead of the game.To get ready for the season and prepare your outdoor living space take a moment to review the cushion measuring and care guidelines below.

Top 5 Mistakes DIY’ers Make When ReUpholstering

reupholstery

As an uncertain economy and a desire to be more self-sufficient leads the hands of  many consumers into the appealing yet often pre-mature world of DIY’ers, the need for a guided professional approach continues to grow. And while preserving one’s spending by doing-it-yourself certainly makes sense when on a budget, often times creatives wind up spending much more than planned in time and money. In the end, winding up frustrated, broke, and with an unfinished project still sitting there. From the results of improper measuring methods and careless evaluation of reupholstery needs, to poor fabric choices and underestimated project complexity, no matter what situation applies, learn to avoid the following do-it-yourself furniture reupholstery mistakes to increase your chances for a successful outcome.

Tropical Textile Treasures at J&O Fabrics

Vacation in the tropics year round with our hot selection of exotic, themed tropical textile in an array of styles and colors.  Using some of our easy NO-SEW techniques, it’s a breeze to create this island oasis. Simply deck out bamboo and wicker furnishings in coordinating tropical and animal themed prints. Accent your home sanctuary with customized, self-adhesive lampshades in floral or leopard print and beaded trim. For a carefree coastal comfort, trim a sisal rug by hot-gluing strips of tropical print fabric along the edges. Topped with complimentary prints and fun fringe, a wicker trunk adds practical storage to this private paradise. Complete this tropical environment by framing the windows with burlap drapes hung by leather strips and accented with beaded tassels. Even these tailored treatments are made using another quick and easy NO-SEW fusing methods

 

Who Will Save The Slow-Furnishing Industry?

With a fast-furnishing trend influencing consumer purchase of cheaply made and inexpensively priced home fittings, a demand for a more eco-sustainable, value-driven way of decorating our homes simmers on the back burner, awaiting its (re)turn to the forefront again. Enter the scrappers, grassroots DIY’ers, experienced artisans, seasoned wood-crafters, and novices of slow-furnishing in the making.

Like fast-fashion, fast-furnishing offers seemingly fashionable furniture that is quickly produced using cheap materials. Often times it is manufactured overseas where exploited workers from underprivileged countries are paid pennies to produce, and the price tags left hanging once stateside offer a great look at a great price, along with a guilt-free disposable mentality.  What more could a style conscious consumer on a budget want, right?

Save A Life, Adopt-A-Fabric Today!

With her cotton/polyester blend of fibers and water-repellent finish, Aruba Getaway II Stripes Outdoor is a versatile and colorful fabric that loves the great outdoors, being the center of attention, and showing off her many talents. Looking to add some spice to your life?

The perfect parent for this vibrant fabric has creative vision and plenty of patio cushions to cover. When you adopt-a-fabric like Aruba Getaway II Stripes Outdoor,  it’s a win-win situation for both, for a little bit of love and a home of her own is all this happy fabric needs.

Carhartt Canvas Fabric: Born and Worn In the USA

 

If you know anything about  Carhartt Canvas, you know there is no fabric more cut out to handle the wear and tear it often withstands in upholstery, work gear, outerwear and footing applications. Born from a mill whose name stamp has become synonymous with durability and soft handed flexibility, this gorgeous, high-quality material is the stuff that strong reputations are built off of.

With the rights to boast over 128 years of consistent manufacturing in the USA, Carhartt proudly has no intentions of producing their products anywhere else . Why? Because for them and their over 2,000 employees, crafting American-made products is an important part of Carhartt’s DNA and important to the hardworking American towns where they built their business.

The Creative Makings Of A Man Cave

Al Bundy had one in his garage where ‘No Ma’am’ meetings were held on the sitcom Married With Children. Doug Heffernan had one in his garage equipped with a big screen TV, beer fridge, and a couch where Doug and his friends watched football, baseball, boxing, and drank beer in peace away from his wife and father-in-law on the TV show The King of Queens.  The ‘Man Cave’...a metaphor used to describe a male retreat space or sanctuary usually in the basement or attic of a house or in a specially equipped garage where women are banned and the fella’s call ‘home’. A space designated for guys to do as they please without fear of upsetting any female sensibilities of home decor. ‘The last bastion of masculinity,’ as described by Tufts University’s Paula Aymer where “No one is going to make you watch your p’s and q’s, ” according to writer Sam Martin.  Whether all the above or just a room where a man can simply go and unwind from the day in his own undisturbed way, indulge in hobbies, play video games or watch tv with the ‘boys’, the ever cherished man cave varies in design and purpose revealing the most valued parts of each man and more. In Ode to man’s little piece of heaven here on Earth, the staff  at J&O fabrics are sharing a few ‘man cave’ ideas and tips to help recreate them for yourself.

How To Spring Into Your Outdoor Living Space With J&O Fabrics

outdoor living space

March 20th marks the first day of spring, and whether it feels like it outside or not, this is the time to start assessing the condition of your outdoor living space and furniture. Is your wood patio in good condition? Are their dead trees and shrubs that need to be removed? Are the cushions, padding or frames of your furnishing in need of replacement? Check off your list now so that when the warmer days come, you are ahead of the game.

Ruth Carter’s Wakanda Wonderland

When I went to see Marvel’s Black Panther  movie, I went with a mission…. to see and be inspired by Ruth Carter’s creative manifestation of  Marvel Studio’s  artistic concepts in all its masterful glory.  I was not disappointed. From the alluring grandiosity of Zulu-inspired headpieces worn by Wakanda’s queen mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and the eye-poppingly ornate armor adorned with chevron print worn by the all-female based warriors, to Nakia’s (Lupita Nyongo) sumptuously textured, kente cloth-inspired green gown that seemed to mold to her form, the creative collaboration of both visionaries left theater goers in awe and aspiring designers wanting more from Ruth.

RV Road Tripping In Style With Summerdale Fabrics

 

 

With the camping and ‘road tripping’ season coming up soon, many RV owners around the country are upgrading their beloved houses on wheels, making destination plans, and mapping their scenic travel routes. From converted buses, pop-up campers and teardrop trailers, to hybrids, totter homes and 5th wheels, RV lovers are making their way to resort style campsites, rustic KOA’s and secluded destination locations across the USA in classic style.