About Linen and Why It Is Our Fabric Of Choice

There are many different fabric types out there some natural, some synthetic and some a blend of different fabrics. If you do not really know what the differences between natural and synthetic fabrics are we suggest you check out a couple of previous posts - Natural vs. Synthetic Fabrics and A Simple Guide to Natural and Synthetic Fabrics. Fabrics in all of their different forms may not see like they are but they are a big deal – as I mentioned before in a past post - the textile industry is the second largest in the world (after the oil industry)! I mean think about that for a sec, it is bigger than consumer goods, bigger than the health care industry and even bigger than the telecommunications industry. Who would have thought?!

Because there are so many different types of fabrics I will be doing a series of posts where I will share tips and facts about the different types of the most commonly used fabrics in our homes and in our closets. A few weeks ago I started this series with cotton and shared a post on Buying High Quality Fabric and 3 Easy Tips to Care for Cotton – go check it out!

Linen Facts

  • Linen is incredibly old - over 8,000 years old. Yes, you read that right – it is believed that linen is likely the oldest natural fabric.
  • The ancient Egyptians used very high quality linen, so high quality that even to this day it has not been able to be replicated.
  • The production of linen requires 25% less water than cotton.
  • Linen is biodegradable and recyclable.
  • The more you wash linen the softer and nicer it becomes.
  • US dollars are made up of 25% linen! The other 75% is cotton.

How to Care for Linen

If linen is properly cared for it can last a lifetime, it is such a durable fabric and it only gets better with time. However, caring for linen can be a little tricky. Here I’ll share a few things I’ve learned along the way around how to treat linen. These are tips that are very much applicable to linen, however, it is always a good idea to read the care instruction label for all of your garments.

Washing Linen | Linen can be either dry cleaned or hand washed. I definitely prefer the latter, however, I do not have the patience to hand wash so what I do is that I put my linen fabrics in the delicate cycle in the washer machine and so far have never had any issues with that method.

Drying | I always recommend to air dry linen. If you must put it in the dryer put it on “fluff air” or “low heat”. Those are the settings on my washing machine but you get the drift.

Ironing | If you have ever tried to iron linen you know that it is tiresome! One thing I have found incredibly useful is to iron linen while it is still damp. This will cut down the amount of time you need to spend ironing and still get great results.

Why We Chose Linen

After hours upon hours doing extensive research on the different types of fabrics we could have used for Ninel Studio products and after my many pros and cons lists everything seemed to point to linen as the best all-around choice. Even though everything pointed to linen as the best choice I was still hesitant to go with it at first. My one hesitation with Linen was the price when compared to cotton and cotton blends – but again - after all of the research we had done I really gained a good understanding of the laborious process it is to go from the flax seed to the final state of linen. Understanding and appreciating that concept allowed me to come to terms with the higher price point. Another very important aspect of my research was resistance certain fabrics had to dyes.  I had to keep in mind that I was not just going to use the textiles as they were to create the pillows I was going to hand dye the fabric in very small batches and then use the dyed fabrics to create the pillows. I tested dyes on cotton, cotton-polyester blends, cotton-linen blend and 100% linen and pure linen was by far the best to work with. 

The Launch!

I am really happy to report that after almost 2 years in the making I am only a week away from finally launching the first Ninel Studio collection – The Salisbury! Stay tuned for more info coming soon!

What has your experience with linen been? Ever had a mishap? I have!

The Do’s and Dont’s of Keeping Your Body Hydrated

In order for us to all lead happy and healthy lives we need to keep our foundation strong and healthy – that being our bodies. On that notem a few weeks ago I wrote a post How to Start Your Day Off Right which offered up some tips on things we can incorporate to our daily routine whichcan potentially improve our overall lifestyle. Back to water…I am sure you already know but just in case I will state it again – our bodies are made up of about 70% water. Yes! Way more than half of what out bodies are made out of is good old water. Now, we are always told to drink water all…the…time and don’t get me wrong I love water. My liquid intake consists of two things coffee and water – I do not drink soda (let go of that bad habit many years ago) and I have never been a fan of juice. Sometimes I’ll have natural freshly squeezed juice or a fruit smoothie but none of the processed juice we can find at the grocery store.

What a lot of people may not be fully aware of is that we can also hydrate our bodies from sources other than water. Below I will outline the foods we can have which will supplement our water intake along with a few things we should steer away from.

1 | Fruits

Yep – fruits. Fruits are a great source for fluids - fruits like watermelon (92%), oranges (87%), canteloups (90%) , pineapple (87%), strawberries (92%) to name a few have a very high water content. Note: a fruit whose water content of 80% + is considered to have high water content.

2 | Veggies

Veggies typically do not have as high of water content as fruits do but they do have a substantial amount. A few that are top of the list are: brocolli (91%), carrots (87%), celery (95%), spicnach (92%) and  cucumbers (96%) – quick side note on that, I always tought that they were a fruit!

3 | Tea

Drinking a warm cup of tea may not seem like it’s a water source but it is! I am not a huge tea drinker (I usually only gravitate towards it when I am under the weather) but if you do enjoy drinking tea consider upping your intake.

Just as there are things we can do on a day to day basis to make sure our bodies stay hydrated there are also things that we may be doing that lead to dehydration. A few examples of those are:

1 | Hunger

If we allow ourselves to get hungry our body will start getting to our water source to regain some energy. This is why is is so, so important to have healthy snacks on hand if you are ever too busy to have a healthy meal.

2 | Stress

We allow ourselves to feel stressed out from everyday pressures of life and work but many of us do not see the correleation between the stress and the harm it can cause to our health. One of the direct side effects of stress is dehydration.

3 | Drinking Alcohol

But you already knew that, right? Yes, alcohol dehydrates the body. Ever notive when you drink alcohol your body immediately responds by having to use the bathroom? Im not saying you hae to nix alcohol, but I am saying to follow one simple rule – for every alcoholic drink you have drink a glass of water.

My main message here today is to take care of your body. After all it is the only one you have. Pay attention and listen to it, realize what it needs and does not need. Your busy will repay you with good health and abumdant energy. Stay healthy!

Do you already follow the do’s and how do you deal with the don’t’s? Share your approches to staying hydrated below!


HOW CLUTTER AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL WELL BEING AND A FEW TIPS TO START DECLUTTERING NOW

AHH clutter! I have to admit I have given in to clutter. If you take a look at my home everything is clean and neat, you will almost always smell the scent of a soothing candle burning. BUT once you begin to dig a little deeper and open my closets, drawers, containers under my bed, office/storage room you will notice that it is all pretty cluttered with items I have accumulated throughout the years. In this day and age we can all admit to being guilty of purchasing items we want (but do not need); we will use (but never really do). And the cycle goes on – we purchase, and purchase and purchase but we do not get rid of items we no longer use. The problem is that for the majority of us, our dwellings are not getting any bigger, in fact they start feeling smaller as the years go on.

Chaos and clutter go hand in hand and when there is chaos there is little or no control. Meaning that if clutter in your home is not addressed it can, overtime, take over your life.  Having a clutter around you can cloud your thinking, it can stress you out and it can leave you feeling anxious and not in control of your own home.

One of my problem areas is my closet and drawers – as I have mentioned before I am not much of a morning person because of that I need to prepare EVERYTHING I need to get ready for work in the morning the night before. I pack my lunch and leave it ready in the lunch bag in the refrigerator, I prep my Nespresso machine, leave my travel mug ready next to the machine, I leave my purse, keys, outerwear shoes by the front door and last but not least I leave my outfit (down to the underwear) ready. All of this in the name of sleeping in an extra 20 minutes in the morning! I say all of that to say that picking out my outfit has definitely become a stress point in the last couple of years and I do not look forward to this activity on a nightly basis. The reason for this is because it has become a nightmare to go through my closet and drawers – I have pajamas, workout clothes, casual clothes, work clothes (along with winter and summer) versions of these scrambled all over the place with no rhyme or reason. Once upon a time I had a pajama drawer, a workout clothes drawer, an underwear drawer and my closet was organized by work clothing and non-work clothing. Overtime something went awry and it has become unbearable! So, at least for me, I know exactly where my de-cluttering will begin.

Here are a few tips on how to begin decluttering your home. If you can, I would suggest you set aside an entire weekend to tackle as much of your home as possible. My home will not take more than 1 ½ - 2 days since it is a small 2 bedroom apartment but bigger homes will require more than one weekend. Also, know that you NEED to get in the mood to get rid of things and this is probably the hardest and most crucial step in de-cluttering. Another small pointer is to apply the following rule: if you have not used it in the past 6 months then it needs to go either in the donation pile or in the trash – anywhere but your home!

1 | start where you feel it the most

For me it is hands down my closet. Maybe for you it could be your mud room, basement, garage, office or bedroom. If there is one particular area of your home that quickly come to mind when you think of clutter then that is where you should begin. When you start de-cluttering an area of your home you have to finish it! It will be very tempting to give up but please trust me when I say that the end result will be so worth it. This will also give you the motivation to move on to another area of your home.

2 | visualize what you want the room to look like

Take a couple of minutes and just stand in the room you will begin de-cluttering and visualize what you want the room to look like after it has been de-cluttered and organized. Think about how you want to feel the next time you walk in the room. This should instantly give you a boost of motivation and determination to complete what you just set out to do.

3 | get ready to be brutally honest with yourself

The reason we accumulate things is because we tend keep items that have sentimental value. I recently found not only my high school cap and gown but I also found the cap and gown I used for my Bachelor’s degree graduation and the one I used for my Master’s degree. But for what?! There is no reason for me to hold on to these – I will admit that it will be hard for me to part ways with them but I know that I will not make any use of them at all. This is the hardest part of decluttering – old memories sweet and bitter will return – which may make it difficult to continue but you need to get through it!

4 | get your supplies ready

Make sure you have boxes, containers and trash bags ready to divide the items that you will keep, donate and get rid of. Also, I recommend having cleaning supplies handy to clean off drawer and shelves as you go through the room.

These tips should help get you started in your decluttering endeavors. Remember that 50% of the work happens in your head and once you understand the real reasons having a clean and organized home matter and the negative impacts having a cluttered and messy home can have on your overall life getting started will be a no brainer !Happy cleaning!

Have you attempted to declutter rooms in your home? Do you have any tips to make this an easier endeavor?

Buying High Quality Fabric & 3 Easy Tips to Care for Cotton

Cotton is by far the most used fabric around the world. It is affordable, it is comfortable and it is relatively easy to care for. Take your home for example; I am sure you will find cotton almost everywhere – curtains, bed sheets, towels, pillows, clothing and the list goes on. When the idea of Ninel Studio first came around I did A LOT of research on fabrics – I read articles upon articles, I watched many YouTube videos, I watched documentaries and so on. After going through so much research I finally began to pay attention to an industry that as consumers we tend to overlook and take for granted.

Since then, which was about two years ago, I have become a big believer in buying quality products and caring for them properly. This will not only save you money in the long term but you will help create just a little less pollution in the world among other downsides the textile industry has. I wrote a post a several weeks ago – Natural vs. Synthetic Fabrics – where I discussed the differences between natural fabrics and synthetic fabrics and their pros and cons. For a couple of years now I have tried to steer away from synthetic fabrics and opt for natural fabrics whenever I can. I have come to realize of the negative impact synthetic fibers can have on our eco-system but also on our bodies and in our homes.

However, I have learned that high quality fabric does come with a higher price tag, which I do not always welcome but at least I know that there is a reason for it. Now that I have a better understanding of the textile industry I understand I understand the reason behind the higher price tag and in some cases those reasons are deep. So deep that I can write an entire blog series on the negative effects the textile industry has on humans and our eco system. With that said, when we invest in high quality products we need to take good and proper care of them so that they last as long as they can and we do not need to re-purchase the same items over and over again throughout our lifetimes.

So, I am going share the things I do to care for my cotton garments so that they can last as long as possible. Like so many other things, there are okay ways to do things and there a great ways to do things. I hope you can take these easy tips and apply them next time you need to care for any cotton garments around your home.

Washing

Wash your cotton in cold water to reduce the amount of shrinkage that can possibly happen. Increasing the water temperature can also increase the amount of shrinkage that can happen. However, cotton is a strong enough fabric that could easily withstand warm (even hot) water - just know that some shrinkage can happen at an increased temperature of water.

Ironing

Some fabrics are very sensitive to heat from an iron, but not cotton! Cotton can withstand a scorching hot iron and it will not easily ruin the fabric. Now, this does not mean you can leave your iron on a piece of cotton unattended! Please do not EVER do that. But it is also good to know that high heat from an iron will not ruin your cotton fabrics.

Drying

I think we can all agree that line drying is the most environmentally friendly alternative, however, if time is a concern, it can take a while for the fabric to fully dry. The best way to dry cotton is to line drying it and if you have the space in your home to lay out fabric and the time to wait for the fabric to dry, go for it! If not, I would suggest you dry it on the low heat setting on your dryer. The reason to avoid too much heat on cotton when drying it goes back to idea of minimizing the amount of shrinkage cotton can have under too much heat.