Feb 21, 2011

5 things i've learned the hard way: #1

this week, i thought i would take some time 
and share  with you 5 things 
i have learned the hard way. 
we have all had the..."privledge" of learning from 
our own mistakes, but i thought 
i might give you a heads-up on some of 
the mistakes that i have made. 
(so that maybe you won't make them too.)
plus...it was a great excuse to post some pictures
of some beautiful bedrooms.
here goes:
thing i have learned the hard way #1:
cotton (or linen) bedding is the best.
i have always been a lover of cotton bedding. 
i wouldn't say that i am an expert on high thread count bedding, and i have never had the mindset or the funds to drop six figures on sheets, but i did enjoy buying my high thread count cotton sheets at places like tueday morning. 
and then "the shift" happened.
yeah, you know what i am talking about...
in the space of just a few years,
we went from being financially stable
business owners to...well, where we are now.
and about a year ago, i NEEDED new sheets.
but, i just couldn't justify dropping over $100.
on sheets.
so, one day as i was walking through ross, 
i spotted the cutest sheets
and the cutest duvet set!
and they were only $15.99 a piece!
oh, you should have seen how quickly those flew into my cart...
and then i spent the next 15 minutes,
walking around the store, and
talking to myself 
(in my head, folks! i'm not THAT crazy!), and
reading the label:
"microfiber? it's gotta be ok, right?
i mean, i know it's durable or they wouldn't make 
upholstery out of it...right??"
 feeling them:
"well, they FEEL pretty soft.
i mean, they don't feel like 600 thread count
egyptian cotton, but they feel a whole lot softer than
some of those cheap 200 thread count cotton sheets,
which frankly feel like burlap sometimes..."
justifying the price:
"well, gheesh
how bad could they be?
i mean, i could give my entire king size bed
a complete makeover for less than one of
those high thread count shams."
and so i took them home.
and put them on my bed.
oh, they looked cute, alright.
i was so excited...my 
entire king sized bed got a total
makeover for less than $40.
and so, i snuggled into my
bargain bedding...
and then,in the middle of the night,
i woke up sweating.
it literally felt like i was sleeping
inside of a ziploc sandwich baggie.
at first, i just thought the the house itself was hot...
but after a week of waking up uncomfortably HOT,
i realized, sadly, that it was my new bedding.
i am back to purchasing cotton bedding...
no more microfiber sheets for me.
sure, they look cute, but they
don't allow your skin to breathe the way a natural fiber does.
i still see cute duvet sets when i go in stores like
ross or tj maxx...but i swiftly walk past them now--
even though they are attractive AND affordable,
i would rather be out a few extra dollars
than wake up feeling like i'm sleeping in a ziploc.

13 comments:

  1. I've always been able to find 600 thread count at Marshalls or TJ Maxx but I know it's a hit and miss kind of situation. Have you tried Home Goods? Perhaps you could find something there without breaking open the piggy bank?

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  2. You are so right girl....good sheets mean everything to me! I use mine forever....since I can't purchase them at a drop of a hat, I have to make them last....i just read your post in Nov...about losing your business...I'm sure that stuff is hard to sharing but you did it so well! I really appreciate your perspective!!! Love your blog!

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  3. don't worry--i've gotten fooled with those ross microfiber sheets, too. i didn't wake up sweating, but i just didn't like the way they moved (or i moved) when i was on them. they grab you with that great print from aisles away, then sucker punch you when you get home. i won't make that mistake again...back to tj maxx!

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  4. I don't know that I've every heard of microfiber sheets, but just the sound of them seems suspicious. Good bedding is one of the things I'll splurge on. I once bought a set of 200 thread count sheets and I kid you not, they were so rough I didn't have to exfoliate in the shower the next morning.

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  5. I recently noticed microfiber sheet sets and couldn't imagine why they would be comfortable. Love your analogy to a ziploc. I am sticking with cotton sheets and have decided to use white only in the master. My children always seem to make a mess of our bedding and being able to bleach might help.

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  6. I hate it when you wake up sweaty...lousy! I have had good luck with finding reasonable deals on cotton sheets at Cosco.

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  7. picture of profusely sweating man + trying to picture you snuggled up in a human sized ziploc bag = me laughing out loud at my computer for a good long while. i'm still laughing. lots of mental images coming up. lol!

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  8. everything is design very posh and very clean really a nice design

    residence hall linens

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  9. Ha...too funny and I totally agree pay the extra money to buy natural fiber, I even tend to go one step further and buy all organic because I don't want to sleep with chemicals. Pottery Barn, West Elm and even Target sometimes carry relatively inexpensive organic sheets...that is where I go!

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  10. Soooo funny. We have experienced the same thing with those oh so fluffy micro-whatever blankets. Now I'm stuck with a white king sized blanket. Thinking of donating to the local animal shelter.

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  11. I always buy high thread count on Overstock! Love them!

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  12. I prefer cotton coz its softness gives me better sleep. But if you want real green carpets you’d never go wrong with woven sea grass like that on the second image. What a beautiful one, right? But a lot of people thought it is hard to maintain. But I’ve learned from a friend in Indianapolis, IN that, you don’t have to be a skilled cleaner to keep it in good shape. Vacuum it one to two times a week and for spot-cleaning, just use warm soapy water for spot-cleaning.

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  13. Cotton,only cotton...and even then it varies. The only sheets I will buy now, and I mean THE ONLY, are from Garnet Hill. I know, expensive. But they do have sales...All their sheets are made in Portugal and are the very best. Elastic is tight, but not too tight. Cotton is soft. They wash beautifully. At the moment I'm loving the big polka dot ones. I always iron the turnback and cases, and these iron beautifully too! Try them...

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