How Do You Chill?

HOW DO YOU CHILL.......

Every day we jump out of bed and the race is on.

 It may be that you have children to get ready for crèche or school, animals to feed and walk, partners to hurry up and gently push out the door.

Then its the commute or drive or walk or cycle to work, to a friends, to a meeting, or to shop.

The end of the day approaches, work to finish, children to pick up, dogs to walk, gym sessions, dinner to cook, children to bath, books to read, study to be done.

Finally....Finally some time to relax. Me time You time and Partner time.
My question is though..When do you REALLY chill out?

My husband answered this question the other day when one of our children said, "Mum just chill out I will get it done!"

"Dont you understand," my husband said, "We cant chill out until it is done and these days it seems like NEVER."

I was horrified..Do I never chill out and have the Me time I long for? I sat and thought about it and he was right. It didn't matter if I was sitting, walking the dog or doing the dishes my mind is always on go and I am thinking about the next thing on my agenda, tomorrow, the kids, work, everything!

Our lives have become so full that some days I long to sit on a porch, rock gently and watch the world go by one minute at a time and not think about anything.

When do we stop and get off the treadmill and stop to smell the roses? Is it in retirement? because for me that diary is already fairly full with places to see, people to visit and new friends to make.

One thing I have never compromised on is our sit down family dinner.

 Each night whoever is home we sit at a set table and enjoy the comfort of sharing what we did for the day. No television just us and that my friends I realise is when I really do CHILL OUT! Not at night under my quilt cover but at dinner surrounded by my family :)

Enjoy your week and I hope you find your Chill Out time!

Jane
http://www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

So....Does size really count?

So… Does size really count?

So you’re thinking of checking up on a size, any size, doesn’t matter which because you know your sizes right?     WRONG!

How often do we hear friends say ‘I am a size 12’ only to find in one store they are a size 10 and in another a size 14!

This has been greatly debated for the last few years with Asian sizing often being smaller than ours and this being reflected in the clothing when it arrives here. The term ‘standard’ sizing seemed to get lost for a while but the public started to ask for answers and now we seem to have found our way back to sizing in clothing being nearly what it should be…..a standard we know and can pick of the clothing rack with confidence the garment will fit.

So now that our clothing is sorted what about our bedlinen? Is there a standard and what is it?

Australia and New Zealand have a size that matches across the waters so we know we can order our doona covers and quilts and they will match up perfectly. For ease of conversation here are those sizes:

Single:  140cm x 210cm (L x W) Measurements for Quilts, Doonas, and Quilt covers

Double: 180cm x 210cm

Queen:  210cm x 210cm

King:      245cm x 210cm

Super King: 265 x 210cm

Now, when we purchase these items in store we know they will fit our existing bed linen if we buy a new quilt or quilt cover and we can look at our bed and be happy with our purchase.

What happens though when a retailer decides to bring in bed linen that is not in our sizing but just a little bit out? Just a fraction, but a fraction enough to make a difference when placing an existing quilt in a cover that it will bunch, or we buy the a new quilt and it doesn’t quite fit in our existing cover. Ten centimeters difference in length or width with your current sizing will make a difference to look and style.

So, does size matter in this case? Is it fair that larger retailers can sell the UK or European size bedlinen here and we accept it? Especially when it is being sold here with our sizing tags! Is it time we changed our sizing to be in line with overseas groups so that we have a wider selection or are we happy with what we have and want to see our own size stay?

No matter what we think with the onslaught of overseas retailers more and more will see a difference in sizing and again we must ask the question……

Does size really count?

Jane Tepper

Director EcoSleep

www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

Jane Tepper

No More Making The Bed

http://www.youtube.com/v/CA1cONT42po?version=3&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autohide=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=PBak7M2ta0FD-hKru-69JQ

Why Are Australian Retail Buyers Unwilling To Give Innovative Local Designers a Fair Go?

Jane Tepper knew she had developed a winning product when she was invited to exhibit at the Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishing Fair and her Coshee® bed linen won an International award for ‘Best New Homewares Product.’

“We started selling our bed linen firstly on our own website and we quickly found other online stores that wanted to stock our range.  In the first two years I exhibited at all the major trade shows in both Australia and New Zealand and knocked on many doors to present our Coshee® bed linen.” said Jane.

You would have thought with all the ground work  done that approaching major retailers in Australia would be easy but Jane soon found they were not interested in anything new, innovative or Australian.   “I started to wonder if buyers had become complacent and out of touch with consumer needs and are too set in their ways.”

 “When was the last time you saw a new product like this that could shake the market around?” Jane asks. There are many innovative Australian designed products available online but the majority are never seen here in our retail stores.”

“It seems to me that the retail buyers’ at many stores have their own code.  Many will ask you to provide a sample and then don’t return phone calls, or answer enquiries so you can’t get feedback and in some cases we have had stores that do want our range but buyers who don’t.” 

“Isn't it amazing that Coshee® bed linen has won awards and is getting traction in the US and other countries?  It has already attracted imitators in breach of our patent – Yes this is a patented product deemed innovative enough to have already been granted patent rights yet despite all of this, no acceptance by retail buyers in the country of origin.” Jane says.

“I will continue to pursue buyers here in Australia as well as overseas, Jane says, as I know there are many other Australian business’s like mine that have amazing products and ideas that work and I think the Australian consumer would love to know more about our home grown assets.”

Jane’s fast growing accolades as a reputable authority on manufacturing has seen her invited to speak on a panel next month in Melbourne at the Australian International Sourcing Fair Nov 13-15^th where she will be discussing manufacturing requirements for Australian based business and designers with other International speakers. Her Coshee® bed linen by EcoSleep Australia are sold in Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

Coshee® bed sets are a quilt cover with a clip on top sheet. No more messy tangled sheets or mounds of washing and best of all no more bed making. Just smooth the cover and the bed will always look neat and stylish. Perfect for all the family. 

www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

Jane can be found at www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au,   jane@ecosleep.com.au     and on 0419 104 838

Are you a Chicken Soup or a Thai Laksa?

This morning my daughter Caitlin started talking about her week, her friends and what a busy life she leads!

I asked her how she thought parents do it with children, and work, and friends to visit and she answered “You know what you are doing, you have had practice and anyway you’re a chicken soup”

Pardon? Repeat that line.. ”You’re a chicken soup”

What do you mean? I asked. “Well, she said. I think of you as warm and comforting. The kind of person I always need to have around when I don’t feel well or I need to chat to, just like the chicken soup you make when we didn't feel well as kids.” 

“Me, on the other hand, Caitlin said. I am a Thai Laksa, hot and spicy and something to be enjoyed with friends with lots of laughs on a Saturday night when there is a party to go too!

In our group of friends we often talk about what sort of foods we are like as people, it’s fun and when you think of it you do match the Chicken soup and I right now am a perfect match to a Thai Laksa.”

I had to stop and mull over this for awhile and decided she was right. When my children were sick I always made chicken soup with loads of parsley to make them feel better and give them nourishment and snuggled them in bed.

The first time my son felt unwell after leaving home he rang and asked if I could make the soup as he was sure that would make him feel better.

So Caitlin has raised an interesting topic. What sort of food are you? And can it change? If I am now a chicken soup can I become a Thai Laksa when the children have all left home and my husband and I have unlimited freedom? Or will I always be a Chicken Soup and do I mind? Ummmm….

What sort of food would you like to be?

Jane
http://www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

No More Making The Bed

JDZ : FEATURE FRIDAY: RED ON RED

JDZ : FEATURE FRIDAY: RED ON RED: I am very excited to announce today that in today's post I am sharing my first official review, where I received a cool new product that...

Ecosleep Australia: Designer of Coshee® Smart Bedding for all the family: Is your Child's Bedroom a Haven or a Hazard?

Ecosleep Australia: Designer of Coshee® Smart Bedding for all the family: Is your Child's Bedroom a Haven or a Hazard?: Do you remember being sent to your room as a child for time out, and being happy or sad? I was always happy as it meant I could go and re...

Is your Child's Bedroom a Haven or a Hazard?

Do you remember being sent to your room as a child for time out, and being happy or sad?

I was always happy as it meant I could go and read and maybe the jobs would be done by my other siblings before I was allowed out!

However mum caught on to this pretty quickly so at times I would be sent to my brother’s room which had nothing in it I liked in it.

Times have now changed and we have so many cool gadgets for kids in this Tech savvy world that I wonder how they feel if sent to their room for time out or to go to sleep at night? Is it a haven or a hazard?

Do you allow your child to read before bed or play with the ipad? Do they watch movies or play games whilst in bed and is this a soothing down time before sleep?

We are, as adults probably just as guilty of phones by the bed, TV’s in the bedroom and ipads at the ready when we go to sleep or wake up but does it really help us wind down?

We didn't allow our children to have a TV in the bedroom when they were growing up as we thought they would become anti social and forget how to sit as a family and laugh at shows together. Did we do the right thing? I think so.

My favourite way to go to sleep is still reading a good book, tucked under the covers with the soft glow of a bedside light and so do my daughters!

I would like to think we can all  have some quiet areas for both our children and ourselves that we can retreat to at the end of a day, to just relax and unwind as it really doesn't matter how young or old you are we all need some warm nurturing homely rooms to enjoy!

Jane
EcoSleep Australia
www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

How do you make a bed.....Seriously!

So you think you know how to make the bed? Do you do hospital corners and tucked in sides? Or do you have neat tight corners and loose sides?

How about tight sides and loose ends?  Or how about you are now lost in a world of confusion!

Bed making used to be an art. Beautifully executed hospital corners ( This was a fold the sheet, tuck it under, and appears a bit like an envelope on the bottom corners of the bed and never came untucked) and tight as a pin sheets that you could bounce a coin of (Army terminology here) like Grandma did.

Then came the amazing idea of feather/down or goose quilts that replaced blankets and people started to loosen up a bit about the tight sheets and wanted a bit more slack when they climbed into bed and slept under the soft layer of feathers as opposed to the heavier blanket.

Finally in this day and age 50% of us sleep with a fitted bottom sheet, loose top sheet, and a quilt in a duvet/quilt cover. The other half ditches the loose top sheet and sleep just under the duvet/quilt cover. We dress our beds with lots of pillows and shams. We place beautiful hand made quilts on top for decoration and you know what...We rarely show these rooms to anyone as they are our sanctuary. When was the last time you invited someone into your bedroom?? (To look at the bed folks!)

So how did  YOU  make the bed today?  Did you tuck in corners or leave sheets loose?

Do you have a special way that only you know how to do that your partner knows they cannot duplicate? 

I love chatting to people who tell me all sorts of things about how they make a bed, the way they sleep or style their bedrooms and I look back to my time growing up and what I learnt and it made me remember, I think I forgot to teach my children how to execute a hospital corner sheet tuck! 


Maybe that’s why our children don’t like to make a bed…   We forgot to show them!
Happy bed making everyone :) I have added a How to make hospital corners below for those who are wondering!

Jane EcoSleep Australia
Designer of Coshee® Smart Bedding for all the family

www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

Ecosleep The Home of Coshee: Smart Bedding: Patents. Do we really need them?

Ecosleep The Home of Coshee bed linen: Patents. Do we really need them?: Five years ago I invented a bed linen concept. At home in sunny Melbourne, an Australian mum fixing a problem. Why? Because I was sick of...

Patents. Do we really need them?

Five years ago I invented a bed linen concept. At home in sunny Melbourne, an Australian mum fixing a problem. Why? Because I was sick of washing heavy quilt and duvet covers every weekend because my children wouldn't use a top sheet. I would find the sheet at the bottom of the bed every week and it was so frustrating when they would look at me blankly as I ranted and raved on how hard it was to remove the quilt, wash the cover, dry the cover, and then get the quilt back into the cover and remake the bed.
There response was but the sheet gets tangled, I like the cover only. So my idea was born, I made a few sets and friends wanted one and then another and so the idea became reality.
Now I am not a sewer so I asked questions, listened to advice, and finally I was happy with the finished product.
 Then someone said "What about a patent" Ummmm. I hadn't thought about that. Do I really need one?
What's the point? So I organised a meeting with a Patent specialist and I took his advice and I patented my Coshee®  idea, trademarked the name as it stood for Cover-Sheet and off I went into the big wide world to manufacture and sell my bedlinen.

Now its five years on and we have branched out a little we now sell in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Malaysia and just last year we picked up an agent and started selling in the USA.

Things are good and we are moving along nicely. Until this week...someone else is selling our idea!

Could they have thought of it like I did? Maybe they didn't know we were here and had a Patent pending in the USA. Maybe just maybe it was a mistake I thought...until I watched the video and read the blurb and watched the money rolling in as people pledged to buy this product as it was an AWESOME idea.
Yeah it is and its MINE

. I spent 24hrs in denial. I was crushed. I have a Patent pending it will all be good.
But it doesn't quite work that way. Until I could listen to the sound voice of the legal team I was teetering, all those years of heard work for nothing? Then the voice of reason came through, a strategy was discussed and I saw clearly and with clarity that I was in the best position.

My Patent may not be through yet but I had 5 years behind me and hey maybe I could learn something from these guys. My website talks to you about beautiful bed linen, shows gorgeous shots and talks about eco friendly materials and how we solve your problems in the bedroom. Get it? You want to buy it now don't you?

No? No you don't. Why?  Because I had missed the point. I had hidden the solution to your problems in my discussions about beautiful bedlinen. I had stopped listening to why you were here and how I could help you, because I assumed you knew what I was selling.

Well I was wrong and thanks to these guys I am back on track to show you how I can make your life better in the bedroom (now now this is not an R rated piece)

I will get rid of that pesky scrunched up top sheet. I can guarantee you can make your bed each and every day in under 5 secs flat or I will come around and do it for you (confident aren't I!) and your washing will be less and easier to do.
So to the guys out there with my AWESOME bedlinen idea. Thanks so much because I am back in the saddle and here for my customers, solving their problems, helping college kids sort out their bed sets when they leave home and best of all...When my Patent is through.....I hope you have made lots of money because that is when you will meet me and my legal team because yes I believe in Patents and Karma :)

Jane
Designer of Coshee.   Smart bedding for all the family
www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

Bedroom Storage For All Seasons

How often do you walk around your bedroom with an item in hand looking for a place to put it? I do it so many times that I wonder how it felt when I first moved into our home and wondered how I was going to fill it!

Storage in the bedroom can be tricky as some things we like to display and others we don’t! So where can we put them?

Below I have listed some easy solutions and others that you may have to look for but will work well.

·         Have a bed head made that will open on hinges so that it may be used for storing extra pillows or small blankets that are used seasonally.

·         If, like me, you have a bedside table that has draws but are an avid reader think about having a small bookshelf built in to your wall between the studs to display your most favourite night time reading and small prints of the family.

·         Look for a glory box (yes they are still around) or chest or long seat with a lid for the end of the bed to store your bed pillows or spare quilts when you hop into bed at night.

·         I have a chaise lounge in my bedroom that unfortunately seems to hold more than my wardrobe some days but it is ideal for sitting on when getting ready and holding some of the clothing items I may need tomorrow!

·         Build or buy a long low shelf/draw unit for under the window to store knick knacks, jumpers or everyday items for a quick find. This can be made to be a perfect addition to any bedroom as places like IKEA have them in various colours to suit both modern and old style furniture.

·         In children’s rooms the box shelving with the coloured boxes are always a hit as so much can be stored here and are easy to the kids to pack their toys into.

·         Hooks on walls in any bedroom can be used to hold both dressing gowns and jackets that are now easy to grab.

Hopefully all of these ideas will help make your bedroom a warm haven that you love to spend time in J

Jane

www.ecosleepaustralia.com.au

Where do you go to my lovely....When you're alone in your bed?

We work hard, play hard, think a lot, laugh a lot, live life and look for new opportunities…daily. Are you exhausted already? I am!

So at night when my head hits the pillow I want that deep warm slumber that I had as a child that makes me feel refreshed in the morning and helps me to bounce out of bed, but somehow, some days it seems to allude me.

My brain wont turn off, I wake at 3am thinking about the job deadline for the next day, the cat wants to go out at 4am and I cant go back to sleep so by 6am I am now bleary eyed. Where is that peaceful 8 hrs slumber and how do I get it back?

Everyone has points they like to offer but here are a few I have tried and found work for me…..most nights!

A 20 minute siesta mid afternoon between 1 and 4pm if available will boost your energy levels and allow you to function better and sleep more soundly later that night. 

Think about what you eat and drink during the day and don’t have your evening meal too close to bed time. Cut down on the alcohol, sugar and carbs when possible. Make sure you see sunlight for around 20 minutes a day to boost your Vitamin D levels.

Have a “to do” list and de-clutter your mind before bed rather than toss and turn on the events you can’t change at 1am!

Choosing the right pillow as mentioned before is crucial to a good nights sleep

Go to bed when you are tired and try to keep to a routine. If you don’t fall asleep get up for half an hour then try again. Don’t keep tossing and turning. Remember we did it for our children and it worked then!

Sometimes adding more calcium and magnesium to your diet or taking supplements will help calm the mind and muscles.

My husband loves his shower before bed and I like to read. We both find when this doesn’t occur our sleep is not as good…..Do we favour routine for a great nights sleep umm I think we do! 

Happy sleeping

Jane

What's in a Colour?

As a parent you never stop helping your children even when they are adults, so on the weekend my husband and I found ourselves helping to build a picket fence.

Now we have done this before but the tricky part came when colours were being decided.

Desert sand posts with white pickets….. easy. No it wasn’t! The discussion on white, off white, and antique white was long and vocal.

In the end the antique white won and it does look good but it made me wonder where we go when we aren’t sure and need some assistance in the ever changing world of colour.

Many years ago houses were painted white, then beige. Who remembers mission brown architraves?

Nowadays we want a feature wall or two in a bright bold colours or antique white walls and ceiling with white furniture, with splashes of color in rugs or cushions.

You will need to decide which colours combine well, whether they are toning, harmonious or complementary. By coming to grips with the rules of colour, you can give any room a professional look.

Primary colours are three key colours - Red, Blue and Yellow. They cannot be made from any other colour.

Secondary colours: Your Secondary colours if you mix equal amounts of the primary colours, are- Purple, Green and Orange.

Red + Yellow = Orange
Red + Blue = Purple
Blue + Yellow = Green 

Tertiary colours: If you mix a primary with a secondary colour, in a ratio of 2:1, you get a Tertiary colour. Red-Orange, Blue-Green.

Cool versus hot Yellow, red and orange are 'warm' or 'hot' and blue, green or mauve are 'cool' or 'cold'.

This is useful when you want to create a mood or feature in a particular room or need to make your space cosier or lighter.

Neutrals Neutrals are one of the easiest groups of colours, or non-colours to work with. They don't appear on the colour wheel and include Black, Grey, White and sometimes Brown and Beige. They all go together and can be layered and mixed and matched. No neutral colour will try to dominate over another.

Accent colours and Feature walls. An accent colour is a colour used in quite small quantities to lift or to add punch to a colour scheme.

• An accent colour should be in a complementary colour. It works best if it's a bright, vibrant colour. Accent colours are perfect if you're scared of using strong colour - simply add a splash of an accent colour with a cushion, a vase or a throw or go all out and do one wall in a room.
• Keep most of your room in shades and variations of one single colour. Choose a number of items in a harmonious colour. Then your feature wall or furniture piece will be the room statement.

So now back to painting the fence! Enjoy your painting and never be afraid to use different colours as you can always paint again!

Jane
www.ecosleepaustralia.com

The GREEN Thing!!

At the cash register of the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own shopping bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The cashier responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations. You didn't have the green thing."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soft drink bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycling. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every shop and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the post, we used wrapped up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn.. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank water from a tap when we were thirsty instead of demanding a plastic bottle flown in from another country. We accepted that a lot of food was seasonal and didn't expect that to be trucked in or flown thousands of air miles. We actually cooked food that didn't come out of a packet, tin or plastic wrap and we could even wash our own vegetables and chop our own salad.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, city people took the tram or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.

10 Tips for a Better Nights Sleep

10 Tips For A Good Night’s Sleep Naturally

1.             Stick to a schedule. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Sticking to a schedule allows your body to set its internal rhythm clock so you can get up at the time you want, consistently, every single day. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning you will wake later and feel overly tired.

2.             Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps when needed.

3.             Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

4.             Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles. Try a lavender soap for the calming aroma.

5.             Avoid eating just before bed. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest properly during the night, rather than churning away your food.

6.             Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s not what you want for a good nights sleep. If you need a warm drink try a soothing green tea or warm milk with honey.

7.             Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it.  Then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep.

8.             Have the room slightly cooler. Your body temperature does not need a warm room and bed covers so turn off the heat and allow the night air to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes or use a heavier quilt in the colder months.

9.             Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV far more restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.

10.                Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people.