1001 How-Tos   Useful information on everything

Tapestries are just as good to have as paintings. With hundreds of designs to choose from, you are sure to find the right one which you can display in your home.

But before you go buying your wall tapestry, you have to measure the wall so you get one that is not too big or too small. Ideally, this should not fit the entire wall but right on the center with some allowance on the left and right side.

Since well designed and made tapestries go for hundreds of dollars, be sure to choose one which you can hand down like a family heirloom.

One way to do that is to bring along swatch samples of your couch, curtain or anything else in the room so you have an idea if the design you pick will work with your theme.

You can also check what material is the tapestry made of so this also matches with the furniture and the curtains in the room even if it is rare that you will find one made by hand since most of these are made by machine.

If you have found a good tapestry, don’t buy it yet and tell the person to reserve it. That way, you can check out other stores which may also have the same design and compare their prices. If this is the best price, one last place to check before you buy it and bring it home is online.

When you buy a tapestry, this does not come with its own rod and brackets. That is something you have to buy separately so when you are choosing one from the hardware store, make sure it can support the weight of the tapestry otherwise it could sag or even break later on.

Since tapestries have a tendency to bend, curl or wave later on, prepare for it right now by getting some weights that you can put at the bottom end. Another option will be to put a rod in between by sowing your own sleeve at the bottom.

For those who don’t want to hang it using a rod, another option will be to buy brads and tacks. Just make sure you have enough tacks to prevent the tapestry from sagging. You can also use Velcro by nailing on one on the wall and sewing a strip of heavy cotton will on the tapestry.

You can buy tapestries from stores but if you money is not an option, go visit an art dealer who will have better items to offer. If you happen to see one in a museum, ask them about it because they may have a reproduced copy in store waiting for you.

Tapestries have been around for hundreds of years and in a time when paintings were not the trend, this is what the rich and famous displayed in their castles and palaces.

Because these are now in mass production, you will find a variety of these around and not only for your walls. There are also tapestries that can be used as throws or rugs so go out there and get them. So this will last for many years, clean it using a light brush or vacuum cleaner at least once or twice a year and avoid letting it get direct contact with sunlight.

Saving money can be difficult in an economy that discourages people from spending, but in the context of mass media that encourages spending on everything that you want. This can seem illogical, but it seems to be the way of all capitalism, and if your children are not careful, they can be caught in quite a number of financial traps.

First of all, they may be taught in school that working hard can earn them money, but they might not be taught how to keep that money handy – and they could be misled into believing that hard work can and should be rewarded by spending magnificently on big, noisy things. This can be true especially for teenagers, who face the pressure of their fellow teens when they want to dress well in school, join other teens in their hangouts, and spend their money – actually, your money – in getting things that they want.

You may have a hard time convincing teens to start saving their money, but there are actually ways that you can motivate them to start their own saving. Here are a few ways for you to begin.

- Set a good example. In other words, show, don’t tell. If you keep on telling your kids to save, but you don’t save money yourself and constantly spend it on luxury items, then you don’t only send the wrong signal to your children, you also encourage them to do their own spending. Of course, you are licensed to spend your hard-earned cash on things that you need, but make up for your spending in other areas, say in having a set amount of money to set aside each month for your bank account, or investing in stocks and bonds.

- Don’t stop at the example: get your kids their own bank account. Although this may be counterintuitive, it can actually force your kids to save. Put some money into the account to start it, but only enough to do so; let your kids find ways to make their bank accounts grow. Encourage them to take part time jobs, such as mowing your neighbors’ lawns, babysitting, or even writing short articles for websites. There are many ways that they can earn money, and this will not only motivate them to save, it will actually show them the value of a job.

- And don’t stop at the bank! If you can, open insurance accounts for your teens and make them pay a portion of the premiums. Moreover, make your teens invest in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, or anything that will allow their money to grow. Encourage them to read more about how the stock market works. This way, you can empower them to make their own money later, and give them a chance to start getting money early. And since you are not giving them any money and they are making it themselves, they will find ways to keep themselves out of trouble on their own, without your interference.

- Have rewards ready for good savings, say a hundred dollars for every five hundred that your teen saves. Avoid rewarding them, however, for good grades, as they may work in school for monetary rewards – think, if you kept them in this mindset, what would happen when they get to college?

Give rewards for jobs, not grades, and your kids will be in school to learn. School, after all, is another set of motivational rules altogether.