Time for another play/art room update. The last time I showed it to you guys we had just chucked the couch and acquired a huge new art table (thank you craigslist). Since then we’ve been getting tons of use out of it – we can be found creating in the room almost daily. I’ve been so, so happy with it, with one exception. While the addition of the art table has exponentially increased our creative endeavors, it takes up quite a bit of space and has cut down a bit on the amount of area we have to play.
I’ve thought for a while now that the solution to this would be a nice cozy rug. Why? Because kids love burrowing into spaces to play – truly, there’s little more enticing than a tucked away space they can call their very own. And with the size of our new table, there’s a whole lot of said space up for grabs underneath it. The problem was our tile floor wasn’t exactly cozy.
Yes, I’d been wanting to get a rug for a while but what kind of rug would be able to stand up to the messy art projects we create at the table? I was stumped. And then one fortuitous day I received an email from Mohawk flooring looking for some friendly bloggers to test out their super-stain-resistant Smartstrand carpet.
So what’s so special about this carpet? From Mohawk:
Smartstrand has permanent stain and soil resistance that will never wear off. Most carpets have stain and soil treatments that are applied topically to the fiber. Over time, due to wear and tear, the topically applied stain and soil treatment wears off. This can leave ordinary carpets looking worn out and dirty sooner than you might expect for such a large purchase. With SmartStrand, you don’t have to worry about that. For as long as you have the carpet, it will have stain protection because it is built into the carpet fiber itself.
They’ve actually done some pretty amazing tests on these carpets. I’ll get to that later but first… Want a chance to win your very own Smartstrand carpet bound rug? Simply click on the link below to enter a giveway just for MPMK readers:
ENTER HERE TO WIN A SMARTSTRAND RUG OF YOUR OWN
All entered? Good. Before you go, I thought it would be fun to show you just how much our new rug is expanding our play potential. Read on for a bunch of ideas on how to play under your table.
Our rug arrived via late-night delivery when the kids were already in bed so it was like a special surprise when it was waiting in their play space the next morning and they were super excited about it (who knew?). So we made a day of coming up with all kinds of ways they could snuggle up and play on it.
First up, we draped some playsilks over the table and made a walk-in veterinary clinic underneath. All of our furry friends came by for their annual check up.
Next was tea time (and we threw in a little yoga – as you do). We’re in the habit of using just water for our tea parties but Mohawk encouraged us to try real tea. Apparently even tough stains, like ketchup, mustard, red Kool-Aid, and red wine will clean easily out of SmartStrand carpet. Remember those crazy dirt tests I mentioned…
Mohawk held a SmartStrand Zoo Challenge in which they carpeted the rhino enclosure at a popular zoo in Birmingham, Alabama. Ricko the Rhino lived on this carpet for 2 weeks! When all was said and done, Mohawk removed the carpet from Ricko’s home, had it professionally cleaned using only hot water extraction and the carpet looked good as new. Maybe this rug really will stand up to my little monkeys.
After teatime, we relaxed a little longer by adding a few pillows and creating an undercover book nook. Then, when our energy was restored, we broke out the kids’ all time favorites (both for building and pushing), LEGO vehicles, and once again transformed the space – this time into a service station.
By then the morning had slipped away and it was time for lunch and S’s nap. Once she was peacefully slumbering, C returned to his favorite spot to create art, this time under the table.
All and all we are quite pleased with this new addition to our home and we’d love for you to have one too. Just click on the link below to go to the contest page to enter. The contest started Monday, March 18th and ends April 8th. Please see the registration page for legal rules.
ENTER HERE TO WIN A SMARTSTRAND RUG OF YOUR OWN
*This post is sponsored by Mohawk Flooring and contains affiliate links.
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