Decorating Your Home With Sports Memorabilia

The potential for decorating your home with your favorite sports memorabilia are never-ending. With a little creativity and thoughtfulness, your home décor can be accented by your sports collection as something you can proudly display and everyone can look at and enjoy on a daily basis - something you definitely want to share with your family and friends.

First, for displaying and protecting your sports memorabilia, be sure you have all the correct accessories and fixtures that match your current home decorating scheme. Many of these cases are very unique and decorative in themselves. Baseball bats, helmets, batting gloves, hockey pucks, footballs and basketball are all items that can all be proudly displayed in cases and enjoyed by everyone.

Autographed photographs or framed jerseys can also add to any sports home décor. They can be displayed in almost every room of the house. As with any wall art piece, you will want to hang the framed photos or jerseys where they can be fully viewed in appropriate lighting. You should consider hanging these photos over the fireplace, in the foyer or hallway, over a living room sofa and in your game room or child's playroom.

In addition, sports-themed lamps and lighting accessories will add to and compliment any home décor. They can be placed strategically throughout your home to provide functional, illuminating, lighting while also allowing you to proudly display and show off your team spirit and loyalty.

Try decorating any room in your house in the colors and logos on your favorite college or Professional sports team or athlete. You can also try decorating a room based on a famous sporting field of play such as Yankee Stadium or a memorable event such as the Super Bowl, World Cup or World Series. You can begin with one special piece and then add on with other home accents and complimentary pieces later.

Decorating your home with sports memorabilia is endless and can bring out the sports fan in all of us - helping us think and work as a team and as champions.

Shelley McCabe is the owner of http://www.sportsfanprolighting.com who is an avid sports fan and who knows the dramatic impact of picking the right sports lighting décor for your home or office.

NFL Team Blankets, Different Types and Styles

Northwest is the only company that holds the official NFL license to produce NFL team blankets. There are 2 main styles of NFL team blankets, Royal Plush Raschel Blankets, and woven tapestry throws. Every year, Northwest redesigns their plush team blankets to keep their look fresh and new, late last month, the newest designs of the blankets were released, and every line is ready to ship. There are 3 different styles of the Plush NFL Team Blankets:

The basic "Micro Raschel throw blankets ~ these blankets are a nice, soft, lightweight throw blanket that is 50" x 60" in size, all 32 teams are available and they retail in the $25 range.

The next step up is the medium sized "Tonal" series. The Tonal blankets are a heavier duty, fleece like blanket that comes in a size of 50" by 60". The Tonal blankets are known for their warmth, brilliant colors, and exceptional durability. Plush Raschel Tonal blankets retail at about $35.

The biggest and best plush NFL blanket is the "Diamond Plate" series, named for the cool diamond plate pattern in the background with your favorite teams logo printed in brilliant authentic team pantone colors. These blankets are a huge "60 x 80" size and will keep even the largest sports fan warm and cozy on the couch this football season. The cost of the Diamond Plate blankets ranges from $45 - $50.

Now, for the different types and styles of "Tapestry" blankets. The main difference in the plush blankets and the tapestries, is that the tapestry throws are woven and can be used for much more than just a blanket. The tapestry throws are extremely popular, they look great hanging over a couch or chair, or used as a wall hanging or a throw rug, or any other type of room accent. Tapestries are amazingly colorful, and extremely detailed. There are 2 types of tapestries ~ Woven Tapestries, and Triple Woven Jacquard Throws.

The Woven tapestries usually commemorate special events, when there is a new World Series Champion, or college football champion, you will find a special edition tapestry the next day, when there is a new Super Bowl Champ, of course you can get a special collectible tapestry all over the internet. The woven tapestries are amazingly detailed and colorful, they are 48 by 60 inches, and are fringed on all 4 sides woven tapestries are available in every NFL team in what is called the "Home Field Advantage" series. They are a beautifully crafted piece of artwork. Every tapestry is slightly different in style, there is the team name with the officially licensed logo and colors and a picture of the teams helmet, in the background, there is artwork relative to the city ~ like dolphins jumping out of the ocean and pictures of palm trees for the Miami Dolphins, there are also "Player Tapestries" Basically a woven tapestry with an image of your favorite football player, currently, the are 17 NFL players available.

The final series of NFL team tapestries, is the "Specialty Series" basically these are collectible items commemorating memorable events in the NFL. There are tapestries for every Super Bowl winning team, along with the official logo of the Super Bowl in which they won. There are also special limited edition tapestries produced in a very small quantity. The examples of these are the now famous "Helmet Catch" by David Tyree of the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42. The artisans at Northwest's factory actually produced a blanket with a picture of David Tyree with the football pinned to his helmet as he is getting mugged by The New England Patriots defender Rodney Harrison. There is also a Dallas Cowboys last season in Texas Stadium tapestry with an image of the famous stadium with the hole in the roof printed right on the blanket, this is the Cowboys last season in Texas Stadium before moving to their new digs next year.

The other version of woven tapestries is the "Triple Woven Jacquard Throw". These are more of a blanket, they feature loom woven high bulk acrylic for the look and feel of cotton. They are extremely soft and comfortable and come in 2 sizes ~ 48 x 60 inches and a 36 by 48 inch baby blanket series. The 48"x60" are available for every NFL team and show an image of the team helmet and team name with their official logo. The NFL baby blankets are one of the most popular pieces of NFL merchandise around, they are a great size, they are extremely soft, and best of all, they will get your little one on the right track to rooting for their favorite football team.

NFL Team Blankets are one of the most popular items this holiday season!

Kraig Cable is an expert in the field of Sports Merchandise and Memorabilia. He has been a memorabilia collector since 1983. Kraig owns and operates 2 memorabilia related websites. Pro Football Stuff.com and KHC Sports.com

Signed Mini Helmets - Unique Gifts for Sports Fans

Searching for a unique gift for a sports fanatic? Find a signed mini helmet from their favorite player on their favorite team, past or present. They are an excellent display piece for an office or study, on the bookshelf or mantle. Help them show off their team spirit with authentic autographed football memorabilia. Signed mini helmets are perfect presents for Christmas, Father's Day, Birthdays, or any special occasion where you want to give a thoughtful and memorable gift. Don't buy another golf hat, cologne set, or necktie, as those get lost forever in the bottom of a drawer. These helmets will be prominently and proudly displayed, constantly reminding the recipient of your caring and thoughtful gift. After you give the first one, and see their elated response, you'll know exactly what gift to buy them for years to come.

Signed mini helmets are wonderful collectibles. With a wide array of choices from college and professional football teams, you'll be instantly addicted and want to continue adding all of your favorite players to your collection. Show your allegiance to your favorite team by adding signatures from the stars of different decades. Some of the football superstars have autographed helmets from their professional teams, as well as college helmets from their alma mater. Emphasize your favorite players by purchasing the helmets from all of the professional teams they played for, as well as their college team.

Signed mini helmets are authentic sports memorabilia, and include proof of authenticity in various forms. Some may include a tamper proof hologram sticker with a certificate of authenticity, or even a photo of the helmet being autographed by the player. Find one with these safeguards and feel secure you're buying a valuable collector's item. If something as inexpensive as a baseball card can go up in value, just imagine the possibilities for this officially licensed merchandise with a player's authentic signature.

Looking for a unique gift for a football fan? Find collectible miniature team helmets autographed by your favorite athletes at http://www.signedminihelmet.com.

Kyle Keller has provided information and articles on a variety of subjects to help internet surfers find what they're searching for.