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How to create the perfect home cinema experience!

Big Yellow Blogger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:49:59 +0000

Tired of having to traipse to the cinema to watch your movies? Want to bring the big screen experience to your home? Then why not turn your spare room into your very own home cinema!
Check out our top tips on how to do it the right way!

The room:
First off, let’s have a look at the room. You’ll want somewhere which has enough space to allow you the perfect distance between your seats and the screen. Ideally, you need between 3 and 5 metres between your eyeballs and the screen.
When you’ve chosen your room, clear it out of anything you won’t need. If you’ve not got the space Big Yellow Self Storage can help out with small Storage rooms from as little as £7 a week. Check out www.bigyellow.co.uk for more details.
Get yourself a comfy sofa and position it in the middle of the room so you can get the full benefit of your rear speakers. If you’re feeling very rich then you could always splash out on a set of real cinema chairs! (be warned these don’t come cheap!)Audio Affair http://bit.ly/yL7k9F can help you out.

Light:
We’re looking to make the room as dark as possible; so use curtains instead of blinds. Try Lined curtains as they enable you to control the light within the room. This is also better for acoustics and more environmentally conscious as they keep the heat in.
Adding a dimmer switch will give you that gradual lights-down effect as the movie begins!

The screen:
There are so many choices these days but it boils down to the basic principle that bigger is better! 60” is probably the minimum you should go for to create that real cinema feel. HD is a must these days as SD (standard definition) screens just won’t cut it when it comes to a big picture!
The 2 options are:
1. A Projector
• This has the benefit of being as big as your room is, as they can vary the size of the picture. They do cost more but if you’re serious about your cinematic experience then you can’t beat a projector!
• An example of one that does Full 1080p HD is the Optoma HD200X available from Amazon at for around £600 http://amzn.to/weCTLL . If you want a cheaper model then you could go for something like a HD-12PRO from www.projectorsite.com for less than £200.
• Don’t forget you’ll need a screen for this as well. A 70” costs from around £40 on Amazon http://amzn.to/xdmHeT

2. An LCD/LED or Plasma TV
• LCD is light and clear, with LED being similar but slightly newer technology and Plasma is the original and some say the sharpest, (but remember you may need to re-fill the gas in the tube).
• The Daddy of these is the Sony KDL-60LX903 from £3200 available from Amazon http://amzn.to/y4EXM4
• If you haven’t got that much cash, a cheaper option is the Sharp LC60LE831E at around £2000 http://amzn.to/vYTUfP
Don’t forget to get a decent wall mount if you go for the TV option and a ceiling mount if you go for the projector

The Audio
Don’t skimp here! You need to ensure that you get a 7.1 system which means that you have 7 speakers +1 subwoofer. These are one centre speaker for speech, a left and right front channel, two left and right mid channels and two speakers behind you for rear effects.
There are plenty of speaker systems out there and you must make your own choice depending on the kind of sound you want. Make sure you go to a retailer where you can test out the speakers first in a properly set up demo room. Examples of good brands to go with are Q Acoustics or KEF.
You also need a 7.1 Amp to channel your films through. Don’t rely on the blu-ray player’s output as it won’t be good enough for a full 7.1 system. Good examples of a home cinema amp are Sony’s STRDH820 http://amzn.to/wOo75a or Yamaha’s RXV565BL http://amzn.to/wjk4LD

The Source:
Finally you need a good source to play your films from. Whilst online movies via LoveFilm or Apple TV are easy to get hold of and convenient they are no match in quality to full HD transmitted movies from Sky/VirginMedia or Blu-ray DVDs.
Talk to Sky or Virgin Media about their Full HD movie packages or get yourself as blu ray player from £60 upwards. Try the Panasonic DMR-BWT700EB for around £350 for top quality http://amzn.to/yYtrbN
Once you’ve sorted your home cinema out, why not splash out on a popcorn maker to add that extra touch. Happy movie watching!

If you need some space to make your dream home theatre then Big Yellow Self Storage is available from as little as £7 a week.

Big Yellow Race Team – Take them on…

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:05:33 +0000

Want to race in one of these? Some of the guys at Big Yellow love cars and video games and have created their very own Big Yellow cars. They race online against drivers all over the world and are currently ranked in the top 62 thousand drivers. There are over a few million players all over the world playing the Xbox 360 game – Forza Motorsport 4. The team started it as a bit of fun and are hoping to get invited to a competition called Formula Forza this year which will take place in London.

Can you take them on? Search the Big Yellow Race Team to race.

De-clutter your bathroom

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:54:40 +0000

What are your thoughts on the bathroom? Is it a throne to sit on and admire the view, a powder room to bless yourself with beauty, or even a library to enjoy a good read in peace and quiet.

If your bathroom isn’t quite the tranquil and heavenly environment you’d hope for, then sort it out with Big Yellow Self Storage’s top de-cluttering tips.

1. Plan your attack – If you want to leave the harder things till last, start with small items like the vanity. It’s easy to decide what to keep and what to throw in the rubbish bin. Plan on moving to open shelves next. Then head under the sink, and finally into the closet.
2. Pull out all the items you are not using – If you’ve got items that have been collecting dust for months or even years, it’s time to pull them out and open up shelving space.
3. Get rid of expired products – you may find many items have expired even though they haven’t been used up yet. It’s best to chuck out any products that have reached their expiration date.
4. Check the shower – The shower and bath area is one of the most obvious places we collect half-used items over the months. Make sure to ask everyone in your home if their products are actually being used or if it’s safe to throw them away. Purchasing a shower caddy is an easy way to organize your shower and bath area. If you have children, you can also purchase a string bag for the bath to keep all those rubber duck toys together!
5. Invest in storage baskets and boxes – Sometimes, separating items into different baskets or small boxes can make you feel that much more organized. It’s easier to locate that nail file or eye shadow if you’ve designated a certain basket for them. Inexpensive storing options can easily be found at Tesco for as little as £3, as well as Debenhams and BHS for £9.
6. Downsize your collection of towels. Sort through them and decide which ones are the best to keep and then donate the rest to charity. You’ll find you have a lot more room in your cupboard for storage!
7. Keep what you’ll use – After de-cluttering it’s time to organize your products and place them back on the shelves. Try to group similar items together, making it easier and faster to find the products you’re looking for in the future.
By following these simple tips, you’ll have all the items you need within arm’s reach without all that clutter and chaos from before and hopefully you’ll finally be able to start enjoying your new and improved de-cluttered sanctuary!

If you’re moving bathroom furniture and you don’t quite feel like throwing it out yet, you can always put it in a small Big Yellow Self Storage unit which start from just £7 a week!

DE-CLUTTER YOUR BEDROOM

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:54:10 +0000

What does your bedroom say about you? Do your walls sport an array of vibrant prints with eclectic storage areas suitably placed to bring out your energetic vibe? Or do you prefer your bedroom to be a tranquil hub of relaxation and comfort with nothing but a cosy, sinking bed to snuggle up in?

These may be ideals, although reaching your bedroom paradise is a struggle when your carpet is a sea of shoes and your bed is an island of clothes, bags and cuddly toys (of course). De-cluttering your bedroom is easy when you check out these useful storage ideas and helpful tips for a painless, organized clear up.
Before you devour yourself into a cleaning frenzy, take a notepad and pen, and make yourself some simple but cunning notes. Note where the mess is congregating. Is it on your bed? When was the last time you saw the carpet? Does it surround the sound system? Are DVDs and wires muddled around the TV? Are your clothes spilling out of the wardrobe? With these you can then work on a specific solution to combat the protagonist of the mess mystery.

Having a spacious bedroom undoubtedly makes living more comfortable, but if your bedroom is on the small side it doesn’t have to feel cramped. By clearing the mess on the floor, you will instantly notice a difference in visual size. But where to put it you ask? Under the bed is the simple answer, although rather than allowing it to be forgotten about and collect dust, take a look at some Divan Beds which provide up to 5 separate drawers within the base of the bed. Perfect for keeping linen ironed and clean or for the astronomic number of shoes you may own.

If your wardrobe is bursting at its hinges with clothes suitable for both ends of the weather spectrum, Big Yellow Self Storage can house your summer wardrobe during winter and vice versa.

Ultimately a clean and tidy bedroom can lead to a much more peaceful sleep. While combining an organized, tidy, aesthetic solution to your cluttered bedroom, may seem an impossible feat, Sharps seem to have got it spot on. With ample space for his and her wardrobe and even filing space for the executive side of things, clutter is simply not an option.

During the big clean, there will be things to bin and others so precious they simply cannot be thrown. So get them stored! With Big Yellow Self Storage you can store your prize possessions for as little as £7 a week.

Starting a band? Top tips for storing your gear!

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:06:17 +0000

The dining room may seem like the perfect place to store your bands massive kit however what to do when you actually want to have guests over and need to use this space?

Whether you’re in a rock band or classical orchestra, a solo artist or electronic DJ, everyone needs a good quality space to store your equipment that will create that next million pound selling album. Big Yellow Self Storage can offer you the space to house your instruments, your decks, your amps and your lights from as little as £7 a week. Keeping them all in one place easy to pop in the back of the van and take to your next gig or studio session.

In the mean time, take a look at some top tips to accentuate that sweet sound in your house, perfect for recording tunes, without breaking the bank.

1) Sound proof
Choose a space for your studio and sound proof it – line the walls with Acousti Lite Multi Layered Material. This will absorb sound evenly and is very cheap. Find it at www.play.com for just £32.26.

2) Time for DIY
If you’re feeling creative, make your own suspended floor. A suspended floor gives you the best sound insulation. Cut some bouncy balls in half to hold up ply flooring, cover the flooring with carpet pads and carpet.

3) Cut out the reverb
If your studio is still looking dull and plain, get decorating! Fill the walls with bookshelves, pictures and anything that’ll give you inspiration as well as giving you the right sound. This breaks up annoying reverb from the flat parallel walls.

4) Acoustics
High ceilings can also be a problem. Think back to the room tents you made when you were younger, finally they are useful for something! Simply stretch hessian (or cotton of you can’t find hessian) sheeting across the room at a convenient height. This will help to catch those platinum selling records in the making.

5) Where to buy:
There are plenty of places out there to choose from. One such company is DV247 has all the equipment you need to make your music from home.

Perhaps you’re just not the music producing type, perhaps you’re past the days of endless scale practising and want to be rid of the strings and keys that made your fingers so sore. But no music is junk music, so don’t throw it away! Go to www.bigyellow.co.uk to find your nearest store.

Hidden Treasures: What could you find hidden in your Attic?

Big Yellow Blogger — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:09:54 +0000

Attics are the home of Christmas decorations and unused sports equipment from that failed New Year resolution. Often we throw things in our attic to give us a bit more room around the house, leaving us to think what is actually up there?

People have uncovered many unique treasures by rummaging through their own belongings and in some special cases those items have been worth millions of pounds. Perhaps it’s time to dedicate an afternoon to clearing out the cobwebs and sorting through your things from years ago.

We’ve been hunting around and were amazed at what people uncovered in their attics:

1. Martin Johnson Heade Paintings – While the name may sound unfamiliar, it’s not one that should be forgotten after being heard. Heade is America’s Van Gogh, with his paintings being unknown during his time (1900’s), his flower portraits are luminous and emotional. His painting ‘ Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth’ was stored away in an attic until the owner played an art related board game and became curious of the paintings creator. The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas purchased the work from the owner for a staggering $1, 250, 000 in 1999. The painting has been replicated more times than we can count on posters, calendars, and mugs. Several other Heade paintings were discovered the same way and sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction.

2. First Edition Star Wars Collectibles –An American went up to his attic only to discover several boxes from his childhood he had long forgotten about. They were filled with toys he had kept in mint condition, including several first edition star wars collectibles dating from 1977, the year the first Star Wars film was released. He took the toys to a comic book store and sold them for $10,000.

3. Rare Coins – If you have coins your grandparents used to collect, you may have some valuable ones hidden in their stash. George Walton collected rare coins until the day he died, leaving his treasures to his family. Among them was a nickel printed in 1913 with a liberty head. Only five coins were printed with this date and design, making them extremely rare and valuable to historical collectors. Several specialists viewed the coin and declared it to be a fake. It sat in the family’s attic until many years after Walton’s death, when his nephew took the coin to an exhibit where 4 of the 5 coins were on display. There, specialists looked closely and declared Walton’s coin to be the fifth and final coin, making it worth $2,000,000.

4. False Teeth – You may find the strangest things in forgotten boxes in your attic. One family found boxes of false teeth that once belonged to their ancestor who had been a dentist. He had bought false teeth in assorted sizes to best fit the patient’s mouth. The family took the old metal teeth to a jeweler who told them the teeth were made up entirely of platinum. While cheap back in the day, platinum had soared in price thanks to the jewelry market. The teeth were worth around $300 a pair and brought in nearly $8000.
5. Buried Jewelry – Your grandmother’s costume jewelry may not be costume after all. Many people have uncovered real gold and silver pieces stashed in trinket boxes. One mother discovered her daughter was playing with a gem once owned by royalty. It looked like simple piece of costume jewelry but when appraised was worth hundreds of pounds.

You never know what you will uncover in your attic. If you have some emotional attachment to your treasures and want to ensure their safety, it may be best to have them appraised and insured. For as little as £7 a week Big Yellow Self Storage can safely store your valuables, clearing up your attic for several more years of treasures to collect!

De-cluttering your kids rooms

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:09:40 +0000

Organising your children’s bedroom can be one of the most difficult tasks you face around your home. Keeping it clean can be a problem but with the right organisation, it may make it easier for your child to pick up after themselves and take better care of their toys. Big Yellow Self Storage has come up with some helpful tips on how to de-clutter and organise your child’s bedroom or toy room in the easiest way possible!
1. Get two boxes and one large rubbish bag. Label one box ‘keep’, the other ‘donate’, and start sorting. Work in a clockwise pattern, making sure you hit every section of the room.

2. Invest in some plastic containers to store under the bed, in the closet, or on empty shelves. Go through the ‘keep’ bin and decide which items you’d like to keep in the room and which you may not be able to part with just yet. For items you can’t bear to get rid of, Big Yellow Self Storage can securely store your belongings for as little as £7 a week.

3. Place plastic toys, books and commonly used things in easy to reach areas. Other items such as markers, paint, breakables and pieces containing small parts should be placed in out-of- the way areas.

4. Rotate their toys. If your family has accumulated lots of toys with multiple children, create separate boxes to store all the toys in. Let your children help pick out what toys they want to play with the most. Once you’ve decided which toys they want to play with, place the other two boxes in a closet, and rotate the boxes every couple of weeks or at the end of every month. This way all toys will be played with, and it’s less to clean up before bed time.

5. Organise the room with your kids. Help them mark the containers with what it should contain. This simple method can ensure little mess as well as a quick and easy clean up after play time.
It may take a bit of time to de-clutter and get organised, but just remember it’ll be worth it in the end. Get the whole family involved and make it fun. It’s important to involve your child in the process and listen to what they think are the most important to keep and what they want to donate. If your child is ready to get rid of something but you’re still holding on to the memories, you can always save it for storage and you can revisit it another day.

De-cluttering your lounge of gadgets

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:47:41 +0000

We’re kicking off how to get storage FIT in 2012 with tips on how to sort out wires and gadgets as we focus on de-cluttering your tech in the lounge!

The age of CD’s, digital cameras and DVD’s are fading away. We’re now living in a world of the Digital Cloud. So before you get left behind, or your other half demands you get rid of all of your favourite gadgets, make 2012 the year that you sort it out and finally get rid of that knot of cables behind your telly and that pile of never played CD’s!

1. It’s MP3’s over CD’s
Save space and chuck the CD’s out. Import all your CD’s to your computer as soon as possible. You can use iTunes/Zune/Media Player to do this. It’s worth buying a portable hard drive allowing you extra space for all your files if you have quite a few, although most new laptops come with around 350GB of hard disk space which is more than enough for an average collection. Hard Drives are cheap thee days and you can get a whopping 1TB exterbnal drive from PC World or Amazon for as little as £70.

2. Cable clear up
Rather than having a spiders web of cables clogging the sockets, you can easily sort this tangled nightmare out with some cheap cable tidies from Amazon. Some great examples are Fisula Velcro ties (from £3.29 for 10) or £1.99 for 100 basic nylon ones if you want to go cheap!

Going further you may want to get rid of cables altogether! Get rid of your speaker cables with this £20 wireless connector from pixmania.

3. The Wireless Age
Apple TV gives you access to everything you want to see and hear – blockbuster films, your music and photos, news and sport – all on your widescreen Television. Using a wireless network, you can stream HD films from itunes over the internet onto your TV. Using iCloud means all your photos will automatically back up onto your TV, so you can catch all those priceless memories in HD quality forever. Rather than buying a huge TV cabinet for all your gear, the Apple TV box fits perfectly into the palm of your hand, giving you plenty of space to use for something else.

If you want everything wireless from your temperature control to your lighting check out INSTEON

4. Tablet Takeover
Ipads & Tablets are replacing home automation controls! Designed to remain docked in the wall whilst being easily removed. With a specially configured home, they can control everything in your house, from your thermostat to your swimming pool. It is all controlled using wi-fi which allows third parties, such as smartphones to join in the control.

5. Keep backups!
Even the hardcore geeks say you can’t trust this process of ‘digital everything’, believing that there is always a chance that data can’t be recovered. If you’re similarly paranoid, store all your hard drives in a box, preferably with a sachet of silica gel inside to help prevent mould build-up. For added security you could leave them in your Big Yellow Storage unit.

If you want to keep your old gadegts, backups of your drives, old computers or even your old CD collection, get your gear stored at Big Yellow Self Storage. Big Yellow can offer you the space to house all your itmes that are too priceless to replace, for as little as £7 a week.

Keep an eye on the blog for more updates on how to get storage FIT in 2012!

Resolutions: Get fit and create a home gym for under £100

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:18:32 +0000

Ok, so it’s the New Year – you want to get fit, but with some gym memberships being way out of your post-Christmas price range, why not save yourself a few quid and do your workout in the comfort of your own home!

For £100 you can quite easily kit out your spare room with equipment from eBay, so you can even shop from home.

A multi-gym covers most strength exercises and will allow you to adapt your work out with its multi functions. Or why not try out a simpler piece of equipment and see how many Pull up Push up Sit up Dips you can do! This is a cheap and cheerful £28.49.

If your piggy bank is a little too bare for these bits of gym equipment you can do it even cheaper by using more basic techniques which you just need some space for. One cheaper option is using a Stability Ball. This is the big ball that you can use for crunches, squats, sit-ups and once you are bored of excising on this it can double up as a bouncy, moving desk chair! Try to add a new piece of exercise equipment every few months to keep your routine fresh and exciting.

If you get stuck with what to do, try using ideas from fitness magazines, personal trainers, or websites as they can be very helpful and most importantly cheap! Why not create a scrapbook of at least 5 tried out workouts that you can do at home. If you have something in writing, you’ll be far more likely to do it. Also, if you have a TV, computer, or radio in your home gym space you’ll be far more likely to exercise if you can be entertained while you’re doing so.

And if you’ve not got the space, then why not clear out your spare room, and put your stuff in Big Yellow Self Storage from as little as £7 a week and start getting fit in 2012!

Armadillo storage joins a partnership of 40 agencies for North Liverpool Foodbank

Big Yellow Blogger — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:46:08 +0000

Armadillo Storage, Stanley Road, Bootle have agreed to provide a supply of complimentary cardboard boxes to make up emergency food parcels as part of the North Liverpool Foodbank and St. Andrews Church.
Dave Reason, Store Manager from Armadillo Storage said he was delighted to support the scheme “We are always looking to play our part in the community, and having met with some of the Foodbank staff and volunteers, we could see how we could help out local people when they really need it.”

On Friday 23rd December, Liverpool Primary Care Trust held ‘Jeans for Beans’ day where staff swapped their normal office attire for casual wear in exchange for food contributions to each of the Foodbanks across Liverpool. Dave said “I think our staff saw the benefit of providing nutritionally balanced food for people who are struggling, and Christmas can be a really difficult time for people. That’s why we made a special effort”

North Liverpool Foodbank has been open since early November and has already provided emergency food parcels to 109 people in its first two months, from across North Liverpool.

Denise Williams, from North Liverpool Foodbank said “It’s great to see so many local organisations stepping up to help people in their time of need. The support from Armadillo is really welcome; we need boxes to send food out to our distribution centres, and to make up a set of ready prepared emergency boxes. I’d also like to thank Liverpool PCT for their efforts. They have been so supportive in getting us to where we are now”

North Liverpool Foodbank is led by St. Andrew’s Church in Clubmoor. Further information is available by calling St Andrew’s Community Network office on 0151 2263406, by email to kevpeacock@live.co.uk, or from the North Liverpool Foodbank website http://northliverpool.foodbank.org.uk/