Spring Cleaning

The sun is finally starting to show his head, and with only a month until Spring officially starts, it's that time again - spring cleaning! I like to cling onto winter after Christmas is over. It took real effort to pack the winter decor away...but I feel so much better for it.

Every year, as I mentioned in a previous post, we get festive tartan throws for the living room. They are from the Home range at Primark, although you wouldn't know it to look at them. They're between £3.50-£5 each, which means that once winter is over, I can replace them at very low cost, and Scout gets two new blankets for his basket! (My dog can't have a normal soft basket as he un-stuff's EVERYTHING so he has a wooden surround, and LOTS of blankets!). 

Primark's spring range is very hippy, boho looking. It's adorable, but it's not my style (I love boho, but just not the over-patterning of everything) so I'm in that transition waiting for their next influx of stock...I just know their summer line will be as spectacular as the adorable pineapple/ice cream/flamingo prints from 2015! So right now, it's back to the yellows - nothing says spring more that yellow and white, and you just know I'll be straight on the daffodils when they're in bloom! They're one flower that lasts more than 2 days, and bunches are really cheap.

Another job during spring cleaning is to battle mould. We live in a very old house, it was only £2000 to buy new when my Grandparents bought it...! So it's only single brick walls, not cavity walled, and only half the house was double glazed, with some of the back rooms still having the old aluminium windows. Luckily having had the kitchen done, we only have two alu windows left but the newer ones still need replacing as they've all blown their seals. Anywho! I am in a constant battle with mould and am always after tips to help prevent it, until we eventually have every interior outer wall replastered with a false wall to create a cavity, which is what our builders did in the kitchen. 

But my favourite part of spring cleaning is the cleaning itself >.<
I know, isn't it sad! But I love washing all the cushion covers from the sofa, pulling up the rugs, moving the sofas and steam cleaning the wood floors. I love chucking all the glassware in the dishwasher (I have still only used it twice...!) and seeing it sparkle when comes out, hanging the washing on the actual washing line and not having to stick the heating on because we haven't reconnected the tumble dryer yet...I just love it. 

 

My tips for spring cleaning....

• Make a spring/summer playlist! Spotify is super for free music streaming, and you can find almost anything on there! Make a happy, bouncy plasylist to keep you entertained as you dance around with that duster. 
• But first - coffee! Give yourself a boost, you're going to need it ;)
  
  
  
  
• Light some candles. We use Yankee burner tarts on a Scentsy electric burner. We love the seasonal smells, but also stick with our all-time favourite classic of White Cotton. COnvince yourself your washing smells great! ;) 
• Commit the whole day to it, and start early! I get up around 9 on my day off. I stick the news on, have a cup of honey and lemon tea then crack on with the cleaning. I'll usually be finished by 12/1 and then I have the rest of the day to enjoy my lovely clean house before 3 long days at work! 
• Treat yourself. Buy yourself something small as a reward. I found this adorable stag/deer head chalkboard in the winter stock sale at Wilkinson's yesterday for £3. I'm slowly collecting bits for the man-cave / second spare bedroom, so this will be perfect! 
  

What do you love about spring cleaning? Do you have any tips? 


xo

 







 

Bedrooms, and more, on a Budget

We all love a bargain, and for those of us who fall in love with every seasonal theme we see, it can often end up getting expensive to keep up to date with what we love. Being a psychologist as well, I fully support the idea that a cluttered room is a sign of a cluttered mind. Although these days, they're saying that people with messy houses have a high affinity for creative reasoning. Who knows, but what I do know is that when there's mess in our house, we end up having a meltdown and the biggest spring clean we can manage. We just hate clutter, and although I love keeping memories, I've started to throw out so much 'rubbish' that I've been hoarding. 

My secret talent is bargain hunting! Now I love supporting handmade etsy stores, and local businesses, but sometimes the price just doesnt justify the item.
If I see something I just have to have, unless it's mega special and I know I can't leave without it, I have a system.

* eBay. Most things I love can be found second-hand on eBay, for far cheaper than their RRP. Always havee a quick search before committing to new, unless you're happy paying out for it. I've found cushion covers for £2 each, when in large stores they've been £7-15 for one pillow. 

* Gumtree. I'm not a huge fan of the second-hand local selling site, but I have come across a few bargains from people moving house and wanting to get rid of furniture quickly. Just be careful how to arrange payment, and check electrical items work before handing over cash! 

* Facebook selling pages. These are fab, especially when they're local and you can collect for free or have it delivered for a couple of pounds. It's also great when people you know are selling things - you often end up getting them for free ;) 

* Avoid labels. I'm not mad about labels at all, whether its for clothing (although I love my Fat Face and Saltrock items!), or anything else, and when it comes to home-wears, I prefer value over brand names. I treated myself to a few items from the home range at NEXT when we first had the kitchen done, but most of the rest are all generic versions of popular brand items. I originally bought a lightbox for £50 for my kitchen - I love them, and think they're so versatile for occasions and look adorable. But then I found that The Range were stocking them for £10....!!! No brainer ;)
 
Primark's home range is amazing, and if you haven't ventured into the aisles of candles, throws and decor, I suggest you get your butt in gear! The great thing about their range is that's it's constantly being updated. They have seasonal themes, but in between they tend to update their shelves every month or so. You'd expect bad quality from the cheaper end stores, but even their Home range is up there with other budget home ranges such as B&M and the new New Look home range. 
Their range has caused one issue, though. I am obsessed with bedding. Over winter, we slept in their super warm extra thick cotton sets, through summer, the thinner, pastel shades are a welcome change. 

The great thing is that they display the sets in store, so you can see what matches. As I write this post, the current range is a bohemian hippy style, with camper van prints and spirograph style patterns.

Here are a few images from the themes in our home....

Our smallest spare room is a future nursery, so the theme has always been fun, childish and uni-sex. The theme was based on Primark's last summer season range - flamingos, pineapples and pastels.

Mint frames and sunshine box - Primark
Cloud shelves - Tiger
House frames - The Range

Day Bed - IKEA
Bed set - Primark
Pineapple cushion - Primark
Flamingo cushions - Primark

Ice cream lamp - a lovely little company
LOVE letters - The Range
Wooden Owl - The Range
Strawberry jewellery box - Tiger
Box frames - Primark
Flamingo mug - Primark

Frames - Primark
Glitter paper and buttons - Hobbycraft

ARIZONA and NEVADA silhouettes

Primark summer theme

I also love the George at Home, from Asda. I still find lots of their items on the pricey side, but they too do some great seasonal items, and when I was in my 'stag and deer' obsessed phase, they definitely helped curb the appeal by supplying more than enough items to keep me happy! (They also do cheap Yankee tarts, if you're like me and love them!)

After I've been to Primark, I always head to The Range and B&M. B&M is a monthly/fortnightly trip because we don't live overly close (20min drive, as opposed to 2 min drive to The Range), and it's not on our travel route to anywhere, so we have to make an effort to go there.  B&M is my guilty pleasure for kitchenware - they sell the cutest mason jars, and those kitsch, shabby chic homely items that you always see on Pinterest and Instagram but have no idea where to buy. We bought two sets of mason jar glasses before Christmas and everyone loved them for their mulled wine, complete with cinnamon stick and orange slice. 
B&M also do great imitation items. I say that because I often find versions of things in there that I see in places like Dunelm Mill and Next, but for half the price. This little candle holder is ceramic. I almost bought one from Next that was an electric version, with a bulb inside, but for a fraction of the cost (this one was £6.99), we get to burn our favourite Yankee candles and it looks just as sweet.

My other secret is the 'all or nothing' deorating rule. 

It's almost Christmas, and you love the Nordic, tartan theme. It's everywhere, so you buy the curtains, the rug, the throws, the cushion covers. 

You have a choice. After Christmas you pack them away and only dig them out again next year, or you keep them up all year without the decorations that make it christmassy. But you have to commit. If you're going to do the latter, then you can justify spending more for more durable products, but if you're only getting it out for 6-8 weeks of the year, then my advice is to keep it cheap. 

So there you have it. Making a house look homely doesn't need to be expensive, nor does following the Pinterest and Instagram trends.

Be sensible, frugal and realistic - do you need to spend £32 on a kettle when theres one just as pretty, that does the same job, but without the brand name on the side for £10?



Let me know your secrets! 

Right on our doorstep

Sometimes I think it's easy to take for granted just how amazing our local area is. We're really lucky being situated on the South Coast, surrounded by inner cities, countryside, the gorgeous Moors, and of course more beaches than you could imagine down through Cornwall and up into North Devon. 

We decided to have a wintery adventure, seeing as the sun was out and the pup needed a good run. We headed to Seaton beach in Cornwall - somewhere many of our friends always recommend, as well as other dog owners. We hadn't taken pup to the beach before - we usually head to Dartmoor and let him explore for hours, have a swim in the rivers and make friends with the Dartmoor ponies. But we fancied a change. We love the beach, and I think it's much more exciting to visit the seaside during winter, donned in big coats, hats, gloves and wellies. It was one of those scarf and sunglasses sort of days.

Well, after a wrong turn and getting wedged on the steepest hill ever, we finally made it to the beach. It was a beautiful afternoon watching the sun set, watching the dog bounding through the incoming waves, submarining his face under the white wash, and digging holes in the sand. This is exactly what we needed this week.

Bathroom - Loading....50%...

Eek! We finally had our bathroom tiled, and I am so happy I almost want to sleep in the bath just in case I wake up and it was all a dream. 

For those who don't remember, when we first moved in the bathroom looked like this..

It's a small space, due to the humongous great airing cupboard (soon to be removed!). A few months back we got a whole new bathroom set. We'd had the bathroom replastered due to mould and it was the perfect time to replace the worn out old units. Plus they were beige, gag. Once they were in, I painted the plaster with an undercoat and then a top coat of Dulux mint white, which looked so white at first but darkened over the days following. But after the shower curtain rail pulled a chunk of plaster off and I accidentally flicked dark blue paint everywhere opening the tin, we just knew it was time to get the tiling done and hide all remnance of my butter fingers! 

The builders started by mounting the white ceramic tiles...

Then filled the gaps with silicone.

The tiles are so lush, the bottom photo was taken in the dark with just the camera flash to show you a better idea of their size. They're slightly more cream than white as they have to dry before we can wipe them clean of builders dust so will be more white. 

We also bought some black vinyl flooring a long time ago but another builder told us it would bubble up with the humidity so we stored it in the attic for another project. Our current builders have reassured us it can be laid in the bathroom, as long as they prep the floor beforehand. The space is so small we could have used an offcut, but since we got the flooring roll anyway it seemed silly to pass up the offer! We also bought a gorgeous metal towel rail a long time ago to replace the old radiator but we realised we accidentally got an electric one...so will be trading that in asap for one that connects to the boiler. 

Sometime in the future we are removing the airing cupboard, which won't be a huge job, and housing the boiler on its own, to open up the space below for a small storage unit to fit in. The bathroom isn't a room either of us are bothered about as a priority, but with hubs disabilities, the difference between having to have a bath or a shower is monumental. He's very happy it's almost shower-proof! We just have to find a glass shower door now....

Project bathroom, halfway there. <3 

House Update

I've been sat in the kitchen doing some bits for work, and I had a sudden random flashback of how the room used to look. It's just nuts to think that only a few short months ago, this space was two different rooms, and hadn't been touched in a good 20 years...! 
The difference is catastrophic, and its the little things that make the most difference I think.

New double doors - they totally open up the wall, and with so much more light coming through the room is so bright and welcoming. 

Radiator - we moved the plumbing from the larger wall to the wall between the alcoves. We had a new radiator fixed up and bought a beautiful radiator cover to house it. Its more central so helps warm the room quicker, and frees up the space on the other wall. 

Lighting - the old fashioned lights were taken down and replaced with spot bars, which mean we can light one half of the room at a time, or both together at night.

Sink and window - The positioning of the window above the sink wasn't an accident. I want nothing more than to stand at that sink clearing up after lunch on a warm sunny Sunday and watch my children play in the garden through the window. I need children first, but that's only a small issue ;) haha! 


We've been toying with some ideas of what to put in the left alcove. Hubs has always wanted to build cushion-topped storage benches, which I was more than happy with, but I recently found a gorgeous welsh dresser which I've got coming this weekend - hubs has always wanted a coffee station, so I'm hoping to move all the coffee bits to the dresser, and free up a cupboard in the kitchen. Not heard of a coffee station?! Don't you realise, there's a whole new world out there waiting to be discovered that doesn't involve 3 in 1 coffee sachets, long life milk and sweeteners! 
There are some great coffee stations on Pinterest, so my inspiration is endless! Here are some of my favourites...

I have had a lovely few days off work, but I'm back tomorrow for four hectic days that are also filled with appointments for me and hubs, but I'll be back soon to show you the coffee station! Oh, and the bathroom before and after....we've got the builders in today and tomorrow so watch this space! 

xo

Deck the Halls! 2015

Merry christmas! I hope you've all had a really amazing festive season and made some great memories!

We started a new tradition this year  - Christmas Eve! Since I started working when I was 18, I've always opted to work Christmas eve. I worked in an ice rink so the festive feel, smiley childrens faces and my amazing co-workers just made it brilliant and I always looked forward to it. I have a new job this year, and I'm loving it just as much, so I worked for a couple of hours before heading to my Mum's house. It was so lovely, my sister and nephew and my Grandad joined my Mum, me and my husband. Mum cooked her (healthy version) party food which was delish, and my in-laws popped round too. It was lovely to be with my favourite people, chilling and watching old home movies and having a giggle. I hope we do this every year, it's definitely my favourite day now after Christmas Day!

Of course, the first person in this household to unwrap a present was the dog :) his new bone kept him entertained for the next few hours whilst we got ready fir our guests.

I spent most of the morning making sure the house looked presentable - my number 1 tip if you're hosting Christmas Day is to always make your house tidier than you would be happy with. It inevitably gets cluttered with pressies, paper and people! Starting with the absolute minimum will mean even when its chaos, it won't look unbearably untidy (which is great if you take lots of photos like me!).

 I tried to help hubs start cooking but DOG.

I mentioned before that this Christmas would be odd because it's our first since our parents separated. It was SO lovely, however, to have them both over for the day. It wasn't awkward or sad because they've stayed amicable and friendly, which is a massive relief for anyone who knows what it's like when your parents split up! 

Here are a few photos from the day that captured just what it's all about for us.

Hubs really went all out and made it a lovely day for everyone, despite being in
unbelievable amounts of pain. What you can't see here are the bandages and knee supports
so he could sit on the floor with my nephew and open presents.

I really loved giving presents this year. I really made an effort to get things that were meaningful and useful instead of just getting things for the sake of it like I used to do. It really paid off, my sister adored her and my nephews matching fishtail blankets, my Dad loved the book he had been after for months, and my Mum was really thankful for all her little makeup and home decor pieces. 

I'm not one for receiving presents. Don't get me wrong, I still find them exciting, but I get more enjoyment from giving people presents. However my husband really surprised me this year with my gifts. I've never known someone to pay so much attention to their wife's comments. He must have, even when I thought he hadn't heard, because he got me exactly what I needed. A gorgeous Animal aztec print waterproof watch, an endurance Speedo swimming costume and a gorgeous Animal feather print backpack with waterproof pocket - I'm a baby swim teacher so to me, those are the most perfect gifts I could have wished for. The fact that he got an extra watch strap, matching wallet and other things were just a bonus. I got him wireless headphones for the nights he can't sleep for pain, and doesn't want to keep me awake watching movies in bed (now he can stay in bed and I won't wake up :) ) and a Tassimo machine, as well as way too many clothes - I now have one very happy husband!

We had the family boxing day party the following day. O had a great time playing with his gifts.

It always feels odd when it's over. All that build-up and suddenly, boom. Finished. 

I'm not one for the 12 days of Christmas malarky - after Boxing Day I want nothing more than to take the decorations down and move on. So that's exactly what I did this morning :)