After growing our own fruit & veg in our garden for the 1st time in 2020, this year I’m making plans for a kitchen garden that’ll (hopefully) provide all the fresh produce we’ll need. Here’s my monthly veggie plot update for February (with lots of snow!)
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Winter is a dream for some cats (cosy radiators, yay) & a right pain for others (urgh wet weather). Either way, your pet may need a little extra attention during the winter months so here are some ideas for keeping your cat happy and healthy this season…
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Many of us are working from home this month & although it’s tempting to wear your comfy PJs all day or even stay in bed to work on your laptop, that’s not the best way to look professional or feel motivated. Here’s how to stay cosy while working remotely:
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If you want inspiration for a cosy home that can easily take you from winter into spring, Amy from Cuter Tudor has kindly allowed me to share some photos of her beautifully styled home to provide all the design inspo you need for a transitional interior…
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When you’ve got a spare half-hour and fancy watching something festive why not re-watch some classic Christmas TV shows?! Here’s a handy list of all the seasonal episodes of your favourite TV series & sitcoms ready for you to enjoy this December…
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Christmas can be busy at the best of times so I’ve come up with some ways that we can use modern technology to make December easier than ever. From gift shopping to entertainment, there are so many festive things you can enjoy without lifting a finger…
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For me, Christmas always evokes a feeling of nostalgia so I’ve raided my childhood toybox to decorate my Christmas tree with retro toys. Here’s how to upcycle any small plastic animals or metal cars to create festive decorations for your tree…
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If you’ve decided to get a potted Christmas tree this year (that you can use next Christmas!) you may want to jazz up the pot when you bring it indoors. Here are a couple of ideas to dress up the plant pot of your real spruce tree for the festive season…
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Yes! You CAN enjoy a fun & fulfilling Christmas without spending a fortune – you just need to get a bit creative with your time & money. And I’m here to help you! Here are some seasonal step-by-step guides & money-saving tips for a cracking Christmas…
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I’ve created a DIY video to show you 3 no-sew ways to make a Christmas stocking without ever picking up a needle and thread! Check out how super-quick they are to make – they’ll be hanging on your fireplace in no time..!
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Beautifully layered neutrals, furniture with warmth & patina, and rooms dressed for the seasons. That’s what you’ll find inside Kim Jones’ Texas home & on her blog Salvaged Living. Here’s a tour of her characterful home to inspire your own seasonal decor..
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With the clocks going back at the weekend we’ve now got to deal with darker days and the impending winter. And when there’s not as much daylight it’s not particularly good for our mental and physical health. Here are some easy ways to take care of yourself…
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Over the years I’ve lived in some rather small homes and it’s been difficult to decorate for Christmas in such a compact space. However, that’s never stopped me from filling my home with festive decor each December and, in fact, I’ve quite enjoyed the challenge of making my own DIY space-saving Christmas trees. Here are three ways to upcycle pallets, pipes and paint to create your own unique festive decor that doesn’t take up too much space…
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If you’re as excited about Christmas as I am this year, you’ll be feeling ‘fizzy’ today – which is exactly how I felt when I turned on my laptop and realised that it’s the 1st December! My days just run together at times and I often lose track of the date, so it was a surprise and a joy to discover that today’s the day that I’m officially ‘allowed’ to get excited about Christmas!
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With Black Friday and Cyber Monday sneaking up on us, this seems to be the weekend that people really throw themselves into their Christmas shopping. And sometimes, when there’s a big discount on offer, it can be so tempting to splash the cash – and really difficult to stick your usual ethos of shopping ethically […]
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Today’s DIY is all about LED candles and how you can decorate them with mini foliage wreathes to create a table centrepiece or decorations for a shelf or mantelpiece – here’s how…
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If you want to add some festive touches to your walls but don’t want to go all-out with tinsel and garlands, today’s DIY star wreathes could be the solution. They’re a minimalistic, Scandi-style and look great in both contemporary or rustic homes so here’s how to recreate this simple Nordic look for yourself…
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Simple maintenance tasks that to ensure that your car keeps running smoothly. Not only will these fortnightly, monthly and yearly checks help to keep your vehicle in good condition, they’ll also allow you to solve any problems as soon as they arise – and before they become bigger, more costly issues. Here are some vehicle maintenance tips that might help you cut the cost of car ownership:
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Ooh the Christmas countdown has really snuck up on me this year and now it’s just 100 day until Christmas! So? That’s ageeees away, right? Well, in the world of thrifty living and financial planning, it’s actually a great time to start thinking about Christmas and I’ve written a little something to get your festive preparations off to a flying start and help you stay stress-free this xmas…
Read MoreInspiration for picking out fun outfits and playful accessories for your winter wardrobe that make you feel just as warm on the inside as they do on the outside. Here are some tips for jazzing up your winter outfit while staying warm…
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The decorations and mince pies are already on sale in many shops around the UK now and, with the nights starting to draw in, thoughts turn to Christmas. And also to the expense associated with the festive season, which for some is a stressful time of year. Here’s how to plan your budget ahead and keep yourself feeling happy about ‘the most wonderful time of the year’…
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There have been some big changes in my kitchen this week and it’s made a huge difference to the feel of the room. Yes, I’ve installed some new lighting and I honestly think they are the coolest mid-century style lights you’ll ever find…
Read MoreIt’s Saturday night and it’s time to party, wooo! But just what should you wear for a glamorous night out if you don’t have a budget to spend on a new outfit each week?
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Oooh I had a lovely Sunday lunch last weekend. Can you guess what it was?? I shopped ethically and sourced some fresh, local lamb to make this delicious lamb shank recipe with sticky redcurrant gravy – here’s how to make it yourself…
Read MoreThe dark days of winter can really drag on, can’t they? I’m starting to feel like January will never end! Even though we start the new year with the best of intentions, it can be hard to feel motivated when it’s another drizzly, grey day. So how can you achieve your health and happiness goals […]
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We all know the importance of daylight, don’t we? It’s key to our mental wellbeing at this time of year and many people suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), caused by lack of daylight. It can be easy to wake up in the dark, work indoors all day and then return home at dusk. In […]
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Advertisement feature in collaboration with EDF Energy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own You never really know everything about your home until you’ve lived in it through the winter, do you? No matter how cosy a house can seem in the autumn, or how light and airy it can appear in the […]
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Today I’m sharing an easy project to make a DIY wheeled coffee table. My husband made this within an hour, while I was painting another of our DIY furniture projects so I’m sure it’ll be simple enough for any enthusiastic DIYer to make for themselves.
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If you are a homeowner you are probably already aware of the dangers of freezing pipes. As water freezes it will expand, potentially cracking the pipes and appliances. When the water defrosts you suddenly find you have a leak; which can cause a lot of damage very quickly.
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Is there anything more magical than a winter wedding? Especially if it happens to snow on the big day too – ahh, so dreamy! Even though I got married in the summer, I ‘d probably go for a winter wedding if I were to do it all over again now. Just imagine all those fairy […]
Read MoreThere are so many expenses to consider when purchasing your first home or choosing to rent a property. Maintaining and running a household can be expensive, and most people find that out the hard way. I for one didn’t have any clue about just how quickly my pay cheque would disappear when I began renting […]
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Today I’ve got some tips from ScandiKitchen’s Brontë Aurell on how to make your home instantly feel much more Scandinavian, along with some gorgeous photos of the look. This feature is taken from Brontë’s newly released coffee table book ‘North’. The book answers questions such as ‘why are Norwegians the happiest people in the world?’, ‘what is […]
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Do you have a lovely Christmas jumper that you’ve shrunk in the wash? Did the moths nibble their way through your favourite festive pullover? Don’t bin them – you can turn your old knits into Christmas cushions! All it takes is some straight lines of stitching to make cute throw pillows to dress up your […]
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The arrival of autumn and the festive season has got me thinking about making a few tweaks to my living space to create cosy interior. So, while you’re putting up Christmas decorations all over your home, make sure you’re being sensible budget-wise about decorating your home for the holidays. You actually don’t need to spend money […]
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I don’t know about you, but at this time of year I just want to stay in bed and hibernate. In fact, I wish I was back in bed right now rather than sitting at my desk in my home office. Well, what are laptops for, if not for blogging from bed, eh?! And the […]
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Most of us have a morning routine. A set of activities designed to get us ready for the day and maximise that precious time between our alarm sounding and us leaving the door. But how many of us have an evening routine? Those regular actions that gets our bodies and minds settled and ready for […]
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So here’s the latest photos of my guest room makeover. We’ve made a little more progress since my last guest room makeover post (where you can see all the ‘before’ and decorating photos) and finally have all our furniture back in the room. We’ve added some bedding that we already owned, some cushions I made […]
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What do you think of when I say ‘carpet tiles’? Grey office buildings? School hallways? The budget option that your mum made you have in your bedroom as a teen? Well, the style of this type of sectional flooring has moved on a lot in the last decade or so, and it’s now a design […]
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Have you heard about the candle that shoppers going wild about this summer? It’s a budget version of the Jo Malone ‘Pomegranate Nioir’ scented candle and it’s available – wait for it – in Aldi. But how good can this low-cost replica really be? Of course, as a thrifty blogger, it’s down to me to […]
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Each night we do something important without even thinking about it. We go to sleep. Sleep is vital for optimal body and brain function. And when our sleep suffers, so do many different aspects of our lives, from our work to our relationships. Your sleep space plays a pivotal role in the quality of your […]
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If you want to treat a new mum (and give some gorgeous gifts to the little one too) why not create a DIY baby bundle gift basket? This make-it-yourself gift shows your friend just much they mean to you, and gives you the chance to spoil her rotten! So shake up the spray paint and […]
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I think I can safely say that this is the biggest photo I’ve ever printed. And definitely the largest I’ve ever pasted onto a wall, that’s for certain. Sure, I’ve used a couple of posters to create a large-ish image on my bathroom wall in the past, but have never filled a whole wall with a mural before. […]
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If there’s one thing that I thought I’d never do in my life, it was probably fitting a shower in a bathroom. It seemed like such a difficult process and I thought that we’d probably end up with a soaking wet bathroom and no shower. But it turns out that fitting a shower was exactly what […]
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I love the idea of a minimalist lifestyle. I guess that’s because I’ve got so much clutter in my life! Dreaming of open spaces and white walls provides a complete contrast to my life at the moment. With boxes half-unpacked and not knowing where anything is, I could really do with implementing a few minimalist […]
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When I started decorating my bedroom, I knew I wanted to create a tranquil space. I’ve always dreamed of an entirely white room – even when I was a teenager I wanted to create a minimalist room for myself, although you can imagine how un-minimal a teenage girl’s single room is in reality! This project is therefore the culmination of that dream. White, white […]
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If you are living on a tight budget, each season brings its own challenges and I think that winter might be one of the most difficult. During this season one of the biggest issues homeowners face is finding the money to pay for higher-than-usual power bills. We all know that it’s likely that we’ll be […]
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Hoo-gah. Honestly, that’s how you pronounce it. Lagom is slightly a tougher one… lar-gohm. If you’re already over hygge, then maybe lagom is for you. With the new year in full swing, the Scandinavian concept of ‘everything in moderation’ may be better suited to you (especially if you’re making changes to your lifestyle and diet) than […]
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Being invited to a wedding always lifts my spirits. It means that one, often two, of my friends have found happiness, and are ready to settle down to a life together. It also means a party, a chance to meet up with old friends and family, dress up, and generally have a good time. Weddings […]
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With a new home on the horizon I have, of course, been doing extensive decor research on Pinterest. Yes, research. Honest. Okay, I’ve been pinning plenty of pretty homes and tons of gorgeous homewares over the past couple of months (ahem… years) in order to be well-prepared for my imminent house move. Today I’m sharing […]
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At this time of year I like to give my skincare routine a bit of a shake up. With all this warm air indoors and cold winds outside I find that my skin dries up completely and I tend to need a cream or serum that’s just a little more luxurious than my summer range. Of course, […]
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What do you get for your niece and nephew when you’re the coolest aunt in the world? Why, handmade teddy bears, of course! It’s a project that has been six months in the making and now the bears are finally wrapped up and flying across the sea to reach the little ones in Ireland in […]
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Oh my goodness, it’s Christmas next weekend. How did that happen? I feel like I’m not entirely ready for it yet so want to get a move on with planning my recipes for the festive period. I shared a round-up of my previous Christmassy recipes last week (including 2 types of gingerbread, coffee shop hacks and some Christmas […]
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When was the last time that you went offline? For me, it’s probably been years. Ever since I got my first smart phone I’ve not had a day away from the internet. Well, when you’re carrying a computer in your pocket at all times, and your job is based online, and your friends contact you via […]
Read MoreThe average person will spend approximately 25 years sleeping, and with good reason. Whoever said ‘sleep is for the weak’ certainly hasn’t experienced the joys of being horizontal on a Sunday morning. I wonder if there’s a stat out there for the amount of time people daydream of their bed whilst at work? I can […]
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Last weekend I cooked Sunday lunch for the family. But it wasn’t just any Sunday lunch, oh no. It was the ultimate autumnal stew recipe, with the flakiest beef and the tastiest gravy you’ve ever tried. And it only took 30 minutes to cook. How? I used a pressure cooker (that I was kindly gifted) […]
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I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe when I rusted it up for the family earlier this week. As we tucked into our Mediterranean dish – and mopped up the tomato sauce with our homemade garlic bread – some recipe name suggestions were thrown about. We couldn’t decide if it was Spanish, Italian or something else, […]
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If like me you’re unsure of exactly what baking tins you need in your kitchen in order to recreate all the lovely recipes you’ve been pinning on Pinterest, today is your lucky day. I’m going to try to demystify the more unusual-shaped baking tins and show you exactly what a cake would look like if […]
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Most of the year I want my rooms to look more spacious, clean and bright. But when winter looms, I suddenly get the urge to start decorating in stronger colours and wishing that rooms were smaller and more cosy. Have you ever noticed how snuggly you feel when you’re in a country pub in December? […]
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At this time of year I want to make my bedroom feel as cosy as possible. But I’m not quite ready to go all-out with a Christmas duvet cover. So what’s the compromise? How do you create a warm, festive atmosphere in your bedroom without turning it into Santa’s grotto? The solution is low-cost, making […]
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Autumn and winter are not just difficult times for us human, with dropping temperatures, sniffles and dark days, our pets sometimes suffer more in the winter too so today I’ve put together a little blog post about taking care of your furry friends this season. Of course, I want my cats Cookie and Muffin to […]
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With the Autumn/Winter season in full swing, I thought that today would be a good time to share a menswear styling post with you. As you know, I’m a rather thrifty girl and I like to come up with ways to style my clothing to create many different looks from just one special piece. I believe […]
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This week the weather started to feel decidedly autumnal. We’ve had a couple of very cold mornings – I can’t quite say frosty… yet! – and the leaves have been dropping in the garden. I’ve been craving more hot meals and, in particular, soups at lunchtime. We cooked up a tasty chicken soup last week using the […]
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You can probably guess from the title of this Pieday Friday blog post that I’ve recently become the proud owner of a new waffle maker. Yes, this month decided to go for it and order my new kitchen appliance from MeinCupcake and I’m really pleased that I did. You see, I’ve not just been making […]
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Today I’d like to share with you a delicious lasagne recipe that I tried out over the bank holiday weekend. My husband and I actually baked this dish together on Easter Sunday and were tucking into the tasty Italian treat by lunchtime, and let me tell you – it was amazing! I’m not blowing my […]
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While Christmas may be over for another year, I can’t help wishing that winter would stay around a little longer. Since the start of January it feels to me like the magazines are already talking about spring trends and shops are bringing out their summer ranges – even though it’s still cold and snowy outside! […]
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I’ve done it! I knit a scarf! Or is it knitted a scarf? However you say it, I’ve done it! For the first time in my life I have finished an entire knitting project from start to finish and I am really chuffed.When I decided to make a scarf as a Christmas gift for my […]
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As you may have already spotted from my photos on Instagram, I grew a few squashes in my new veggie patch this year and that meant that I had plenty to play around with for Halloween. Now that the spooky season is over, I want to put my squashes to good use, so I’ve come […]
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