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Home & DIY

If you need inspiration for your making your house a home, but have a budget to stick to, you’ve come to the right place.

I too want to be as frugal as possible with the money I invest in my home. I’ve remodelled my own fixer-upper and have shared all the dos and don’ts along the way

Browse through my DIY posts and upcyling projects room-by-room to get advice on renovating your home, inspiration for revamping furniture, and discover thrifty ways to decorate on a budget…

RECENT POSTS

DIY

Lighting up my home for winter using smart technology & smart bulbs

If you want to learn more about creating your very own smart home (without rewiring your whole house!) today’s blog post is for you! I’m sharing my honest experience of smart lighting for the first time, plus I’ve got a Phillips Hue Starter Kit to give away to one lucky reader in my competition so read on to find out how to enter…

HOME DIY

My freelance life: Why working from home can save you money

Other than an improved work-life balance, working from home has many benefits – and the extra money in your pocket is a big incentive. If you were to work out how much money you spend going to the office each day, you would be amazed. Allow me to throw some figures at you…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to DIY a retro cocktail cabinet for your festive parties

If you’re planning to entertain over Christmas and New Year, it’s a great idea to have a cocktail cabinet ass a place to serve delicious drinks to your guests. Here’s how to make your own DIY retro bar from an old display cabinet…

DIY

5 Ways to make your rental property warmer & more efficient

Now that the cold winter months have arrived it’s time to make sure our homes are warm and cosy. Landlords now have to make sure their properties are more energy efficient – good news for us renters as it could save us valuable pounds! Here are a few DIY jobs you could do to make your rental home a little toastier…

Home buying

Moving to a new house? 5 Things to inspect before you move in

Buying a new home is a really exciting time even if it often feels like it takes forever between finding the house and completing on the purchase. But just because the mortgage company has completed a survey, it doesn’t mean that the house is ready for you. There are several other things you should have inspected before you move in…

Home buying

Fun, garish & boring – What the UK REALLY thought of 2018’s interior trends

Have you redecorated your home this year? Did you splash out on a few new accessories? If (like me) you’ve been Pinning 2018 interiors trends like mad, you may well have incorporated a few elements into your home. But what did the great British public REALLY think of the hottest new trends in 2018? I’ll tell you…

DIY

Step-by-step DIY: How to upcycle a rusty old metal filing cabinet

If you long to create the home office of your dreams but have been shocked by the price of office storage furniture, today’s DIY project could be the solution. Here’s how to upcycle a rusty old filing cabinet so that you can add castors for a flexible office configuration, or turn it into a desk with built-in drawers…

Autumn

Autumn decor projects to light up your interior this November

Autumn is here, so that means it’s time to get out the kids’ winter clothing, mow the grass one final time, and fill your home with festive decor. But if you’re not quite ready to go full-on Christmas just yet, here are some easy and low-cost ways to decorate your home for autumn using things you already have…

Bedroom

The history of Stag furniture + Badger Cottage interiors feature

If you love iconic mid-century design as much as I do, this month’s Reclaim magazine is for you! My Design Icon feature is all about Stag furniture and, in particular, John and Sylvia Reid’s designs. I also got the chance to visit the beautiful Badger Cottage to write an interiors feature so it’s well worth a read…

Bedroom

9 Low-cost ways to create a cosy bedroom & a happy home 

Home décor is an essential part of happy living. But it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to look good and can actually make you feel happy to come back home in the evening. Here a few of things you can easily use to decorate your bedroom with the least effort and money…

Cruelty-free Life

5 Easy (money-saving!) ideas to make your home and life more sustainable

Everyone wants to do their little bit to help the environment and there are so many effective, yet simple changes that could be done around the house that could help the world become more sustainable. Here are just 5 great ideas that you could do on a day-to-day basis that will really contribute to a better planet. Oh, and some of them will even save you some money too..!

Books

DIY Project: How to make a chunky woven storage box

How to weave your own chunky woven storage box from cardboard and wool. Plus a review of Weaving Within Reach craft book – The projects in the book range from homewares to fashion accessories, kitchenware, gifts and soft furnishings. As you can probably tell from the wide range of projects, there’s something to suit every ability and it even shows you how to make your own makeshift loom to get you started.

Home buying

3 Ways to improve your credit score before buying a house

The property market is starting to be driven by first-time buyers, bucking historical trends. With that in mind, here are 3 simple ways that you can boost your credit score while you’re saving for that deposit, so you’ll be ready to apply for a mortgage when you find your first home…

Garden

Add a water feature to your garden without costly running expenses

Garden water features are known for their visual appeal and can be a relaxing addition to the landscaping around your home. But it’s not all about luxury and aesthetics; when it comes to being innovative and money-saving, water features can help you save and conserve water too, with the help of rainwater tanks…

Bedroom

New interiors trend – How to make a statement with your ceilings

What do your ceilings look like? My guess is that they’re painted white, possibly textured and definitely without wallpaper, right? Well the latest interiors trend that I’ve spotted all over Pinterest is decorated ceilings. This under-utilised space above your head can now be adorned with images, patterns and effects. So, read on to find out some ways to incorporate this trend into your own home…

Bedroom

Cosy autumnal styling hacks from Danish, Irish & US homes

Are you feeling autumnal? Has the new season hit you yet? If you’re already putting the thick duvet on the bed and adding blankets to the sofa, this interior styling post is for you! Here’s how to get that cosy autumnal feeling in your own home, taking inspiration from Irish, Danish and American interiors…

Autumn

Settle into the season with The Suffolk Resident

What do autumn interiors mean to you? It’s all about the texture people! I’ve shared my tips along with some amazing bloggers including Stacey from endoftherow.co.uk, Emily from asliceofsuffolk.com, Hannah from logburnersandlaughs.co.uk and instagrammers Emma @fromacountrycottage and Sarah @slowlivinginsuffolk. Their tips and photos are really inspirational and it make me feel so cosy just reading the article! 

DIY

Will your next home be a shipping container?

In a move to combat the issue of affordable homes in cities, it has been suggested that recycled shipping containers could be the perfect material to construct safe, liveable and comfortable tiny homes. But, just how true is this claim, and how likely is it that your next home could be a shipping container? Here’s just how usable shipping containers are and how they are currently being used…

Kitsch Kitchen

4 Kitchen tools you will need this autumn

There are certain tools no kitchen should be without, especially when cooking hearty meals during the colder months – do you have them in your cupboards?? Read on to find out which kitchen essentials you’ll need to create healthy dinners this autumn…

Bathroom

4 Things to consider when picking a new carpet

Many people hold back from replacing their carpet because they are overwhelmed by the decisions involved; plush piles or loop piles? Which fibre should you invest in? How do you know if the colour will suit the room? While it’s true that there are different factors to consider, choosing the right carpet for your home can be surprisingly easy. Just keep these four basic points in mind:

Cassiefairy's News

Mid-century modern clocks – my article in Reclaim Magazine!

I love a good retro clock. Along with lamps, they’re one of the few household items that I seem to collect. I just can’t resist an interesting clock face, an iconic number style (can I refer to it as a typeface or font when talking about numbers?) or a fun frame. So it’s no wonder that I decided to write about mid-century clocks for my latest Design Icon feature in Reclaim magazine. 

Bathroom

How to DIY a nautical bathroom cabinet using pallet wood

If you need a cabinet in your bathroom for all your beauty bits ‘n’ bobs here’s an easy DIY cupboard you can make in a day using pallet wood. It’s a great way to recycle an old pallet and mirror, and you can make it any size to suit the space you have in your bathroom… 

Bathroom

3 walk-in shower ideas for your bathroom remodel

Walk-in showers can improve the look of your bathroom; they can help to make even a small room feel more spacious and give it a hotel-like atmosphere. Here are 3 ways to incorporate the trend into your own bathroom…

Bedroom

Quick makeover tips for a magazine-worthy bedroom

Have you ever flicked through a home décor magazine and wished that your bedroom was just as beautiful as the ones on those pages? We all know that the costs of decorating such bedrooms can be super high so you may feel discouraged about even thinking of giving your own room a makeover. Well, no more! With a few easy and quick hacks, you can get the bedroom of your dreams without having to spend a fortune…

Books

Step-by-step tutorial to make a macramé daybed

Macramé is everywhere these days, isn’t it? I can barely open up Pinterest without pinning countless designs for plant hangers and knotted wall art. Today I’m sharing a step-by-step guide to making your own macramé daybed – it’s a rather impressive project but it’s one that you definitely can make at home.

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