Fancy making your own neon snowflake light to decorate your home for Christmas? I’ve shared the full DIY project along with photos of my own minimalist snowy white festive bedroom…
Christmas trees? Nah! Santa? Who? We all know that the real star of Christmas is the sprout. Whether you love them or loathe them, they’re the most hotly anticipated visitors on the 25th December and I think they deserve to be celebrated. So I’ve DIYed my own stalk of sprouts,
If you haven’t got a Christmas tree or simply can’t fit one into your home, this DIY copper-pipe tree is a great slimline option. You can make it yourself using offcuts from your plumbing project, a broom handle and a piece of pallet wood, so it’s practically free!
Here’s another DIY festive décor project for you – a glittery light-up neon snowflake. You can hang it on the wall to create a fabulously festive feature or use it as a lamp on your bedside table.
Who needs shop-bought Christmas lights when you can make your own, eh? This wall-mounted Christmas tree project uses electroluminescent wire to DIY a light-up neon Christmas tree using pallet wood…
Christmas is about so much more than materialism but it’s also nice to buy or create something that lets people know you are thinking about them at this time of year and that you enjoy having them in your friendship circle. Sometimes all it takes is a Christmas card so
If you’re looking for a truly unique gift this Christmas, you’ve got to go handmade. Etsy is a great marketplace to find items that have been crafted by artisans and creatives so that’s where I’ve been shopping this year. Here are some festive gift ideas for all members of the
Christmas is a popular time for proposals and I can’t think of anything more romantic than a snowy backdrop when you’re popping the question. An engagement ring is a Christmas gift she’ll never forget and I’ve come up with some top tips for buying the ideal jewellery that she’ll be
Have you given any thought to your table setting? Whether you’re someone that likes to keep the table set all year around or a procrastinator that only thinks about the number of place settings required on the day, I’ve got some festive inspiration to give your table settings the wow-factor
I’ve made my own Christmas jumpers this year! What do you think? After a quick rummage in my local charity shop I found three different types of jumpers just calling out to be upcycled, so I thought I’d share this heat-transfer vinyl project with you so that you too can
Last week, we went for a rummage in the local charity shops and found two boxes of glass baubles to add to our collection. So, for the first time in a long time, our tree has a colour scheme! I decorated my tree on Sunday so I thought I’d share
December is here and if you haven’t already jumped at the chance to put up your tree and make your home look as festive as possible, you might be looking for some more affordable and creative ways to decorate your space for the Christmas period. There are so many amazing
If you’re thinking of taking a break over the festive season, I’ve come up with some ideas for a Christmas getaway that you’ll never forget…
If you’re planning to have a real Christmas tree in your home this year, why not choose the eco-friendly and sustainable option of buying local? I took a tour of a Suffolk tree plantation on Friday so here’s why you should consider getting your festive tree from a local producer…
If you’re not a big fan of fairy lights but still want to illuminate your rooms for Christmas, here are some slightly more subtle ways to get a touch of twinkling light into the space without going over the top…
Sustainable present ideas to help you stay eco-friendly this Christmas while shopping for gifts and stocking fillers…
Christmas is just around the corner and if you have a special someone in your life, it’s never too early to start thinking about gifts for her. Here’s how to make shopping for the ideal Christmas gift, stress-free…
When you’re self-employed, the office Christmas party becomes a thing of the past. That’s why I planned my own Christmas party this year at the Cosy Club – here’s why you should do the same…
Fancy making an advent calendar that you can reuse to help you countdown to Christmas every year? Check out my a step-by-step video tutorial to DIY your own refillable festive calendar…
Remember the shoebox appeal when you were younger? Packing up small gifts and essentials for someone who really needed it? I really wanted to get involved in a campaign like this in the run up to Christmas so I searched online to find a local charity. And I found a
With old traction engines, quaint village shops, Santa’s grotto and a magical wonderland, Thursford Christmas Spectacular is so much more than just a show. Here’s what you can expect from a visit to Thursford this festive season…
Did you know that the average cost of a Christmas stocking adds up to over £70? Sounds like a lot doesn’t it? That’s why I jumped at the chance to cut this cost by half and share the results of my Christmas stocking haul with you today. Plus, you can
Are you ready for Christmas? (Yes, I said it!) All the food, the indulgence and the mulled wine? I’m looking forward to it already, although the health-conscious me is already feeling a little wary. So I thought I’d share some ways that you can get ready for the festive season
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
Yes, you may have been rather disorganised and got into the Christmas spirit too early this year – but even if you haven’t done all your present shopping, there’s no need to panic. The Christmas countdown is well and truly on, and with just a couple more shopping days until
It can be difficult to fit a big bushy Christmas tree into your home, can’t it? Especially if you’re living in a flat (how do you even get it up the stairs?!) or a cosy terrace with Victorian proportions. If you’re lacking in space but still want to feel festive,
If you’ve got a bigger-than-usual tree this year and are thinking that your baubles are looking a little sparce, here’s a quick and easy DIY project to make your own Christmas tree decorations. Simply raid the toybox (or head to the charity shop, like I did!) and give some retro toys
Finding inexpensive ways to decorate the home this holiday season is a great way to make savings and here’s a few ideas for homemade decorations.
There are few things more wonderful than the festive season. It’s the time when you and your family come together to spend time with each other, decorate the tree, share gifts, and generally just get as merry as possible! Of course, the last thing you want is for some kind
I always think to myself, ‘this year I’m going to be so prepared, and get all my Christmas and gifts in the post during the first week of December’. Does it ever happen? Nope! Honestly, I don’t know where the days go. From as early as November, I already feel
How are you decorating your dining table this Christmas? Will you be adding crackers? Have you got a beautiful floral display planned? Are you decorating the entire dining room with a theme? I’ve been thinking about my festive table and have been doing some much-needed research (good ol’ Pinterest!) into
Christmas is almost here, and for some people, that means travelling somewhere to celebrate the festive season. Last year, it was predicted that 4.5 million Brits travelled abroad for Christmas and New Year, and it is likely that even more people will be travelling this year along with their family, friends, or
This week has been an incredibly crafty one for me – first it was the wreath-making workshop and today’s blog post is all about my latest sewing project: Christmas jumper bunting. Scroll down to see my step-by-step guide to making this fun festive project – I hope you’ll give it
When you think of a cosy home at Christmas, what do you imagine? I expect whatever you’re seeing in your mind’s eye is rather similar to while I’m thinking of. There’s the glow of low lighting, lots of soft textures, a roaring fire and steaming cups of hot chocolate on
Remember your childhood Christmas tree – I bet it had an angel on the top, didn’t it? Over the years I’ve spotted more and more stars adorning the tops of our festive trees, but I love the traditional look that an angel adds when sitting at the very top of
While it’s nice to look lovely for special occasions over the festive period, there’s no sense in buying an outfit that you’re only going to wear once. Surely you want to be able to wear your new clothes to that new years party, or for Saturday nights out and weekends
Compared to most bloggers, I feel like I’m really behind on decorating my home for Christmas. Yes, I know it’s not even December yet, but I’ve been spotting gorgeous photos of bloggers’ trees and homes for weeks now and feel like I’m the only one not to have put up any
I’ve been daydreaming again, and this time it’s about my perfect lottery-winner’s Christmas. Indulge me for a moment. I’m not saying that I want to win the lottery, nor that I need to have £££s to create a gorgeous home and wonderful Christmas, but I’ve let my mind winder and
With December 1st fast approaching, I’ve come up with a quick and easy DIY advent calendar that you can make as a family. Plus, it’s reusable so you can refill it with treats every year and will never need to buy a chocolate calendar again! Here’s what you’ll need to
Struggling to buy for someone special this year? How about creating a super-personal Christmas hamper? If you plan a few weeks in advance and shop around, it’s likely that you’ll pick up some good bargains, too. You don’t have to be overly crafty to make the hamper look good either.
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!
Looking for ideas to decorate your home this Christmas to get into the festive spirit? I’ve been doing my research (early, of course!) and I found some fantastic tips from Personalised Gifts Shop. They’ve compiled a list of the biggest and best Christmas decorations trends this year and I can’t wait to
I guess I was quite adamant when I said I only wanted books for Christmas, huh? Because that’s what I got – and piles of ’em! So you can imagine how thrilled I am to start the new year with a stack of books to read and plenty of reviews to
Ahh it’s nearly time to take down those festive decorations and get your home back to ‘normal’ – whatever that is! Apparently decorations should be taken down by the “12th night”, although there seems to be some confusion over when that is – it’s either the 5th or the 6th January. Either way,
Shopping for Christmas gifts need not be an expensive activity, in fact it it an opportunity for a having little thrifty fun. It’s often the case that the best presents are not very expensive, but are chock full of sentimental feelings; something that can help to bring up funny memories and
With Christmas fast approaching, my latest DIY project is a rather festive one indeed. Yes, I’ve got my trusty glue gun out again and I’ve been busy attaching pom-poms to anything that stays still! Since decorating the Christmas tree, I decided that my mantlepiece was looking rather empty and after a
This month I’ve been busier than an elf in Santas workshop – yes, I’ve been DIYing lots of festive projects ready to share with you on the blog this December. And what better way to kick off the celebrations than with the ultimate festive makeover: a candy cane chair.When I
I know I have. Well, every day in December is Christmas jumper day for me… but I’m talking about the official Christmas Jumper Day with a capital C, J and D. This year, Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper Day is taking place on Friday 16th December. Silliness will be sweeping
I thought I’d share round-up of my favourite festive recipes this Pieday Friday. The idea was to get you in the mood for all the Christmas baking to come but, in fact, I’ve actually started craving most of these recipes now, so I’m sure I’ll be whipping up some tasty
Yes, I still have an advent calendar every year, even at my age. I’ve had chocolate calendars to countdown the days until Christmas for as long as I can remember. And I probably had a printed cardboard calendar even before then. I love opening a door every day, bring me
You know that Christmas is approaching when the coffee shops start serving their Christmas drinks. The usual selection of coffee and tea suddenly flips over to the festive menu sometime in early November. One day you’re buying your usual latte and the next day there’s a turkey and cranberry toasty on the sandwich counter and gold
So now that bonfire night has exploded all around the country last weekend, I think I can safely move on to Christmas. That’s the rule, is it? Halloween? Check! Bonfire night? Check! Christmas? Ohhh yeaaah! Here it comes! Which is precisely why I’ve waited until now to show you my
This time last week I was preparing to attend the launch of Christmas at Blackthorpe Barn in Suffolk. It was my first Suffolk-based event as a blogger (not much seems to go on around here!) so you can imagine how chuffed I was to be invited to a blogger event that
If you’re already thinking about Christmas, you’ll probably be wanting to find a few extra pennies for your festive shopping. When money is already tight it can be hard to imagine how you can save anything between now and Christmas but believe me when I say it can be done!
Have you still got a cake tin full of Christmas cake or an uncooked Christmas pudding in your cupboard? I always end up eating leftovers well into January and can be pretty fed up with eating them by now! If you too have odds and ends of Christmas cake, mince
Did you ever read ‘The Christmas Book’ as a child? I am reading it right now! I’ve been treated to a couple of pre-Christmas gifts so that I could enjoy them before the big day, and this vintage book was one of my Christmas eve presents. I’ve taken some quick snaps
Think it’s too late to order a special Christmas gift online? Even though I still have gift shopping to do this week, I’m pretty sure that anything I order now won’t arrive before the big day. So I’ve been investigating some gift ideas that you can buy or create that
One of my worst nightmares is being cold in the winter, alongside any kind of home maintenance disasters. Christmas is precisely the wrong time for a boiler to break down, for drains to get blocked or the heating system to fail, yet it always seems that problems occur at this time
I’ve got a big Christmas party taking place at the weekend and my sisters and I have taken over the food preparation for our annual family gathering. As much as I love sausage rolls and frozen party snacks, I wanted to create something a little bit special this year so
Do you (like me!) enjoy picking out a special outfit just for Christmas day? It always makes me laugh when I’m watching the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special and Gavin admires Stacey’s outfit, to which she replies; ‘Thanks, it’s my Christmas dress’. It’s just so true! I love to choose
One of the things I love about December is the fact that I can wear the 20% of my wardrobe that I can’t wear for the rest of the year: my festive jumper collection. You can just about get away with fair isle patterns in autumn and some snowflake prints
With the festive season just around the corner I’ve started to tackle some DIY projects to get ready for the big day in advance. After finding a cute little kitchen trolley at Wayfair, I was inspired to create a Christmas cart – a place to store all my festive ingredients
It’s that time of year again – gift guide time! I know you’ll all be shopping for presents this week (I know I am!) and if you’re not already ‘all shopped out’ after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I’m sure you’ll appreciate a few ideas I’m sharing today. First up
Be warned: Now that it’s December 1st there is no stopping me. I’m going Christmas crazy and you’ll be lucky to find anything non-festive on my blog for the whole of the holiday season! So let’s start how we mean to go on; with a blog post about setting your
Redecorating your home may mean a lot of effort, time, and money spent, but I’ve found that it is still absolutely worth it! Once it’s finished (like my home almost is!) the result is so satisfying and you can create a beautiful interior space for you and your family to enjoy.
As you can probably tell from the recent activity on my blog, I’m getting excited about Christmas already. But it’s definitely with good reason; the more prepared I am in advance, the more I can enjoy the big day, with everything I need already here. There’ll be no last-minute impulse
In our house the countdown to Christmas has begun. Not only am I super-excited that my favourite time of year is less than 10 weeks away, but I’m preparing myself in a thrifty sense too. We all know that the cost of Christmas can soon add up so this month I’ve
Okay, I know it’s not a traditional time of year to be shopping for Christmas accessories but right now is precisely the best time of year to purchase a new Christmas tree. And that’s exactly what I’ve done this week! Yes, my brand new Christmas tree was delivered yesterday and
I love fairy lights and can’t get enough of them over Christmas and New Year. In fact, I like having them up all year round so while I’m still away on holiday I thought I would share some photos of gorgeous fairy lights from my instagram account. Hope you had
