This Christmas I was lucky enough to write about a beautiful period home for Reclaim magazine so I thought I would share a little about this pretty property with you over the festive season.
It’s now easier than ever to create your own Christmas light design or neon sign at home. Here’s the step-by-step DIY guide to making any festive design you like using neon EL wire…
If you want to dress your dining table for a special event, here are some thrifty tips & easy DIYs you can use to create beautiful party place settings and festive tablescapes…
Take inspiration from Pamela Shaw’s dark and opulent farmhouse interior to make your winter decor feel super cosy and rather glitzy, too!
There’s nothing more festive than a real log fire burning in the grate of a fireplace. However, many homes have had their fireplaces removed over the years and no longer have that cosy Christmassy feel. So, if you fancy reinstating your fireplace this winter, here are some facts to consider…
A home filled with rich colours, creative upcycling projects and plenty of glinting gold touches. Take a tour around ‘Hardcastle Towers’ to be inspired by this unique interior and learn some of interiors writer and Instagrammer Joanne’s tips for creating a cosy home this autumn.
How do you update a period school house without losing its character and charm? Take a tour around this 1890s home belonging to Abby of @another_old_school_house and be inspired by its cosy interior and elegant ambience.
Why not turn an old piece of furniture into a drinks cabinet so that you’re ready to host plenty of fun parties this festive season? Here’s a step-by-step guide to DIY a funky bar from any kind of old writing desk or bureau…
An eco-friendly home can actually save you money in the long run and there are so many things you can do to make your property more sustainable – from DIY tasks to impressive installations. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
If you’re planning a wedding for this autumn or next, congratulations! Whether you’ve got a defined budget to stick to or simply want to create your dream wedding for a fraction of the cost, here are some thrifty tips to help you achieve that…
After many months of wrangling with pests, birds, bugs (and even bunnies!) at my allotment, I’ve decided to try out some tunnels to see if they can help us to grow bigger and better veggies…
Today’s blog post will help you to see the light – both metaphorically and literally – as your home’s lighting can be a key factor behind what atmosphere it generates. Here are a few particularly surprising ways in which you can take advantage of this…
I’ve noticed something that almost all the allotments near me have in common. They’re all packed with upcycling projects. In fact, you’d probably find it hard to find anything new! Here are some of the interesting and amazing upcycles I’ve spotted at the allotment…
Our homes are our castles, but sometimes we’re missing something that could make our space more comfortable or safe. From draft excluders to socket covers, there are many items we never think to buy but that could make a big difference. Here are 6 low-cost innovations to consider…
Whether you’re heading to a wedding, looking for the ideal birthday gift or simply want to show a friend how much you care, a gift hamper is always a winner. It’s a thrifty way to treat that special someone AND it can be customised to suit their interests. Here’s how to make one yourself…
If you’re looking for storage solutions to tidy up your bathroom but don’t want to splash the cash on brand-new accessories, here’s an easy way to DIY your own driftwood-style laundry bin and sink caddy using upcycled pallet wood. Let’s get started…
Something that I’m really pleased with on my plot is the insect-proof mesh tunnel that we’ve built using old water pipes. It has been really helpful in keeping my brassicas safe from ‘brassica massacre’ – here are the latest pics from my plot…
Flooring is an often overlooked part of our homes but it’s also one of the things that really makes a room look tired if it’s not kept in good condition. Here are some tips to maintain your floors and save money in the long term…
Take a tour of Amy Shepherd’s four-bedroom stone cottage, which is full of historic 1900s-inspired touches and industrial yet homely decor with sustainability at the forefront of the design.
Five years on and my bathroom renovation is still going strong – and we revamped the room on the tightest of budgets. Here are some tips on how to save money when you’re decorating the smallest room in the house…
Playing in the garden and getting really messy is one of the joys of childhood. So why not help your children to enjoy playing with sand, mud and water outside by constructing this DIY ‘mud kitchen’ from old pallet wood…
Take a tour of Elle Collins’ mid-century style home, which became an indoor jungle after her houseplant collection thrived in the airy vaulted space. Here are before & after photos of her interior revamp plus lots of pics of her gorgeous cat Mia…
This gorgeous period property in Dublin belongs to Darran Heaney of Old Victorian New and he has kindly allowed me to share some snaps of his renovation project – from the before photos to the completed home tour. Let’s step inside…
When you’re decorating a bedroom – whether it’s for adults, teens or children – there are some key factors you should consider when choosing the colour scheme and wallpaper patterns. Here are a few colour theory tips to get you started…
If you want to grow your own veg but without the hard labour of digging over a veggie patch, here’s a quick and easy DIY video that’ll show you how to build no-dig beds for your garden or allotment…
Since my kitchen makeover is complete and all the rooms throughout our fixer-upper home have been decorated, that only leaves one area that I still need to work on – the porch and outbuilding. Here are my plans for the outdoor space…
With half-term approaching (or already begun in some parts of the country) I thought I would share some activities and ideas for keeping little ones entertained during the school holidays…
After years of talking about it, months of planning and weeks of installation, my newly remodelled kitchen is complete! Of course, I tried to save money at every stage of the renovation process so here’s how I got the floor of my dreams for a fraction of the cost…
Here’s a simple idea for creating a Valentine’s Day prezzie or a birthday gift for someone special – or even upcycle your old case with a new design. You can add any phrase you like to customise your phonecase or device case – here’s how…
Sure, it’s nice to go out to celebrate Valentine’s Day but sometimes you just want to stay at home. It’s certainly a money-saving option, as you can enjoy lovely food and a cosy ambience at home for a fraction of the price of your big night out. Here’s how to create your dream Valentine’s date from the comfort of your own home…
Even though I’ve got a very small bathroom compared to many other homes, we’ve managed to make it a bit feel more spacious with some easy design tricks that give the impression of a bigger room – here’s how…
Painting feature walls has been a popular option for a very long time but, recently, the usage of wallpaper in interior design has increased – I’ve seen more patterned wallpapers on interiors Instagram accounts than ever before. Here’s why it’s become such a popular choice…
Today is the 4th article in my series of blog posts to help you achieve your New Year’s goals and it’s all about clearing your home of clutter and getting better organised this year (one of my personal goals!) Here are my top tips for creating a tidy and peaceful home this year…
If you too have recently installed a new kitchen, you’ll probably want to inject some of your own personality into the room so here are a few different ways to make your new kitchen feel more homely…
Yes, that’s exactly what I did. I’ve been back at the sewing machine and have made some Christmassy covers for my Ercol studio couches. Here’s what I stitched…
I want to make the most of the warm autumn days by getting outside and relaxing in my garden, so I’ve created a copy spot for a cuppa on my decking with a DIY living coffee table planter…
During August we’ve been enjoying the fruits of our labour with plenty of veg to harvest but we’ve also dealt with blight, non-ripening peppers & fruit trees desperate in need of pruning. Here’s how we got on & more info on the DIY greenhouse we built…
With the sun shining and summer still in full swing, I thought that today would be a great time to share a garden tour of Isatu Chaborn’s incredible property, including a ‘before’ and ‘after’ of the epic transformation.
We’ve all been spending more time in the garden lately so, if your garden furniture that could do with sprucing up, here are some tips to restore your outdoor furniture so you don’t have to replace it, but rather extend the life of your garden items…
2021 marks the 10th Anniversary of the My Thrifty Life blog and I’m excited to tell you what celebrations I’m planning and how you can get involved..!
If, like me, you’re renovating your kitchen, my recent research might help you to decide which window treatments to choose and how to save money by going for the DIY option of wooden shutters…
Although I’m a keen DIYer, home renovations are not the same as home repairs, so it’s certainly something that needs a little more planning than simply getting out your toolbox! Here’s a guide to organising your next DIY project, step-by-step…
Moving house can cost thousands of pounds so, in the spirit of thriftiness, why not stay where you are and put that money to better use? Here are some fab home improvements that’ll increase your home’s value & help to you enjoy living there too…
Here’s a quick DIY video that shows you how to upcycle scaffold boards and offcuts of pressure-treated timber to create your own outdoor bench seat for your garden. Using scaffolding is a low-cost source of timber and you can upcycle old planks too…
I’ve been looking for sustainable & natural flooring for my kitchen. It needs to be moisture resistant, easy to clean, simple to install and hardwearing. Is that too much to ask?? Here are some of the products I’ve discovered during my search for ‘healthy home’ flooring…
I’m sure it’s the same for everyone but I feel like our garden is SO behind compared to last year! I’ve finally been able to plant out some of the hardier veggies but we’ve also built a DIY cold frame from pallet wood to keep growing our seedlings…
What do you do when you’ve got a shed full of tangled tools and a spare pallet in the garden? Why, pull it apart and build a tool silhouette storage board, of course! Here’s how to DIY your own shed hanging system to organise your essential tools…
One of the best things about blogging is that sometimes I will get a message from someone who has read my blog and was inspired by one of my projects. Today I’m sharing some of the awesome upcycles & DIYs that YOU guys have made – aren’t they fantastic??
Although it doesn’t look too bad from this photo my old chest of drawers was broken & falling apart so I decided to upcycle it into not one, not two, but THREE new pieces of furniture for my home – and here are the step-by-step projects…
Get the most out of your existing by furniture by turning a simple coffee table into a two-in-one piece of furniture that converts into a comfy footstool and back again. Here’s how to upholster a padded topper for ANY coffee table…
Take a tour of Lana Rose Interior’s fresh & airy home to get inspiration for your own Scandi-style spring interior. Nicola’s genius upcycling projects will help you stick to your decorating budget while creating peaceful rooms with plenty of character…
I’m not a fan of clichés BUT when it comes to decorating your home, it’s probably useful to have a few in the back of your mind before starting a task. Not only will you save lots of time & effort, but also plenty of money too! Here’s how clichés help…
If you enjoy a good book and a cuppa while soaking in a bubbly bath, today’s DIY is for you! Here’s how to build your very own bathroom storage stand using offcuts of scaffolding and upcycled broom handles to create a bath-side spot for your tea..!
To make the most of the understairs cupboard I’ve transformed the door into a ‘doorganiser’ – a place to store essentials, create a weekly planner for the family & write shopping lists. Here’s how to make your own door organiser by upcycling DIY offcuts…
Welcome to my festive pallet project! I’ve DIYed a friendly freestanding snowman to adorn your lawn and the best part is that he doubles-up as a family game. I’ve teamed up with DIY website ManoMano to show you how to make this dapper snowman for yourself.
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…
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..!
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..
After a long summer relaxing at home and in the garden there will no doubt be a few maintenance tasks that need doing. Some can be added to your spring cleaning list, but others would be good tackle now to keep you safe & happy over the winter months…
Seeing as the majority of items in my home & wardrobe are second-hand (or rescued from a skip), Recycle Week gives me a chance to shout about all the fab things you can make from unwanted furniture or waste materials – such as these fun upcycling DIYs…
Through renovating my own home I’ve come to realise just how much value can be added to a property by decorating, remodelling and extending – in more ways than one…
I feel very lucky to be able to bring you a sneak peek of ‘Weekend Makes: Hoop Embroidery’ craft book, share this cute step-by-step beaded honey bee project AND give you the chance to win a copy of the book for yourself!
If you’ve got an old sweatshirt that you’d like to revamp for autumn, here’s a quick & easy upcycling video to show you how to give it a new lease of life with a happy slogan…
Hallways can be tricky spaces to decorate. Even though you only pass through them, they link all the other rooms together and the flooring needs to be hardwearing in such a hard traffic area. While working on my own hallway I pulled together some practical makeover ideas…
While writing about home restorations for Reclaim magazine, I’ve heard many stories from homeowners who uncovered problems during their property renovation. Here are some handy tips for renovating a Victorian, Edwardian or Georgian home…
Today should have been the day that Latitude Festival 2020 would be starting. Creatives around Suffolk are coming up with ways to celebrate the festival at home and here are some of the things they’ve come up with…
If you’ve got a rusty old bicycle that has seen better days, don’t chuck it out just yet – you can renovate it to give it a new lease of life, or upcycle it to use as a pretty planter in your cottage garden. Here’s how to revamp your old bike…
If you’re using a lap tray for your lunch or to hold snacks during film night, it’ll probably get sticky & icky quickly. Even after wiping them down regularly & being careful with spills, they still ended up with little stains & grease marks on the surface. Here’s how to give a lap tray a quick makeover with self-adhesive vinyl…
I’ve been DIYing again and this time I’ve made some nightstands for the bedroom. It’s a simple project that makes use of old drawers from a broken chest to create bedside tables – here’s how…
Many of our vehicles have been sat still in garages & on driveways for weeks, but don’t worry – we will be out on roads again in the future! So, to ensure our car remains usable, we need to maintain our cars in the meantime – here’s how…
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